who pays taxes

With the debate around raising the debt limit or any other conversation involving the nations economy, the rabid on the right exclaim "TAX THOSE 47% FREELOADERS THAT DON'T PAY TAXES" to get us out of our troubles. Of course they are screaming without knowledge of who these people are and the circumstances that they live under that puts them in that 47%.

TRUTH
There are at least 45 million people in this country living at or below the poverty level and there are many who think they should pay more.

There are over 2 million people in this country that are paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 or less. There are 9 states that have set minimum wages at levels lower than the federal standard or have no minimum wages at all. For a full time employee that $7.25 comes to $11,600.00 a year. That's PRE TAX income. $223.08 a week. That's roughly the income considered to be at the poverty level for a 1 person household. Many of those minimum wage earners are trying to support more than just themselves. A great number of those minimum wage earners are only part time employees so their income is even less. Those are some of the people that are NOT REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW to pay federal income taxes. But out of that $223.08 a week they do pay Social Security payments, they do pay Medicare taxes. They do pay state income taxes where required, and they do pay sales taxes on what they purchase, like food for instance. They do pay taxes. And there are some who think that they should pay more from what they have left after they pay those taxes. That somehow there is enough there to solve this countries fiscal problems. Many of these people are just trying to survive.

And the question must be asked of those yattering heads "Do you take advantage of the allowable tax deductions when you file your federal income tax returns?" resulting in you paying less than you actually owe. If you do, would that not make you too a freeloader? If not, why is it ok for you and not for someone else?

While going after those least fortunate in this country Republicans are protecting these folks.-

"Bruce Bartlett talks about who does and does not pay federal taxes, and notes that "the growth of the non-income-taxpaying population is largely the result of Republican tax policies."
He also notes that:
There are 78,00 tax filers with incomes of $211,000.00 to $533,000.00 who pay no federal income taxes this year. Even more amazingly, there are 24,000 households with incomes of $533,000 to $2.2 million with zero income tax liability, and 3,000 tax filers with incomes over $2.2 million with the same federal income tax liability as most of those with incomes barely above the poverty level."

For those who don't know who Mr. Bartlett is-
Bruce Bartlett was a domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and Treasury official under President G.H.W. Bush, both known to be avid socialist communist wealth redistributionists.

These are who must be addressed first as they are the ones who hold the nations wealth hostage while the tru middle class keeps paying and paying. This must stop.

He said what?

If there was any doubt that there is something seriously wrong with the Republican party, and by extension, the portion of the American public that elects them, you don't need to look back any further than earlier this week.
With the debt limit deadline approaching quickly, Rep. Rubio (R. Fl.) has come out with the statement " We don't have a debt limit crisis, we have a debt crisis". If that's really how he feels, why has he and the others like him made it one in the same? Does this genius think that by letting this convoluted crisis created by the far right turn into a disaster, with our national credit rating falling internationally, we will somehow be better off as a country paying higher interest rates on every dollar everyone borrows? Really? Not just the government, but EVERYONE. Small businesses, already having trouble getting loans from banks with plenty of money to loan, will have to pay more for money needed to grow their businesses and hire more employees. How do you spell "JOB KILLING"? You want to buy a new American made car? Well, you better have all the money in hand or that car will end up costing a whole lot more. Forget buying a new house, unless you're one of those in the top 2% and feel you can settle for a house that a member of the "small people" demographic, you know the middle class, would live in.
And probably the worst thing about this is the fact that raising the debt limit allows us to pay the bills we already owe. Bills that the Republicans have some responsibility for too. We owe money to our lenders whether the right likes it or not. We need to make paying these bills possible first, then we can have a true discussion about our spending habits. Instead they are using this as a means of blackmail to further their political goals.  To insinuate that the raising of the debt limit is somehow connected to future spending is an indication that this guy is either stupid or is lying to support his ideology. And he is willing to let this country enter into default, destroy our admittedly fragile economy and create a worldwide financial crisis just to try to take control of the political landscape of this country. And that's just one of these anti American People that live under the banner of "Republican".
Truth, it's not part of their platform, it's not part of their plan.

In the beginning

   Today I launch my first blog posting. I am new to this whole thing but I feel the need to put in writing the stance I have on given subjects, primarily my views on politics and the use of lies and fear to maintain a grip on power and money. The spread of misinformation from the conservative right has become so pervasive that there is no longer the exchange of ideas that have fueled the evolution of this country, it's intellectual curiosity and the true nature of it's people. Now the conversation has been lowered to the point of being just bumper sticker slogans that have no real resemblance to a rational exchange of ideas. There is now a large group that believes as long as something is said often enough and loud enough that it will eventually become true, and to the fearful or the simple that is the case, it will become their truth. Simple minds will migrate to a place where the cackling voices they hear are mimicking the voices they hear in their own heads. It's so much easier than doing the research required to learn the truth, whether it's what you want to hear or not. The truth can be a little disappointing to some who only seek conformation of there baseless ideology rather than the needed information to form a legitimate ideology.
   So in this space I will try to present information, including cross referenced validation of that information, in a way that shows the lies for what they are. I hope this comes in handy for those who read it that may be trying persuade just one person that has been misdirected by the purveyors of those lies. Conversation that are taking place in homes, schools, bars and churches or anywhere else people get together to exchange ideas are the only way this battle for truth can be fought and won. It's the way this country was originally conceived. It's how this country can combat those that seek to dominate through fear and lies.