Taxes are to high!
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@johnhooks said:
You guys are lucky because you don't have state inspections for vehicles and the arbitrary rules which are imposed with that nonsense.
That actually depends on the county you live in around here. I live and work in "Amish Country", where horses outnumber cars, so even enviro-weenies aren't worried about air pollution from vehicles.... just the cows and horses.
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@travisdh1 said:
@johnhooks said:
You guys are lucky because you don't have state inspections for vehicles and the arbitrary rules which are imposed with that nonsense.
That actually depends on the county you live in around here. I live and work in "Amish Country", where horses outnumber cars, so even enviro-weenies aren't worried about air pollution from vehicles.... just the cows and horses.
Oh I didn't realize that, I thought that was state wide. Interesting.
We have similar here with the emissions testing. Not all counties have emissions, but all have inspections.
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If you had enough to contribute to a Roth IRA and had a 401k you could make it work but I'm not about to get into a financial discussion right now. There's a lot you can do with your money that actually puts it to use positively while also counteracting inflation.
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@Jason said:
I don't think you can count all deducations since some of those you opt into. Mine would be really high with all the Retirmenet, Company stocks etc I do.
I Pay 18% in State Income Taxes and 28% in Federal so 46% of my pay goes to taxes.
OH yeah, I don't count anything optional. Those aren't taxes.
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@wirestyle22 said:
If you had enough to contribute to a Roth IRA and had a 401k you could make it work but I'm not about to get into a financial discussion right now. There's a lot you can do with your money that actually puts it to use positively while also counteracting inflation.
Just think how much more you'd have to work with if taxes were reasonable instead of the crazy levels we have now!
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@wirestyle22 said:
If you had enough to contribute to a Roth IRA ...
If you have "enough" you can't even get a Roth IRA.
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I have about 30% taken in taxes from my paycheck. It sucks that you work hard to earn more and the govt just takes more. I'm not against paying my fare share and helping those in need but it shouldn't be a never ending take if the person is able bodied but just too drunk, stoned, or lazy to get off their bum and put forth a little freaking effort. I wasn't happy with my income or job outlook so I got motivated and went to school to learn a new skill.
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You know, and I guess I'm a socialist for this but honestly I'm a libertarian hindu monarchists depending on who you ask (that's hindu in the political sense), but I don't mind high taxes, even over 50%, as long as the money is well used. I will happily pay the taxes if they really go to help everyone and make it all a better place. It's when my taxes go to things that aren't good for the "team" that I don't like paying them.
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It's sick how many people don't have jobs and have nicer vehicles and other stuff than I have. It just makes me sick. I know two guys that haven't worked for 10 years and they both have really nice vehicles. ($40k +)
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Then you have guys busting their ass for $30-40k paying for it.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@wirestyle22 said:
If you had enough to contribute to a Roth IRA ...
If you have "enough" you can't even get a Roth IRA.
I Can't get one.
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Like I said... I dont mind paying my part. Yes there is TONS of government waste and I get where certain programs are very important to maintain but if a person isnt willing to put forth some effort then I dont want to help them. I have a brother who milks the system and we fight about it all the time but he gets away with it and I just pay more in taxes. Sometimes I wonder why I try so hard because its easier and more profitable to just suck off the teat like so many others.
Sorry for that.
/rant
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@IRJ said:
It's sick how many people don't have jobs and have nicer vehicles and other stuff than I have. It just makes me sick. I know two guys that haven't worked for 10 years and they both have really nice vehicles. ($40k +)
Yep lots of people abuse the system. It's the common thing now.
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What's amazing from living abroad is how you see corruption. In the US we point to places like Italy and their crazy levels of corruption - and it is bad enough that it really causes problems. But it is really, really obvious and in your face. Need a permit, you slip someone $50. Everyone knows exactly who is corrupt, how and how it works.
In the US people often say that there is so little corruption that you never even see it happen. The problem is, the corruption is so intense and so big that we don't see it any longer. We are conditioned to a level of corruption that makes "corrupt" countries look downright forthright. But it isn't your local mailman expecting an extra dollar for delivering the mail, it's in big government and huge businesses paying people off and stuff like that. It's massive money on a massive scale and it is so mixed into the whole thing that we stop seeing it.
Imagine a sound so loud that you stop hearing it because you go deaf. That's how the difference feels.
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@scottalanmiller said:
What's amazing from living abroad is how you see corruption. In the US we point to places like Italy and their crazy levels of corruption - and it is bad enough that it really causes problems. But it is really, really obvious and in your face. Need a permit, you slip someone $50. Everyone knows exactly who is corrupt, how and how it works.
In the US people often say that there is so little corruption that you never even see it happen. The problem is, the corruption is so intense and so big that we don't see it any longer. We are conditioned to a level of corruption that makes "corrupt" countries look downright forthright. But it isn't your local mailman expecting an extra dollar for delivering the mail, it's in big government and huge businesses paying people off and stuff like that. It's massive money on a massive scale and it is so mixed into the whole thing that we stop seeing it.
Imagine a sound so loud that you stop hearing it because you go deaf. That's how the difference feels.
I realized that without having to leave the country to do it.... not that it's not blindingly obvious to anyone with a little sense.
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@travisdh1 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
What's amazing from living abroad is how you see corruption. In the US we point to places like Italy and their crazy levels of corruption - and it is bad enough that it really causes problems. But it is really, really obvious and in your face. Need a permit, you slip someone $50. Everyone knows exactly who is corrupt, how and how it works.
In the US people often say that there is so little corruption that you never even see it happen. The problem is, the corruption is so intense and so big that we don't see it any longer. We are conditioned to a level of corruption that makes "corrupt" countries look downright forthright. But it isn't your local mailman expecting an extra dollar for delivering the mail, it's in big government and huge businesses paying people off and stuff like that. It's massive money on a massive scale and it is so mixed into the whole thing that we stop seeing it.
Imagine a sound so loud that you stop hearing it because you go deaf. That's how the difference feels.
I realized that without having to leave the country to do it.... not that it's not blindingly obvious to anyone with a little sense.
I guess the question is not do people realize that there is corruption (in surveys, most Americans say that there is so little as to be a non-issue) but do Americans feel that places famous for corruption are more or less corrupt than the US is?
Like... I've been shaken down for cash by a Nicaraguan cop. But in day to day life, I feel corruption affects me more in the US.
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Of course, in the US I've been pulled over for "appearing to swerve" by a cop that was actually drunk (I was not) so...
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I was talking with Dash the one day and I told him a good way to get people to realize how much money is involved with this stuff.
For a $1 Trillion bill, if you handed me a $100 bill every second of every day without stopping it would take you 3,200 years to pay it off. I've found that's a good way to get people to understand these amounts.
Kind of like when I worked for the paving company. A ton is a lot of weight. We would put down 2,000 tons or more of asphalt in one shift. When you start talking about jobs that take 80,000 tons or more and multiply that by many jobs, a ton doesn't seem like that much until you have to move a ton with a shovel.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@travisdh1 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
What's amazing from living abroad is how you see corruption. In the US we point to places like Italy and their crazy levels of corruption - and it is bad enough that it really causes problems. But it is really, really obvious and in your face. Need a permit, you slip someone $50. Everyone knows exactly who is corrupt, how and how it works.
In the US people often say that there is so little corruption that you never even see it happen. The problem is, the corruption is so intense and so big that we don't see it any longer. We are conditioned to a level of corruption that makes "corrupt" countries look downright forthright. But it isn't your local mailman expecting an extra dollar for delivering the mail, it's in big government and huge businesses paying people off and stuff like that. It's massive money on a massive scale and it is so mixed into the whole thing that we stop seeing it.
Imagine a sound so loud that you stop hearing it because you go deaf. That's how the difference feels.
I realized that without having to leave the country to do it.... not that it's not blindingly obvious to anyone with a little sense.
I guess the question is not do people realize that there is corruption (in surveys, most Americans say that there is so little as to be a non-issue) but do Americans feel that places famous for corruption are more or less corrupt than the US is?
Like... I've been shaken down for cash by a Nicaraguan cop. But in day to day life, I feel corruption affects me more in the US.
Oh, I know the vast majority of people would say that the US has very little corruption. Guess I'll just have to continue playing the modern Jeremiah.
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@travisdh1 said:
@johnhooks had to bring this up in "that other thread that got out of hand". So I decided to start a thread dedicated to taxes, and what is or is not reasonable.
For the record, I make less than $40k/year currently, have 20.5% taken in deductions, and a 7.5% local sales tax. Also, yes, I'm getting the resume and precis ready for a job hunt.
Does anyone think 28% when making less than 40k is reasonable? (Actually get to spend ~28,800.) That doesn't include the healthcare crazy.
There are a ton more taxes you are paying too - property tax (even if you rent, someone's paying it, and that cost is being passed along to you), wheel tax, driver license, etc, etc, etc,
