25 Responses to “Case in Point: Why I Hate the Republicans and Democrats in Power and You Should Too”

1. Comment by Justin

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am

   Join the club. I don’t pay the income tax (they tax me enough as it is through social security/medicare and I’m not going to see a cent of it by the time I’m old enough to collect) and I certainly don’t declare any of my Patriot side income as taxable (Whiskey rebellion anyone?). Has anyone even read the Grace commission? Not a single cent of personal income taxes goes to paying government programs. Merely the interest on the debt. Essentially, we are subsidizing the pockets of the federal reserve share holders who take in a 6% cut on money they create out of thin air. Therefore, they have a vested interest in loaning more and more money, inflating the currency, unbalancing the federal budget, and making debt serfs out of the peasants. They trade us paper IOU’s for real assets and we go right on accepting it.

2. Comment by Travis R.

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 11:42 am

   This is exactly why I support any candidate who favors wholesale changes in the tax code. Or even better, elimination of the income tax system in favor of the flat tax or a national income tax. Anything is subject to abuse and perversion when government is involved, but change is needed. Too many ignorant voters live completely unaware of the gross inequality in our tax system. Uninformed voters are bad voters.

3. Comment by Roane

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 11:59 am

   Agreed - though are we not usually voting for the lesser of two puppets? What is the alternative?

4. Comment by JIM YUNAG

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

   CODY, YOU ARE SO RIGHT! I AM 58 AND HAVE BEEN A REPUBLICAN ALL MY LIFE BUT I AM FINALLY FED UP WITH BOTH PARTIES. NEITHER ONE CARES ABOUT THIS COUNTRY OR THE CITIZENS, THEY ARE JUST STUFFING THEIR POCKETS FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS. UNTIL WE VOTE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM OUT OF OFFICE, NOTHING WILL CHANGE! WE ARE KILLING OURSELVES WITH OUR VOTES!

5. Comment by gimcrac

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 12:55 pm

   Party-bashing is the sport of the ignorant. BOTH are corrupt, BOTH are beholding to their careers first, their party second, their financial supporters third (be they a specific industry, company, or organization/union). The United States and its LEGAL US citizens are somewhere way down the list. The system is broken, and the two-party system so deeply entrenched that a third party can only siphon votes from both without
   any real chance of getting a candidate elected. On the bright side, the Jets have Brett Farve.

6. Comment by Michael H

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

   And who do you suggest voting for Cody? I am an economics major, so I know not all taxes have the intended consequences desired, but I do agree that too many get away with not paying any taxes at all. Perhaps we should look at another way to get money from them through Pigovian taxes or some other framework. This way no one can argue that the taxes are being levied disproportionately to the consumer.

7. Comment by matthew

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

   i want to make a comment about u.s. corporations. i usually agree with you on most of your articles. but this time i would you say are suppling your readers with the same liberal rhetoric they use every election year. i am one of your “corporations”. being the owner/president, i want your readers who do not understand what a corporation pays in taxes, before it pays a federal income tax. even my employees don’t fully understand what i pay before i send anything to uncle sam. i match their social security contribution which is a tax. i pay sales taxes on all goods i purchase. i pay property taxes at a 40% appraisal rate rather than the 25% home owners pay. i match their 401 at 6% which is not a tax but a deduction from my federal taxes but will do my employees much more good than giving to the federal government. i pay a privilege tax. a business tax. a gross receipt tax. and a few other minor taxes. combine this with payroll, vacation pay, sick pay, bonuses, and all the other expenses to run the “corporation”, what is left is for me. i get payed after all of that. so at the end of the tax year, there is nothing left to pay federal taxes on. no loop holes used at all. all deductions and expenses and my salary leave no profit to tax. but i didn’t mention the payroll tax i pay on my salary. to the federal government. my corporation pays. it just pays through me. so whether we are large or small “corporations”, we pay federal taxes and state taxes and local taxes. i know you wrote in generalities, but the average wage earner reads this stuff and doesn’t fully understand what is really going on and they will often look to the political side that wants to keep after the “corporations”. yes, their are loop holes for some that need to be addressed, but the majority of us simply have no profit at the end of the year to tax. we just pay it in other ways. and without “corporations”, like mine, where would anyone work?

8. Comment by mike

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

   Subsidies? Agreed. Let the market work.

   Republicans=Democrats? Maybe. They look more alike every day.

   Corporate taxes? Sorry, there’s no such thing. Consumers pay the taxes and always will, much in the same way consumers pay for regulations, legal costs, etc. If taxes go up on the bakery, the consumer pays more for bread. Corporate taxes are just a politician’s way of making us think someone else is paying the bill.

9. Comment by Sam McMullen

   Aug 12th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

   Cody,
   While I agree with you, what is your idea for an alternative?

10. Comment by Baxter H

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    For those of you looking for an alternative, check out Alan Keyes.
    Also take a look at

11. Comment by Baxter H

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    Sorry, take a look at http://www.selfgovernment.us/aip/

12. Comment by bill mcniff

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    I too hate the tax situation. The constitution only allows an excise tax, not an income tax. That is why I favor the Fair Tax with prebate. This system abolishes the income tax and puts in place a sales tax on retail goods. Imagine foreigners and drug dealers paying to support our govenment.

    Go to Fair Tax.org for the details. This system will help in areas other than taxation too. It helps with immigtation, eliminating some lobbyists, and social security & medicare.

13. Comment by Jerry

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    As a small business owner (smaller than what this article is talking about I think) Matthew is right on. I’m already taxed so freakin’ heavily every time something comes in, goes out, and if you can believe it just for it to sit in my warehouse I get taxed. Unbelievable. The government gets it’s piece, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. And the more I pay in taxes, the less likely I’m going to be able to grow and hire that next person that’s in need of a job. And I like being able to do that. Honestly.

14. Comment by Kevin

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    Matthew,
    Excellent comment. If people want to truly have corporations pay “their fair share” that means propping up their profit margins. To do that you have to reduce their expenses. Some expenses include health coverage, retirement plans, life insurance and such. So, if people want more companies paying more taxes, they will need to make some sacrifices themselves and pay for those things out of their own pockets. The less money the government gets out of individuals and corporations alike, the better off we all and the less damage the elected officials can do.

    Also, the S&P average profit margin is about 8%. Should the corporations be yipping about tax burden unfairness if someone makes more than that the end of the month? It would only seem fair.

15. Comment by Patti

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    Matthew was so dead on except he only mentioned the obvious taxes. The average consumer has no idea what self employed people pay. We have a small bar and grill and the hidden taxes are killing us. Sales tax on alcohol is 14%, not the 8 1/4% everyone else pays. City and county inspections that go up every year, BMI, ascap, and their ilk, city services that are one and a half times higher than residential, sky high liability insurance because of out of control lawyers,programs like city “holiday lighting” we are forced to pay etc etc. Your best bet is to go to work for the government. I use the term “work” in its loosest sense here.

16. Comment by Orlando

    Aug 12th, 2008 at 10:00 pm

    There is no alternative, even if you vote for a third party candidate, given enough time the human factor of greed and love of power kicks in and they too get dirty. The answer is to utilize all your options and talents to help you and your loved ones tread water until it’s your turn to get fitted for a pine box, unless you do really well and can afford an oak box. All those who don’t own a business complain about businesses being unfair and all those who own a businees complain about how difficult it is to have it. The answer to it all is the same one every generation has had ,.. Injustice is more powerful than justice ,.. It’s who we are ,.. wether you’re a priest, politician or a poet ,.. our vote is a voice in the wind ,.. don’t kid yourself.

17. Comment by Brian

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 8:55 am

    When on this topic people tend to ignore macro economic forces. They just don’t think things through. If you could, overnight, raise the taxes on all major US companies… what would happen? Those companies would move overseas in a matter of weeks. It’s simple math. In the US our workers are more expensive by far than in other countries. Many of the industries we have now are here simply to avoid artificially hiked prices of imports so they move the company here. If we remove the viability of that option we effectively remove the option. With 9 of 10 major companies moving out of the US where would our population work?

    I agree tax reforms could do a world of good if they are thought through well. To just jump on the bandwagon and shout, “TAX THE COMPANIES!” will not work. Quite the contrary it would amount to shooting ourselves in the foot. I personally believe that a small federal sales tax combined with removing property taxes and income taxes would have several good effects. 1) If you announce that there is a 10 year plan to remove all property taxes and income taxes spending would increase. 2) When spending increases companies need to hire more workers. 3) More people employed means more spending. 4) The same dollar could be taxed many times per day (without hitting the individual harder). In short, we need to increase the rate of spending and tax the spending.

18. Comment by Tom

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 9:01 am

    What I haven’t seen anyone here mention yet is how close this country is to hitting the tipping point where more than half of eligible voters are net consumers of government services, IOW they take more than they give via taxes. I guarantee you the politicians know how close we are. When we hit the tipping point, hang on to your wallet if you can.

19. Comment by Mike

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 10:22 am

    As always, this statistic is a news headline and not a valid measurement of costs paid by business to government. Didn’t the headlines just last year say that government receipts were up. Also isnt this a bad economy this year. Governments tax profits, when profits are down, so are taxes. What is the percentage of businesses last year that made a profit, could it be that 57% of US busineses lost money last year. If government wants more revenue from taxes it needs to start rewarding productivity, then it will receive a return on investment. If not, it is looting.

20. Comment by tomato

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 11:44 am

    wow - accounting 101 ….

    revenue - expenses = profit taxes are paid on profit

    By increasing expenses a company can make little or NO profit.

    If a company pays no taxes that is because they have NO profit.

    Profit has become a bad word in the US, which is very odd since we are supposed to be a free market economy.

    Expenses at a company ALREADY

21. Comment by Don

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    I agree both of the partys don,t care for the people but their own gain they are not true Americans if they were they would take better care of our nation i will not vote for either party.

22. Comment by David Schrumm

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    Would you people who are complaining about this PLEASE take an economics AND an accounting course!?!?
    Many corporations are small and they pay out all their profits to the OWNERS who then have to pay taxes on their personal tax returns. The “Profits” ARE taxed.
    For larger companies, “profits” are paid as dividends to shareholders which ARE taxed. Other “profits” are reinvested and the return on those investments get taxed one way or the other.
    For all you folks who complain about companies’ profits, I suggest you check your 401k, IRA or pension fund (private and public employees) and see how those evil “corporate profits” benefit YOU….DIRECTLY.
    The economic illiteracy of the American people is astounding.

23. Comment by Harry Love

    Aug 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    I thought Cody was about to reveal some libertarian chops… but No! No tax is the best tax. Realistically, the Fair Tax is better than income tax and it doesn’t tax corporate profit either.

24. Comment by Harry Headrick

    Aug 14th, 2008 at 10:11 am

    Corporations don’t pay taxes - ever. It doesn’t matter what system you set up or what type of “windfall” tax or any other program you enact. If you raise taxes, corporations raise prices. Period. Put in the windfall tax, and gas will go up immediately. Duh. Also, fellow small business owners, please stop crying about all the taxes we pay. I don’t like them, but hopefully you, as a business owner, put the cost of these taxes into your overhead and marked ‘em up like all your other costs. Not to be repetitive, but Duh.

    Cody, what exactly do you want us to wake up to? Nader? Paul? Vote your morals, protect your assets, examine the individual. The government can only do so much for you or to you - make it happen for yourself.

25. Comment by richard panico

    Aug 15th, 2008 at 5:46 am

    Cody, how can you hate something that has nothing to do with your life, or ours. You have to understand, we are not part of the equation.

    The govt. as we were taught to believe in is just a myth, it doesn’t exist. It’s just all really good PR !! Ha!

    Many years ago when they sat around the table and said ” we the people of these United States” they ment them, (everyone sitting around the table) not us.