Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:29:15 +0100 From: Patrice Riemens <[email protected]>
What I Like about Goanet is than you can read the most bizarre lunatic rightist fringe stuff I know exists, but I would never come across otherwise. I send Mrlon (or Marion's) outlandish nonsense ... Mario responds: Finally, someone with some good old Dutch common sense who has picked up on the "bizarre lunatic" stuff written by the ultra libertarian-anarchist voice on Goanet and magnified by his Canadian crony and his whimsical notions about the US. Patrice, it's M-A-R-L-O-N who is our resident libertarian-anarchist. He is so right wing that he is in danger of falling off the planet:-)) He is NOT to be confused with M-A-R-I-O, who is a defender of the US system OVERALL, while recognizing all its faults, and the only voice on Goanet of reason, truth and peace, who keeps a sharp eye on the bizarre and the lunatics that lurk in the shadows of Goanet:-)) I'm glad you and your friends in the Netherlands had a good laugh, as many of us on Goanet did as well:-)) Because of its towering achievements in a short period in history, not too many people realize that the US, at 233 years of age, is still a work in progress, and things are not as good right now as in the past and will be again in the future. The good news is that in a recent poll 86% of Americans blamed the government for the mess, which is a good sign, which will serve to control our new President and his teleprompter who wants MORE government intervention in the economy. However, even a broken clock tells the correct time twice a day:-)). Total income taxes in the US, when you factor in Federal, state and local income taxes, can be in the 50% range in some states, especially for high income income earners. And our new President and his teleprompter are vowing to make Federal income taxes even higher. Yes, the US is a relatively rich country, but for anyone who thinks the "rich" in the US don't pay more than their fair share of federal income taxes, please see: http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html Here is a summary:[figures rounded off]: The top 1% of income earners earn 22% of total income and pay 40% of total federal income taxes. The top 5% of income earners earn 37% of total income and pay 60% of total federal income taxes. The top 10% of income earners earn 47% of total income and pay 71% of total federal income taxes. The top 25% of income earners earn 68% of total income and pay 86% of total federal income taxes The top 50% of income earners earn 87% of total income and pay 97% of total federal income taxes. The bottom 50% of income earners earn 13% of total income and pay 3% of total federal income taxes. Actually, the bottom 40% pay no federal income taxes at all. Many of these may be high school and college students for whom this is supplementary income in starter jobs. These are not to be confused with those with no income at all. All poor Americans have access to a range of government and private assistance, contrary to popular myth. Make of this what you wish, but these are just the facts.
