[Vision2020] Who pays US income tax?

[Jeff Harkins]

  Mr. Hansen,

You should attend a Republican caucus.  The questions I often hear are:

What is it gonna cost?

Who is going to pay for it?

Occasionally, I do hear "it's Obama's fault - which is a far sight 
better than it's Bush's fault. '-))



On 12/28/2010 11:40 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
> Generally speaking . . .
>
> Wars are good for a nation's economy.  It puts everybody to work resulting
> in extensive cash flow.
>
> I mean . . . jus' take a look at our economy during World War 2.
>
> But, if everything is out-sourced . . . and we are forced to borrow from
> China . . . and emphasis is placed on tax reduction . . . well . . . you
> get the picture.
>
> It is my impression that there are two questions asked at every Republican
> caucus . . .
>
> 1)  What's wrong?
>
> 2)  How is it Obama's fault?
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, December 28, 2010 10:46 am, Joe Campbell wrote:
>> Shouldn't we wait until we're not at war or in debt before talking tax
>> reform?
>>
>>
>>
>> On Dec 28, 2010, at 9:46 AM, Jeff Harkins<jeffh at moscow.com>  wrote:
>>
>>>   OK, that works ........... now if we can keep the words alive, by
>>> echoing and reflecting across the land, we might get some tax reform.
>>>
>>> On 12/28/2010 9:35 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
>>>> My apologies, Mr. Harkin -
>>>>
>>>> I should have stated . . .
>>>>
>>>> "Jeff Harkins echoes in the words of About.com:"
>>>>
>>>> Tom Hansen
>>>> Moscow, Idaho
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Jeff Harkins [mailto:jeffh at moscow.com]
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2010 9:33 AM
>>>> To: Tom Hansen; vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Who pays US income tax?
>>>>
>>>>    Well, Mr Hansen,
>>>>
>>>> I am uncomfortable when someone attributes words to me that I did not
>>>> say. I did not "reflect" those words, simply posted them from the
>>>> About.com site - which was coincidentally based on data from the US
>>>> Treasury.
>>>>
>>>> On 12/28/2010 5:30 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
>>>>> Jeff Harkins reflects:
>>>>>
>>>>> "The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid 33.7 percent of all individual
>>>>> income
>>>>> taxes in 2002. This group of taxpayers has paid more than 30 percent
>>>>> of
>>>>> individual income taxes since 1995. Moreover, since 1990 this group's
>>>>> tax
>>>>> share has grown faster than their income share."
>>>>>
>>>>> Could it be because the top 1 percent earn a majority of the national
>>>> income?
>>>> Well, it could be, but the Treasury Dept. reports that the top 1% in
>>>> earnings paid 33.7% of income taxes in 2002. They also report that the
>>>> 1% income earners share of income taxation has grown faster that their
>>>> income share.
>>>>
>>>> More to the point, Mr. Hansen, the Treasury Department reports that
>>>> "Taxpayers who rank in the top 50 percent of taxpayers by income pay
>>>> virtually all individual income taxes."
>>>>
>>>> In all years since 1990, taxpayers in this group have paid over 94
>>>> percent of all individual income taxes. In 2000, 2001, and 2002, this
>>>> group paid over 96 percent of the total.
>>>>
>>>> WOOF WOOF!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> That dog don't bark, Mr. Harkins.
>>>>>
>>>>> That argument is similar to the old anti-marijuana claim that 95
>>>>> percent
>>>>> of the people currently addicted to heroin got started on marijuana
>>>>> (let's
>>>>> not pay any attention to the 5 percent that started right away on
>>>>> heroin).
>>>>>
>>>>> Scuttlebutt has it that shortly after Rep. Boehner assumes office as
>>>>> Speaker of the House, a couple of his Republican buddies are going to
>>>>> introduce a bill making the tax cuts permanent.  Shortly later it will
>>>>> be
>>>>> suggested that spending be reduced by TWENTY PERCENT.  One can hardly
>>>>> imagine where the budget cuts will originate.
>>>>>
>>>>> There is even a nasty, vicious rumor that attempts will be made to
>>>>> privatize Tri-Care (healthcare for military retirees).  This has been
>>>>> "attempted" several times over the past decade.  Thank God for DAV
>>>>> (Disabled American Veterans) of which I am a lifetime member.
>>>>>
>>>>> Tom Hansen
>>>>> Moscow, Idaho
>>>>>
>>>>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to
>>>>> change
>>>>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>>>>>
>>>>> - Unknown
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>
> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>
> - Unknown
>
>
> =======================================================
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>   serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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