Are you willing to donate to the national debt?
U.S. Treasury in Washington (Associated Press)
The nation’s $16 trillion-plus debt has some Americans so worried that they’ve donated nearly $8 million – outside of federal taxes - to help pay it off.
Yes, it’s less than a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps, according to the Bureau of the Public Debt, which annually accepts such “gifts.” The donations have been going up since the 2008 federal fiscal year, when Americans donated $2.1 million. Last year, $3.2 million was donated, but this year the donations more than doubled to $7.7 million.
According to a CNN report, the first contribution to the national debt was in 1961 when an anonymous estate left Uncle Sam $20 million. A law was passed to accept the money and donations have trickled in ever since. The bureau says $85 million has been donated so far.
Here’s a link to the public debt just in case you want to keep track of it.
And just in case you’re in a giving mood, Uncle Sam wants you to know you can make checks payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt and please note that it’s “a Gift to reduce the Debt Held by the Public.”
Are you in that much of a giving mood this holiday season? Should a check box be added to tax returns for such gifts?
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121 comments Add your comment
Cecily
November 20th, 2012
12:41 pm
Giving money now would be like giving alcohol to a drunk. When the federal government finishes binging and straightens up their act, I would be all for donating to pay off the damages.
Betty Crocker
November 20th, 2012
12:44 pm
I didn’t cause it, so I’m not paying. Get the politicans to pay into it! You can’t fix something that is fatally flawed, no amoount of money will soothe the federal govt!
Cubfan
November 20th, 2012
12:45 pm
I just want to know what Granny Godzilla would do. SECOND!
papa rider
November 20th, 2012
12:51 pm
How much has Obama contributed? Not to the debt but the pay off. I’m not opposed to making a donation, but not untill the Congress, Senate and Mr. Obama fix the spending problem. Donating now would be like paying someone else’s credit card bill, when they refuse to quite abusing it.
AtlSteve
November 20th, 2012
12:52 pm
Warren Buffet indicated he could pay more. Has the IRS contacted him?
xxx
November 20th, 2012
12:59 pm
When everyone begins paying, I will consider reasonable suggestions. Until that time, I will do everything legally allowed to reduce my personal tax burden.
Captain Midnight
November 20th, 2012
12:59 pm
Why would anyone volunteer to donate money to the government for anything? For what? So Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama can hand out more food stamps? So the government can afford to keep picking up the tab for emergency room birthings of Anchor babies (future democratic votes)?
The governmet is going to get it all soon enough anyway, so why make it any easier?
This is a joke right?
RU4Real?
November 20th, 2012
12:59 pm
I already do, I PAY taxes.
NoMoreRawDeal
November 20th, 2012
1:01 pm
I will not be donating, as I am already forced to donate by the government via my taxes. It’s not my fault they are poor managers of the money once they’ve confiscated it from me.
may ellen
November 20th, 2012
1:09 pm
I agree it is like feeding an addiction….AND…I already pay taxes…ask someone that does not pay taxes!!! for a contribution.
stupid
November 20th, 2012
1:10 pm
Why would I volunteer more money than they take every other week ?
On My Way
November 20th, 2012
1:13 pm
Only if I can deduct it from my taxes.
Don't Tread
November 20th, 2012
1:19 pm
I already “donate” (using the term loosely) almost 50% of my money for taxes. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and the Hollywood liberal set can pony up their money to pay for their policies.
Blue
November 20th, 2012
1:25 pm
AtlSteve: I guess you don’t understand the word “donate” versus “force to pay more”. Try to keep up with the subject.
DwayneL
November 20th, 2012
1:26 pm
I pay taxes, let the freeloaders that pay no taxes donate!
zeke
November 20th, 2012
1:36 pm
Fair Tax!!!
Nobama
November 20th, 2012
1:37 pm
F no.
I pay. 47% doesn’t. Let them pay something $1, $10 $100 $1000 and we’ll talk.
Douglas
November 20th, 2012
1:42 pm
Yes
frankie
November 20th, 2012
1:44 pm
Why ask the question now…did you ask when Bush was giving away 4 trillion dollars plus to Wall Street…spending 1 billion dollars a day for 8 years on two wars…
They could have giving that money back to the citizens of the USA and we would have gone over and founs Bin Laden for him…
frankie
November 20th, 2012
1:48 pm
As soon as these companies stop paying these bonuses and then laying off there workers tomake up for their bonus….
As soon as congress works with the president to fix the mess they helped contribute too.
As soon as I get a bail out I will gladly contribute some extra money to the debt…..
Darren Tinkleschitt
November 20th, 2012
1:57 pm
“I already ‘donate’ (using the term loosely) almost 50% of my money for taxes.”
Fire your accountant.
Rational1
November 20th, 2012
2:01 pm
Folks, stop complaining so much. If you decide to donate, that is your civic duty, which benefits us in the long run. If you choose not to, then that is your option. We are in this scenario together and we must act like caring, positive-minded adults to get out of this matter. Stop being a cancer to this country and be grateful, no matter who is in the Office of the President! This is still a great country with many freedoms and I choose this nation, over any other nation, to live, work, play, and express my religion. May God bless us all and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Scooter
November 20th, 2012
2:02 pm
I believe enabling addicts only leads to more costly binges in the future. The addicts will always promise the world for a few bucks today, unfortunately the world is not theirs to give.
Carl
November 20th, 2012
2:04 pm
I would like to donate the salaries of all Hollywood actors, and every Democrat in elected positions along with President Obama’ salary since they all seemed deterimined to take my salary.
Roger
November 20th, 2012
2:04 pm
I did donate, $44,000 in 2009. Now I need that money since my factory closed and I lost my job. Would I donate again? NOT!
Jim
November 20th, 2012
2:04 pm
No, because the politicians have not learned what got us into this mess in the first place. If we bail them out now we are destined to make even bigger and more costly mistakes in the future. When the politicians restore individual rights then I will consider donating above and beyond.
On My Way
November 20th, 2012
2:08 pm
@ Carl 2:04 pm – “I would like to donate the salaries of all Hollywood actors, and every Democrat…” That includes Clint Eastwood and his chair. Also, since he’s the Republicans’ favorite family man, tax his 7 kids from 5 women (two he married).
Thogwummpy
November 20th, 2012
2:13 pm
I absolutely will NOT donate to help pay off the national debt!!!! We didn’t get a stunning $16 trillion in debt because of some myth suggesting that the rich aren’t paying enough. The problem is a massive parasite culture. And every time I stand behind someone in a store line that uses their EBT card to play the lottery, I seeth. Fact is, the tax takers massively out number the tax payers (this is the true class divide); and they have no intention of going to work when they don’t have to—-it’s a common human flaw. All they have to do is keep voting for Democrats to loot more and more. We’ve passed the tipping point; and the geometric demographic math makes it inevitable that even if 100% of income is taken from the taxpayers…the debt will grow. It is unsustainable; and no donation will modify the arithmetic. Sorry to the Saddam-apologist theorists here….but the debt is overwhelmingly a function of entitlement program spending.
cmac
November 20th, 2012
2:14 pm
HELL NO!!!! The dumbass politicians in Washington made the mess, make their sorry asses fix it. If they get more $, all they will do is spend it. After all, it’s not their money.
My grandfather had the best idea …. Put them all under the dome, blow it up and the next group that comes in may have the guts and fortitude to realize its of the people, by the people and for the people!
Tom Shoupe
November 20th, 2012
2:16 pm
Never. Our elected officials abuse taxpayers money while taking money for their personal benefit from Special Interest Groups. In addition, and example of waste is Hillary Clinton telling a foreign country they will receive 2 billion dollars. They have already received 200 billion dollars. How can they just give away money they do not have. The other problem when our country gives foreign aide we have no method of accountability to insure the funds were used for the purpose intended.
Jason
November 20th, 2012
2:18 pm
Um, aren’t I being forced to already? Listen – I don’t even get worked up about having my taxes raised. The thing that irks me is A) we are still adding debt at $1.4T/year so any “donation” would just shave off a little deficit spending and B) I have no faith that my hard earned money won’t be just totally, completely wasted. Here’s a year of my son’s tuition – oh I see you spent it on Solyndra…
Libralee
November 20th, 2012
2:22 pm
I can see the government salivating when that money comes in, like a fox in a hen house! Oh my, what to spend it on????
Hurry, some ideas someone! When they get someone in the top of government that can operate this government with business sense then maybe donations would make a difference.
N2thaIzzo
November 20th, 2012
2:23 pm
I would if they would forgive my student loans in return…
crazygrocer
November 20th, 2012
2:36 pm
Not NO but HECK NO! Cleaned up comment!
Gus
November 20th, 2012
2:41 pm
Maybe Trump should donate that $5 million he has laying around to the cause…
Don't Tread
November 20th, 2012
2:42 pm
“Fire your accountant.”
Firing the accountant doesn’t help. However, firing a few 0bama supporters would help.
Carl
November 20th, 2012
2:47 pm
I’m sure Barry, Nancy and Harry will take care of this for all of us.
No$forGovernment
November 20th, 2012
2:55 pm
Enter your comments here
No$forGovernment
November 20th, 2012
2:57 pm
No, why would I? They waste money. Get rid of food stamps, all unemployment compensation, fire 25-30% of all federal employees and an immediate 20% reduction in all federal budgets. Then, maybe, we can talk.
GH
November 20th, 2012
2:58 pm
Dont worry folks, homeboy is going to take care of everything. Just let him finish jet setting around the globe first ! Until people vote the current House and Senate members out of office, place term limits on these offices and get a President that understands how business works nothing will ever change. Its only going to get worse.
BA
November 20th, 2012
3:01 pm
HECK NAW!
lexi
November 20th, 2012
3:03 pm
Two wars are not the principal reason for our massive debt. The largest item in the federal budget is means tested transfers–welfare–bought votes. This chestnut is tired for another reason: our Dear Leader himself decreed that the war in Afganistan was our true cause and he, not Bush, greatly increased our committment there. The screeching set might also remember that Osama himself had his command post in Afgsnistan-the invasion there was not random imperialism. And, not the least, defense is a core function of our government. Our government was not instituted as a mechanism for giving gifts to the many, at the expense of the few, and we had a constitution to constrain that temptation.
BigGTMike
November 20th, 2012
3:03 pm
It’s just as solid of charitable donation as some of these abominations masquerading as charities that people take deductions via donation currently. I support it!
Kenman
November 20th, 2012
3:03 pm
Yeah, sure. Hey, ask how much Warren Buffet has “donated” toward the debt, he who is so generous when it comes to what OTHERS should do!?
Pitching anything in that black hole is insanity, I don’t know of anytime in history when the national debt has ACTUALLY been paid down – remember, we are only paying the interest each year, and that it about to break us!
And, if anyone believes that any additional taxes Obama signs off on will go anywhere but additional spending is ignorant. And since Obama admin is borrowing $10 million per minute…
Pope UGA XXIII
November 20th, 2012
3:05 pm
While you’re at it, why don’t you start a fund to bring
Islamofascists from the 7th into the 19th century. You will
have about as much luck – zilch !
We could have a bake sale, but Michelle (Aunt Esther)
Obama sez cake and cookies isn’t good for us.
What a bunch of drooling fools our society of something
for nothing idiots has become.
Jay Dubu
November 20th, 2012
3:08 pm
I already do…It’s called income tax, which I have donated every single year of my working life.
How and what the funds were used for, were not part of my control.
Rodney Kent
November 20th, 2012
3:18 pm
Absolutely not. It would do no good, The government would take the money and give it to those who do not want to work, but wants to live on someone else’s back while they do nothing and spend the tax money on drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.
It would be the most foolish suggestion ever made!
Jay Dubu
November 20th, 2012
3:19 pm
The US is not a business. To run the country like a business would be a huge mistake. Businesses look to generate a profit, and that profit must increase year over year.
How exactly would that work for a country?
I know some of you may think a non-profit business, but that’s what the country is run like now. You have Federal Agencies, that look to increase their budget every year, and make sure that they spend every last cent, be it on legitimate cost or not. They spend it to keep their budget from shirking.
The US Leaders spend too much money trying to police every other country on the globe.
True Talk
November 20th, 2012
3:22 pm
A 25% wealth tax should be applied annually to any trust fund valued at over $3 million. If more than one trust is in the name of anyone, 35% of all additional trust funds, regardless of their value.
A 25% wealth tax should be applied annually to any estate valued at over $3 million.
If anyone has assets in overseas accounts, they should be taxed at annually at 40% of their value.
These would be true taxes on the wealthy. But instead all we get is BS from the Democrats on taxing those with over $250K of income. Any one with half a brain knows wealth and assets are not
accumulated through income. But it sounds good to the ignorant fools who blindly support Obama.
GJ
November 20th, 2012
3:24 pm
I have been donating for 46 years. They continue to waste it.
The Rock
November 20th, 2012
3:27 pm
Take the money that was waisted on campainging, the past twelve years, and the deficit will be 0.
The Rock
November 20th, 2012
3:28 pm
wasted
Me
November 20th, 2012
3:28 pm
The discretionary spending by the Feds is not the issue. The issue is unfunded entitlement spending and the mandatory increases in those programs. By slowing the mandated growth of these programs, the budget would be under control in a few years. And run away medical inflation would suddenly go away. Medicare and Medicaid are the problem. And in a few years Obamacare will make these look like bargins. When ever the FED gets involved, expect massive increases in costs.
Music City Dawg
November 20th, 2012
3:29 pm
I donate each year thru my income tax payment. I think it is high-time the folks in Washington realize it is MY money, not theirs (I worked hard for it with my job!). The folks in Washington need to stop spending what they don’t have. I live within my budget and Washington can to! Oh wait, that means they have to have a budget first! And they need to stop spending on frivolous entitlement programs for the 47% who are getting something for nothing.
what da hey
November 20th, 2012
3:30 pm
@The Rock
So $7 billion times twelve would eliminate $16 trillion.
You are dumb as a rock.
Obama care???
November 20th, 2012
3:43 pm
I will contribute when I get the same health care coverage that Senators,Representatives and Obama get. Howcome they tell us what is good for us and they are not part of the Obama care!!!!!
Voter
November 20th, 2012
3:44 pm
@ Are you willing to donate to the national debt? What a opening statement! Government spending out of control and 51% of the people think this prez will do something about it. Incredible!
Really?!?
November 20th, 2012
3:47 pm
I will donate all I can, if both of the Candidates who ran for the Office of the President, donate at least half of the equivalent in what they paid to run their campaigns. The debt would probably then be paid. The amount of money that was wasted on their campaigns was a horrendus waste of money.
Voter
November 20th, 2012
3:50 pm
@Everyone – great comments and suggestions. When the Government has the same healthcare as we do, waste, already donating and they spend more than they take in.
John Ellison
November 20th, 2012
4:09 pm
That would be like giving a bottle of booze to an alcoholic.
clyde crommett
November 20th, 2012
4:13 pm
Write debt off thats how us professional bookeepers operate, fiscal cliff occurred sever years ago
under Bush same ole crap
clyde crommett
November 20th, 2012
4:13 pm
Enter your comments here
humbug
November 20th, 2012
4:14 pm
One word answer…..NO!
NOT DUMB!!
November 20th, 2012
4:23 pm
NO!! They are SPENDING on “crazy stuff”! Whenever they have “a dime in their pockets”, it burns a hole in their pockets UNTIL they spend it!!
DLink
November 20th, 2012
4:23 pm
Defense spending U.S. 2012 – 711 Billion dollars. Russia defense spending 2012 – 71.9 Billion dollars. UK defense spending 2012 – 62.7 Billion dollars. China defense spending 2012 – 143 Billion dollars.
How much are we paying for those hammers again? Why don’t all of business owners simply start selling reasonably priced equipment to the government. It would be a far more effective donation to the cause to significantly knock down our defense budget. Fair pricing for defense and medical assistance programs might just do wonders for the budget. I mean, the conversation should go like this; “I’m the fed and I’d like to order 10 million hammers, what’s my discount?” Or, “Yeah I’m going to order 50 million MRIs, who’s got the best offer for me?” Get all the mom and pop stores together, start selling and hiring, because it seems there’s a lot of demand in these areas.
Peter Patriot
November 20th, 2012
4:44 pm
Simple. Everyone who voted FOR Obama, you pay 15% more in taxes. Everyone who voted for Gary Johnson, you pay 15% more in taxes. And everyone who voted for Romney you pay the same amount you have always paid.
Jack
November 20th, 2012
4:47 pm
I would like to see all the money spent on election campaigns be taxed 100%. That would put a dent in the amount of contributions and the tv ads that we are tired of watching.
Dawg Fan!!
November 20th, 2012
4:48 pm
“Are you willing to donate to the national debt?”
-Not when they are going to spend it on a 3.4 million dollar Turtle Tunnel in Florida.
HECK NO!!
November 20th, 2012
4:48 pm
I don’t like paying for Michelle’s (and her Staff and Friends) Christmas 2-3 weeks TripS to HAWAII!! Also, her trip to the Olympics and MANY other Trips!! Ohh and the oldest Daughter and her Friends trip to Mexico on the Prez’s plane at MY expense!!
No$forGovernment
November 20th, 2012
5:00 pm
Better still: Reduce ALL government salaries by 20%. All in congress & senate work for $1/yr. The president should not get a salary. Reduce all salaries of top military personal by 75% and eliminate all perks for everyone.
jms
November 20th, 2012
5:08 pm
What’s to worry about? One person donating $1 million a year could pay off the national debt in a short 16 million years. I suppose people are delaying retirement these days.
Muddawg
November 20th, 2012
5:13 pm
HELL NO! I have contributed to the national debt each and every payday for the past 42 years, and our Federal gov’t has done nothing but horribly misuse and abuse my involuntary contributions.
Edd
November 20th, 2012
5:20 pm
The top 1 percent( $,380,000 and up ) could donate everything they own and the government could operate until July 2nd . The top 2 percent ( $96,000 and up ) would take you until September 13th. The money coming in isn’t the problem it’s the spending, if you placed 1 trillion one dollar bills side by side it would go around the earth 2.76 times. That’s side by side not end to end. Do the math, a dollar bill is 0.0043 inches thick. 12 inches in a foot, 5280 feet in a mile, 25,000 miles around the earth. It,s scary and we are headed to 23 trillion by 2016. Jus sayin !
Bob
November 20th, 2012
5:26 pm
True Talk, you can take all the money laying around in trust funds and it will cover the annual debt for 2 or 3 years. You must have wealth envy to want to hit up trust funds but the small percentage of trust fund recips did not cause the problem. Politicians that want to take from one and give to others to buy votes caused the problem. The goverment has a website that shows new immigrants how to go sign up for benefits, if gov saw that people were stupid enough to donate they would give more money away.
Edd
November 20th, 2012
5:37 pm
Oh, the interest on the debt alone will be 1.5 trillion a year and the government brings in 1.75 trillion a year so we will have 25 billion to run everything which will last about 4 minutes. Again, jus sayin, do the math. We are in serious debt and oh yeah Omama care is on top of all of that, 800 billion a year .
Liberal Pariah
November 20th, 2012
5:40 pm
Really???? They get way too much of my money already and waste the majority of it. Shouldn’t this column be found under the humor section?
Naan
November 20th, 2012
5:45 pm
I donate unwillingly every week before I get my check. Then they F it up and take more.
Jay Black
November 20th, 2012
6:04 pm
You guys are freaking idiots if you think most of the national debt is due to welfare and food stamps. Newsflash……most people on food stamps are in the poorest states, and those states are RED! There’s waaaaay more to consider when figuring the national debt.
Bill Campbell
November 20th, 2012
6:14 pm
When Obama joins the US Army..I will donate!
Wilbur
November 20th, 2012
6:23 pm
I am surprised. I thought all the libs would be rushing to donate out of a deep sense of economic patriotism
T.K.
November 20th, 2012
6:39 pm
No!
Progress
November 20th, 2012
6:44 pm
The bulk of you people probably make $50k a year or less, own a home, and have children, and therefore don’t pay any federal income taxes when all the deductions are factored in, so stop pretending that you’re already paying more than enough.
JANICE
November 20th, 2012
6:47 pm
STOP all this flying around in the planes that costs a fortunate, this includes all members of Congress–like Nancy P. STOP government leaders on all levels from having private health care that costs a fortunate. Make them have what they are shoving down our throats.
Oh, and NO I do not wish to donate to a debt that BO and company created.
Progress
November 20th, 2012
7:00 pm
Janice- “costs a fortunate”? Twice? I prefer that people I take advice from have more than a 6th grade education.
Progress
November 20th, 2012
7:04 pm
Great topic. Way to get the angry Tea Party folks who are still POed at the election results all riled up. Relax, you folks won’t pay any more than you do now. None of you make enough. That burden will be carried by Democrats like me who are successful and actually pay taxes. And I’m happy to do it for my country.
OedipusTax
November 20th, 2012
7:09 pm
What is 8 million in relation to 16 trillion? If one calculates the number of seconds in 2012, the number comes to 31,622,400 seconds. If we equate the 31 million seconds to the 16 trillion, how many seconds does 8 million cover in 2012? By math, a little less than 16 seconds. However, currently our government is spending about 4 billion dollars a day it doesn’t have, which is 500 times greater than the 8 million. This is completely and totally insane.
Yet, Obama voters claim we are not spending enough! That is equivalent to heroin addicts shooting up consuming quarts of heroin, AND expecting THE RICH to pay for heroin by the gallon, and the heroin addicts complaining they can’t get heroin by the barrel.
No tax increases will ever cover the appetites of Obama voters. Our government will continue to spend until the debt becomes too heavy to carry, the debt will be repudiated through inflation, and there will be Hell to pay.
And brain-dead compulive spending Obama voters will STILL blame Bush because they have no other thoughts. But what is to be expected from addicts, anyway?:
MM
November 20th, 2012
7:24 pm
Nope
Atlanta Native
November 20th, 2012
7:24 pm
Oleg Atbashian —> “The six contradictions of socialism in the United States of America:
•America is capitalist and greedy – yet half of the population is subsidized.
•Half of the population is subsidized – yet they think they are victims.
•They think they are victims – yet their representatives run the government.
•Their representatives run the government – yet the poor keep getting poorer.
•The poor keep getting poorer – yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.
•They have things that people in other countries only dream about – yet they want America to be more like those other countries.”
heck no
November 20th, 2012
7:25 pm
I don’t give money to beggars.
Mishap
November 20th, 2012
7:27 pm
OedipusTax,
How much of that16T deficit was due to GWB? You can’t attribute all 16T to Obama given how much of it was Bush tax cuts, Medicare Part D, and two long running wars by the time Obama showed up. Not to mention our economy was in freefall due to the housing bubble (lot of fault to go around here but not directly Obama). Obama’s offered 10:1 spending cuts to tax increases and yet the Republican Congress stonewalls. I’m not a fan of entitlements but it’s not like big defense contractors aren’t receiving billions for weapons that keep crashing.
George Burdell
November 20th, 2012
7:30 pm
The federal debt increased from 35% to 55% of GDP during Reagan’s eight years in office. It continued climbing during GHW Bush’s term. The Clinton administration brought it under control, and the ratio declined. GWBush’s administration was a disaster, and the debt increased to 85% of GDP. His last fiscal year had a deficit of 10%. The Obama administration has reduced the deficit to 5.5%, for the fiscal year ending 2013. It’s clear that the Republicans have been extremely liberal when it comes to financial affairs. Why should I bail them out?
Mishap
November 20th, 2012
7:36 pm
Atlanta Native,
Thank you for not attending public schools/college, personally taking all financial responsibility of your parents as they age, paving your roads to your workplace, and personally defending your home against invading foreign hordes. Like it or not, you live in the United States which by definition has socialized tremendous infrastructure, social welfare, and defense.
Believe it or not all of this country is subsidized by all of us. From Donald Trump to the hobo we all avoid on the street corner. Yes, we’re spending too much but billions of that deficit is due to huge payments owed to our seniors (who probably voted those entitlements for themselves) after a lifetime of working. We also owe billions in healthcare/support for our veterans who have spent more than a decade fighting in abroad.
That half the population you continue to demonize consists mostly of young and old. Most established families actually do support themselves despite the widespread misinformation. Sure they may not pay much in income taxes but they do pay other embedded taxes and spend pretty much everything they earn just to live (job creators call them customers).
Mishap
November 20th, 2012
7:39 pm
JANICE,
You’re welcome to donate to the debt that your guys GWB, GHB, and Reagan created. I was a newborn when Reagan came into office and by the time I was in 2nd grade he had tripled it the national debt.
Kramer
November 20th, 2012
7:43 pm
I am willing to a tax increase to every wage earner in this country on one condition. They reform the tax code and cut spending including entightlements. Somehow though, I don’t think the majority of Obama sheep will go for that since the majority of Obama sheep do not pay taxes and live on entightlements. We are screwed.
SteelerFan
November 20th, 2012
7:50 pm
I have paid my fair share for over 40 years….get the moochers and parasites off welfare and stop giving money to foreign countries who not allies.
Mishap
November 20th, 2012
7:52 pm
Kramer,
The majority of this country is not living on entitlements. Of course the biggest entitlements are social security and medicare but 56% of those over 65 voted for Romney suggesting the majority of those getting entitlements voted Romney. If you recall Romney said he’d keep all entitlements for those over 55. 73% of Asians voted for Obama and they avg 20% more income than Whites. 55% of those w/ graduate degrees also voted for Obama.
uncle sam
November 20th, 2012
8:09 pm
Why do we need a Bureau of Public Debt to keep up with the public debt? how many people does it employ and what are the salaries involved? Let the IRS run and close it. that should save some money.
Hello????????????????
November 20th, 2012
8:32 pm
Let me understand! I pay more so these scum sucking bottom of the barrel liberal democrats can just suck more from me? Get a friggin job you lazy butts! Get off of Obama’s pay plan and give back your Obama phone!
reality check
November 20th, 2012
8:38 pm
Every time I think I’ve heard the dumbest thing ever somebody tops it. Christoper Seward is a world class idiot, but one day somebody will say something even dember
reality check
November 20th, 2012
8:39 pm
Dumber. And Mishap did it.
News Junkie
November 20th, 2012
8:49 pm
TAX THE POOR!!!! Talk about not paying one’s fair share!
Helnric
November 20th, 2012
9:06 pm
No way! Obama will only find a way to give it away
RGB
November 20th, 2012
9:09 pm
Giving more money to statists yields more statism.
But I would like to see more liberals give money to charity, starting with Plugs and “homeboy”.
Helnric
November 20th, 2012
9:10 pm
As long as entitlements and budgets not cut, I would not
Give them a dime….-and that won’t happen with Obama and the Dems!
seabeau
November 20th, 2012
9:29 pm
As long as voters who don’t pay taxes, can vote to raise taxes on the voters who do pay taxes ,our country will continue to be in the RED!
Naquelle
November 20th, 2012
9:48 pm
If the Dems prevail in reversing the Bush tax cuts and impose higher tax rates on those of us who already pay taxes (the non-moocher class) then we’ll be “donating” whether we want to or not.
Greg Camp
November 20th, 2012
9:57 pm
Donate to the Republican Crater hole , initiated by W? We had a surplus when Clinton left office and it was wasted on tax breaks for the wealthy, Occupation of Iraq and Afganistan, and plenty of dollars to the Industrial Military Complex, as well as the financial institutions who were too big to fail ( and screwed lots of people on the front and backside of the transaction). I’m tired of reading Rush Limbaugh crap on these comments from people stuck in 1982. These are the same people who think the federal government is going to show up and confiscate their weapons. Then again, what do you expect? They voted for two puppets to finish selling the country to the highest bidder and screw themselves in the process. You know what they say, ” You can’t rape the willing”.
Real Deal
November 20th, 2012
10:48 pm
How about they give us our monies worth, they stop wasting money and they stop pandering for votes with money. That would be a good start.
Mishap
November 20th, 2012
11:11 pm
reality check,
Pray tell exactly what did I say that’s dumber? The only thing I’ve stated is that yes our entitlements suck but our deficits weren’t created only in the last 4 yrs. We have decades of rampant spending on both sides whether it’s social welfare or corporate welfare. I don’t have a lot to gain from higher taxes and I’m not rocking an EBT card. My effective federal tax rate alone is ~20% after all deductions and while I’m not in the 1%, I am in the top 5% already and have no intentions of stopping working just the gov’t doesn’t go my way every time.
lexi
November 21st, 2012
9:13 am
There are several “misconceptions” reflected by and repeated in some of these posts that are worth addressing, again.
First is the notion that because the country enjoyed a surplus during the Clinton years that he “created” that surplus. That is a classic post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy of logic(after this, therefore necessarliy because of this). Clinton was the beneficiary of the greatest period of economic expansion of the century, resulting in higher tax collections, whose catalyst was the reduction of marginal tax rates and simplification of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Reagan legislative achievement. Clinton’s spending urges were also constrained by the “Contract with America” congress which was swept into power during the midterms, as a result of Hillary’s efforts to socialize medicine during the first Clinton term. That Congress and Clinton also enacted NAFTA which greatly expended trade, much to the chagrine of the unions.
Someone also repeated the muddled assertion that we ought to consider and regard social security retirement and veterans’ benefits the same as other transfer payments. Social security retirement benefits are a consequence of “contributions” paid by workers during their working lives, and veteran’s benefits are forms of deferred compensation for their sacrifices. EBT, subsidized housing, medicaid, Obama phones and similar means test “benefits” are rewards for breeding fast and voting correctly. Lumping all together is insulting.
Similarly, takers love to argue that even though they don’t pay income taxes, many pay social security, medicare and sales takes (”embedded”), so they are “taxpayers.” True, but many, including illegal aliens, get “refundable income tax credits” which are cash payments from the federal government “refunded” when they file tax returns (though they don’t pay federal income taxes to begin with). Those credits are designed to offset the social security and medicare withholding that those wage earners [temporarily] pay. Again, if one is not paying income tax, one is not too worried about increases in income tax rates, as long as the benefits continue to flow.
Our current budget crises are caused by enormous increases in government spending to buy votes, which far outstrip the increased tax collections which resulted from the “Bush Tax Cuts.”
Markoo
November 21st, 2012
10:27 am
No, not yet.
Dontating to pay off the debt while spending is out of control is like handing someone meth so they don’t have to buy it off the street corner.
Once spending is under control, I’ll gladly add a little extra to my tax burder to pay down the debt.
Ron Burgundy
November 21st, 2012
10:49 am
I will donate some methane gas to the cause.
rbd
November 21st, 2012
10:55 am
Lexi, great post.
Bill
November 22nd, 2012
11:08 am
Yes I would donate but only if we cut congress in HALF. They caused this mess by being slaves to lobbyists and we don’t need almost 600 of them. Start there. Half of them would be a lot more efficient. Also eliminate all their special benefits and put them on social security and medicare like the rest of us and kill the deal that pays them for life for 2 years of service. Then I’ll donate to reduce the debt.
JENNY
November 22nd, 2012
2:00 pm
How much of the stimulus money did Obama put in his pocket? How much did he get from
Solyndra as a kick back. Plus all the other bailouts. Why else would he do it? For the kick
back of course. He is a bum to the nation. I will be glad when he goes down the drain. Watch the movie 2016 and see what a bum he is and you will throw up. How did our nation ever think he was a good candidate for pres for our country. Makes me sick!
JENNY
November 22nd, 2012
2:04 pm
My taxes are misspent. No. Create jobs and there will be money from taxes. This country
is going down the tube with BamBam in office.
Sick & Tired of Obama
November 22nd, 2012
2:11 pm
This country is going to hell in a hand basket. Hell NO. Bama is raping this country. He is
padding his own pocket. I agree he needs to make more jobs, however, all the businesses
are closing because he is causing them to close. He is ANTI-AMERICAN. HOW LONG DOEs
IT TAKE FOR THIS COUNTRY TO WAKE UP AND GET OFF WELFARE, FOOD STAMPS AND ALL THE OTHER FREEBIES. I donate every day with wasted tax money. Sorry!
Adrianne
November 23rd, 2012
5:20 pm
Maybe the millionaire Bushes’ should donate since both created three unfinanced wars. Let’s not forget Dick Cheney who benefited from the war with his company, Haliburton.
guest
November 24th, 2012
12:23 pm
are you kidding? that would just be more money for the Government to waste
Taxed Enough
November 25th, 2012
8:31 pm
I already give to Food Stamps, WIC, subsidized housing, Medicaid, free cell phones, EITC, TANF and 75 other giveaway programs. That’s enough.
Frank
November 26th, 2012
1:46 pm
True Talk
November 20th, 2012
3:22 pm
A 25% wealth tax should be applied annually to any trust fund valued at over $3 million. If more than one trust is in the name of anyone, 35% of all additional trust funds, regardless of their value.
A 25% wealth tax should be applied annually to any estate valued at over $3 million.
If anyone has assets in overseas accounts, they should be taxed at annually at 40% of their value.
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That’s easy to say until it is you who owns a multi-million dollar trust fund. The grass is suddenly browner when it directly hits your wallet, but greener when it’s someone else’s money.