As a history and English major from Cornell University in 1978, Bill Maher is obviously educated, but is an intellectual joke. In Phil Bacharach’s cover story “‘Real Time,’ red state” (March 16), Maher accuses taxpayers of just not getting it.
According to CNNMoney.com, “the top fifth of households made 56 percent of pre-tax income in 2006 but paid 86 percent of all individual income tax revenue collected,” with “the top 1 percent of households, which made 19 percent of pre-tax income, paying 39 percent of all individual income taxes.”
CNNMoney.com continues: “The trend is similar if you count income taxes, social insurance taxes, excise taxes and corporate income taxes (such as capital gains) combined. The top fifth of households paid 69 percent of all federal taxes. The top 1 percent paid 28 percent.” Uncle Sam, when handing out tax return checks, gives more back to the wealthy because they paid more into the system. Common sense.
CNNMoney.com also states the “Tax Policy Center estimates that for 2009, 43 percent of tax units (most of which are lower-income households that may or may not file a return) will have
no income tax liability or will have a negative income tax liability,
meaning the government will actually pay them.” Getting paid for
nothing. Nice.
Those
of us who work our asses off, often laboring 40, 50, 60 or more hours
each week, are getting hosed by those that feel they are entitled to our
money. The harder we work, the more money we make, and the more money
we have available for our personal desires. If the incentive to work
hard is driven away by a government that wants to give my money to a
bum, the drive to work hard and move ahead is killed. Note the failed
attempts of socialism.
The
next time Mr. Maher is speaking at the Civic Center Music Hall, he may
wish to lower his entry fee and instead accept food stamps for
admission. He might see a larger gathering.
—Kevin Connolly
Edmond
