Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found.
Some political conservatives such as "Tea Party" activists have criticized federal spending as being out of control. While spending is up, taxes have fallen to exceptionally low levels.
Federal, state and local taxes — including income, property, sales and other taxes — consumed 9.2% of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reports. That rate is far below the historic average of 12% for the past half-century. The overall tax burden hit bottom in December at 8.8.% of income before rising slightly in the first three months of 2010.
The Tea Party platform is about taxes. When they complain about being "Taxed Enough Already" [TEA] as taxes are their lowest in over 60 years, it makes you wonder what is at the core of their argument. Race? Not "one of us"? Automatic rage for anything Democratic?
Don't tell me it's spending or borrowing. Bush borrowed and spent his entire Presidency. You think those two wars and Medicare Plan D were paid for? Or the future VA bills for 100,000s of troops when they get back?
So he cut taxes for the top 1%. Bush and his fellow Republicans wrote enough I.O.U.s to last for decades. For eight years, Bush never balanced the budget and the Teabaggers were just fine.
You will never please everyone on the issue of taxes, but at least use the facts.
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