Attitude Adjustments Needed...it's OUR money!

[skinman]

You are still missing the point, WT...what percentage of your total income do you pay in ALL taxes and fees? Is it 25%? 35%? 50%? More?

I am not saying that you do not pay more in in taxes, just that he larger the family and the smaller the income, the higher the percentage of the total income is paid in taxes.

And, if you are renting housing, are you not including the property tax on that property as a part of your overhead and passing it along to your tenants? If you are, then your tenants are indeed paying property taxes...indirectly...and if you are not, then you are not going to stay in the rental business for very long.

 

[MR Redneck]

End the income tax, disband the IRS. Institute a federal VAT of 5% or so. Cut the fed budget by about half.

Now everyone would pay, even illegals and crackheads. Seems fair.

Yes sir it does!

 

[Willy]

I think it's "unfair" that skinman will have a retirement in the Texas Teachers Retirement System while I am forced to pay Socialism Security. His retirement may be there, while mine most likely won't.

I agree that the military should make more, but it's hard to find a career where you can draw full retirement when you are as young as 38. The military get good education benefits also.

The first line was sarcasm. I wouldn't begrudge anybody their retirement. My mom retires next year with TRS.

My point was that as noble as teaching or military service is, it has it's perks that don't appear in the general public. (such as Summers off) That was my response to your complaining about how little your pay is compared to your education.

 

[West Texas]

You are still missing the point, WT...what percentage of your total income do you pay in ALL taxes and fees? Is it 25%? 35%? 50%? More?

I am not saying that you do not pay more in in taxes, just that he larger the family and the smaller the income, the higher the percentage of the total income is paid in taxes.

And, if you are renting housing, are you not including the property tax on that property as a part of your overhead and passing it along to your tenants? If you are, then your tenants are indeed paying property taxes...indirectly...and if you are not, then you are not going to stay in the rental business for very long.

A Commercial real estate lease will almost always be what is termed triple net, meaning that you pay a per sqft price plus taxes, insurance and maintenance. In Residential, you have to build those cost in to any lease. So yes, part of what the tenant pays me every month goes toward rent, and insurance of the dwelling and to maintenance...but guess what, if that property is vacant one month...or two...or in the case of two houses that burned last year...10 months, I STILL have to pay the taxes for a full year. So, no,they are not paying the taxes, I am...they are not under any obligation to pay anyone but me, and if I tell the tax people to go get x% from the tenant, they would look at me really funny and then file a tax lien, because I owe that money to the tax office each year because I own the property. I've been buying rental properties since I was 17 years old, and your snide comment about "not staying in the rental business long" didn't go unnoticed.

Are you asking what my effect tax rate is? That's none of your business. It is WAY more than 60% though. Furthemore I pay more in actual dollars AS WELL AS percentage of income than the family making 50K. MUCH more. I also have more DOLLARS LEFT OVER, BECAUSE I HAVE SAVED AN INVESTED AND WORKED 90 HOUR WEEKS AND DONE WITHOUT SO THAT I CAN NOW BE IN THE POSITION I AM IN FINANCIALLY...and there is not ONE PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY who could not be in this same position if they had followed the rules of business and worked like I have worked and saved like I have saved.

And it PISSES ME THE HELL OFF TO SEE PERFECTLY HEALTHY MEN AND WOMEN DRAWING A WELFARE CHECK EVERY MONTH AND COMPLAINING THAT THE ARE MISTREATED SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY ARE "OWED" THESE THINGS I HAVE WORKED AND SWEATED AND BLEED AND SCRIMPED AND SAVED TO HAVE...AND TO KNOW THAT THE MONEY I PAID IN TAXES WENT TO REWARD THE LAZINESS OF THESE PEOPLE.

Furthermore, IT PISSES ME THE HELL OFF when somebody comes along and tries to tell me I don't pay enough in actuall dollars or percentage dollars and think I need to give up more OF WHAT I WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR to support those who won't....not the ones who CAN'T...I have no problem helping anyone...the ones who WON'T.

Now, before you go getting your little bleeding heart liberal feelings hurt because I answered your question, directed BY YOU AT ME PERSONALLY, and decide to take your toys and go home and "not post in politics anymore" please remember you pushed the issue after I answered your question even though others already had.

 

[West Texas]

You are still missing the point, WT...what percentage of your total income do you pay in ALL taxes and fees? Is it 25%? 35%? 50%? More?

I am not saying that you do not pay more in in taxes, just that he larger the family and the smaller the income, the higher the percentage of the total income is paid in taxes.

And, if you are renting housing, are you not including the property tax on that property as a part of your overhead and passing it along to your tenants? If you are, then your tenants are indeed paying property taxes...indirectly...and if you are not, then you are not going to stay in the rental business for very long.

What, no snappy comeback...or did you take your toys and go home because so many people know more than you do and can back it up with facts?

 

[West Texas]

After answering Skinmans pushing ME to state what had already been stated by others in this post, and him not responding, I sent him a PM asking him why that was, and this was his response. Very typical. When you can't support your point of view with facts and figures, resort to name calling. Just thought maybe this needed to be where everyone could see.

Sorry Skniman, all I did was post an accurate piece about how it is OUR MONEY, not the governments, and watched as others pointed out the error of your math and your logic.

At no time did I "bait" you, nor did anyone else.

You, however, kept on pushing me to answer, and when my answer took what had already been stated and gave personal examples, you then refused to answer. Instead, you decided to take your name calling to a private message when your logic was shown to be flawed by everyone, including myself, that answered you using facts and simple math.

The only stupidity I see here is idiots like you who not only have any debating skills, but consistently resort to baiting and insulting to hide the fact. I not only consider myself pretty well informed on both sides of the issues, but some other folks who are a damn sight more intelligent and informed than you do also. I may not agree with their opinions and they mine, but we do understand that we are informed and we have some pretty good debates...without any of the chicken shit stuff you put out on the TGT political forums...maybe it is because they realize that only a moron believes that his is the only opinion that is correct. And, you prove you are like that every time you get bested in a topic...and this pm from you just drives this home again.

I didn't get any answers from you, just juvenile bullshit when I pounded your sophomoric logic. I have been a member of Military.com for almost 10 years and I am a seasoned veteran of the flame wars we get into there. And anyone there will tell you that I can give it as well as take it, and have done so with folks who are really way far better at it than you even think you are.

It's like I said there, I am not interested in the constant flaming and insults, I want to discuss issues, not deal with cowards hiding behind computer screens who think that it is all about winning, and he who shouts the loudest wins.

YOU, sir, were the one shouting the loudest at how everyone else was wrong and you were right, and you choose to single me out. When that proved not to be one of your better ideas, you resort once again to shouting and name calling.

I'm not always right, and don't claim to be. But I do know fact from fiction, and I can do simple math and factor in the "fixed percentage cost" that every family has to pay in the course of everyday events, such as gasoline and sales tax, and even of those taxes, the ones consuming the most pay the most in taxes. To say that someone making 250K should pay MORE in those taxes than someone making 50K is very good socialist thinking, but in the long run leads to there being fewer and fewer who are making 250K to pay the extra in income tax, property tax and sales tax, meaning that there are less $$$ being collected in taxes, so there is less money for the government to hand out.

Any time you would like to meet face to face to compare "how smart" each of us is by any standard you care to use, I would be happy to do so. Until then, please enjoy the paycheck that MY taxes allow you to collect for teaching and for your military service, because if you get your way, there will be less and less money coming in to the government to pay either, until there is no money to pay at all. Like is happening in Greece as we speak.