How Does 37.7 Cents on the Dollar Sound, Californians?

Good day all, First, thanks to Brian for finding and sharing this information. It definitely helps to frame ones thoughts on take home and taxes. I don't think most people understand the complexity of our entire tax structure(payroll, income, sales, etc.) until you put it into dollars and cents. On to the rant: After reading the whole article and some of the comments, I'm amazed we even have a country anymore! At some point in our past, when faced with federal income tax rates of 90%, the strong, enterprising people of this country did not stop working, or growing businesses, or investing. They continued on the path that made this country great. They didn't give up, give in or leave. Based on some of the comments I'm seeing here, those people were fools. Let's rethink that a bit. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that 98% of us commenting did not inherit a significant portion of our wealth. Of those, I'm going to say at least 75% had jobs before college, that paid minimum wage or near, and we moved up through the economic ladder, doing a little better each year and at each job. Now, hopefully, we represent the economic middle class or better. If that's so, haven't we made the decision to move our income up into a higher tax bracket at least 3 times? If you're in that magic unlimited highest bracket, you made the choice 5 times! But now, that the number is moving up again, oh we're done for. DONE. The rich will leave the greatest country in the history of mankind over this. And go to Canada. Or France. They don't value this country, and it's rights, priviledges and freedoms. They can get better elsewhere. I hear there are better schools in China, better healthcare almost everywhere else and much lower income taxes in Korea, Australia, Japan and Mexico. Based on history, that's not the case. The great among us will continue to do great things. Workers will work, thinkers will think, leaders will lead and we will remain strong. I think, overall, it's better to be an American than a citizen of any other country in the world. For enough reason that a change in the tax structure can't make me leave. If I don't like it, I talk to my neighbors and I vote to change it. Be well and stay safe all, Joe

I see that a lot of folk out there understand what Obama is, a Marxist. He is leading the non-thinking entities on feet to a Marxist government. I hope Americans wake up and vote against Obama. I will not hold my breath!

To nobody in CA. Succession wont work for you all. your broke remember. Get some of the Obama funds prior to leaving if you wish to have any success. However unless you change your ways those funds wont last long. The fruits and nuts liberals will have it all spent on Acorns and giveaway programs in short order. Class warfare and race wars never seemed a probability in America, Now I am begining to wonder. I lived in Quantico VA during the race riots of the 60's as a kid and was terrified they would come to my house. I moved to Irvine Ca in the early 90's and was there for the race riots. I move to Cin Oh in 97 and damn if we didnt have race riots here. NOW I AM CONCERNED AGAIN.

To nobody in CA. Succession wont work for you all. your broke remember. Get some of the Obama funds prior to leaving if you wish to have any success. However unless you change your ways those funds wont last long. The fruits and nuts liberals will have it all spent on Acorns and giveaway programs in short order. Class warfare and race wars never seemed a probability in America, Now I am begining to wonder. I lived in Quantico VA during the race riots of the 60's as a kid and was terrified they would come to my house. I moved to Irvine Ca in the early 90's and was there for the race riots. I move to Cin Oh in 97 and damn if we didnt have race riots here. NOW

When has our gov't done anything right?

For us Californians trying to fight back... http://www.hjta.org/ -A

On the brightside if he is elected I can now remove helthcare from my cost,go ut of business and drop down to be one of the 40% that will get a check now. Since good ol brother obhama is going to own the houses. my neighbors who bought a $400,000 home being unemployed when they bought it never made any payments and just got a write down to $200,000 from Bank of America at 5.2% 30 year fixed. They never paid HOA and my bank says since I am not behind I don't need help. Well guess what I am tired of working 15 hours a day 7 days a week and paying salary and missing my kids. I decided as soon as he is elected dumping health care and letting gov pick it up they have a nice system. Then after all my low life neighbors get the write downs letting all mine go so they can be upside down again and let Bank of America choke twice. Then drop myself down to be one of the 40% that get check every year and buy steaks with the other food stamp people (tired of chicken) and letting my employees go as soon as they extend those unemployment checks for 48 months. By the way I called my congressman asked him if congress was going to take pay cut and he said "there is no vote for it" A**HOLE knows they have to vote no to not get it !!! Done stck a fork in the pig lipstick and all

I can only speak for what I will do if this comes to pass. I have my own successful service oriented business. I enjoy a good income only because I work at it more than 80 hours per week. The only reason I would continue to work like that under the Obama plan is if I put no monetary value on my personal time. If that is the assumption, it is faulty. When the government gets more of the fruit fom my labor than I do, the labor will slow down to a government employee's level. Employees will be let go, and, although I will have less disposable income, I will have personal time that I have not had for years. Actually, I will be able to live with that. My only apprehension is the harm it will do to my customers, since more than half will be informed that I will no longer be working for them. However, assuming they are a resresentative sample of the general population, they will be getting exactly what they are voting for.

"Can you imagine how the markets will rebound if the fear of Obama and the Democrats is alleviated?" wrote J. Houston Of course. And why aren't the talking heads & financial gurus on the boob-tube warning us that a major aggravating factor in the current Wall Street dive is the fear of electing Barack H. Obama, candidate of the Social Democrats? European history repeats itself on this side of the pond!

Brian--I am a native Californian, and I have one word for you: "Secession!" We are a very dysfunctional state with a lot of issues...but you gotta wonder if we might do better on our own? We are one of the largest economies in the world.

The polls grow for Obama, the market tanks. Isnt it time for the leading economists of this nation to grow a spine, get on big media and jointly announce the facts to the world? I am already shot, but i pray for my children, hard workers from the age of 14. God help them. by Bitter gun toting Pennsylvanian

www.ronpaul2008.com Nuff said

I have been a working stiff all my life, i made enough money to feed and house my 7 children and give them a basic education. I did this as an over the road coast to coast truck driver for 32 yrs.The 1st 15 years it was a stuggle because the harder i worked the more money i made the more the feds and the states took out.Mostly under Jimmy Carters tax idea's. then ronald reagan took over and cut everyones taxes and i took home a little more by working longer hours,but at least i was'nt penalized for working hardER AND longer.Sometimes i feel the rich get richer, but thats ok,because what i have seen , is when the rich have more money they either spend it on things that i hauled as a trucker, or they invested it into other business ventures, which someone has to run or work for.As for the comments about Obama going socialist, one thing i clearly remember Nikita Kruschev saying , in affect, we will defeat you from within your own countrys' system. It looks like his words are starting to come to pass.If you are wondering how a working stiff becomes a republican or realy a conservitive.Its like this. my father and mother were staunch dems. right or wrong,untill the civil rights movement of the early sixties when it was obvious that the real racist party was the democrat party,they would say one thing to a white crowd then another to a black or librel bunch.Then came my 1st chance to vote in 1968,we always either listened to or watched the debates and political conventions on tv.when the dems had theirs in chicago and they had all their problems with the demonstrators and mayor Daily used police dogs and clubs on those young folks on the street....those were'nt young republicans they were beating the hell out of ,those were members of their own party democrats.I made my mind then and there if thats how they treat their own party memebers like that , there was no way i would vote democrat.Any way i have voted pretty much straight republican since.Well i know i'm not the brightest match in the book but i can't see how B.O. , thats what i call Borak Obama, can helps us by taxing us more.BTW, working stiffs those taxs he's going to strap on the rich will be paid by those whom consume....all of us... thats my 2 cents worth......JRH.

As a business, I pay out more in taxes than I get to keep. I do get to keep 100% of the headaches at least until they find a way to tax those.

Hard to imagine a plan worse than Jimmy Carters!!!Can't wait to see the results this nov.This could be the first time in our history our presidents office was bought.What a slick con man we are seeing in action!MCCAIN/PALIN 08

Can you believe this? Why do you think the markets are doing so poorly!? Can you imagine how the markets will rebound if the fear of Obama and the Democrats is alleviated? Why does the Democratic party keep moving further left while Europe is busy realizing how it doesn't work. I guess that's just how those who don't read history are doomed to live. I'd prefer not to be included.

Brian, I bet they did not include a tax increase that I heard we might face to bailout CALPERS. That's good news for state workers. For others that stinks. We are both in our 50's and seriously considering moving to a state where we can pay cash for a house and work for min wage. That sounds so bad, what are the alternatives?

I live in Califorina and have seen how high taxes have destroyed this state. When they can't tax they borrow. Every election another bond for something and they say it won't raise your taxes. And there's always one to make the schools better but they never get better. A few cities have filed for bankrucy. Business move out of state. When a business needs to reduce it's cost it only has a few options and taxes are not one of them. So what do they do? layoff employees and move to where it's cheaper to do business. That's what has happened in California. But nationaly that will be a good thing because we will nolonger have an immigration problem with all the jobs going over seas California has always been a leader and now they are showing the rest of the country how to screw things up. Oh but the federal goverment has one thing California doesn't, they can print their own MONEY!

Why invest? I'm a successful small business owner with six employees. I've planned all year to invest an additional $200K in equipment in the 4th quarter of this year to take advantage of Section 179, as well as add one employee. The goal: to increase potential revenue. Although lenders are more than willing - I've decided against the investment. Not because of the current economy or my confidence in my customers willingness to purchase - but because of the inevitable recession if Obama is elected. I'm convinced that the fear on Wall Street and on Main Street has much less to do with the credit crisis than with the fear of an Obama presidency. Once taxes are raised, incentives to work and risk diminish, and a depressed economy is the inevitable result. When will voters learn? - Federal revenue is proportional to GDP, the key factor in increasing revenue is to increase GDP. Raising taxes removes incentive, discourages risk and decreases GDP. It's a simple concept as old as time - and has been proven repeatedly throughout history.

All I can say is that -be carefull what you wish for, you just might get it! All the Obama -"the messiah" supporters will turn on him in the first year of office. The real question is, can we as conservative fighters for a free democratic and capitalist American, help prevent long term damage to the system from the liberal policies, so that we Obama is run out of town on the third rail, and conservatives are re-elected for the next 20 years, we can undo the damage?

Look at the bright side, this is only one of his stupid policies. Let's not even touch on foreign affairs, where the real debacle could occur.

Raising taxes is a government "Bailout" No different than wall street "Bailout" Or bank "Bailout" There is no incentive to stop or cut spending. Big companies blowing bailout money on spas---Our government giving money to accorn The government still has a blank check with noreform. If they do not want to print more money they will just take it out of our checks

Here's an idea. Lets seize all government assets, all citizen assets, build walls with gun turrets and check points to our north and south and all state borders. Establish a secret police, a propaganda czar, re-education facilities and work camps for those who don't wish to "spread the wealth around." Then we cam spend the next eighty years claiming Communism is superior to Capitalism and that European greed will consume itself and the workers of the world will unite. Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption, or both. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) Thirty-fifth President of the USA Socialism is like a dream. Sooner or later you wake up to reality. Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British politician.

‘My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.’ – Barrack Obama He never said it, although I wish he had. Just trying to keep the facts straight. California's impending bankruptcy is threatening the model of our Republic. No bailout for CA or any other State. I fear that the only solution is to let California die a financial death and rebuild it from scratch. Just the thoughts of another bitter American, clinging to my guns and religion for as long as Barry lets me keep them. VOTE MCCAIN NOV 4th!

It is hard for me to believe that 45%+ of Americans, Americans mind you, would even consider voting for NObama. What has happened to the democratic party that they have elected a full blown socialist as their nominee? Have they put something in the water that is turning us into mindless zombees that think this is some how REASONABLE? My Grandfather was a retired U.S. Marshall, born in 1890 and died in 1985. I remember taking him and my Grandmother to the gocery store in the 70's. Every trip he would rant about FDR how he ruined the country. You see my Grandfather had a prospective that most Americans didn't. When DPA was started my Grandfather was assigned the job of escorting the DPA men up some of the remote hollows in WV. My Grandfather would point out the families that were at that time 3rd generation wealthfare and talk about how those families were ruined by it. Every single time, as we crossed the creek to his farm he would look me in the eye and tell me that it would get worse. In his eyes the hard working, hard fighting American was becoming extinct. If NObama is elected we will see an economy far worse than the great depression and worse yet, WE MAY NO LONGER BE FREE MEN.