There's a lot more than Brookings; I just grabbed that because it's right of center and makes the point pretty succinctly and smartly. But good on you to read up on it. It's an area I wish I had more time to study. For cutting waste, the DOD is the place to start. But even that gets very complicated by politics (on both sides). The documentary "Why We Fight" by Eugene Jarecki does a pretty good job discussing the military-industrial complex and why it's difficult to effectuate real change (plus it introduces some interesting figures like Chalmers Johnson, Joseph Cirincionne, and IIRC even neo-cons like Bill Kristol).
OT_______Tax Day
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There's a lot more than Brookings; I just grabbed that because it's right of center and makes the point pretty succinctly and smartly. But good on you to read up on it. It's an area I wish I had more time to study. For cutting waste, the DOD is the place to start. But even that gets very complicated by politics (on both sides). The documentary "Why We Fight" by Eugene Jarecki does a pretty good job discussing the military-industrial complex and why it's difficult to effectuate real change (plus it introduces some interesting figures like Chalmers Johnson, Joseph Cirincionne, and IIRC even neo-cons like Bill Kristol).
Oh...there is a reason. Our advocates should be picked from a pool of the doers, not the sayers. They do exist---peons just don't give them a voice
So no one can advocate for increased taxes unless they voluntarily and unnecessarily donate additional money to the government, logic be damned? Who are these "doers" that give away their money to the government that all of us "peons" aren't giving a voice to? You even admitted that the argument we're discussing - that those advocating for higher taxes should pay the higher rate voluntarily - is dumb. So why should us "peons" give a voice to those "doers" that do admittedly dumb things?
The comment is similar to only being concerned about monthly payments over what is the actual cost of something is.
The bottom line is how much you pay in fed taxes in a year and not how much you got back or have to pay at the end of the year.
If you want to complain about the tax cuts, a better argument would be that the Trumpsters are digging our country deeper in debt and our kids will be stuck with the bill. All this from Republicans that are suppose to be fiscally conservative.
The bottom line is how much you pay in fed taxes in a year and not how much you got back or have to pay at the end of the year.
If you want to complain about the tax cuts, a better argument would be that the Trumpsters are digging our country deeper in debt and our kids will be stuck with the bill. All this from Republicans that are suppose to be fiscally conservative.
Lol, the government won't do that or basically they're incapable of that because they are incompetent. The chair of the financial committee doesn't even know that the government owns student loans.
It won't happen because neither party cares about anything other than re-election, and fixing the deficit (without another .com bubble) would not be a politically popular move. Raising taxes pisses people off, cutting spending pisses other people off and we need to do both.
For the record, I am obviously talking in generalities. There are some decent politicians that actually care about helping the country.
You've kinda misinterpreted the meaning of what I said. I didn't say you were a peon but you've included yourself in that group voluntarily. In general, there are better choices to be educating new rational ideas than the dill weeds we have now.
What dumbass let's the government hold 1900 bucks for them at 0 interest ? Yea, I do have it figured out. Smdh
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Let me be a little more clear. Your standard savings account would net you under $5 in interest on $1,900.
https://smartasset.com/checking-account/average-savings-account-interest
0.05% to 0.10%APR seems pretty average for standard savings accounts at the common banks. That’s $1.90 in interest if you put it in savings instead of the government withholding.
I’d rather lose out on the $1.90 than take the 10 minutes it takes to pay into the IRS each year. And I (and millions of others) like the large lump sum payout at the beginning of each year even if we lose out on a few interest dollars because of it.
Congrats on your few extra bucks. If you’re poor, those few extra bucks probably mean a lot.
I hope you’re not mailing in your IRS payment each year because you’re probably close to breaking even when you consider postage and the envelope.
The “haha dummies letting government hold your money” crowd is infinitely more annoying than the “I got xxxxx back on my refund” crowd.
If someone is a shrewd investor, has high yield bank accounts, etc. then sure the difference may be worth it. For the average middle class joe, there really isn’t a worthwhile difference either way in terms of interest. It comes down to do you like seeing extra in your paycheck or do you like it paid out in a lump sum.
Favoring one over the other doesn’t make someone dumb. Calling someone dumb for favoring one, though, makes you an insufferable jack ass.
If someone is a shrewd investor, has high yield bank accounts, etc. then sure the difference may be worth it. For the average middle class joe, there really isn’t a worthwhile difference either way in terms of interest. It comes down to do you like seeing extra in your paycheck or do you like it paid out in a lump sum.
Favoring one over the other doesn’t make someone dumb. Calling someone dumb for favoring one, though, makes you an insufferable jack ass.
Sorry your rustled over simple economics. Same ones probably borrow from their 401 k. I'll be a jackass before a stupid dumbass depending on government to "save" for me.
Sorry your rustled over simple economics. Same ones probably borrow from their 401 k. I'll be a jackass before a stupid dumbass depending on government to "save" for me.
You’re***
It’s a bit ironic that the person in the thread calling others a dumbass doesn’t know the difference between your and you’re.
Sorry your rustled over simple economics. Same ones probably borrow from their 401 k. I'll be a jackass before a stupid dumbass depending on government to "save" for me.
The “simple economics” are close to meaningless for the average joe. $1.90 in interest is pretty irrelevant. Congrats, though.
What do you use to pay in each year?
Instead of writing a book, you could have said "my poor as can't manage money" . I get it, I work with your kind.
Now **** off, your ignorance is disturbing. If you are trying to impress me, quote a financial advisor telling people to let the government save for them.
Tell that to Google speech. I give zero ****s about how it came out, you aren't worth me correcting it. Now **** off.
You’re the one making a huge fuss of $1.90 in interest over a year. Not sure you should be throwing “you’re poor!” haymakers at anyone.
“I don’t know the difference between your and you’re so I’ll blame it on Google.”
Also... not sure if serious but just use your (misspelling) Google assistant to search for financial advisors that advise claiming zero exemptions. There are plenty of articles for you.
A sound financial guru like you surely knows how to Google, no?
The liberal capital of the world. Coincidence? You decide.
It’s our own faults for constantly voting these morons back in. Maxine Waters, I’m looking at you.
Maxine has a wall around her compound, with armed security guards. She fights daily with Trump over guns and walls. Go figure
Taxes suck. Would’ve paid more than I wanted if I didn’t up 401k to 15% half the year. What sucks even worse is that voting for low taxes means voting for dumb**** religious whack jobs or straight up morons like Trump or McConnell. Our politics are awful. US is on track to lose it’s position globally. Country is falling apart. Don’t even care.
This thread is the definition of the off-season.
I really wish I could understand how taxes are done. This year my tax return was 17 pages before I got to the signature and it seemed like 7-8 different forms were included. I can usually follow for a little bit but then it starts getting into weird things like “add lines 12, 17, 21 then subtract by lines 15, 24 and then multiply by this 0.6 if line 32 is greater than 7000”. There are so many laws I’d have to read up on just to understand what I’d be doing for each row.
@brooky03 you’re an accountant, right? When doing people’s returns do you doublecheck them or are you confident enough the first time around that you did it right? I guess like anything else people do for a living it all just comes together pretty easily with practice. Still though, lot of pressure in your case since you’re dealing with people’s financial future and the IRS.
@brooky03 you’re an accountant, right? When doing people’s returns do you doublecheck them or are you confident enough the first time around that you did it right? I guess like anything else people do for a living it all just comes together pretty easily with practice. Still though, lot of pressure in your case since you’re dealing with people’s financial future and the IRS.
I work on the audit side of accounting, so my tax expertise is limited. When I worked the tax side, it was very specific to investment income for institutional investors (mutual funds and big companies). I basically just created/populated 1099 and 1042-S forms. Not nearly as fancy as it might sound.
I use Turbotax so I don't have to deal with the whole 'add this to this and subtract that and multiply by this if this happened or this if this other thing happened' shenanigans. In general, though, accountants are double and triple checking sons-of-guns. Unless I was filling out a very simple return, I'd probably check my work at least a couple times before sending it off.
The liberal capital of the world. Coincidence? You decide.
You're arguing that correlation = causation, so you're already on thin logical ice to begin with. Fine. Now consider that San Francisco has been a liberal bastion since, what, the beatniks in the 1960s? Earlier? And now you don't even really have correlation because: 1) all this graph shows is an increase within the city, and 2) there's no corresponding evidence of a change from conservative to liberal to suggest correlation.
In other words, you've (quite clearly) made up your mind before even having tenuously supporting data, let alone data to support your conclusion.
No matter how much you huff and you puff, San Francisco's streets will still be full of human feces. Don't blame us.
Missed opportunity for "no matter how much you huffington and puff." 3/10.
I’m about to Ariana Huffington and puff puff pass at Golden Gate Park here in a couple days. 
due away with income tax and start a federal sales tax
everyone pays the same percentage
everyone pays the same percentage
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