Quite frankly we do not want your money, your 401K, and I want Wall Street to prosper although I never tied my retirement to them. (I am horrible with money, war seemed an easier option than investing)
Whenever people mention the 47% who do not pay federal taxes, it is assumed we are all “free riders” on society. In fact many of us have, and at least in my case will again, pay my fair share in federal taxes. In that 47% are WWII, Korean and Vietnam vets (and some Desert Storm types). You also have many wounded warriors from the war on terror who may temporarily or (unfortunately)permanently will pay no taxes. I am sure if asked all of them would prefer to pay taxes to their current travails. Lest anyone forgets, our vets while in Iraq and Afghanistan also pay no federal taxes on their income. That old man sitting on the porch who worked until he could no longer keep a job, has trouble walking, breathing and just wants to enjoy his grand kids in his closing years, is he a now a free loader after years of paying his taxes?
There is a percentage of our society that are “free riders,” leeches who live off our hard work and want more of their fair share. Many were wearing those Kenyan “Hope and Change” shirts a back in 2008. It is convenient for the Kenyan Regime to lump us all together into the 47% who pay no federal tax. In 2006 12.4% of the population fell in the retirement range, there were around 2 million military retirees in 2008, that is less than 1% of the population. Some of those fall into the 12.4% others do not because military can retire as early as age 38. In 2007 12% of the population was considered severely disabled. Not including retired vets under the age of 65, that 47% is easily cut to 23% or less of the population who could qualify as “free riders”, living off the government. (annual growth of retirement population is .09%) There may be other reasons why people are not paying federal taxes. These numbers were quickly obtained, but it is obvious why the Kenyan wants to lump all these groups into one, it provides cover for his largest constituency, the “free riders” in this country.
When people on this site criticize those 47% who pay no federal taxes, they are lumping allot of good honest hardworking or severely disabled people in with the leeches in this country. Again, this is not directed at you, just gave me a chance to vent.
I'd say more like 30%. These are the hard core leftists. They never sway, no matter what, because their life line depends on it. They've never worked an honest day in their lives, yet everything is paid for via tax dollars. That includes endowment for the arts as well as once a month regular support checks. Their minds are completely welded closed.
Sure, there are exceptions.
But I doubt disabled vets make up 1% of the population.
“I am sure if asked all of them would prefer to pay taxes to their current travails. “
You would be wrong. It is pretty clear, regardless of sentimentality, most who stop paying will fight to continue not to pay — it is one part human nature and one part the way the system is set up — FedGov sets up snares to keep people (no matter how well intentioned) from biting the bullet.
And I don’t mean this personally, but your appeal to sentimentality, which I see all of the time, reveals an attitude of entitlement (and its corollary = at the expense of others).
Unfortunately, the only way to trump the anger of righteous indignation (from telling the truth, in this case), is to actually threaten taking away some of the sweet bennies you receive, PAID FOR BY OTHERS.
Thank you for your service.