Not Joe the Plumber, but SAHM

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Not Joe the Plumber, but SAHM
246
Thu, 10-16-2008 - 10:49am

My Open Letter:

Dear Senator Obama,

I am a stay-at-home mom living in the over $250k tax bracket. I want to ask you why you feel my family is not doing it's part to share the wealth in this country. Our family does well but we also pay taxes at the highest marginal rate. We do not have millions or the kind of lifestyle that would get us access to tax loopholes. We only get deductions for home mortgage interests, state taxes paid and charitable contributions. Last year those three deductions were capped because the government limits the deductions at our income level. In the past we have been stuck in AMT which ensures we do not underpay our fair share of taxes.

Because of our family's income level, our children will not qualify for student loans or other aid. Therefore we must save entirely for their college. We save as much as we can. In recent weeks lost 30% of those savings as well as a decent amount of our retirement savings and the few mutual fund investments we have are under water. The only other asset we have is our family home. We only have one. It would be really tough to sell it in this market, we've lost a large chunk of our equity.

We have never received a stimulus check, yet we do our part to donate to charities we believe in, invest in the market and spend to keep the economy going. And we pay our taxes. There is no question that the opportunities in this great country have allowed us to achieve the American Dream. For that I am grateful.

Your proposals will take an additional 12% out of our annual family budget by increasing the marginal tax rate and increasing payroll taxes. We aren't struggling yet but we will be if your tax proposals pass. We will have to stop or severely limit college savings, with one child only 3.5 years from college and the savings down 30%. Last year we paid enough in Federal Taxes to supply 240 individuals with a Bush stimulus check, similar to the stimulus plan you propose if you are elected (I guess that continuation of the same Bush economic polices is good). I have no doubt that some of what we paid went to wasteful government projects and earmark spending that did not help any struggling families. You say $18 billion in earmarks is not a lot of money to you but 12% of my family budget is a lot to me and my children. I do not begrudge what we already give the government, but I will argue that we are doing our share. I argue we are patriotic and we are neighborly.

We are upper middle class, we are not like your friends, Oprah and Warren Buffet. Our priorities are saving for our retirement, our kids college and paying off our house. We can comfortably do those three things now, though we are worried about the economy like everyone else.

I am a registered Democrat and have always believed in social programs for those who need them. I still believe in them. But I do not understand why when you speak that it sounds as though my family is getting something over on this country. That we aren't doing our part. That we don't pay enough tax. That we don't do enough to lift others up. I say we are doing a lot by not asking anything from the government. I say it is the government that is letting the American people down, not us.

If this economy gets worse my husbands job will be at risk. We could lose our home along with the remainder of our savings. The only good news I see coming from the Democrats is that maybe then we can have the government contribute to our children's college education, we'll get a tax cut and might finally see one of those stimulus checks. Then you'd finally get your chance to lift my family up.

Pennsylvania Mom
http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/

Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 6:01pm

<<Oh good grief! How silly!>>


what is?

Avatar for litlpixy
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2004
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 6:05pm

"i aslo find it interesting that the WAITER was GOOD and WAITRESS was HORRIBLE. am i reading too much into this? yes. but i just didnt see the need to change genders".

Acorn - they're

"It's time to put the election behind us and the country in front of us. Barack Obama wasn't my choice, but come January 20th, he will be MY President.... I will not seek to see all

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:01pm

Today, it seems there is a huge portion of the populations who feels no shame at all for asking for every dime they can get off the system just because they exist and think they should have everything anyone else has. Personal responsibility and pride seems to be a commodity that is disappearing as fast as stock value has this past couple of weeks. I hear people bragging about what they get from the system and telling each other how to work the system and it makes me literally sick. If it were one of my children I'd disown them. I have a disabled child who works everyday in pain because she is determined not to be thought of as the people who scam the system are.

>>Could you be a more specific. Who are these people who feel not shame for asking for money from the system?

>>In terms of Personal responsibility, I think the original poster on this thread, who had indulged in risky investments and had a mortgage so big that she would lose her home if her spouse lost his job might be one of them. Who are the others?

>> I also have a disable child and he is not fortunate enough to work. Do you have a final solution for people like my son, should they just starve or freeze to death in a back alley? It is appropriate that our tax dollars provide for the aged and disabled in our society.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:08pm
Studies were recently reported in our newspaper that volunteerism as a whole is down from 5 - 10 years ago.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:12pm
But the tip jar (in your analogy) is also shared with the busboy, the cooks and the dishwashers, who, although they don't directly get the big bucks, certainly are working hard and contributing to the success of the waiter.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:19pm

Just trying to be helpful on this one. Why not hire a high school student to do some of the babysitting from 4:00 to 6:00 when your husband gets home?

Many restaurants are open 24/7. You could also work from 7:00-12:00.
Restaurant aren't the only type of work available, security guards work 24/7 and so do cleaning people. My parents worked full time day jobs and cleaned offices in the evening. There are also many customer service job that go 24/7. You might check out monster.com or call a temp agency.

Think of these jobs as something you can do while you are getting over you cash hurdle, aim for better once the kids are in school.

Good luck, I hope things work out for you.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-16-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:24pm

>>Could you be a more specific. Who are these people who feel not shame for asking for money from the system?


I could personally name four individuals who make money off the books and then get Medicaid for their pregancies and WIC for their formula.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:26pm

I hope you turned them in for fraud.


 

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:33pm

He was speaking from PERSONAL experience from back in his college days. He got excellent tips while the waitresses sat around doing nothing and were rude to their customers when they WERE working.

Gee, I wonder if those were the waitresses who later married and became SAHM's.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:35pm

"Personally I think that the hourly wage that they want to pay is way too high and I really don't think that it will motivate people to volunteer once their 100 hours are up."

Maybe not, although as long as such an offer is on the table it will mean a steady stream of students filling a need in the community that clearly is needed if volunteerism is down. And if it doesn't lead to increases in volunteerism, it might still lead to later increases in service-related careers and increased empathy and compassion.

It is a generally interesting problem: how do we motivate kids to be compassionate and volunteer? I think its important that candidates consider possible solutions, even if we disagree about the potential for success.




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siggy aug 09

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