"It's my money; I earned it!"

[Tennessee Gal]

How many times have we heard that one? The next time you hear it, try this simple question: Did you earn it on your own? Can anyone earn a penny without the printing of our currency, public roads, rural electrification, government subsidized telephone wiring, satellite communications, police protection, military protection, the criminal justice system, fire and paramedic protection, an educated and immunized workforce, protection against plagues, public-funded loans, protection from business fraud and unfair business practices, the protection of patents and copyrights, research and development, collection and analysis of data, preventative economic policies by the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Energy Management Agency, public libraries, agricultural and biological services, the National Weather Service, and public job training? Actually, we seem to be getting quite a return for our tax dollars.

[Bitwit1234]

1. Just goes to show how damn dumb republicans and tea bags are

How do the think the country runs if people didn't pay taxes. WE would be like those third world countries overseas. No homes, no food, no nothing. And these tea bags are an educated bunch ??...how thrilling.

[Mz Pip]

2. But but but....!

I'm a real American! Sarah says so.

[Toucano]

3. Actually, we don't get so much. Comparatively speaking.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8154110&mesg_id=8154110

[Deep13]

5. True. nt

[Deep13]

4. And s/he pays for government because s/he earned that too.

Attention morons: you are buying services that exist for you. Idiots.

[dmallind]

6. If you run into an even vaguely thoughtful person making that claim.

Try asking them:

What do you think would happen to wages if all taxes were magically eliminated?

What would happen to prices?

If you make $100K gross now and come out with, say, $70K net, would you prefre to make $135K with a 50% tax rate, $80K with a 15% tax rate or what you make now, and why? What does that tell you about tax rates and what you earn?

[YOY]

7. Derp Derp Derp...

I went to Union Station in DC for lunch...saw two. One wearing camos for no good reason and a second with a shirt mourning the death of the constitution...Looked newer than 2008 so I doubt he wore it during the Bush years.

[onestepforward]

8. I had a freeper neighbor mention something like this to me.

I told her that my husband and I pay over $100/month (same as her) for school taxes and have no children. She has 3 in school. Following the freeper logic, we shouldn't have to pay any school taxes and she should have to pay over $18,000/year for her 3 kids to go to school (Texas spends over $6000 per child.)

I told her that we gladly pay our share because our country benefits by having all kids go to school. I saw a tiny lightbulb go off in her head for just a moment. :)

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. +1

[Caliman73]

10. good one

alas, I am sure the lightbulb flickered out once she sat down watching the millionaire "men of the people" right wingers on Fox...or Limbaugh, spewing their "you pay too much taxes" crap.

[Tennessee Gal]

11. Good for you!

Nice response.

[zeemike]

12. That saying is actually a cover for those that don't earn it too.

like the investor class that gets a hot tip and buys or sells and makes thousands of dollars with the click of a mouse....or a CEO that makes 100,000 a day....
Neither one earns it and in fact takes it from some other sucker.

[Terry in Austin]

13. Earning it "on your own"

I'd say you nailed it here -- thanks!

I once heard a thought-experiment along similar lines: how rich would Bill Gates be if he lived in, say, Angola?

[Tennessee Gal]

15. Actually it came from an article I wrote for Buzzflash

a few years ago. Here is the article: http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/05/13_Liberalism.html

[bluethruandthru]

20. Excellent Article! n/t

[Terry in Austin]

21. No way!

That's very cool. Yeah, I was reading Buzzflash pretty regularly long about then.

Thanks!

:fistbump:

[B Calm]

14. Malloy describes it beautifully, It's the cost of living in a civilized country!

[Odin2005]

16. I tell them that all the time and they don't get it.

In fact they often seem to take it as a personal attack on their "work ethic" and claim that my argument is all about "promoting an ideology of dependence, socialism, and secular/atheist/anti-god determinism" or some such garbage. :eyes:

[Tennessee Gal]

17. That is just not true.

Deep down they know it, but it does not advance their political agenda to acknowledge truth. That is what we are facing and it is sad.

[Dr Morbius]

18. Know what really happens when government reduces your taxes?

Employers reduce your pay, because they already know you'll work for the take-home you currently get.

Americans need to pay much more attention to where and how their money is spent, instead of whining about their taxes.

Know what else happens? Government spends just as much, except they borrow what they want. In effect, taking it from your kids instead of you. Are you REALLY sure you want your taxes reduced? Think it through.

[Tennessee Gal]

19. No, I don't want my taxes reduced.

That is not the premise of this thread.

What we need is for the right wing nut jobs to recognize that our taxes provide for services that assist us all in making a living - something the more elite are in denial about. The majority of them believe the lies that they are being fed by the right wing media. Think about it. Faux, Beck, Hannity, Rush, Drudge, and the likes of Palin are spouting untruths every day.