We Are Not The 53%

“I have been a taxpayer, and have assumed responsibility...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:39:18 -0400

“I have been a taxpayer, and have assumed responsibility for myself and my family throughout my life without public assistance from anyone.”

This is not true.

You did not pay income tax when you were working as a child. (And using 12 year olds as janitors is illegal, so that store did not pay any taxes for your labor.)

You did not pay income tax on your paper route. And since your were an “independent contractor,” neither did the newspaper company.

When you earned fifty cents an hour bagging groceries, you did not earn enough to pay income tax.

You worked very hard for all those years. But other American taxpayers supported you. You were not the 53%.

Community colleges are a form of public assistance. Taxpayers fund them to help hard working people who cannot afford to go to a university. People like you.

You borrowed money to go to medical school. Those government-backed loans were given to you by other taxpayers to help you when you needed it.

You owe your success to hard work, public assistance, and the support of people who paid taxes for you when you could not.

You’re welcome.

If you received tuition reimbursement, you did not put yourself...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:00:05 -0400

If you received tuition reimbursement, you did not put yourself through college.

We did. The people who paid Federal income taxes for you when you worked through school.

We helped you pay for educational expenses. We gave you a refundable tax credit. You used our help to get your degrees.

Your schools were supported with government money. Maybe they were government institutions. Would you have been able to afford your degrees if these schools received no government money? Do you consider your degrees a government handout?

And now you have a government-funded job. Maybe you are a government employee. Do you consider your job a handout?

Although you are ungrateful for what we gave you, we still say: you’re welcome.

“401k’s lose money like a waterfall” You are...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:01:00 -0400

“401k’s lose money like a waterfall”

You are so scornful of hard-working people who are too poor to pay Federal income taxes — just like you were.

Yet you do not think to ask why 401k’s lose money like a waterfall? You do not stop to wonder where your money goes?

In that first year of marriage, you had all the deal breakers. And all the tax breaks. Earned income credit, child tax credit, small business tax credit, education deductions…. It’s very hard to do all that you did. Many people don’t make it. That’s why we helped you. You’re welcome.

Instead of telling the working poor to eat dirt, maybe you should be thankful for all the help you were given?

When you were working for $4.25 an hour, you were not part of...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:26:00 -0400

When you were working for $4.25 an hour, you were not part of the 53%.
You did not pay Federal income taxes.

You were not lazy. You were not looking for a handout. You worked hard. But you relied on all of us who did pay taxes to keep our country running.

This is true for everyone who works full-time at minimum wage.

Your two year degree was from school supported with taxpayer money. Maybe it was even from a government institution. You are now given government assistance for your mortgage.

You have used taxpayer money to help you turn your hard work into success. You’re welcome.

The natural law at work was not “getting what you...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:56:38 -0400

The natural law at work was not “getting what you deserve.” It was statistics. You are lucky.

Most bankruptcies in America are due to medical expenses. People get hurt or sick and cannot dig themselves back out of debt.

While you were working as a janitor, what if you slipped and hurt your back? What if you were out of work for a month? What if you couldn’t do manual labor anymore?

While you were working at UPS, what if you were hit by a car? How much of your hospital stay would your insurance have covered? Did you have insurance?

While you were on food stamps, what if you got cancer? How would you have paid for treatment? How would you have paid your rent?

What if someone in your family got very sick while you were in school? Would have stopped working on your degree to care for them? How long would it have taken you to finish your degrees? How much debt would you be in now?

These things happen to people all the time. But not you. YOU WERE LUCKY.

It’s a simple mathematical fact that not everyone gets what they deserve. Sometimes, no matter how hard we work, we need help. And when you needed help, when you were hungry, when you were not paying Federal income tax, we helped you.

You have what you have because of your hard work, your dumb luck, and the help of your fellow taxpayers. You’re welcome.

“Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:00:06 -0400

“Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.”

- Proverbs 28:27

Do you believe your job is “wasteful spending”? No, i believe my job is one of the only legitimate types of government spending. What do you define as "wasteful spending?" -Sgt

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:47:00 -0400

You believe YOUR government job is legitimate.

Funny how that works, isn’t it?

These are employees of Steven J. Baum, the largest...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:38:00 -0400

These are employees of Steven J. Baum, the largest “foreclosure mill” in New York. They represent giant mortgage lenders such as Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

They do not try to help people refinance or stay in their home. Their purpose is to foreclose on homeowners and evict them.

Last year’s Halloween party was “homeless” themed. They smeared their faces with dirt, dressed in rags, and made jokes about throwing people out on the street. After the party, they went back to work dressed in jokey bum clothes, and continued throwing people out of their homes.

This is what the financial services industry thinks of you.

They think your hard work is a joke.

They think their failure is a joke.

While you are working to keep your home and pay your debts, they are working to throw you out of your house so they can get a fatter bonus. And while they do it, they have fun with your suffering. Maybe it helps them get through the day. Or maybe they genuinely believe that throwing families out on the street is hilarious.

They want you to quit whining. They want you to suck it up.

Will you?

Do you believe your job is “wasteful spending”? Do...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:11:00 -0400

Do you believe your job is “wasteful spending”? Do you consider your government job a “handout”?

Do you believe your government retirement benefits should be cut? If you have a family, should their government benefits be cut?

Do you want your lifetime government health care benefits cut? Do you wish you paid for your own private health insurance?

Your government job gives you education benefits and home loan assistance. Should these be cut? Do you want to eliminate the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Do you believe your government job should be eliminated? Do you think private contractors could do a better job than you?

Do you think your government job is a “real” job? Do you believe you contribute to society even though you are paid entirely with our tax dollars?

You know who makes sure you’re buying a safe helmet, and...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:56:45 -0400

You know who makes sure you’re buying a safe helmet, and not some cheap knock-off that could cause injuries?

The Federal Government.

Flyer thrown from the Chicago Board of Trade: We are Wall...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:25:00 -0400

Flyer thrown from the Chicago Board of Trade:

We are Wall Street. It’s our job to make money. Whether it’s a commodity, stock, bond, or some hypothetical piece of fake paper, it doesn’t matter. We would trade baseball cards if it were profitable. I didn’t hear America complaining when the market was roaring to 14,000 and everyone’s 401k doubled every 3 years. Just like gambling, its not a problem until you lose. I’ve never heard of anyone going to Gamblers Anonymous because they won too much in Vegas.

Collateralized Debt Obligations are not work. They are gambling. They are hypothetical pieces of fake paper, bought with your mortgage, with your 401k, with your pension, with your business loan, with your kid’s college fund.

AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Countrywide, Washington Mutual, Indymac, Fannie Mae, Wachovia, Ameriquest… Goldman Sachs.

They took your money. The money that you worked for. The money you trusted them to save and invest. And they gambled it away.

If a plumber robbed your house, they would have to pay.

If a mechanic stole your car, they would have pay.

When brokers and bankers stole your money, they did not pay. Instead, they were given huge bonuses. Bonuses paid for with your taxes.

Now that they stand publicly accused of their betrayal, they are not remorseful. They are not contrite in the face of their total failure. Now, they threaten to come for you.

This is what is known as a sociopath.

If you worked minimum wage jobs while supporting a family, you...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:05:05 -0400

If you worked minimum wage jobs while supporting a family, you did not pay Federal income tax. You were not the 53%.

Do you believe you should have been forced to pay more in taxes?

You did not pay for your special ed classes. We did. Your fellow...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:49:02 -0400

You did not pay for your special ed classes. We did. Your fellow taxpayers.

You are not institutionalized. You are not homeless. Because the government helped you.

And now you’re a broker for J.P. Morgan Chase. Which means that you only have a job right now because the Federal government bailed out your corrupt corporation.

That point bears repeating.

YOU HAVE A JOB RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BAILED OUT YOUR CORRUPT CORPORATION.

You have taken the charity of American taxpayers and repaid us by helping destroy our economy.

How proud you must feel.

In college, you were NOT the 53%. Do you believe you should...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:25:18 -0400

In college, you were NOT the 53%.

Do you believe you should have been forced to pay more taxes while you were an impoverished student?

While you we’re working two jobs as a student, You took money from other taxpayers for your educational expenses. You took money from other taxpayers when we paid for America’s infrastructure for you. You are taking money from other taxpayers for your children in the Earned Income Tax Credit. You are taking money from other taxpayers for the interest on your mortgage.

You are not a victim. Because other taxpayers have helped you your whole life.

You’re welcome.

As an American taxpayer, you are entitled to the security of a...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:16:26 -0400

As an American taxpayer, you are entitled to the security of a well-defended country.

You are entitled to bridges that do not collapse beneath you.

You are entitled to water that does not poison you.

You are entitled to meat that does not kill you.

You are entitled to protection from epidemic disease.

You are entitled to protection from criminals and terrorists.

You are entitled to drivable roads and walkable sidewalks.

You are entitled to a justice system to protect you from theft and fraud.

You are entitled to protection of your personal property.

You are entitled to basic medical care when you are disabled.

You are entitled to an education for your children.

Soon, you will be entitled to Medicare and Social Security so that when you are unable to work, you will have a basic level of support.

You take all of this from us, your fellow taxpayers. You have not thanked us for all that we have given you, all the ways we have helped you succeed.

But we are Americans. So we give it freely to you, and say — you’re welcome.

Stockholm Syndrome — a paradoxical psychological...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:05:02 -0400

Stockholm Syndrome — a paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.

Why are you forced to work extra hours for no extra pay, while you eat canned beans for dinner? Who benefits from your unpaid labor? Why do you never ask yourself these questions?

You’re unemployed so you don’t pay Federal income...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:57:42 -0400

You’re unemployed so you don’t pay Federal income tax. Lucky you!

Do you believe unemployed people like you should have to pay more taxes?

You “didn’t like” the professional workforce,...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:50:16 -0400

You “didn’t like” the professional workforce, so you joined the Federal government’s workforce. You were given Federal government training, Federal government educational assistance, and Federal government heathcare.

You owe your success to Socialism.

You’re welcome!

You are writing smug slogans in your notebook. We are pushing...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:33:57 -0400

You are writing smug slogans in your notebook.

We are pushing forward with the work that needs to be done.

Unpaid interns do not pay federal income tax — we paid it...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:27:12 -0400

Unpaid interns do not pay federal income tax — we paid it for you.

If you are going to school full time, your loan repayment is deferred — we are paying for you.

You are not the 53%.

But for the help you receive from America’s taxpayers — you’re welcome!