What this says is 50% of Americans are earning $26,261 or less. That's poor people! That's less than $505 a week before taxes! Today, these are the lucky ones.
There were 150,917,735 wage earners in 2009. 50% of Americans are poor. There is no burgeoning middle class left to save.
All pay 10-15% plus 7.65 Fica, or 17.65% - 22.65%. That's a lot. Are they complaining?
And those who earn more are screaming foul because they are asked to pay a teeny increase? The Cat F'd Fools would rather make the poor people work their miserable jobs until they are 69 or die, than ask Americans to pay an additional 3.6 - 4 point freakin 1%? WTH! They paid 50% under Reagan!
This isn't rocket science! Higher incomes have to pay a higher rate of tax. PERIOD!
Stop calling it a tax on the wealthy. It's just a fair tax, and a lot less than it used to be!
Attack of the Charts below:
F'd = Food. I find it repugnant. Children starved in America during the Depression.
Analyzing the Chart:
As you can see, the chart is divided by five Vertical Indicators (VI) representing the number of wage earners for each of the 58 Horizontal Indicators.
To avoid confusion and help us read the chart, it is important to note that the 58 Vertical Indicators progress from 0 upwards in an assorted manner:
0 - $195,000 progress at $ 5,000 per VI
$195,000 - $300,000 progress at $105,000 per VI
$300,000 - $450,000 progress at $ 50,000 per VI
$450,000 - $ 1.0 million progress at $350,000 per VI
$1 million - $ 4.5 million progress at $500,000 per VI
$4.5 million - $20 million progress at $3.875 Mil per VI
Here's how wages are distributed for 99% of wage earners in America. The numbers for the chart above were taken from the following SSI table:
This is just a wonky addition. You can skip down to the chart unless you like wonk.
Actually you can view almost the entire income tax history by year. I highly recommend opening the above link and scrolling through to see the tax rates we paid under each President. Check out the hike between 1930 and 1933: The Depression.
Just before the Depression, high incomes were max taxed at 25%. The poor paid a very low percent of income. That changed big time in 1933. Until 1940 median income was taxed at under 10% high income at 79%. In 1940 taxes were raised on the poor, hugely raised in 1941, enormous raise in 1942, up in 44 (41% on income $10-$12K), finally drops in 1955 to 30%, down in 65, whatever the poor pay too much tax, the higher incomes tax liabilities have been cut down from 92% to 35%.
Where is the debate about this:
25% (tax plus FICA) of $30,000 is more of a burden than 50% of $200,000, or 90% of $2,000,000.
Someone has to do a real analysis, by area, to determine the real cost of living and make sure people don't work full-time AND remain hungry, living in trash, without health and dental care.
I'm no rocket scientist by any means, but it's obvious to me that the cost of living has lost all relationship to wages. That does not speak well of the so-called genius economists. I am underimpressed (If her grizzliness can, so can I) with their acts. I am watching couples in their 30s looking haggard and old.
They deserve the same quality of life we enjoyed. And I guess we will have to fight for them, as they are too burned out these days to fight for themselves.
And, we wonder why we have a deficit. Just about everything in America, except greed and corruption, is running a deficit.
You will find the tax rates for 2010, as well as the years from 1930-2009 here.
These are the 2009 Tax Rates, about to Sunset:
Here are the 2000 Tax Rates. The difference is what all the ARGUMENTS ARE ABOUT.
A 5% increase, or 15% Federal Income Tax liability, will go into effect if the Bush Tax Cuts expire. This is much higher than it was for most years for the low wage earners, btw. Who would argue that no more than 7.65% FICA should be with held from anyone earning less than $20,000/yr in 2011?
There are two words used to describe income in the USA: Average and Median
Here's the Average and Median Income Chart in the USA for 2009:
There are 150,917,735 wage earners in this country for 2009.
That said, 24,315,992 of them earned less than $5000;
75,458,867 (50%) earned less than $26,261 in 2009;
1,911,660 (1.266%) earned $200,000 per year; and
Only 1,198,286 (0.794%) of wage earners who get more than $250,000 per year
Average Income, simply stated, is the total of all wages, including the income of the highest earners, divided by the number of people employed.
Because the top 10 % have increased their income hugely, the Average Income looks like it increased. Wages have been nearly flat for most workers.
Since 1980 the economy has also continued to grow handsomely, but only a fraction at the top have benefitted.
The line flattens for the bottom 90% of Americans.
Average income went from that $30,941 in 1980 to $31,244 in 2008.
Think about that: the average income of Americans increased just $303 dollars in 28 years.
Ok, the numbers in the chart don't quite match the research Moyers quotes. It is extremely difficult to find charts and data. They are close enough to get the gist.
For a really good picture to see just how miserably wages have been flat, I highly recommend Slow Growth in Wages Continues produced by the Social Security Medicare Tax Database.
But, keep in mind, Average Income isn't really what the average American earns.
Median Income, which also includes the income of all earners, is the point on the graph where 50% earn less and 50% earn more.
SOME ON THE GROUND ANALYSIS:
Example A: A couple, no children, both work 40 hours a week @ $7.00/hr.
40 x $7 = $280/week x 52 = $14,560/yr x 2 people = $29,120 annual gross income
10% = $ 2,912 Fed Tax
7.65% = $ 223 FICA (Social Security and Medicare)
The minimum Federal Tax liability for everyone, including the poor is 17.65% (possibly adjusted downward depending on how the tax code reads for 2011). The poor and what's left of the middle class pay 7.65% on 100% of their income for SSI and Medicare (FICA).
Max Federal Liability for this couple: $3,135/yr.
Net income: $29,120 - $3,135 = $25,985 net
$25,985 / 12 months = $2,165/month/4.3 = $503 take home for their 80 hrs labor
From which this couple must also pay State Taxes and Sales Taxes.
Do they have a car payment? Car insurance?
Can they afford health care?
What can they pay for housing?
Ok, this is almost too depressing to contemplate. The point is that millions of families are trying to live on around $30,000 a year, those who are fortunate enough to have two full-time workers.
If there are two median incomes in one household, that's still less than $60,000 a year less taxes.
To see how the numbers of workers making whatever income,link here.
MORE CHARTS:
Here's is where we stand today:
Is it an odd coincidence that the higher the income inequality, the greater the economic downturn and that both happen when tax rates for higher incomes are reduced?
AND PLEASE, Someone Tweet this to EVERYONE.
Tax cuts and deficits are twins, even Siamese Twins:
We lost over 5.3 Million Jobs that pay under $45,000 since during the last year of the Bush Administration.
And that's not going to improve anytime soon:
T R I C K L E D O W N doesn't work. You don't need a flare for the obvious to get this. If it did, we wouldn't have such perniciously huge poverty rates in America.
If it did, the trillions the Corporations and Banks are hoarding would be.....well, trickling down. But it's not. It's being used to enrich the rich and the hell with the rest of us.
And DON'T even think of asking those few, 72 actually, to pay a measely 3% - 4.1% more income tax. Oh no, that would be wrong. It would be class warfare. Wah Wah WAh Wah Wah (think Charlie Brown's teacher). Here's a better idea. Tax them at 70% in keeping with American tax tradition.
The report at the link directly above, shows that the 72 remaining high wage earners averaged $84.1 million each, down $7 million or 7.7 percent from the 2008 average in nominal dollars.
Dear Tea Baggers: You should really be all over this like ecoli on your burgers! Or peanut butter on your pancakes swimming in syrup and melted butter. Or your smothered chicken and cheese fries. Whatever. Get on your soap boxes. This should really tick you off. Our soldiers are risking everything in Afghanistan for a small wage, and there are people earning $84.1 million a year! Isn't that tea bag obscene?
Dear Glen is asking people to get real about their income. Glen says politicians shouldn't be paid more than a private in the Army. Well, Glen, don't you think the 72 people making $84.1 million a year could chuck up 50% of that to help pay the soldiers? That would be done by taxing these 72 people. Taxes pay the soldiers, Glenn.
Let's look at the income chart again. Remember, this is an Average Wage Chart. The numbers are hiked because the highest earners are included in the analysis, including those 74 uber earners mentioned above.:
Look closely again, and note:
If there are 150,000,000 workers, than 75,000,000 people earn less than $30,000! Their max tax rate is 17.65% Total Federal Tax! For these low income workers, that's a huge burden, but one they have always paid, even more not that long ago, without screaming foul.
WHY IN HELL DO THOSE WHO EARN OVER $250,000 SCREAM FOUL ABOUT PAYING A PAULTRY 4.1% MORE INCOME TAX?
Let's play hardball, not cave-in, we-don't-have-time-it's-the-holiday-season ball.
Increase tax to 50% for those earning more than $1,000,000 per year or 90%. Perhaps companies would be more agreeable to hiring new people instead of raising the income of those who are already earning a very high wage.
Does anyone in DC know how to play GO? A very cool oriental board game? Gain advantage, gain advantage, gain advantage.
Go to this chart and scroll down to year 2001.
I THINK IT'S TIME TO CALL THEIR BLUFF.
Where's this Patriotism you hear heralded at Fox News and by the Tea Baggers?
The people and the country are in trouble financially.
Let's all suck it up and let the tax cuts expire. EVERYONE!
BUT, for those individuals earning less than 27,000/year, and for families earning less than $60,000/year:
Provide unemployment until a job that pays at least full-time, minimum wage is acquired. Two jobs for a married couple.
Federally fund and provide health and dental care via Medicare. It's not fair to some, whose states defund Medicaid.
Create a sliding scale capital gains tax that goes up to 50% for $1 million up.
Cut military spending to be no more than 30% of revenue.
Use the military cuts to invest in improving the environment (high speed rail, etc.)
Provide government surplus food to low income communities.
Fund local gardening efforts.
Freeze housing costs. Cap housing to 25% of income.
Allow renters to deduct rent, tax the landlord.
Cap all student loans at 10% of income.
Allow deductions for transportation to and from work.
Food subsidies for all individuals earning less than $20,000/year, $40,000 for a family. A healthy population will cost less over time.
Two year mandatory military service, for males only, when leaving high school WITH caveats. HS dropouts will be enlisted into the branch of their choice. It will be cheaper than prison. Can provide the labor needed to improve our infrastructure. The disciplinee won't harm this generation. Only those who volunteer will be sent into combat, which will pay twice as much. Youth could learn a trade and help similarly to the peace corps.
It's time to return to the United States of America.
We have to all pull our weight, we all have to make some sacrifices to dig ourselves out of the hole the Republicans keep digging for us.
AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE.
SS and Medicare ISN'T the problem.
The above are configured if the tax cuts are not sunset, supporting the need to increase our revenues/taxes. If the cuts are sunset, the above charts will show a healthy budget balance if spending is kept under control. NEVER allow a President to create any unfunded wars or programs like BushCo did.
Debt is the problem. George W. Bush & Company's debt consisting mostly of the Tax Cuts for the Wealthy explains our deficit:
"WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE WORLD AS WE FIND IT" bwwwaaaaaaaahaaaaaa Axelrod is channeling Rumsfeld. Now I know he's C R A Z Y (Stewart)
Obama et al can't really be thinking of rolling over without a fight. Good grief!
When we succeed in bringing this country from the brink of becoming a Banana Republic, do you think we can address this unnecessary and harmful reality:
And this is NOT acceptable for the country that touts WE ARE NUMBER ONE! Poverty stricken children become unhealthy adults, unless, of course, this tactic continues decade after decade to produce 19 year olds with only one option: The Military.
And, yes, many of the highest poverty areas include Native American reservations. Will we never learn empathy and compassion in this country!
If the corporations aren't into us anymore, have moved on to their next love (China, Brazil, India), then let's use our revenue to return to our successful model. Boycott the chains, folks. No more WalMart and fatty/salty/sugary fast food. Buy local. Rebuild our towns with local businesses. Use the big boxes for dances and social gatherings after they are abandoned.
Breaking up is always hard to do, but hey, he/she left us, remember?
It helps to reiterate where our revenue (the taxes taken out of our checks) is spent.
SS and Medicare are not on this chart, because they are funded via FICA, not income taxes:
For a good resource if you want to dig into this chart, go here.
WE HAVE TO STOP ATTACKING LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES
We are told we are a wealthy country. If so, and if we are the greatest country in the world, what example(s) are we setting for others.
Sadly, 50% of America is scratching their head wondering who it is that is enjoying all that prosperity.
25% are wondering if they will die if they get really sick.
And 16% probably don't know what day it is because they have lost their minds or health already, be they rich or poor.
.
I find the facts, the numbers SHAMEFUL!
Cutting social safety nets will create more harm than good. Too many are balancing on a razors edge already. Any further disruption will cause the economy to sink even more. Not to mention an increase in unnecessary suffering.
So,
Cut the crap!
Cut the fat!
And please drown the CAT F'D COMMISSION
in facts and charts.
And, oh, can we end this sick and wrong statistic? What is wrong with those Red States anyway? I thought they were the Compassionate Christian states?
We need to warm up the hearts in DC:
________________________________________
TWO PETITIONS IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT:
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT
President Obama: FIGHT Bush tax cuts for millionaires!
Thank you.
