Tax Freedom Day
I read your "Tax Freedom Day" email. Do you have 2 minutes for this?
How about $1,654,016.58 dollars?
The "Tax Watchdog Group" you mentioned is a conservative lobby organization with an obvious agenda. I can tell you more if you're interested.
Where did they find their methodology? Their measurement? "dividing the tax raised by gross domestic product" In addition, "income from capital gains is not counted as part of GDP".
"Tax Freedom Day" gives the impression that we don't get anything for the money we give the government. You and I can agree that the money isn't always well spent. Ask who is wasting our money though and we'd point to different people. Nevertheless, the money isn't all going down a hole. You and I get something for it.
Want real numbers? Numbers that mean something?
The Outstanding Public Debt as of 31 Aug 2004 at 12:42:37 PM GMT is: $7,361,280,440,958.67
The estimated population of the United States is 294,048,552 so each citizen's share of this debt is $25,034.23. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.72 billion per day since September 30, 2003!*
Here are some more real numbers: US Debt**
On 12/31/80 the debt was: $ 930,210,000,000.00
On 9/30/88 the debt was: $2,602,337,712,041.16
On 9/30/92 the debt was: $4,064,620,655,521.66
On 9/30/00 the debt was: $5,674,178,209,886.86
On 9/30/04 the debt will be: $7,412,880,440,958.67
Let's do some simple math....
Avg yearly increase in debt by President:
Reagan: $209,015,964,005.15
Bush I: $365,570,735,870.13
Clinton: $201,194,694,295.65
Bush II: $434,675,557,767.95
That's $1,190,076,817.98 a day for Bush II! $1,654,016.58 for the two minutes it took to read this.
I don't believe the US can afford another four years of Bush II. I think it is obvious who is getting screwed. It isn't the taxpayers. It's our children.
--- Notes -------
* (If you want to check my source try here: http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/ )
**(Dates are the last given for each of the last four US Presidents. Information from the US Treasury: http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdhisto4.htm
**(Dates approx. 9/30 of the year listed -- 2004 approx. assuming daily levels will not increase )
