AntiAmericanism

[.Shane.]

@ziggy

You should give emo eagle the proper hair style.

ROFL, yes, that would be nice. Pair it w/ the aforementioned clown makeup and I think we'd have a winner.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

@Ziggy

1. You need to stop taking him at his word, he clearly checked out of this forum some time ago. His posting style now is more of one that views the forum as a playground, which is fair enough. When I got bored w/ the juvenalia of this place, I just checked out for a while, to each his own.

That's ok. I know Eco

2. Any chance you can make me one of those crying eagles in clown makeup? It would make a great avatar.

I did not make it. Just one of the first results for "crying eagle".

 

[Ecofarm]

My first attempt at googling "emo eagle" landed me at a commentary on Donovan McNabb.

Still looking...

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

We do have an artwork department ... But they're gone today on some 3D course.

So .. that was pretty useless information.

 

[Dubai Vol]

...the article itself explicitly states that "tax freedom" day isn't the taxes of an average person - average Americans do not pay 30.8% of taxes.

Income taxes, no. All taxes taken together, you might be surprised.

Figure already 15.3% for FICA and Medicare, right off the top of your check. (Your employer pays an amount equal to what you pay, so in effect you are paying it, because your company could give it to you if it didn't have to give it to the gov't.

Then sales tax on everything you buy. That runs 10% or near it many places. State income tax, unemployment insurance tax, excise taxes, sin taxes, tax on your electric bill, your phone bill, and on and on. Tax on gasoline. Tax on your car. Property taxe, which you pay even if you rent. I would be surprised if you sat down and figured it to be less than 30%, for yourself or for most people, and we haven't even discussed Federal income tax yet!

While you're at it, add in your health insurance premium, plus what your employer pays towards that. That comes to an average $1200 a MONTH for families. If you had national health care you would not be paying that.

Americans pay twice as much per person for health care as any industrialized country, (17% of GDP) and don't get what they pay for. You'll find that out soon enough.

 

[Ecofarm]

Income taxes, no. All taxes taken together, you might be surprised.

Figure already 15.3% for FICA and Medicare, right off the top of your check. (Your employer pays an amount equal to what you pay, so in effect you are paying it, because your company could give it to you if it didn't have to give it to the gov't.

Why not throw in all business and corporate taxes? You could really inflate the number that way. Going half-way with BS is just lazy.

Then sales tax on everything you buy. That runs 10% or near it many places.

Nowhere is 10%. Like 3 states are at 9%. Average is 6-7% (including average county and city taxes).

Also note, basic stuff (unprocessed food, medicine, clothing etc are usually not subject to state sales tax). You are so far from intellectual honesty here, you can't even see land.

State income tax,

U.S. States without a personal income tax
For more details on this topic, see Sales taxes in the United States.
Alaska – has a state corporate income tax
Florida – has a state corporate income tax. Once had tax on "intangible personal property" held on the first day of the year (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, etc.) but was abolished at the start of 2007. The Florida Constitution explicitly prohibits a personal income tax.
Nevada
New Hampshire – The state does tax, at a 5% rate, on interest and dividends
South Dakota – has a state corporate income tax on financial institutions.
Tennessee – does have tax on income (at a 6% rate) received from stocks and bonds not taxed ad valorem (Tenn Const Art II, §28). The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that a personal income tax is unconstitutional. [Evans v. McCabe]
Texas – in May 2006, passed a franchise tax on businesses (sole proprietorships and some partnerships are exempt). The Texas Constitution places severe restrictions on passage of a personal income tax and use of its proceeds.
Washington – has a corporate tax called the "Business and Occupation Tax (B&O)", which is a gross receipts tax[4]
Wyoming

[edit] U.S. States with a flat rate personal income tax
Individual Income Tax Rates-2008

Colorado 4.63%
Illinois 3%
Indiana 3.4%
Massachusetts 5.3%
Michigan 4.35%
Pennsylvania 3.07%
Utah 5%

unemployment insurance tax

The FUTA tax rate is 6.2% of taxable wages. The taxable wage base is the first $7,000 paid in wages to each employee during a calendar year. Employers who pay the state unemployment tax, on a timely basis, will receive an offset credit of up to 5.4% regardless of the rate of tax they pay the state. Therefore, the net FUTA tax rate is generally 0.8% (6.2% - 5.4%), for a maximum FUTA tax of $56.00 per employee, per year (.008 X $7,000. = $56.00).

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/uitaxtopic.asp

excise taxes,

State Excise Taxes -- updated January 1, 2008

State Motor Fuel Excise Tax Rates, Adobe Acrobat version
Points of Taxation [4/27/06] [pdf file]
Federal Motor Fuel Tax Decreases--States Affected

State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates, Adobe Acrobat version
Cigarette Tax Increases - 2000-current
State Taxes on Other Tobacco Products, Adobe Acrobat version

State Distilled Spirits Excise Tax Rates, Adobe Acrobat version
State Wine Excise Tax Rates , Adobe Acrobat version
State Beer Excise Taxes , Adobe Acrobat version
Real Estate Transfer Taxes , Adobe Acrobat version [2/16/2006]

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/tax_stru.html
Oh yea, that affects everyone. wth?

sin taxes,

See above.

tax on your electric bill,

This hardly represents a sizable tax on total income. Exemptions, incentives, etc...

The State of Florida's tax rate on communications includes a 6.8% State Sales Tax and a 2.37% Gross Receipts Tax

.
http://www.largo.com/egov/docs/1180107260999.htm
Again note: this is not a tax on all of your income, just your utilities.

your phone bill,

How is this a tax??

and on and on.

How is this a tax??

Tax on gasoline.

That's excise tax. You already said that.

Tax on your car.

That's sales tax, you already said that.

Property taxe, which you pay even if you rent.

Apr 10, 2007 ... State, Average Property Tax Rate. United States, 1.38. Alaska, 1.80. Alabama, 0.65. Arkansas, 0.88. Arizona, 1.21. California, 0.68 ...

Again, that is not a tax on your entire income. Just your property.

I would be surprised if you sat down and figured it to be less than 30%, for yourself or for most people,

You should be surprised, but your bogus math tells you otherwise. You MIGHT be near 5% right now, if you are a heavy drinker and smoker, drive a gas-guzzler and own/rent a big house.

and we haven't even discussed Federal income tax yet!

And if you make less than $32K/year (the vast majority of CFC), you pay a whopping 15% and get exemptions to lower that. And you only pay 10% on the first $8k of it.

While you're at it, add in your health insurance premium, plus what your employer pays towards that.

Why is this a tax? Perhaps we should add "stash maintenance" as a tax too?

That comes to an average $1200 a MONTH for families. If you had national health care you would not be paying that.

Oh, we would be paying way more. Don't kid yourself, Mr. I'm-aware-of-hidden-taxes.

Americans pay twice as much per person for health care as any industrialized country, (17% of GDP) and don't get what they pay for. You'll find that out soon enough.

Yea yea, sure. Michael Moore FTW.


Look, just because you went the way of Haliburton is no reason to be a hack. Can't we just get an emo-eagle instead of this wad of fake math?

I've got a deal for you. Even though we all know that your employer moved to Dubai and you followed in order to keep your job, you can keep pretending that you went over there without a job and just found one (based on principle). In return, you stop trying to be an economist.

 

[Bast]

It's jealousy. America is a great country that's why.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Panda, kitten, cow, dog, wall, sure, but no eagle.

 

[Riffraff]

If jealousy would be the reason, then why has anti-americanism skyrocketed in the last years?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't know but it's true. I would really love to live in a country where 83% of the population doesn't trust me.

 

[jessiecat]

It's jealousy. America is a great country that's why.

It's a great country but not the greatest country. Just one of them. And no, it's not jealousy. Try again.

 

[Bast]

It's a great country but not the greatest country. Just one of them. And no, it's not jealousy. Try again.

It's the greatest country in the world right now. And I'm not going to try again, I can see the green-eyed monster all the way from here.

 

[Ecofarm]

Ok, which one is greatest? And I mean today.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

It's the greatest country in the world right now. And I'm not going to try again, I can see the green-eyed monster all the way from here.

You're just saying that because you're jealous of his superior arguments.

 

[Arwon]

Ok, which one is greatest? And I mean today.

None of them. They're all just bits of dirt and imaginary abstractions. Being proud of being from your country is like being proud of being born without hereditary kidney problems. It's accidents of birth.

 

[jessiecat]

None of them. They're all just bits of dirt and imaginary abstractions. Being proud of being from your country is like being proud of being born without hereditary kidney problems. It's accidents of birth.

My hero.

 

[Bast]

You're just saying that because you're jealous of his superior arguments.

No I think a lot of people are lying about the reasons why they hate America. And these lies, you can't prove unless if you can read their minds. So I won't bother.

None of them. They're all just bits of dirt and imaginary abstractions. Being proud of being from your country is like being proud of being born without hereditary kidney problems. It's accidents of birth.

Well I'm not from America. It's not about being proud but being in awe and wanting to be a part of it. I've always said that I want to study in the US. Its universities - among other things - are the best in the world. It's not just pride for the sake of it.

 

[Arwon]

Of course. There's good things on that bit of dirt. I lived there for two years, there's a lot of stuff I liked a lot and people I miss greatly. But so what? It's still just a bit of dirt and a bunch of people on that dirt imagining they're all tied together by bits of paper, dead white guys and colours on a bit of cloth.

The worst thing is when people get so hepped-up about their bit of dirt and its symbols that they ignore all the bad things that get done on that bit of dirt and because of those imaginary symbols, because other bits of dirt and other random symbols are sometimes just as bad or worse.

 

[Ecofarm]

None of them. They're all just bits of dirt and imaginary abstractions. Being proud of being from your country is like being proud of being born without hereditary kidney problems. It's accidents of birth.

That is an absolute load of crap. I've done alot, my share at least, to help make this country as great as it is. I have every right to be proud of my and everyone else's accomplishments.

My votes, taxes paid, service in the military, employment, education and giving back to the community all help make this country what it is today and none of those things are accidents of birth. Before me, my father did the same and before him another.

Just because some people cannot pull their country out of the crapper is no reason to belittle or discredit those who succeed in building the greatest nation.

Your argument presumes that the people have nothing to do with the country. While that might hold true in totalitarian regimes, it is not the case in the US. The US is the result of each of our hard work and dedication to a prosperous future. Take your "the people have nothing to do with the country" crap somewhere else. A magic faery did not apear and start handing out wishes. We worked hard and sacrificed alot to get where we are. Respect it.

 

[CodeMasterMike]

I dont think its jealousy, when it comes to AntiAmericanism that exists today.
When you see the flagburners on tv screaming and stomping, I dont think they doing it because they are jeallous of Americans.

Saying its jealousy, would be saying that all the angry people who protested against Denmark, are all jeallous of Denmark, because they can make obscure jokes about their Profet.

I for once think its because of the american arrogance. Saying things like "US is the only free country" (as a example), acting like a world police and trying to impose their views on other countries, is what pissing people off the most.