Gallup: Views of income taxes are ‘about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years.’
Gallup: Views of income taxes are ‘about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years.’
In its annual Economy and Personal Finance poll, Gallup has found that Americans view of income taxes are the second most positive they’ve been since 1956, with 48 percent saying that the amount of federal taxes they pay is “about right.” Forty-six percent say they’re “too high.” According to Gallup, the more positive sentiment — which increased among both lower- and middle-income Americans, but not upper-income Americans — is likely due President Obama’s stimulus and budget plans:
The slightly more positive view this year may reflect a public response to President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus and budget plans. He has promised not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $250,000, while cutting taxes for lower- and middle-income Americans. The latter has already begun, as the government has reduced the withholding amount for federal income taxes from middle- and lower-income American workers’ paychecks.
The poll also found that 61 percent of Americans “regard the income taxes they have to pay this year as fair,” a view that has not changed much in the past six years.
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Then what are the teabaggers protesting about? LOL.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:02 pmSomeone has got to pay for this stuff and – to the disappointment of the the GOP – we cannot make war all the time to plunder other nations. If we use a highway, we must pay for the highway. If you want bridges which do not collapse, then we must maintain them. If we don’t want poison in our water, we must build water treatment plants.
To those who object to reasonable taxes, how do we pay for stuff? Fairy dust? Money trees? Limbaugh’s millions? You tell me how to pay for stuff we use without someone paying taxes.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:03 pmGallup: Views of income taxes are ‘about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years.’
– - Grover Norquist is stunned beyond the capacity for rational thought.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:04 pmThe fools that are doing all of these teabagging parties need to see this – if they can read – ROTFL!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:06 pmI guess it’s just easier for them to have hatred and bitterness in their hearts.
the teabaggers, and their right wing sponsors, could care less about the facts. They’re just there to push the right wing meme that the American People are fed up with Obama’s economic policies.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:10 pmmakete Says:
Then what are the teabaggers protesting about? LOL.
Haven’t you heard? The President’s BLACK!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:11 pmI like having good roads. I like having fire protection. etc.
While I don’t particularly like paying taxes, it is the cost of having the things I like.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:14 pmSeems these teabaggers are looking for a country that has no taxes, no wasted government funds spent on “social programs”, no funded education, no government regulation of business, health or safety and the ability to own any weapon made and keep all the money one can make . . . THAT country EXISTS!!!!
We call it “Somalia” . . . I’m willing to pack their teabags.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:14 pmMakes sense, and it points to the wealthy as stubborn in their views, believing that the country that made them rich owes them a flat tax or something.
Good thing the teabagging soldiers are out there doing their fruitless bidding.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:15 pmCome on, they have polls for everything!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:16 pmJust now?
April 13th, 2009 at 5:17 pmWhat taxpayers Pay is only Half the Equation.
It’s what they GET…or Don’t Get…for their Tax Money, that leads to public resentment,
In Europe, people probably Pay more Taxes..but they Get Healthcare, Higher Education, Job training, child care, maternity leave with pay…etc.
In America, we get stuff like 187 F-22s and Bankruptcy from getting sick.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:21 pmBrian@6, when ever I hear “but he’s black” I think of one of those “lethal weapon” movies and got to laugh.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:21 pmDon’t pick on Grover. Imagine how f ucked up you’d be if you had to grow up with such an moronic name. No wonder he is so pissy about taxes. It is displacement. Inside he is really conflicted about all those years of torment by his peers and unable to resolve his conflict and address its reall root cause he has sought out a nebulous enemy to attack… It is all very said.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:22 pmIf they’re teabaggin’ for a refund for the incompetence of the last 8 years, sign me up…
April 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pmdbadass Says:
Don’t pick on Grover. Imagine how f ucked up you’d be if you had to grow up with such an moronic name. No wonder he is so pissy about taxes. It is displacement. Inside he is really conflicted about all those years of torment by his peers and unable to resolve his conflict and address its reall root cause he has sought out a nebulous enemy to attack… It is all very said.
I always wondered why there were so many Republicans with absurd names (who ever heard of an adult named Tucker or Scooter, and what the hell is a Condoleezza?).
April 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pmWell, Grover should fight on for a flat(utlence) tax.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:28 pmIn light of this new info, could someone please enlighten me as to the point of the teabagging, again?
Is it just to make them all look like a.s.s.h.o.l.e.s? Cause if so, it’s working.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:35 pmSorry, everyone who said that before me. I got irritated and posted before I read any other comments.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pmwhat do Americans expect…the cost of two wars to be free???I rather pay more on my taxes now, so my children will not be responsible for the past idiots we voted to office.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pmBadger
That makes too much sense to the reason behind their ire. If they had enough sense to see all that, then they would also realize that the person they’re protesting against (President Obama) is the only person in at least 30 years that’s seriously proposed any of that good stuff?
I think it’s less thoughtful than that. I think it’s a combo of 23%-ers mindset, the President’s partial blackness, and the Beck/Limbaugh/Coulter/O’Reilly influence all colliding for the perfect storm of cultural, political, and intellectual ignorance.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pmThe teabaggers are just protesting that they lost the election and that Obama is doing what he said he would do. Taxes aren’t fun, but there are things that individuals cannot do for themselves, that they depend on Government to provide, and those things have to be paid for.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:05 pmThe majority of the people should be happy with the income tax they are paying as the vast majority paid less under the Bush administration than under the Clinton administration. The percentage of those who had to file but owed no taxes increased from 33% under Clinton to nearly 40% under Bush. Bush lowered the tax burden on the majority of Americans and now the wealthiest pay a higher percentage of the overall tax burden.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:21 pmjust the facts
You’re right, Bush did cut taxes for everyone. Of course, then he went on a spending spree, and then cut taxes even more, and that was pretty stupid.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pmI agree, he and Congress spent a whole lot more money than they should have. The last two years were horrific. Not as bad as the spending spree Obama has been on, but bad enough. It’s hard to believe that the deficit for March alone was more than the deficit for fiscal year 2007!
April 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pmGosh just the facts,
you’re right, except for one small thing: the money that Obama and Congress have approved is more for us, the people, and to stimulate the economy that went down the tubes when Bush was asleep at the wheel.
Don’t forget: Keynesian economics advocates for spending out of a recession by the government for the short term. Might want to check with a Nobel prize winner or someone a little more qualified than you when it comes to economics.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pmGosh Realness hate to burst your tiny bubble but there are lots of economists with all kinds of awards out there that don’t believe in the Keynesian economic theory. Maybe you need to read something other than TP or the NY Times. By the way, if Bush was asleep at the wheel, why did he ask for regulations for Fannie/Freddie more than 30 times during his administrations? Only to be rebuffed by the Dems?
April 13th, 2009 at 6:57 pmMy husband and I did our taxes ourselves and mailed them off last week, and we concluded they *were* fair. Our only gripe had to do with all the pre-worksheets for yet other worksheets…does it really have to be so convoluted?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:01 pmbut there are lots of economists with all kinds of awards out there that don’t believe in the Keynesian economic theory.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:02 pm— and plenty that do. So what exactly is your point?
JTF
Which President raised taxes most in the last 30 years?
Which one did the most to bring the deficit down?
Which lies do you most enjoy repeating?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:07 pmThat’s right, there are lots of different economic theories aren’t there.. And which one did Bush have? Hmmmm, I know he was usually steeped in some book on comparative economic theories…
Are you referring to a then Republical-led Congress for part of that time of the Fannie/Freddie ‘crisis’ which you speak of? Or how it was lost in committe before voted on, as well as meeting opposition from both Republicans and Democrats?
Please- same rehashed talking points. You are omitting major facts, just the facts. and you’re oversimplification of the economic crisis shows that the bubble you live in is very tiny, and has bad AM right-wing radio in the background 24/7.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:09 pmdbadass-Realness used Keynesian economics as an excuse for Obama’s spending spree, then went on to say I should check with a Nobel prize winning economist or someone a little more qualified than myself. Good reaction of course, since he does not know me at all or how qualified I am to talk about economics. (which I will guarantee is more than he is) My point is there are certainly differing points of view on how to recover from a recession, and not everyone believes in the avenue being followed.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:13 pmfancy lying there, jtf.
really impressive.
you ought to apply for bill kristol’s job.
you’re as convincing as he is.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:14 pmWanna share those qualifications now or just assure me of them?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:15 pmRealness-I felt I need to oversimplify things so you could understand them, and even at that I see I was over your head.
tombaker-What did Clinton do to bring down the deficit? It certainly wasn’t presented in any of his proposed budgets.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:17 pmI was just going to ask that.
I am in total anticipation at jtf’s credentials. He was a little shy about it earlier with his first disingenuous trollish postings.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:17 pmahahahahahahaha! awesome!
April 13th, 2009 at 7:18 pmi stand in awe of your cleverness, jtf. thanks for debating me on relevant topics. Please feel free to flesh out your oversimplifications.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:19 pmtombaker-Would you care to point out what I lied about? Care to be specific?
dbadass and Realness-I have no problem sharing my qualifications with you, and I am sure you have no problem sharing yours with me. I am the CEO of my own company, which I started 30 years ago. My educational background includes degrees in accounting and mathematics. Now care to share yours? Oh, by the way, I don’t have time to listen to AM radio, but it always amuses me how someone who can not back up their posts always diverts to a personal attack. By the way, if there were any good liberal talk show hosts that had something interesting to say, maybe they would have a successful show too.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:39 pmThat’s really insane. People are really dumb. Something like 80% were against the banker bailouts. That means that 80% or so thought that seeing their tax money go to these crooks was unfair. Then a large portion of that 80% says that their taxes are just right. WTF?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:42 pmMybackground includes degrees in the life sciences and education. Still since I never made any claims relative to my expertise, I hardly see how it matters. Anyway, how does being a CEO of an undefined business make you a qualified theoretical economist. Don’t worry about not having time to listen to AM radio. Even those with the time don’t bother as it is sort of dopey and full of static…
April 13th, 2009 at 7:45 pmdbadass-You are right, you did not make any claims relative to your expertise. However, since we are debating economics here, and you challenged me about my qualifications, I felt it only fair you share yours also. How does being the CEO of a business make me a qualified economist? How does a business survive and grow for 30 years if the CEO has no grasp of economics? You have to do a bit more than balance the books once a month. While my degrees are not in economics, as a CEO I have studied economics quite a bit, albeit not in a classroom. Being a theoretical economist is wonderful because it is not your money at stake. Having to make the decisions that could actually cost you your life’s work is a different thing.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:53 pmTrolls can be anything they want to be behind that keyboard, heh?
The attempt to diminish President Clinton’s tangible achievements is pretty tiresome. You’re asking for line-item proof that President Clinton offed the deficit, and that is a dishonest inquiry. The honest argument lies within his broader achievements, where the deficit reduction was symptomatic: the recovery and record prosperity of the economy under his watch, real income growth, and a reduction in the federal payrolls.
If you have to ask if Clinton really oh really turned the deficit into a surplus, then you’re either extremely ignorant of the deficits accumulated by the three presidents between him, or you’re just intentionally trying to bake the next political shit cake, that republican failures aren’t their own but that democratic achievers owe the credit to republicans as a way to recoup from their failures.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:54 pmGosh Realness hate to burst your tiny bubble but there are lots of economists with all kinds of awards out there that don’t believe in the Keynesian economic theory. Maybe you need to read something other than TP or the NY Times.
such b.s. this was your first response to me and you talk about personal attacks where I mention how you get your information? turns out your aren’t very clever. Being the CEO of your broke-ass ebay business is not something I feel too intimidated about. You’ve been deceptive this whole thread, and you’re a joke, and now you’re trying to start another debate about liberal radio hosts? you’re not even an amusing troll. boo.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:55 pmThis wouldn’t be mailorder Backstreet Boys cds again would it?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:58 pmCEO of _______ — just be thankful you have the platform here in America to aspire to be the CEO of something.
Of note, just because you call yourself a republican business owner, doesn’t necessarily mean that you run a better business.
Does this business of yours have an official website?
April 13th, 2009 at 7:59 pmRealness, I do believe it was you who started off by disrespecting me first with your statement “Might want to check with a Nobel prize winner or someone a little more qualified than you when it comes to economics”. Are you more qualified than I am? You still haven’t come forth with your economic credentials. But then you can just bash me and not have to, right?
April 13th, 2009 at 8:07 pmMegaloptera McWars-Nice to meet you too. Actually, I think Clinton owes more of his success to Bill Gates than most anyone else. Thanks to Gates and Allen and the Windows operating system, our economy grew at a nice rate due to the dot com boom.
While my degrees are not in economics, as a CEO I have studied economics quite a bit, albeit not in a classroom.
Wait a minute, how did you earn an accounting degree without taking any economics courses formally? Every Accounting program sheet I’ve read, you can’t make it out of intro if you don’t take Macro- and Micro-economics.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:08 pmHow about you knock off the diversions? Bill Gates & Allen were doing their thing in the 1980s, yet the deficits piled up and income growth stagnated, and taxes were raised seven times on lower-income people. If Government is the problem, why was Reagan spotlighted as propping-up the economy with his great communicative skills, but Democratic investment in certain economic indicators — infrastructure, education, unemployment benefits, job training, Pell Grants, etc. — seen as “burdening our grandchildren. I don’t want to go off-tangents — why is President Bill Clinton not due credit for setting the good tone for job creation while Mr. Government is the problem, is?
April 13th, 2009 at 8:18 pmSo you came here as an egotistical know-it-all, and now you’re leaving many questions unanswered.
I know full well that tax rates can get too burdensome, but the reason why republicans routinely can’t be trusted to see proper tax policy, is because they vouch for the base they can’t let go, the have & have mores, while advocating flatter tax policies to their benefit that hurt lower income people.
For the record, I’m for cutting or eliminating taxes where millions of people can benefit — on food, on people making less than the national average, making tax deduction/credit worksheets more flexible, and even for tax credits/deductions on any taxes owed for people out of work during a recession. But you can’t propose any of that to the average republican, they’d reflexively call it “class warfare.”
April 13th, 2009 at 8:29 pmIt’s not the real patriots, or regular Americans that are the problem when it comes to willingness to pay your fair share.
It is those who possess the most “speech.”
April 13th, 2009 at 8:30 pmMegaloptera McWars-I am not diverting anything. Yes, Gates and Allen were doing their thing in the 80s. It wasn’t until Windows 95 hit the scene that the dot com boom really got rolling. Yes, Clinton did improve real income during his administration. So did Reagan. Jobs were created under both. I think Clinton had a very successful administration. He was a very good politician. He was smart enough to see quickly once the Republicans won the majority in the House and Senate that he would have to honestly reach across the aisle to get things done, and he did. It may be the best thing that ever happened to him. However, like every president, he made his mistakes, and that includes pushing for deregulation of the banking industry, and Phil Gramm was only too happy to help him out there.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:34 pmThis ought to put a bit of a damper on the Tea Baggers, although I’m sure Fox will report it as being the largest, most significant protest since George III was running the show…
April 13th, 2009 at 8:40 pm“The slightly more positive view this year may reflect a public response to President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus and budget plans. He has promised not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $250,000, while cutting taxes for lower- and middle-income Americans.*** The latter has already begun, as the government has reduced the withholding amount for federal income taxes from middle- and lower-income American workers’ paychecks.”
***except of course for the huge tobacco tax increase (which went into effect on April Fool’s Day) that is highly regressive and will financially hurt the poor and elderly while having no effect on the wealthy. Plus, many small businesses that sell tobacco-related products will see their revenue shrink, probably leading to lay offs.
But maybe the stimulus bill that President Obama and the Blue Dog Democrats passed will offset the anti-stimulus tobacco tax increase and not too many small businesses will go broke and unemployment will not rise even more…because, if I understand this right, the last thing any sane person would want to do during a recession is to do anything that attacks consumer spending, no matter what a consumer is purchasing, as long as it’s legal, and the last I heard, smoking cigarettes is still legal, even though some conservatives would like to see it outlawed completely, just as some other conservatives want to see all abortions banned. In other words, zero-tolerant censorship is always the sign of a conservative, no matter what someone may claim to the contrary. And conservatives always use a crisis to promote their zero-tolerant agenda, figuring that their attacks on minorities will go unnoticed. I noticed.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:48 pmMegaloptera McWars-Why do you resort to personal attacks? I do not believe I have treated you that way. Makes it hard to want to have a meaningful conversation. If you want to be honest about tax policy, though, you will have to admit that Bush gave more tax relief to the lower brackets than Clinton did. On the top end, they were similar if you digest the statistics.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/22958.html
April 13th, 2009 at 8:52 pmInteresting post wizard2000. Good points.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:54 pmI just want to say that I hope the stimulus package works. I don’t want to see Obama fail, either. I hope some of the turnaround we are seeing lasts. The bill is passed. Debating it now doesn’t help. I hope it all works as planned, because if not, we’ve made things worse. Can anyone imagine what will happen if a “stimulus bubble” bursts? I hope we don’t find out. What’s done is done, and I’m giving it a chance. If it doesn’t work, then the American people have some hard years ahead of them.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:44 pmStimulus includes $25 billion in tax breaks for companies buying back their debt. The Carlyle Group, will billions in cash, gets a break for repurchasing affiliate debt at 23 cents on the dollar.
The Obama promised tax break for people dipping into their IRA’s to save their home, nonexistent.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:30 pmPeople tend to feel better about paying taxes when they have the feeling that just maybe the money will go towards improving their lives instead of ripping Iraqi children to shreds. MOST of us, at any rate.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:47 pmWe won’t find out because bubbles are created by run-away speculation, not spending.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:43 am@Megaloptera McWars 48
The answer: You can’t. Aside from being an integral part of accounting (I have my degree in accounting), Economics is gen ed. You have to take at least Econ 101 to even graduate college when you’re on a business track of ANY kind.
@just the facts
April 14th, 2009 at 10:46 amPeople don’t believe you when you list your qualifications because everything you’ve said on this thread and quite a few others leads people to believe you have no clue what you’re talking about. If you had managed to say something intelligent, then people may be more likely to believe you.
I never thought that i’d see the day where, so called, americans favored higher taxes and trusted government to actually spend your money wisely.
Wow, you folks have been completely brainwashed. The only explaination for your utter ignorance is the public education system. They stopped teaching history and the constitution in the 60’s and most of you are products of the later decades.
Media outlets like MSNBC and blogs like this have actually twisted your thinking and your anger against the working American citizens who are attending these tax protests.
How is it that you are not angry with a corrupt two party government that is using the working class to benefit themselves?
April 14th, 2009 at 4:19 pmTim43,
Americans aren’t sure about the Governments ability to spend their money wisely….
because it has been a while since we’ve seen a Government that BELIEVES in Government.
Americans Sure Don’t trust Bush and the Republicans, after all that money disapeared down an Iraqi Rathole.
And they Sure Don’t Trust Wall Street, after their unregulated Free enterprise just about tanked our Economy.
Actually, the way things are…Government Is the only game in town…for better or worse.
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