Tax Day –Next Day Reflections

Tea Parties on Tax Day drew thousands of people across the nation gathering to voice displeasure with various aspects of government activity and policy. The gatherings were peaceful but had forceful expressions of displeasure with the size and cost of government at just about every gathering.

The President reacted with amusement at the protests taking place. He expressed the thought that these people should be thanking him for the tax breaks he has provided since taking office. That is an interesting reaction to a national day of protest by thousands and thousands of people in every sector of the country.

The whole tea party movement is something deserving the President’s attention. I note that the Tea Party members are being described by Obama administration members as some kind of extreme nut jobs. A recent CBS/NY Times survey has found this to not be the case. The Times found that most of these Tea Party types are responsible people with above average education, income and basic stable family structure. This is not my assessment it is the CBS/NY Times poll.

From the Poll:
“They are better educated than most Americans: 37 percent are college graduates, compared to 25 percent of Americans overall. They also have a higher-than-average household income, with 56 percent making more than $50,000 per year.”

Many Americans are not excited or worried on tax day. 47% of American pay no Federal income tax. They receive benefits and support from the 53% who pay the taxes. Another point of interest not prominently mentioned by Obama is that 10% of the population pays 60% of taxes received.

There is another fact that I have not paid much attention to in past years since it doesn’t apply to me. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) pays many of the non payers up to a $5000 + refund because they didn’t make more than $44, 000 and have 3 kids.
There is a sliding scale of income and kids to determine the tax credit (payment) to be refunded to these non tax paying citizens

The Tea Parties have brought my attention to details of our tax situation that I previously thought little about. I always thought that the tax wasn’t the basic issue. How the taxes were being used was always my primary concern and still remains. It has now been joined by a frightened realization that we are now governed by a group of totally unrestrained spenders. The tax details that previously were ignored as too complicated to deserve my attention are no longer being ignored..

I haven’t been to a Tea Party but curiosity about the movement has led me to these studies that should have received my attention long ago