We are all taxpayers. Don’t let the fat cats tell you that they own a bigger stake in this country because they pay more in taxes. That is nonsense. Even if you have never filed a 1040 tax form, remember that poor folk pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes than rich folk do. Even the poor soul who spends all day begging in front of the liquor store so he can buy his next bottle pays a larger percentage of his income in taxes than Bill Gates. In a bottle of liquor, the smallest percentage of the price is the cost of producing, bottling, and shipping the actual liquor. State and federal liquor taxes and county or city and state sales tax account for most of the retail price of the product. So, our poor soul who lives for his next bottle is a taxpaying citizen of this country and pays a much larger percentage of his income in taxes than most of the rest of us. He deserves all the rights that most of us take for granted.
Rich folk spend a very small percentage (usually less than 1%) of their income on the goods that poor folk spend all of their income on. Most of rich folks’ income (90% or more) goes to “tax havens,” mostly offshore. The government never sees a dime of this hidden money. So, who are the major stakeholders in this country? You have to consider that there are a lot more of us than there are of them. According to my math, it’s us, the poor folk. We pay most of the taxes! If you don’t believe me, see how long it takes for the IRS to come after you when you fail to pay them what they say you owe, and don’t forget interest and penalties. They can more than double your tax bill. The collectors know that it is much easier to get thousands out of you than it is to get millions or billions out of the corporate tycoons who mostly wrote the tax laws that protect their offshore wealth.
Every dime a poor person spends has an increasingly larger percentage of it going to some government agency in the form of taxes, especially if they buy things like cigarettes and booze, because these items, and others that polite society frowns upon, include a “sin tax.” Politicians have found that imposing a “sin tax” is very popular with voters. Of course, many of these things that society decides deserve a “sin tax” are things us poor folk use to make our lives more livable.
I guess what I’m trying to say here, or maybe the moral of this story, is that we are all taxpaying citizens and stakeholders in this country, and it’s about time for us to start acting like it. Easy to say, I know. What can we do? Well, the first thing I would suggest is voting. Our current Congress was elected by 36.4% of eligible voters. I can’t help but wonder how different Washington, D.C. would look today if more of us had voted. I know that voting is easier for some of us than for others, especially the homeless. So, we must always work to make sure the right to vote is protected for all citizens.
Beyond that, talk to friends, look for a group in which to voice your grievances, become allies with like-minded groups, and make your voices heard. History is rich with stories of small movements creating widespread changes. Let’s us, you and me, be the start of the next great change.
Rich folk spend a very small percentage (usually less than 1%) of their income on the goods that poor folk spend all of their income on. Most of rich folks’ income (90% or more) goes to “tax havens,” mostly offshore. The government never sees a dime of this hidden money. So, who are the major stakeholders in this country? You have to consider that there are a lot more of us than there are of them. According to my math, it’s us, the poor folk. We pay most of the taxes! If you don’t believe me, see how long it takes for the IRS to come after you when you fail to pay them what they say you owe, and don’t forget interest and penalties. They can more than double your tax bill. The collectors know that it is much easier to get thousands out of you than it is to get millions or billions out of the corporate tycoons who mostly wrote the tax laws that protect their offshore wealth.
Every dime a poor person spends has an increasingly larger percentage of it going to some government agency in the form of taxes, especially if they buy things like cigarettes and booze, because these items, and others that polite society frowns upon, include a “sin tax.” Politicians have found that imposing a “sin tax” is very popular with voters. Of course, many of these things that society decides deserve a “sin tax” are things us poor folk use to make our lives more livable.
I guess what I’m trying to say here, or maybe the moral of this story, is that we are all taxpaying citizens and stakeholders in this country, and it’s about time for us to start acting like it. Easy to say, I know. What can we do? Well, the first thing I would suggest is voting. Our current Congress was elected by 36.4% of eligible voters. I can’t help but wonder how different Washington, D.C. would look today if more of us had voted. I know that voting is easier for some of us than for others, especially the homeless. So, we must always work to make sure the right to vote is protected for all citizens.
Beyond that, talk to friends, look for a group in which to voice your grievances, become allies with like-minded groups, and make your voices heard. History is rich with stories of small movements creating widespread changes. Let’s us, you and me, be the start of the next great change.
RSS Feed
