I would most certainly say that being on the verge of not being able to pay your bills means you're pretty broke in my book. and it's not because the government isn't getting taxes, it's because they've spent more than they can take in.

IRS data shows that in 2004, the richest 50% of the taxpayers paid 96.7% of all income taxes. From 1986 to 2004, the share paid by the richest half increased from 93.5% to 96.7%, and the share paid by the richest 1% increased from 25.75% to 36.89%. At the same time, the amount paid by the poorer half decreased from 6.5% in 1986 to 3.3% in 2004. While the poor's contribution was cut in half, the richest Americans saw their contribution increase by nearly 50%. When you get past the propaganda, for the last two decades the rich have been paying more and more while the poor have been paying less and less.

To put it simply, of the $832 billion in personal income taxes collected in 2004, the richest half of the country paid $804 billion while the poorest half only paid $27.4 billion.

Another point.
Our deficit has been running $1 trillion a year for the last three years. Obama's proposal to tax the rich would supposedly net about $750 billion over a decade. Let's do the math, $750 billion divided by 10 years is $75 billion a year. Subtract that from the $1 trillion deficit and what does that leave? Hmmm... seems like we still have a $925 billion deficit increase every year. A token gesture, that's all.

And that's the Democrat's answer. All they want to do is raise the taxes on the rich like that''s going to solve the whole problem. They aren't serious about cutting spending and they wouldn't dare bring up a tax increase on the regular people like you and me. What kind of flawed way of thinking is that?

Really Mr. Crawford? The US Government spends more money than it takes in. We spend money on things we shouldn't as a country and it is ruining this country. What I do with what money I have left over, after I pay all my bills, mortgages, kids items, etc is my business. I fall into the category of taxed too much while receiving none of these "really cool" benefits that more and more people get on everyday. I "really" enjoyed the radio commercial I heard today about how they have changed the Food Stamp program name so it sounds super snazzy now and talked about how many people qualified, "and may not even know it" for this new program. I tried to get my mortgage interest rate lowered to 1.9% like many did early in the year but was told I didn't qualify, "because I had been making all my payments on time." I don't get a free cell phone, so I can call and talk to my buddies, laughing all the time about how much "free" stuff I am getting from the government. As a conservative, I have worked my rear off to take care of my responsibilities, while still allowing my children to enjoy a Smurf movie every once in awhile. In the meantime, my retirement plan, and NO I don't mean Social Security is being torn apart by the decisions of the current President and all the other clueless morons in the House and Senate. Close your eyes to what is really going on if you want to but don't be surprised when we fight back. Please excuse the dripping sarcasm...

It's good to know that those "wealthy" americans ar providing jobs to import manufacturers overseas by buying ther meaningless, overpriced crap. Everybody needs to live a little in between all that job creating right? please excuse the dripping sarcasm...

The majority of jobs are created by Small Business Owners. They cannot afford to hire, and in many cases are forced to let employees go, if not close shop all together. Instead of focusing on helping these business owners, the current Administrations focus is on creating more government workers while stifling private business.The larger corporations have been taking their companies, jobs and products outside the United States to avoid the ridiculous taxes, hurdles and loopholes that the Government has placed on business today. This drives the prices of goods up and again, puts many companies out of business.

On your first point, I work for a Global corporation. I have been there for 10 years. I have seen my company cut it's workforce in half, and push most of the Engineering and Technical Support outside the US, much to the dismay of the US based employees and our customers. While my company probably has somewhere around the 24,000 employee range, there are plenty of small businesses that employee much smaller numbers of employees, but the businesses themselves are in much greater numbers. While my one company may employee 24,000 people, there are more than 24 companies that employee a thousand or more. Once you factor all the small to medium size businesses that are being affected by these decisions, it's clear to see that the rhetoric about the Ultra Rich not paying enough in taxes, so let's raise it for anyone making 250K or more a year is a joke. We as a country spend too much money, plain and simple and their current administration's laser like focus is to get more American's dependent on the government. Why work when in some states, a person can receive up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits, food stamps, cell phones, housing assistance, utilities paid for, transportation, etc. etc. Since you brought up McDonalds, 75% of their locations are owned by franchisees, which is another word for Small Business. This information is found directly on their website.

On your second point, corporations do not pay taxes, just as employers do not pay taxes. All the cost of the taxes are pushed down to the consumer or the employee. That is a clear fact. Furthermore, recently Harry Reid was heading up a committee to discuss raising more taxes on manufacturing imports. At this meeting were representatives from large corporations to discuss the Pros and Cons of raising the tax burden on their perspective companies. Of all the discussions, one drove the point home more than any other that occurred that day in my opinion. A representative from a very large global corporation informed Mr. Reid that his company employed 27,000 American workers at their manufacturing plants, of which there were multiple locations across the US. He informed them that his company would not be able to afford the increase and that if increases were put in place, they would close all plants in the US, taking the jobs overseas, and those 27,000 Americans would be jobless. Mr. Reid defiantly questioned "and who are you to make this decision?" The speaker stood up, said "I am the CEO of (company name) " and walked out. Mr. Reid's disdain for the speaker is just but a glimpse of the fact he could care less what the American people want or need. This company cannot afford to pass on the higher taxes to it's consumers so it has to go outside the US to be able to afford to do business.

And tell me how they don't know how to exploit the system
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/24/woman-allegedly-arranged-sex-between-husband-and-child-to-claim-more-benefits/?test=latestnews

Read it and weep. If there is one there is more. And Brian, out of the 20 million or so that aren't out of jobs but on welfare, I'm thinking what you said is true.

This is what you breed when you allow the government to take care of people. I just don't understand why you don't see that.

I wish I had this article in another form, it's an image but worth reading.
http://www.daculaweather.com/stuff/ATT00063.jpg

If your company has or ever has been given tax incentives or tax cuts for capital expenditures or tax rebates for normal activities, you are a socialist. If you use any government services, roads, water, power, police, fire, or the military, you are a socialist. If you have been to an airport of been on an airplane, you are a socialist. If you have received or plan to receive social security, or medicare, you are a socialist. National or state parks; socialist. Income tax refund. There are lots of good reasons the Tea Party is the most reviled group in the USA, more so than atheists and Muslims: they worship fox news, they only like government services they enjoy, they refer to Americans as "breeds", and soon, eventually the thumping will start. Bachman, Palin, and Perry thump on the stump, soon enough they'll be out in the streets with Glen Beck, thumping away. Brian, I wish you well when the thumping starts.

WOW! Someone more confused than Mr. Crawford. Never thought I'd see that on here. How does a company I work for, or their choices, make me a socialist? How do you compare people who worked all of their lives, paying countless dollars into SS/Medicare using those services with people who have paid little to no money in, receiving the same services, often 100% free? How am I a socialist if I receive back a small portion of the thousands and thousands of dollars I pay into State and Federal taxes back at the end of the year? The Federal Government is supposed to provide select, certain functions and nothing more. The State Government is supposed to provide select, certain functions and nothing more. Our Representatives are supposed to represent us, the people who elect them and they are supposed to abide by our wishes (votes) not their own agendas. The Government has no business bailing out companies that did not run themselves well enough to succeed. They should not support car manufacturers and offer incentives to trade in your clunker. They should not be funding "artists". The list goes on, and on and on.... Liberals are the group that loves to categorize people. It's how they quantify diversity. Must hire women, must employee blacks. A person that does not believe the Government should provide these types of services is clearly not a socialist. A person who post the kind of dribble you just did, is clearly not informed. I wish you AND Mr. Crawford well come 2012!!!

Send your kids to private schools, did you anonymous internet poster? High school and college football stadiums, basketball arenas, any other public buildings. Governments pay for a lot of stuff that no other entity can, I understand you believe a lot of those things aren't worth the money. You only get one vote. If you're unhappy the Federal government saved General Motors and Chrysler Corps. from bankruptcy, your priorities are goofy. If you don't love America and the way it runs, go somewhere else. I'd like to know what government you approve of. If the government funds your activities, you are a socialist. You don't want to pay taxes? Don't. Oh, and the National Weather Service is government funded and run; pure socialism.

Nice reply Mr. Kellogg, even though it really has nothing to do with what I said. I don't think you'll find anywhere I stated I don't want to pay taxes. I am unhappy that they bailed out private business of ANY kind. That is not the job of the Government. I also never said I don't love America. In fact, you are very mistaken if you believe that to be the case. I love what America is supposed to stand for but our country has gotten lost. Our priorities as a nation are wrong and it's people like you have put us here. You are correct in that I have one vote, just as you do. The sad part is that your vote cancels my vote out. Hopefully many more informed people will show up this voting season and outnumber ill-informed people like you. You can tell the National Weather Service is government funded. Just look at all the left wing biased shows are shown on that channel. I like how you continue to point out all the things that are Government funded because you are simply proving my point. Why does the National Government need to be involved in telling us the weather? At least your partially correct in your statement about sending the kids to private school.

I certainly DO send my children to private school and I will continue to do so. This way, they have a much better chance of succeeding...Of course it would be much easier if I wasn't bailing out Chrysler, paying for some "artist" to wipe poop on a canvas and call it art, paying for signs to be posted on the highway to show how much of my money they are spending, etc. etc. Please continue to point out other Government waste if you feel like it. You make it a lot easier for me to prove my point.

The National Weather Service doesn't have a "show." If you mean the Weather Channel and thinks it's liberal, you've wobbled off the edge of the flat world. Chrysler and GM turned profits and have or will soon pay back all the loans. If you love America, wishing to see all those workers unemployed is not a great way to show it. And of course, the elite, expensive private school. What is it they teach there that attracts you? America should have the best public schools in the world. It doesn't because conservatives don't want education for everyone, so they whine about taxes. Your point, anonymous internet poster, is that you are greedy, backwards, and afraid of America.

Don't get me started about the Weather Channel.
Sounds like someone has an anger management issue.

Mr. Kellogg, deny deny deny all you want, believe what you wish. The facts remain and as I stated before, I'm just glad that my vote will cancel your vote out. You call private schools elite, again as you try to categorize people into groups. I choose private school for many reasons. One major influence is the fact that my wife has taught advanced classes at private and at public schools. The differences are night and day, with most issues public schools face caused by the bureaucracy that is our government school system. I'd spend my time stating facts and things that can be proven but you just reply that they aren't true and deny my statements so I will not waste my time doing so. I do agree that America should have the best public schools in the world but instead we have one of the worst systems. The cause of that however is not because I pay my hard earned money to send my kids to private school, because I still pay all the taxes to send my kids to a public school they do not attend. Please find proof to back your statement that conservatives don't want to education for everyone. I'll await your response on that. Finally, as you continue to point out that I choose not to use my real name on internet forums and message boards, it is not because I am somehow trying to hide behind some internet cloak, but rather I am very versed and informed of what one can do with even the slightest information found on the internet to someone.

Two anonymous internet posters, one who uses the National Weather Service on his web site, while whining about taxes, and who can't read: I wasn't the one who called the Weather Channel liberal. Another poster, Mr. Orr, honors 17th Century political and economic philosophy, but he uses his name. You may be very versed, but you are also very close to making a threat. You have stated you are in favor, during the worst economic crisis since the Depression; Herbert Hoover, Republican extraordinary, of abandoning American factory workers. Those women and men work as hard, at least, as you do, and are consumers; citizens we need right now. As are government workers, who you also can't abide in your "every man for himself" screeds. Again, what is it they teach in the elite private school that they don't in public school, which at least in Norcross are very good. Could it be so called , intelligent design?

Mr. Kellogg, I'm not anonymous, do a search on Patch and you'll find out who I'm. I post under a name that will promote my website, that's all. I'll be happy to meet you in person if you so desire. Then you can say all of your hateful trash to my face. I look forward to it.

I read very well also. I didn't say you called the Weather Channel liberal, I said don't get me started on the Weather Channel, I think it's you that can't read. And did you hear me complain about taxes? Certainly not in any post I made to you.

Sorry it took me so long to respond Mr. Kellogg. I was too busy laughing at what your definition of a threat is. Now that I am over that, I noticed that you failed to reply with any proof to back up your statements, or any quotes of where I said I didn't want to pay taxes, etc.. I'll patiently wait for you to respond with some data and facts that back your statements or debunk the items we have discussed here. Until then, here is an article you can practice your reading skills on. Since you are so worried about the American worker, let's take a look at Illinois. The state was on an upward trend for private employment of American workers until Jan 2011, and suddenly, the employment rate took a sharp dip downward and continues to fall. What caused this you may ask - well the state announced plans to increase the personal income tax rate by 67% and the corporate rate by 46%. Quoting from the article now - "Illinois lost more jobs during the month of July than any other state in the nation, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. After losing 7,200 jobs in June, Illinois lost an additional 24,900 non-farm payroll jobs in July." So let's see - raise taxes to increase revenue right? That will fix the problems we are in as a country and that surely will get more American's back to work, right? Apparently, the FACTS and DATA prove otherwise.

Here is the link to the article - you know, a source of where the data comes from Mr. Kellogg - http://blog.heritage.org/2011/08/24/illinois-loses-most-jobs-in-nation-following-massive-tax-increase/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FoundryConservativePolicyNews+%28The+Foundry%3A+Conservative+Policy+News.%29

"Stop Saying America is Broke"

The United States is broke!!!!