[patton]

I have been meaning to do study of how much tax I actually pay - my gut instinct is that it is about 60% of my income. But I have yet to research it.

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

So, let me see if I have this right.

There's going to be city taxes, AND there's going to be school district taxes, AND there's going to be Community College taxes, AND there's going to be county taxes, AND there's going to be state taxes, AND there's going to be Federal taxes, all growing at an uncontrolled rate as soon as a govt anywhere gets a yen to spend anything they want with no reasoning whatsoever.

Absolutely frickin incredibly insane.

Anyone living in CA deserves the future that's in store for them for not moving out of that den of idiocy when they had the chance.

How'd President Reagan put it? (to paraphrase) A tax is the nearest to immortality that anyone of us will ever get.

[Myrddin]

You're probably pretty close. The federal and state income tax, social security and medicare are just the first hack at your income. Sales tax, property tax, registration fees for vehicles and now local income tax.

My home office work dried up in Dec 2008. Since June 2009, I've been in San Diego at my own expense to stay on a contract. Higher cost of living and taxes all the way around compared to my home office. When I drive back on Monday, I'll be headed to a room I've rented for $450/month + 1/3 utilities. It is 6.7 miles from work. Between June 2009 and last week, I had been able to stay in the guest room at my mom's house in Rancho San Diego, but that took a 60 mile daily commute to get that deal. That's no longer an option.

BTW, the lab you had a chance to visit was at the tail end of my embedded systems work. My colleague died in January 2010. I finally packed up the lab at my home in Idaho last June.