Taxes Destroying Middle Class

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2001
Taxes Destroying Middle Class
52
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 2:09pm
Currently over 50% of everything my husband and I earn is paid in taxes: federal and state income, social security, property, gasoline, and sales taxes. John Kerry cannot keep all the promises he has made without raising taxes. The Democrats are determined to "kill the goose that laid the golden egg" - if Kerry wins, they will succeed! John Edwards complains about two America's, but he advocates for government that will result in two America's: the very rich like the Kerrys/Edwards/Kennedys/Hollywood movie stars who have made their fortunes and use tax loopholes to avoid taxes - and the rest of us who will be forced to depend on government programs because we do not have enough money after taxes to save for our own retirment and health plans.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 5:48am

Are you talking about your total tax bill, federal, social security, medicare, state & local?


Elaine

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2004
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 6:59am
I live in a metropolitain area where property taxes and sales taxes are high. Because my husband and I are self-employed, in addition to federa & state income/property/sales/social security, etc. taxes, we pay for our own health insurance and try to set aside money for retirement in addition to social security. At the present time taxes take approximately 50% of our income and insurance (health, life, house, car, etc.) takes approximately 20%. Little is left to spend for food/clothing/shelter. President Bush's plans to lower taxes, allow small businesses to pool together to get better health insurance rates, and establishment of county health departments where everyone could go for routine, non-emergency health care (such as shots and routine health screenings) are the suggestions that would most benefit our family. I don't resent the wealthy or want to take away from them; rather, I would like to keep more of our own money so that we would have a chance to acquire some wealth ourselves. Having grown up in a military family, I experienced "government health care" and do not wish a national health care program like the one Kerry proposes; my experience is that care in such programs is sub-standard.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 7:44am
How is the health care in military sub-standard? Sub what standard? Whose standard? Sub- your standard doesn't say much.

Since this is personal, I'll tell you my story. My nephew wrecked his bike on an interstate near a Navy base last January. Broke his pelvis, one femur, one arm, both hands, ruptured his blatter, and suffered a major concussion. Since he was on active duty in the Navy at the time and had just done his tour in Iraq, the Navy picked up the tab and the Navy doctors and nurses took care of him. His care, for the last ten months has been exceptional.

But since you worry about your children, tell me, how does Bush plan to pay down the largest defiects in history, so he, and you, won't leave a burden to your children? Let me hear the plan, please.

Avatar for claddagh49
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 8:38am
Exactly! I'd like to know that answer too! I'd like some of these people to wake up! bush says more tax cuts for the people. Wealthy buddies get 50+ thousand again, the middle class get 400, or less. Geez! The 1,000 for child care credit, 1000 for each child. My son has a child he supports at 75.00 a week. He only nets 340 a week, so 75.00 goes to his ex girlfriend who got pregnant by another man and married him. She gets this 300 a month TAX FREE! Never has to report it. PERIOD! YET he has to pay taxes on all he makes! Does that make sense! To me it doesn't!

Health Care, my healthcare co-pays where I work have steadily gone up since I started where I work 7 years ago. I used to pay 3.00 a week. It then went to 5.00. when Bush took office it has gone to 8.00 to 11.00 to 20.00! a pay! I pay 25.00 co-pay for prescriptions! So don't tell me Bush has done ANYTHING to help the Middle -Class! I am 55 years old, I won't be able to do Nursing Assistant job until I am 66 when I could retire and get full benefits. As far as Bush's Dim-wit plan to have small businesses ban together and have one plan, don't hold your breath, you would DIE! The only thing he kept his promice on in his last 4 years was to GET SADDAM and reward the WEALTHY! He truly stinks as a President!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 8:41am
" My withholding taxes went up this year, but it was because Pennsylvania raised the rate to cover unfunded federal mandatory programs like no child left behind. "

Elaine,

You probably want to check factcheck.org. It has cleared up that lie about the underfunding of NCLB. You'll be surprised by the truths of educational funding under Bush.

NIU Ribbon   Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2001
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 10:36am
Small businesses currently pay $500 - $1000 per worker per month for health insurance in our area and are unable to get reasonable health insurance for any employee with a health risk. I don't understand where posters think the money for Kerry's universal type health care plan will come from - it will either come out of employee paychecks as increased payroll taxes or in the form of decreased salary because the employer's overhead has gone up. Some of the liberal rationale reminds me of my little boy who thought you got more money when you needed it just by driving by the bank window and asking the lady for it! Pres. Bush's plan allows employers to get more reasonable insurance rates and will increase county health departments where routine preventive care and screenings can be done for free while preserving our current system of health care which allows choice of doctors, etc. I still remember how liberals touted the HMO model as being the salvation of medicine; now most people I know with an HMO plan are unhappy with it - they have difficulty getting accepted into care by their first choice of physicians and have elaborate red tape to get referred to specialists or permission for extra tests or cutting edge treatment - further a lot of quality physicians are leaving the field because they cannot provide the personal care they would like to and cannot cope with the increasing malpractice premiums.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2001
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 10:41am
NOBEL LAUREATE AGREES! See the following news report:

Nobel laureate calls for steeper tax cuts in US

Mon Oct 11, 5:21 PM ET Politics - AFP




WASHINGTON (AFP) - Edward Prescott, who picked up the Nobel Prize for Economics, said President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s tax rate cuts were "pretty small" and should have been bigger.


AFP/Royal Swedish Academy of Science-HO/File Photo





"What Bush has done has been not very big, it's pretty small," Prescott told CNBC financial news television.


"Tax rates were not cut enough," he said.


Lower tax rates provided an incentive to work, Prescott said.


Prescott and Norwegian Finn Kydland won the 2004 Nobel Economics Prize for research into the forces behind business cycles.


The American analyst, who is a professor at Arizona State University and a researcher at the Federal Reserve (news - web sites) Bank of Minneapolis, said a large tax cut in 1986 had lowered rates while collecting the same revenue.


But "in the early '90s the economy was depressed by the tax increase in '93 by about four percent, and it's right at that level now," Prescott said.


Bush, who is fighting to get re-elected November 2, has cut taxes by about 1.7 trillion dollars during his term.


The US leader accuses his Democratic rival John Kerry (news - web sites) of favoring tax increases, despite Kerry's promise to cut taxes for everyone earning less than 200,000 dollars a year.






iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 12:55pm
--

I am concerned, and I am afraid for my children's future. Kerry has a history of moving this country towards socialism which has failed wherever it has been tried.

--

Votesmart.org - Show what Kerry's move to socialism is.

As for your children's future. You think it's kosher to pass the debts of today to our children? You support Bush, you support much higher taxes on your children, plus all the nasty interest on the debt that will pile up in the next 10-15 years.

I'll take tax and spend over borrow and spend any day.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 12:57pm
--

that we should all be willing to pay more and then do everything they can to pay less.

--

Like help your fellow American? Like Compassionate Conservatism?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 1:00pm
Bush has had 3 years to do it, he hasn't.

As for this substandard care.... It's the same plan that House/Senate members use for themselves and their families.

Plus, it's not required for you to buy into, simply available if your private options/job options fall through.

There's nothing political about insuring EVERY AMERICAN child.