Town Hall Anger Over Ryan Budget

No, it is NOT only the people who "own businesses and employ people." That's simply not true.

Business Owner Salary Comparison

Average Salary by Years of Experience and Gender

According to a 2009 PayScale survey, a female small-business owners' average annual salary is between $25,000 and $70,000. A male small-business owners' average salary falls between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. The average annual salary of an owner with one to four years' experience is $35,000; five to nine years' experience, $40,000; and 10 to 19 years' experience, $45,000.

Average Salary by Employer Type

Employer types include self-employed owner companies, franchise owners and owners of private practice companies. Self-employed company owners, make a salary between $40,000 and $100,000 per year according to the 2009 PayScale survey. Franchise-owned companies' owners make and annual average salary between $50,000 and $120,000; and private practice owners are paid between $80,000 and $180,000 per year.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5229133_busin ... rison.html


And the number of people making OVER $106K who are NOT small-business owners is staggering....

LadyJazzer wrote: The increase to 39.6% is a 3.6% increase.... BACK TO THE SAME LEVELS THAT IT WAS UNDER REAGAN & CLINTON...

Going with a 3.6% increase for the upper bracket will no longer get you back to the Clinton tax rates, at least not as of 2013 due to the health care bill.

First off, their (earners over $200K) "Medicare" tax will be increased 0.9% to a total of 3.8%. In addition, they will be required to pay the full 3.8% "Medicare" tax for capital gains income (previously Medicare tax was only for work income).

By the way, I put quote around Medicare because I find it funny that the health care bill is raising Medicare tax to pay for the health care bill. That's one reason I don't like mixing taxes and using one specific tax to pay for something else.

So in summary, I guess you are proposing raising income taxes for the upper bracket by 3.6% to help pay for Medicare. Then raise it another 12.4% to fix Social Security. I'll agree that should fix SS, but I'm not sure 3.6% fixes Medicare, even with a 20% cut in defense spending.

And you are leaving one thing out that the Ryan plan covers. That's paying down our debt. He does it mainly by cutting spending. You did propose cutting defense spending by 20%, but that all goes to Medicare and doesn't help our huge debt (which is again why I don't like mixing things). Do you want to increase taxes on the wealthy another 10% or so to cover that?

One issue I have with having the wealthy pay for everything is Medicare and Social Security are becoming more and more just welfare programs. Plus when we throw in means testing, the wealthy not only pay for everything, but they get less (or no) benefits as well! And I'm not even sure you can save Medicare and SS even if you raise the top bracket to 100% anyway.

What's wrong with raising the Medicare tax for everyone? Shouldn't everyone suffer a bit to save the program? At least we'd know what the program really costs. I don't know if raising it 1% would be enough, but cut benefits too. And add means testing as well.

If you want to raise income tax brackets and cut defense spending, I think that money should all go to pay down the debt.

I didn't say "just the upper bracket"... I just used them as an example because I know the figures for that bracket a little better... What I SAID, the Bush Tax-Cuts need to expire...FOR EVERYONE. I don't know how I could be plainer.... And I don't remember saying that all the money that would be collected by letting the Bush tax-cuts expire would go toward Medicare... It needs to go to paying down the debt... Would another 1% on the HI / OASDI withholding help? Probably... I'm not a GAO person, and I couldn't say what the impact would be...But I'd sure be willing to have them run the numbers.

The Ryan Plan DOESN'T "pay down the debt"... The Ryan plan gives $4.3 BILLION in tax-cuts to the wealthy and to business, and CUTS the costs for Medicare and other social programs by $4.2 BILLION... That's not "paying down the debt"...That's giving the rich a tax-break on the backs of the Medicare recipients and retirees. It doesn't do ANYTHING about reducing health care COSTS...It just screws the people and hands them a voucher and tells them "good luck."

And I've already suggested cutting defense spending...by at LEAST 20%, but 24-27% is better....

pineinthegrass wrote: First off, their (earners over $200K) "Medicare" tax will be increased 0.9% to a total of 3.8%. In addition, they will be required to pay the full 3.8% "Medicare" tax for capital gains income (previously Medicare tax was only for work income).

I posted the footnote to the table that explains the 0.9% increase, and I BOLDED the part that you're talking about... The increase ONLY APPLIES to that portion of a person's income OVER $200K/individual or $250K/married.

Beginning in 2013, an additional HI tax of 0.9 percent is assessed on earned income exceeding $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly.

Based on what I've read so far, subjecting capital gains to the tax is a really BAD idea... I agree with you on that one....

LadyJazzer wrote: I didn't say "just the upper bracket"... I just used them as an example because I know the figures for that bracket a little better... What I SAID, the Bush Tax-Cuts need to expire...FOR EVERYONE. I don't know how I could be plainer.... And I don't remember saying that all the money that would be collected by letting the Bush tax-cuts expire would go toward Medicare... It needs to go to paying down the debt... Would another 1% on the HI / OASDI withholding help? Probably... I'm not a GAO person, and I couldn't say what the impact would be...But I'd sure be willing to have them run the numbers.

The Ryan Plan DOESN'T "pay down the debt"... The Ryan plan gives $4.3 BILLION in tax-cuts to the wealthy and to business, and CUTS the costs for Medicare and other social programs by $4.2 BILLION... That's not "paying down the debt"...That's giving the rich a tax-break on the backs of the Medicare recipients and retirees. It doesn't do ANYTHING about reducing health care COSTS...It just screws the people and hands them a voucher and tells them "good luck."

And I've already suggested cutting defense spending...by at LEAST 20%, but 24-27% is better....

Yes, I know you are suggesting cancelling all the Bush tax cuts. I just discussed the upper bracket because that's what was being discussed at the time I posted. But I doubt even the Democrats would go for your suggestion. Besides breaking Obama's promise not to raise taxes for those making under $200K, I doubt they'd want to raise taxes for the low income and middle class. Not that you said the Dems would go with it anyway.

And I was mistaken thinking your suggestions were just for Medicare. I guess I misread something.

I missed your amended post mentioning the health care tax increases because I was typing my response as you amended your message. And I was aware (and mentioned it) that it's for income over $200K.

Anyway, I've seen proposals for fixing SS, but few for Medicare. I guess I need to do some searching when I get around to it.

Thanks for spending a few minutes to try to have a reasonable discussion of things... I certainly don't have all the answers, but I think in the heat of the rhetoric on BOTH sides there are some compromises that could be made that would certainly take us farther along than what I'm hearing now...

"And I've already suggested cutting defense spending...by at LEAST 20%, but 24-27% is better..."

And I've Already said you're FOOLISH, so what?

(EDITED: This is what happens when leftist, (like lj) don’t like big militaries.)

Situation Update No. 1
On 28.04.2011 at 15:57 GMT+2
A British national and two French people are among 14 killed in a suicide bomb attack in a popular tourist cafe in Marrakesh. Evidence collected from the scene of an explosion on Thursday in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh confirms it was a bomb attack, the interior ministry said. "Analysis of the early evidence collected at the site of the blast that occurred on Thursday at a cafe in Marrakesh confirms the theory of an attack," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency. The blast in the iconic Jamaa el-Fna square is Morocco's deadliest bombing in eight years. Earlier reports suggested that the blast may have been caused by a gas canister catching fire. Witnesses reported rescue services pulling casualties from the cafe.

Situation Update No. 2
On 29.04.2011 at 02:35 GMT+2
At least two French citizens were the up to 18 people killed in a terrorist attack in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Thursday. A Briton was also believed to have been among the victims of the explosion at a cafeteria on a central city square, according to the daily. French media late Thursday reported that six of the dead were French, but there was no official confirmation in Paris. Twenty people were reported injured, some of them seriously.
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=30512

(Edited again: Just FYI:
Morocco military budget 7,630,000,000
5% of GDP
Morocco with a total land boundary length of 1,254 miles and a coastline of 1,140 mi.







One small little problem The U.S. of A. has a total of 3,717,813 sq miles and a coastline of 12,380miles.

:Snooze

LadyJazzer wrote: :Snooze

outdoor338 wrote: :Snooze :Snooze :Snooze

LadyJazzer wrote: The usual classy response from the usual people...

Ah yes, so classy rofllol

Better than your racist garbage...