Totally agree Snugs. The Dims like to toss 'Middle Class' around wrt taxes and $s (e.g., no tax cuts for the rich, tax cuts for middle class). What they seem to be able to grasp if they are using it in that context, is that 'middle class' income in say NYC would be much more than in perhaps OK City - cost of living is drastically different. As I mentioned earlier, they also conveniently forget that these so called 'tax cuts for the rich' were also tax cuts for small businesses, which have increased in #, added equipment and have added jobs.
Here's some statistics on small businesses. These aren't current and I've heard the President mention large increases in the # of small businesses and their employees over the past few years:
Small Business Statistics
Did you know that...
there were approximately 22.9 million small businesses in the U.S. in 2002.
there were an estimated 550,100 new employer businesses in 2002 -- a 0.9 percent increase over the previous year.
small businesses hire a larger proportion of employees who are younger workers, older workers, and part-time workers.
business bankruptcies were 38,155 in 2002, about half of the level reached in the late 1980's.
Small businesses…
provide approximately 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy.
represent 99.7 percent of all employers.
employ 50.1 percent of the private work force.
provide 40.9 percent of private sales in the country.
account for 39.1 percent of jobs in high technology sectors in 2001.
account for 52 percent of private sector output in 1999.
represent 97 percent of all U.S. exporters.
http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbastats.html
The Dims also forget to tell folks that the largest portion of taxes are paid by the higher wage earners (so their so called 'tax cuts for the rich' were really tax cuts for the lower wage earners:
October 4, 2005
This is the latest data for calendar year 2003 just released in October 2005 by the Internal Revenue Service. The share of total income taxes paid by the top 1% of wage earners rose to 34.27% from 33.71% in 2002. Their income share (not just wages) rose from 16.12% to 16.77%. However, their average tax rate actually dropped from 27.25% down to 24.31%
*Data covers calendar year 2003, not fiscal year 2003
- and includes all income, not just wages, excluding Social Security
Think of it this way: less than 3-1/2 dollars out of every $100 paid in income taxes in the United States is paid by someone in the bottom 50% of wage earners. Are the top half millionaires? Noooo, more like "thousandaires." The top 50% were those individuals or couples filing jointly who earned $29,019 and up in 2003. (The top 1% earned $295,495-plus.) Americans who want to are continuing to improve their lives, and those who don't want to, aren't. Here are the wage earners in each category and the percentages they pay:
The top 1% pay over a third, 34.27% of all income taxes. (Up from 2003: 33.71%) The top 5% pay 54.36% of all income taxes (Up from 2002: 53.80%). The top 10% pay 65.84% (Up from 2002: 65.73%). The top 25% pay 83.88% (Down from 2002: 83.90%). The top 50% pay 96.54% (Up from 2002: 96.50%). The bottom 50%? They pay a paltry 3.46% of all income taxes (Down from 2002: 3.50%). The top 1% is paying nearly ten times the federal income taxes than the bottom 50%! And who earns what? The top 1% earns 16.77% of all income (2002: 16.12%). The top 5% earns 31.18% of all the income (2002: 30.55%). The top 10% earns 42.36% of all the income (2002: 41.77%); the top 25% earns 64.86% of all the income (2002: 64.37%) , and the top 50% earns 86.01% (2002: 85.77%) of all the income.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/cy2003.guest.html