My version of why Federal taxes are "so high"

[ThomWV]

Notice I said this is "my version" of why Federal taxes are as hight as they are. Its perfectly fine to disagree.

The reason Federal taxes are as high as they are is because the Federal Government is forced to provide services that properly would be provided by the States, but that at the State level politicians are absolutely unwilling to tax their own people enough to pay for the services they demand.

It is the Republicans who most often exploit this and the Tea Baggers can't seem to absorb it.

From education to food inspection, from public transportation to environmental protection, there is a myriad of services that the Federal Government provides vast amounts of funding to do things that the states should already be doing for their own people - but are not. The States won't take responsibility for those (and other) problem areas and they won't tax their own people to address them. Instead they rely on the Feds to pay. And what is so absurd about it is that in many cases they then complain about the high rate of Federal taxation and federal involvement in local matters while they spend the money the Fed hands down.

They love their "State's Rights" but they have no intention of assuming "State's Responsibilities". Our problem has never been over spending, it has always been under taxation.

If the States are unwilling to tax their people to pay for the services that the people require then they have no business disparaging the Federal Government for taking on the task, and they particularly have no business then saying that what the Federal Government is doing is not among the enumerated powers and thus the State's responsibility.

Then they add insult to injury by trying to cut the rates of Federal taxation, which is used to pay for the services for which they are responsible but won't provide, to a level too low to cover providing for their own people and will then use the degradation of services as ammunition for further cuts. Its as if the whole damned world has been turned upside down and shook real hard 'till its brain rattled loose and fell to ground to be eaten by the great dog gods.

[rfranklin]

1. Our tax burden is extremely low compared to other developed countries...

The argument that taxes are too high is a right wing meme and invalid.

The OCED average tax "burden" is 34.8 percent while the US tax "burden" is 24 percent.

[Stargazer99]

2. Ya and I got a real cheap Brooklyn Bridge for sale

Those with money can see no farther than the color green. If you really think you are right get out in the lower classes for a month and then maybe reality will bite you if you are not in denial.

[ThomWV]

3. I'm afraid you comment shot way over my head.

I have no idea what you are trying to say. Wanna try again?

[RC]

4. You think taxes are too high?

See what you can do about the so-called defense budget. How about doing something about getting those most able to afford it, the Well-To-Do, to pay their fair share of taxes?
Most of the things you listed can be more efficiently done at the federal level. The states Can't take responsibility by themselves because of lack of funding, resources, etc. Economy of scale is at work here.

[mmonk]

5. Federal taxes are historically low.

[arbusto_baboso]

6. Actually, Reagan and Bush Jr. mandated certain Fed programs and then didn't fund them.

Or pushed the funding down to the state level.

[JoePhilly]

7. Tax rates are extremely low.

There are 2 groups who see them as high.

(1) Old rich republicans, and (2) almost all poor/middle class right wing republicans. The first group is hording. The second groups thinks it deserves to be part of the first group, but those damn Mexicans, blacks, and gays are ruining the country, and thus stealing what should be theirs. And the Muslims are even worse!!

[Aerows]

8. Don't forget women

that's the new theme among conservatives - if women would just stay home, men could get jobs. If those pesky single mothers would just marry whatever comes along and stayed at home raising the kids, men could get jobs. They never seem to realize that because they are a) blaming women instead of taking responsibility and b) don't have a job is the reason why they have neither women or a job.

I literally saw a guy on some discussion page arguing that position. If a single mother or working woman would just decide to marry him and stay home, he could get a job. Apparently it escaped him that he would have to support both the woman and the child, and probably the reason he had neither was because he is an idiot who takes no responsibility for his own life.

In short, a Republican.

[quaker bill]

9. Countries with lower taxes

generally lack such things as a large military, public sanitation, maintained roads, and free public schools. We benefit from having the world's largest and most prosperous economy, this allows our taxes to be this low and still have some of these things, at least in places.