Who pays — and who doesn’t pay — income taxes
The Tax Policy Center has released its latest statistics about who pays — and who does not pay — federal income taxes. According to its numbers, 46.4 percent of “tax units” in America will pay no income tax this year.
More than half of those non-paying units make less than $16,812. More than 80 percent make less than $33,542. Some will no doubt focus their outrage on those lower-income folks, but I’m more intrigued by the fact that 3,000 “tax units” with incomes above $2.18 million paid no income tax. All in all, 446,000 “tax units” with incomes above $103,465 paid no income tax on that money, a figure that includes capital gains taxes.
Now let’s put that in context, historical and otherwise.
First, personal income taxes account for just 44 percent of federal revenue. Payroll taxes account for 37.1 percent of revenue this year, and those taxes are paid by almost all of these “tax units” who don’t pay income taxes, with the exception of those whose main income is Social Security, pensions or investments.
Second, while the percentage of revenue raised through the personal income tax has remained relatively stable since World War II, the mix of revenue from other sources has shifted noticeably. Compared to 60 years ago, the payroll tax has tripled in importance as a revenue source, while the corporate income tax has fallen by two-thirds.
Let the call to raise taxes on the poor, the elderly on fixed income and lower-income earners begin.
– Jay Bookman
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720 comments Add your comment
getalife
June 29th, 2011
3:14 pm
Bend over,
Lets talk about the big pile of stinking crap your hero w gave him.
You know, the global economic collapse and two ongoing wars he ended.
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
3:15 pm
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama – BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
June 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
And BTW, what’s up with raising the age on Medicare? I paid into it, I should get it when I retired or at 65.
mmm,
Interestingly no one seems to ever want to talk about the inherent unfairness of this. I can tell you right now that people aging into the system are now paying $115 on their part b premium. If you aged in just a few years ago you pay $96 a month. And now they’re talking about raising the age from 65 to 67? That’s boolsheet considering that the cost for private health insurance for an individual during those years is going to cost $700-$1000 a month. The fair thing to do would be to keep the age at 65 and slightly reduce benefits to everyone on Medicare. But who ever said govt programs were fair? That’s your Medicare for you.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:15 pm
JAY:
Wow !
You haven’t responded to me for weeks and weeks !
I know I made you angry awhile back for really NAILING you on something (honestly I can’t remember what).
But …………… I’m happy to see you got some counseling and you’re ready to take me on again ………………………….
I look forward to it.
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
June 29th, 2011
3:15 pm
Rich
Typical liberal. The government doesn’t have any money. It’s the TAX PAYERS that pay.
So?
June 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
“I said 90% of Republicans are white. NOT 90% of whites are Republican, td.”
And 99.99999% of blacks are Democrats, as are 67% of hispanics. What’s the point?
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
Jay:
BTW check this out !
THE WAY THIS COUNTRY IS HEADED, WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED ?
Headline: “Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban on ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’”
“Veterans in Houston say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers by banning them from saying the words “God” and “Jesus” during funeral services at Houston National Cemetery.
Three organizations — the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion and the National Memorial Ladies — allege that the cemetery’s director and other government officials have created “religious hostility” at the cemetery and are violating the First Amendment. According to court documents filed this week in federal court, the cemetery’s director, Arleen Ocasio, has banned saying “God” at funerals and requires prayers be submitted in advance for government approval, MyFoxHouston.com reports.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/29/houston-veterans-claim-censorship-prayers-ban-on-god-and-jesus/#ixzz1Qguykt46
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
June 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
getalife
First, “W” was disapointment, too much bi-partisanship. How long did it take for him to veto a spending bill? Second, NO war has ended. We still have tropps dying in booth countries. Of course, the LIBERAL media trys to bury that story.
josef
June 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
JAY
“You don’t respond to lunacy.
I’ll have to remember that.”
********
I guess we won’t be seeing much of you around here, then, will we?
Message from Matti
June 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
I wish you tax whiners would just OWN UP to being the deadbeats you are. “Oooo, I work haaaaaaaarrrrd! I don’t want to share my money with inferior beings…. Waaaaaahhhhh!” Deadbeats. You want to spend all your money on YOU, and let somebody else pay for the roads and bridges you drive on, the soldiers who fight for your right to whine, the cops who come to your house when you’ve been victimized, the hospitals that treat even poor people so you don’t have to step over their stinky carcasses on the sidewalk on your way to get your McLard blob breakfast sandwich, the people who test water, food, and drugs so you don’t have to risk the “free market” safety test whereby others watch you die and decide to spend money elsewhere, run the elections you vote in, and the public schools that (in theory) keep your neighbors’ kids occupied with constructing their own futures instead of digging through your underwear drawer for your stash while you’re at work.
You have benefitted all your life from opportunities afforded you in this here “greatest country in the world,” and yet your stingy, leeching, deadbeat, whining mouth can’t stop yammering about how put upon you are to be required to contribute to the general welfare from which you have taken advantage all your years. And you fly Old Glory on your front porch like it means something to you…. Hypocrites!
–end rant–
Good Point!
June 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
“. I can’t EVER remember the AJC endorsing a Republican candidate.”
Perhaps that’s why they are a 2nd place newspaper in a 1 newspaper town!
AmVet
June 29th, 2011
3:20 pm
“And 99.99999% of blacks are Democrats.”
Sorry, this is a no lie zone.
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
3:20 pm
0311/0317 – 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
Political correctness runnin loose and crazy. Surely the ACLU is lurking somewhere looking to sue God or anything religious.
Mighty Righty
June 29th, 2011
3:21 pm
The Bamster is not a leader. He never has been and he never will be. Today at the press conference he voted present. Surprise, Surprise.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
3:21 pm
Rich, don’t really think your point matters to the infrastructure comment but if you want to persue to prove that a bridge that was part of the Interstate Highway System (I-35W) was somehow not part of the Interstate Highway System….then lets see the proof of it being a “state road” and tell me exactly how this relates to a comment that infrastructure in this country does not need to be replaced.
Rich
June 29th, 2011
3:23 pm
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama – BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE! – You are correct on the fact that it is the people’s money. Maybe I should have said it is the Federal Government’s responsibility to maintain the federal roads.
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
3:23 pm
LCommon Sense
June 29th, 2011
2:53 pm
“Second, while the percentage of revenue raised through the personal income tax has remained relatively stable since World War II”
So as more and more left the income tax rolls, the burden rose on the rest.
Amazing how many in this nation want something for nothing.
I think that by “stable”, Jay was referring to the percentage and not the actual amount. A steady percentage would have no bearing on who’s paying and who’s not. That would just mean that whatever amount of revenue was taken in, income tax represented around the same amount.
Scott
June 29th, 2011
3:28 pm
Getalife “Where is the gop response from their candidates?
Crickets.
Chirp.”
Where is the Democrats’ budget proposal. We haven’t seen one from them in over 2 years. Where is Obama’s actual plan? He talks a talk(not even going to say it is a good one), but that is about it. All he pretty much did was tell us all what his reelection campaign is about. He is going to blame everything on reps for sabotaging everything even though the Dems could have done pretty much anything they wanted to for two whole years. Two whole years of Democrat policies have nearly destroyed the country. He is going to roll out sob stories of people that are going to allegedly be hurt by Rep policies, even if they are lies, and then he is going to just blame Bush, blame Bush, blame Bush. The racist in chief should not be trusted.
Midori
June 29th, 2011
3:29 pm
0311/0317 – 1811/1801 — that 2:52 was the most insipid, juvenile, nonsensical claptrap I’ve yet to read on this blog.
And I thought I read it all.
seriously – that was monumentally silly.
AmVet
June 29th, 2011
3:30 pm
Again, this is a no lie zone. The “Bamster” is the leader of the free world.
“The racist in chief”?
LOLOLOLOL!
The con desperation and wackiness is reaching unforeseen heights!
stands for decibels
June 29th, 2011
3:30 pm
Brosephus, off topic, but something I’ve been meaning to ask you (and I do this because you’ve oftimes written eloquently on the need for real campaign finance reform, wherein campaigns were publicly financed):
just how horrific do you find the SCOTUS decision this week that ruled as unconstitutional an AZ state law that attempted to level the playing field?
Medium horrific, gouge-my-eyes-out-I-can’t-watch horrific, somewhere in between…?
Sick of it
June 29th, 2011
3:30 pm
I am sick of people saying the working class!!! What is the working class? I make a great pay and I work my butt off for it. I am away from my family for 6 months a year to do it. So take your working class stuff and pay some taxes. If you get a paid for work you are working class.
Rich
June 29th, 2011
3:32 pm
What is really the problem? Does the federal goveremnt have a revenue problem or a spending problem. If you look at revenue and spending over the last 15 years, you will see that the real problem is on the spending side. Revenues are lower than the peak, but spending continues to grow. Spending is caused by congress not by the President (I know he signs the budget bill), except last year where there was no budget. It does not matter what the revenue was, congress spent more. Under democratic congresses the deficit spending in greater than rebublicans. but they all spend too much. This link shows revenue and spending over the years. http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200
josef
June 29th, 2011
3:32 pm
IMAM
La Guerra de la Agresión del Norte/El Malentendido Reciente!!
Ya podemos tener las sábanas limpias?
I swear ever since HB87, good help is so hard to find…
AmVet
June 29th, 2011
3:33 pm
Dammit, Midori! You made me look! (And I hope you and yours are well!)
I’ve gotten to the point where I simply can’t stomach a lot of certain posters’ “contributions.”
And quoting that oafish, free-loading radio lardass?
Truly nauseating…
josef
June 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
Sick of It
Yep!
Thomas
June 29th, 2011
3:35 pm
And quoting that oafish, free-loading radio lardass?
said the pot to the kettle
the far left and the far right all sound the same
Mighty Righty
June 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
What is so difficult about understanding this?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Tell me where it says anyone who wishes to pray on government property cannot do so?
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
Midori:
Of course “you” would ………… but look, there goes a “looney puppy” !
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
dB
How about “2mph CSX freight train running over a cuddly rabbit while dragging Bambi’s mom and I can’t do a thing except watch” horrific!! The SCOTUS has basically sold our elections to the highest bidder. I can’t remember who brought up the chart that rated corruption and showed the US as #22 out of 170-something, but we don’t have free elections anymore. Offices are bought by deep-pocketed interests, whether it’s a single person or group. If you can’t raise abnormally substantial cash, you have no chance of holding office. I seriously doubt that is what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they were setting up this country.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:37 pm
P.S.
Notice Jay went away again.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
3:40 pm
Wow Matti: Don’t hold back. Tell us how you REALLY feel………
Scott
June 29th, 2011
3:40 pm
No Matti…we are just sick and tired of paying more and more while leaches such as yourself get a free ride. We are sick and tired of watching the government steal money from us and waste it on stupid things, making the country worse. Maybe if you would wake up one of these days and realize that bigger government and more spending is not the answer and that you need to take accountability for your situation rather than sucking off the government’s teat, perhaps we would be more willing to see our taxes go up.
You got is half-wrong when you say that we do not want to pay for toads, hospitals, and other things. We don’t mind paying for them. We do mind paying for them over and over and over again because incompetent politicians cannot manage a budget, or in the Dem’s case, even create a budget. How many more times would you like to pay for the same infrastructure? Obama got his stimulus for these shovel ready jobs and squandered it….$787 Billion to be exact. And now guess what. In addition to money allocated to infrastructure on an annual omnibus bill(something Democrats have no clue about because they have not proposed one in over two years), he wants even more! What happened the $787 Billion? What happened to the money we give you every year?
I take it that you probably have as much experience in business that Obama has, don’t you? If a CEO ran a business like Obama is running this country, he would have been removed after a month. All this spending without asking questions about why we have to spend money on the same things again and again? Really?
stands for decibels
June 29th, 2011
3:41 pm
How about “2mph CSX freight train running over a cuddly rabbit while dragging Bambi’s mom and I can’t do a thing except watch” horrific!
ok then. it wasn’t just me.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
3:42 pm
Thomas
June 29th, 2011
3:35 pm
the far left and the far right all sound the same.
=======================
Can I have an amen? I’ve been saying that for years and say it all the time on this blog. The only difference is WHO is being called a liar, deadbeat, cheater ect………..
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
3:42 pm
I forget which official it was but recently saw a report where one “business owner” recently ran for office. Spent $9 million from his own pocket but right before he took office, his corporation awarded and paid him $10 million in “deferred compensation”. So now it sure looks like a corporation owns that “seat”.
Curious Observer
June 29th, 2011
3:43 pm
But I think that in his first election when he won the presidency his own state voted against him- not sure but I think that’s what happened. I’m pretty sure Georgia voted against him at least once and maybe both times that he ran. If indeed they voted against him the first time then that would be pretty amazing.
Wrong. I was one of those college professors whose pay raise he cancelled illegally after I’d signed the contract for the next year (the courts eventually overruled him.) Those good ‘ol boys were standing in line at the polls to vote for him when he ran for president. They were sure they’d get a good ‘ol Georgia boy in the White House to fight the integrationists. I was in that line to see and hear them. He won Georgia big.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
3:44 pm
I wonder how much my friendly neighborhood scalper is asking for a pair of Taylor Swift tickets?
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
3:45 pm
How many more times would you like to pay for the same infrastructure?
I’m guessing somebody doesn’t understand that infrastructure has to be replaced as there has indestructable infrastructure has not been invented yet. Or, when you try to make it last forever, you end up with an ancient water system made of terra cotta pipes trying to distribute water to 500,000 people and businesses, when it was designed and built in a time when there was probably a maximum of 50,000 people.
williebkind
June 29th, 2011
3:45 pm
Have you noticed the choices from the conservative presidential candidates, wow, some great picks. But then you look on the progressive democrat side and you got………..darkness!
stands for decibels
June 29th, 2011
3:46 pm
What happened the $787 Billion?
golly, if there were only a website where you could go to find out such things.
josef
June 29th, 2011
3:46 pm
Scott
“do not want to pay for toads”
Frogs, yes! Toads should go back with Helen Thomas to where they came from… (okay, I know it’s a typo! But I couldn’t resist!)
Matti is not a leach…not even a leech…she works hard for a living in a prestige zip code! (not a typo..)
do not want to pay for toads
Rich
June 29th, 2011
3:46 pm
We need to federal government to handle what is should handle according to the constitution, not what every special interest group wants or what some people feels is the right thing to do. Solutions to any problem should start with the people, then local government, on to the state and then to the federal government. So often the federal govenment is expected to be first, it should be last to try and solve a problem.
Mighty Righty
June 29th, 2011
3:46 pm
Scott
June 29th, 2011
3:28 pm
Well said. The loonney left will hate this but the next election will be based on the facts not a bumper sticker slogan. Obama will be judged on his Actions not Words. Obama will be judged on his Results not Speeches. The economic statistics do not lie now and will not lie next year. The majority of the American people will not be fooled again.
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
3:47 pm
“We do not have a chance. This country does not have a chance with Barack Obama remaining in the Oval Office.”
Scout,
I would say that’s a pretty accurate statement as much as it pains some people to hear it.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
3:47 pm
Scott, do tell us…would Bush have lasted a week as CEO?
By the way, if you know how to use “the Google” you can find out how the stimulus money was spend. Now where do we find out where the cash that Bush sent to Iraq in planeloads was spend…or that is right, the GAO says it can’t be tracked.
Tell me again a nighty nighty fairy tale about them bad old Dems and them good Republicans. And Scott, can you include more about the sexual harassment.
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
3:47 pm
dB
Nah, it wasn’t just you. I can’t really describe my mental state in words after I read that story. I don’t even think our buddy RP would have been able to put it to words, and he’s got a damn good way with wordsmithery.
stands for decibels
June 29th, 2011
3:49 pm
Spent $9 million from his own pocket but right before he took office, his corporation awarded and paid him $10 million in “deferred compensation”
that’d be this guy.
Message from Matti
June 29th, 2011
3:49 pm
Scott,
I don’t know who you think you’re addressing, but I pay my *bleep bleep* taxes, and I don’t *bleeping* whine about that. Now, if by “leeches” you mean corporations like Exxon, Georgia Power, and Bank of America, who suck more and more from us every year, see soaring profits, and pay less in taxes than WE do, then you might have a point. If you mean to whine that your tax money is not spent as efficiently or effectively as you think it should be (I agree), then why don’t you get involved (starting with your local jurisdictions) and a helpful little watchdog/advocate for responsible government? Then your whining might have a purpose! Calling me a leech? I never asked you or anybody else for anything, CREEP. I am happy to be fortunate enough not to NEED help. Furthermore, I take my duty as a citizen seriously and write to my elected officials ALL THE TIME to try to hold them accountable. But… because the money worshippers have stacked the system and the supreme court, they don’t care what I think. What are YOU doing to try to make it better? I can just guess.
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
3:50 pm
And quoting that oafish, free-loading radio lardass?- AmVet
AmVet,
Limbaugh may be fat and oafish but a freeloader he is not. He probably pays more in taxes in 1 year than you made in a lifetime.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
Why does the far right worship drug addicts?
Poor, Poor, Pitiful Thee
June 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
I’m trying to figure out this censor thing in public of the word God. Are there people walking around with those things that go “beeeeep” just waiting for someone to slip up.
Scott
June 29th, 2011
3:52 pm
Brosephus…that is what the annual omnibus bill is for. That is also what tolls are for. I used to live in New York. They created this great highway called the Thruway. It was designed to be a toll road to pay for the project and the tolls were supposed to end when the project was paid off. They have collected enough tolls to pay for this project many many times. Now, they say they need the toll money to pay for repairs to it. Guess who also says they need to collect money to pay to repair the Thruway? The taxman. Again, when will you say “Enough is enough. I have had it with the government wasting my money.” I guess this doesn’t bother you but to people who actually see the waste, fraud, and abuse, it is a constant reminder of the wrong direction this country is heading. Rather than saying “gee I wish the countries tax burden will only go up X% this year” we should be saying “Hey scumbag politicians. We voted you in to manage our government. When are you going to plan so that the overall tax burden is decreased by X%?” I know this is a difficult concept for you. hell, you probably have every credit card maxed out because you think it is free money and you are happy that somebody else will bail you out.
stands for decibels
June 29th, 2011
3:53 pm
I can’t really describe my mental state in words after I read that story.
again, so it wasn’t just me…
and yeah, funny that RP hasn’t weighed in on this. Maybe he didn’t want to harsh the buzz he had over NY State’s marriage equality.
anyhoo, later, gators. might BBL…
Fred
June 29th, 2011
3:54 pm
Wow Matti. You are on a ROLL today. Would you be willing to help me with a letter to a guy who seems to think I should not only have fixed his house for free but that I should also buy some of the material?
My version is getting too bogged down with invectives……….
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
3:54 pm
stands….yeah that’s the guy. I am sure we’ll hear the outrage from the right in 5…4….
Message from Matti
June 29th, 2011
4:03 pm
Fred,
I’m feeling ya! My father and some close friends are in the building industry, and they’ve all had to eat not only profits, but costs, because somebody else didn’t plan. Funny, you don’t hear THOSE stories on the six o’clock news — only the ones about the dummies who pay a complete stranger up front for a new roof, credentials unseen. Our society is definitely devolving, that’s for sure.
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
Scott
Tolls are a gimmick, and I just avoid roads that require them when I travel. If you think road repair is a waste of taxpayer money, then I really feel bad for you.
First of all, road repair work is usually contracted out to private sector groups. I think people refer to that as jobs, or something like that. Those people who actually perform the work for the company gets paid wages. They, then take those wages and spend them on things like shelter, food, booze, strippers, or anything else that requires money. So, the money “confiscated” by the government is returned to the private sector by that same government where it cycles through more private sector companies.
Next, by keeping roads repaired and in good working order, you cut down on repairs for trucks. You do realize that 18-wheelers are responsible for moving upwards near 90% of the things that we Americans tend to rely on and need on a daily basis, right? Less repairs on trucks generally lead to less cost in shipping. Somewhere down the road, after everyone has taken their share of the reduced costs, the public gets a reduction in the cost of purchased goods.
Finally, well maintained roads can lead to more commerce as people are able to move more goods efficiently and with lowered costs. The efficiency can come into play as demand goes up and not cost producers an arm and a leg to meet that demand. I think one of the ultimate goals in logistics is efficency, and well maintained roads and bridges help increase the efficiency of the logistics loop here in the US.
Scott
June 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
Keep up and stands. Wow. you are giving me a website for the recovery. First off….how is that recovery summer doing? 2nd, I don’t know why we would ever trust the crap posted on this. Wasn’t this the same site that listed jobs saved/created for districts that didn’t even exist? It definitely seems like a credible source, especially when it is data compiled by the oh-so transparent and believable Obama administration. The fact that you believe what they tell you already shows that you guys are clueless from the start. Anyways…I will play your game. I am so glad that we spent $787 Billion to create/save 560,992 jobs. Gee, that’s like $1.4 Million per job isn’t it!!!! Excellent use of funds there. And you want to give Obama more!!!!
BADA BING
June 29th, 2011
4:08 pm
@@ if you are still here…..a spotted lizard, that is interesting, probably not a native lizard, spots is unusual here. Maybe an escaped pet. Mostly solid or striped in GA. Have to see it to be sure.
Midori
June 29th, 2011
4:10 pm
If Getalife is still around, he needs to check this out: http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/06/29/was-jon-stewart-doing-amos-n-andy-imitation-of-herman-cain/?cxntlid=thbz_hm
mmm sure gets around
Fred
June 29th, 2011
4:10 pm
Bada Bing the lizard king…………….
it sings lol
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
4:11 pm
BADA
This wasn’t you was it??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bohI-J9pe4c
Mighty Righty
June 29th, 2011
4:12 pm
Hindsight is 20/20 but below are two amazingly accurate insights that were written at the time. It is now obvious they were both correct and someone should have been paying attention. We could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble.
Rasmussen Poll says:
January 23, 2009
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of U.S. voters worry that Congress and President Obama will increase government spending too much in the next year or two, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Only 17% have the opposite concern and are more worried that Congress and the president will cut taxes too much.
Even David Brooks of the NYT says that this is too much for him:
There’s also a very strong case to be made for long-term government reform. America could fundamentally rethink its infrastructure policies – create a new model adapted to new modes of community-building. It could fundamentally rethink human capital policies – create a lifelong menu of learning options, from pre-K programs to service opportunities for the elderly.
But the stimulus bill emerging in the House of Representatives does neither of these things. The bill marked up Wednesday in the Appropriations Committee is a muddled mixture of short-term stimulus haste and long-term spending commitments. It is an unholy marriage that manages to combine the worst of each approach – rushed short-term planning with expensive long-term fiscal impact.
The bill has three essential failings. First, it lacks any strategic vision. This $825 billion bill has to be passed within weeks. There’s no time for fundamental rethinking or new approaches. Instead, there’s a sloppy profusion of 152 different appropriations – off-the-shelf ideas that mostly create costlier versions of the status quo.
What is amazing to me is the number of people wo post here that still would be part of the 17% in the Rasmussen poll and also think the stimulous was a success.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
4:15 pm
Scott, you may want to work on your math skills. Do tell me, for example, if a $50 million dollar bridge that costs $45 million in materials and $5 million in labor (we’ll assume for thjs exercise is your silliness that there was no profit) and results in 1000 jobs, costs $5,000 per job or $50,000 per job.
Scott
June 29th, 2011
4:16 pm
Brosephus. I guess I have to write it again because you are either just not reading it or are too incompetent to understand. Road repairs are needed….never said they weren’t. That is why they have an Omnibus Bill every year(well, we used to until the Democrats decided that it was not politically advantageous for them to present one.) Now, Obama had money in his Stimulus that he said he was going to use for infrastructure(You remember that whole shovel ready job thing right?…yeah that thing he laughs about now) He used that money poorly and now he wants MORE money for infrastructure and apparently, based off of his comments of needing it so badly, he doesn’t care to understand what happened to the original money he wasted on it so badly. he also does not care to understand what happened to the money dedicated to infrastructure on an annual basis. He just wants the money. Do you honestly think that extra money will be used for infrastructure? I don’t and given his track record of wasteful spending and not doing what he says he will do (reviewing every bill line by line and removing pork anybody???), I think I am right in my assessment. The guy had his chance. He wanted to waste money on infrastructure, his plan failed in the past(look up Japan’s Lost decade and you might get a clue), he needs to go away. But hey….we created 562,000 jobs at the cost of $1.4 Million/job. Great job.
Scott
June 29th, 2011
4:21 pm
keep up. I am using the numbers provided by YOUR website. The site tells us that $787 Billion resulted in 560,992 jobs. 787,000,000,000,000 divided by 560,992 equals WHAT? Enough said.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
4:24 pm
Sure Scott…and materials were free. It was the Great Stim Sale.
Enough said.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
4:25 pm
LOL Midori. Thanks. I hadn’t made it to Rodney’s blog. That was hilarious. I might have to actually sit down and WATCH John Stewart.
Side note: I love Rodney’s blog. I don’t care one bit about 99.9% of what he blogs about and that’s what intrigues me about him and his blog. He does such a good job that I spend time reading about things I will NEVER watch…………. and enjoying the reading ……
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
4:26 pm
Scott
I’m following you, but my question for you would be this….
If it’s in the Ominbus Bill and things are taken care of, why are roads still fu*ked up? Why are bridges almost unsafe to drive across? Why are water lines crumbling like a Nitrogen freeze-dried Gumby?
If you’re gonna imply that the stimulus failed, then it’s not just Obama’s policies that have failed. The GOP’s mantra of tax cuts have also failed. The stimulus was 1/3 tax cuts too. Neither party has done what is necessary for us to turn our country around. Somebody has to be the grown up and tell all the whiners to shut the f**k up and EVERYBODY has to help pay our way out of this crap. I wasn’t a big fan of the stimulus, and I’m not a big fan of this whole massive spending cut crap either. It’s more of the same failed sh*t that has us humped over the barrel with China lubing us up from behind. The sooner the jackasses in DC quit listening to the monied class, the better off we’ll all be.
Midori
June 29th, 2011
4:27 pm
I came upon it by accident, Fred
getalife
June 29th, 2011
4:28 pm
Thanks Midori
Cain never called me
Fred
June 29th, 2011
4:29 pm
Brosephus: Bada Bing, (the Lizard King) is the only poster with his own theme song and video lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln8-Y-fIbqM
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
4:30 pm
keep up,
Tell ya what. Since the stimulus or porkulus as it should be called was so freaking great why don’t we just keep doing stimulus over and over and over. Maybe then it will eventually work since it obviously didn’t work the first time. You know the definition of insanity- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Uncle Jed
June 29th, 2011
4:32 pm
0311/0317 – 1811/1801
June 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
Jed:
He may be “amused” but he ain’t “amusing”. He’s dangerous.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I stand corrected.
Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
June 29th, 2011
4:33 pm
Jay, to quote the great Ronald Reagan, “There you go again”.
Folks have a variety of ways to decrease or eliminate their tax bill, mainly through the use of “tax credits”, which are issued by the government for a number of reasons, but mainly concern incentives to create low-income housing. These are not without risk, which is why they typically trade at a discount to par.
As for the other end of the spectrum, you fail to mention that not only do these folks do not pay taxes, but many also receive a check from the government through the “Earned Income Tax Credit” (only the government could come up with a name like that).
Perhaps we can strike a deal – if you pay no taxes, you can not vote. This would eliminate vast hordes of Democrats on both ends of the spectrum. Y’all would really have to get amnesty for illegal aliens at that point.
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
4:36 pm
Fred
LOL!!!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
4:37 pm
Maybe then it will eventually work since it obviously didn’t work the first time
Doom…do prove that the stim did not work with actual links and evidence. That was a insane claim the first time you made it but I am sure you’ll be repeating it no matter how untrue.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
4:41 pm
Keep. How DID the stimulus package work? I can’t say I noticed any upswing in the economy……….. What exactly WAS created by it?
Brosephus
June 29th, 2011
4:43 pm
Perhaps we can strike a deal – if you pay no taxes, you can not vote.
I love it when so-called conservatives trample all over their blessed document that’s called the Constitution of the United States. You know the 24th Amendment did away with poll taxes in relation to federal elections, and the SCOTUS extended that to lower level elections based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th. In your example above, taxes would clearly be considered a poll tax.
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
4:47 pm
keep up,
Do prove that it did work. 2 1/2 years later we are still at 9.1% unemployment rate and last month a paltry 54,000 jobs were created with half of them created by one company- McDonalds. Now if you consider burger flipper jobs then we would indeed have to consider Obama and the stimulus a rousing success. Otherwise it was an abject failure which only added nearly a trillion in new debt and which now garners Obama the title of the big mac president. Mr. McObama if you will. All hail mr. McObama.
jms
June 29th, 2011
4:49 pm
“The Clinton team knows how to balance the budget and the tax revenue stream to help balance the budget.” -getalife
Sure they do. Step 1: Start with an unprecedented asset bubble…
getalife
June 29th, 2011
4:51 pm
“Sure they do. Step 1: Start with an unprecedented asset bubble…”
Ah, the good old days.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
4:52 pm
Doom…sorry you claim it did not work but you have no facts or links to prove it. One sorry post for you. Typical, post a claim you cannot back and then demand others prove you wrong.
Private Analysts Estimate That Stimulus Increased GDP By 2.1 To 3.5 Percent. In its fifth quarterly report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimated that the stimulus “has raised the level of GDP as of the third quarter of 2010, relative to what it otherwise would have been, by 2.7 percent.” CEA also provided a chart showing that private analysts estimate that the stimulus boosted GDP between 2.1 and 3.5 percent.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
4:53 pm
WSJ: Economists Say Economic Recovery Has Been Driven By Stimulus. The Wall Street Journal reported on January 14:
Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal are increasingly optimistic about the pace of the recovery, predicting the U.S. will grow at better than a 3.2% annual rate in each quarter this year.
“The U.S. economy appears to have successfully navigated the adjustment from a recovery driven primarily from economic stimulus and inventory rebuilding to one driven by private domestic demand and rising exports,” said economists at Wells Fargo & Co. “Three percent growth looks pretty good, particularly with housing stuck in low gear.” [The Wall Street Journal, 1/14/11]
Fred
June 29th, 2011
4:55 pm
Where is that from Keep? I really SHOUL:D google it lol but I’m just too lazy right now.
Hmmmmmmmm
June 29th, 2011
4:55 pm
I guess everbody but, Keep up the good fight, realizes that the stimulus was and is a COMPLETE failure! Good grief, and we wonder why this country is bankrupt…
Hmmmmmmmm
June 29th, 2011
4:57 pm
Oh I get it,,, economists from Wells Fargo… Yikes, their paycheck came from the 400b in government loans…. I guess we can believe Wells Fargo…. and the hits keep rolling….
Joe Mama
June 29th, 2011
4:57 pm
Hmm — “I guess everbody but, Keep up the good fight, realizes that the stimulus was and is a COMPLETE failure!”
Well, Keep and the Wall Street Journal, at any rate. But what would the staff of the WSJ know about business or economics anyway? (laughing)
Soothsayer
June 29th, 2011
4:58 pm
Air Conditioning Afghanistan Troops Costs $20 Billion Per Year; Cost of One Soldier is $1 Million a Year; Hotel California
The amount the U.S. military spends annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion, according to a former Pentagon official.
That’s more than NASA’s budget. It’s more than BP has paid so far for damage during the Gulf oil spill. It’s what the G-8 has pledged to help foster new democracies in Egypt and Tunisia.
To power an air conditioner at a remote outpost in land-locked Afghanistan, a gallon of fuel has to be shipped into Karachi, Pakistan, then driven 800 miles over 18 days to Afghanistan on roads that are sometimes little more than “improved goat trails,” Anderson says. “And you’ve got risks that are associated with moving the fuel almost every mile of the way.”
“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money.”
– Senator Everett Dirksen
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
5:01 pm
Paul…easiest way to find the links to the WSJ report and the CEA report is on the following page: http://politicalcorrection.org/factcheck/201106200002
They are not the only websites or confirmations.
oldguy
June 29th, 2011
5:02 pm
AH,
Have been out all day trying to steal from the poor so I missed Jay’s latest rant.
Ho Hum nothing new. Random charts that look pretty but have no relevance to the real question. As usual Jay frames the question to fit his answer which is higher taxes!
He starts with the false assumption that we need to raise taxes rather than cut spending!! Nice try Jay!! Soros will be pleased! (he, of course has his money safely overseas!)
Initially, in many societies (including where our law system originated) only landowners could vote. How about only taxPAYERS can vote!! A great solution!! Let the perple who pay the bill decide how it is spent!! What a novel idea!!
As one of our countries founders (I don’t remember which, I think Alexander Hamilton) stated “the Republic is finished when the poor discover they can vote themselves money from the rich!” (aprox quote, maybe not word for word but the meaning is there).
Thulsa Doom
June 29th, 2011
5:02 pm
Keep,
If you throw nearly a trillion dollars into the economy of course its going to boost economic output in the very short term. Perhaps you didn’t understand that I’m a long term thinker. While we got a very short term boost it simply didn’t sustain and hence 2 1/2 years later we still have an anemic economy and are likely headed to a double dip recession. I’m talking about hear and now. Where are we at here and now over 2 years after the stimulus. When you look at it in that light the stimulus was nothing more than a massive waste of money. Your last post noted economic growth in the 3.5 % range. Unfortunately that was in January and the latest economic forecasts are far more modest. Or did you not know that? Once again explain to me how the stimulus was a success given the state of where we are here and now on June 29th with only 54,000 jobs created just last month.
Fred
June 29th, 2011
5:05 pm
Hmmmmmmmm
June 29th, 2011
4:55 pm
I guess everbody but, Keep up the good fight, realizes that the stimulus was and is a COMPLETE failure!
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I don’t think you can say that Hmmmmmmm. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m just now looking at the info.
I know it’s a lot better thing than what the republicans did by handing out a trillion dollars to banks………
TruthBe
June 29th, 2011
5:09 pm
Granny you don’t have a clue. The democrat party and your man obama are the ones trying to tax the average middle class citizen. You and the rest of the liberal racist idiots won’t read the true facts because of you black chip on your shoulder. Obama is a total LIAR. Obama and the democrat party will tax the hell out of you Granny. But you and your chip will follow him off the cliff. The only reason besides being paid by the obama DNC to blogg for Obama is because you don’t want our first black president to go down in history as a failure. That he is. In fact his administration will go down in American History as the most corrupt in modern times. Worst than your boy Jimmy.
TruthBe
June 29th, 2011
5:13 pm
Fred, Clinton, Obama and Bush paid out to the banks. In fact it was Clintons administration thru Senator Dobbd and Senator Frank who wrote and pushed thru the actual bill into law. ( All Democrats ) That created this mess in the first place. They passed it thru so people like Granny could get a loan for a house she might not be able to afford our pay for. So get the facts jack.
Joe Mama
June 29th, 2011
5:14 pm
I think that TruthBe should have his very own TV show. I would make popcorn and watch it every week.
It would be just as funny as “All In The Family” and probably for the very same reasons.
oldguy
June 29th, 2011
5:16 pm
Did I miss something Fred?
I thought it was the Democrat controlled house and Senate who voted the money to bail out the banks and Wallstreet?? I didn’t realize that GWB was absolute ruler!!
Fred
June 29th, 2011
5:16 pm
Thulsa: If the “fact check’ site Keep gave is accurate, it would seem the Stimulus act DID work. Heck if nothing else it cut almost 1/2 a million Gov’t jobs. I see alone as a good thing lol.
Yeah last month was pretty lean, but it shows something like 2 million private sector jobs through out the duration. You also aren’t taking into account the jobs that were saved. I have yet to look at the projects, but as was pointed out earlier in the thread materials were used in whatever it was they built. The folks who provided those materials if they didn’t “create” any new jobs at the least were able to retain some or ALL of their workforce that they would have otherwise had to dump.
I still haven’t researched it enough to say victory or bust, but I doubt it is nearly as much a “failure” as you claim it to be or as much a success as Keep does. My early impressions are that we are better off with it than we would have been without it.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 29th, 2011
5:18 pm
Sorry Doom…time to back your claims with links and facts and not your red herrings. Your moving the goal posts. You claimed the stim did not work but now you admit it did and move the goal posts to arguing that it was not enough, its not fast enough, it was the wrong mix or that other events have not intervene (such as the efforts of one party to block any recovery for their own gain). Since I have already disproven your claim that it did not work the first time, and you admit that, I am sure you have some new goal posts to back your claim that additional well place stim would not speed up the long term results. You can post links for those too.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
June 29th, 2011
5:18 pm
Just take a glimpse at how corrupt the government is in Chicago. Wait, isn’t that where Obama if from? And isn’t that where is ex chief of staff is governor?