[Cincinatus' Wife]

TAXES! Excellent point. What's it up to, 50%?

BIG government needs to cut back.

[backhoe]

My guesstimate is between 40-60% after you factor in SS, property, fuel taxes, the cost that regulations add to the price of everything, that idiotic Gore Tax on everyone's telephone bills, etc., etc., ad nauseum...

[UncleDudley]

BIG government needs to cut back.

That's why we elect Republicans. They will cut it back. Bush has proven that in his whooping tax cut.

[Jason_b]

Your taxes don't pay for government big or small. Government borrowing from the Federal Reserve System pays for the government you have. All your taxes are for is (1) social engineering, and (2) to vacuum off excess fiat money to keep some illusion that inflation is not as bad as it really is.

how money is created in the US

[madison10]

TAXES! Excellent point. What's it up to, 50%? BIG government needs to cut back.

Seems about right, especially when looking at my husband's check. It gets ZAPPED big-time.

[cardinal4]

Both my wife to be and I make good money, but we are barely surviving. I have tried to blame it on everything from the Clintons to the current economy. But the bottom line is financial irresponsibility is what put us in debt. We are in a major restructuring phase now. This involves cutting back on a lot of things that we thought were neccessary. We are learning the hard way that the extravagances we enjoyed 2 and 3 years ago, like weekend trips, rental cars, hotels, etc. Are just not conducive in the current economy. After our marriage,(Oct 11 '03), it will probably get worse. As much as I would like to blame someone else, it is our fault we got into debt. And it will require some discomfort to get out of it. Sound familiar? We liken our fiscal situation to the US Govts.