Agitation Hightower Lowdown Style

[Sooner75]

I've been subscribing to Jim Hightower's Hightower Lowdown for years. In the current issue, he's made the inside of HL into a poster to communicate facts for political agitation.

I want to give you guys a taste of that information, and I also want to encourage you to go to www.hightowerlowdown.org and join up if you have not already. (Also, never pass up a chance to see and hear Jim Hightower in person. If you're a populist, you'll always feel better about fighting the good fight.)

If you think I'm tryin' to stir y'all up......you're right. I am.


Are You Better Off Yet?
(excerpts from Hightower Lowdown, July 7, 2006 issue)

Tax Cuts

2001 Income Tax Cut
Average cut for people making under $50,000 a year (71% of Americans): $425
Average cut for people making $1 million a year (0.1% of Americans): $59,216
Average cut for people making $10 million a year (0.00004% of Americans): $521,905

2003 Income Tax Cut
Average cut for people making under $50,000 a year: $10
Average cut for people making $1 million a year: $25,450
Average cut for people making $10 million a year: $497,463

2006 Extension of Tax cuts for Capital Gains and Dividends
Average cut for people making under $50,000 a year: $3
Average cut for people making $1 million a year: $59,972



Repeal of Estate Tax

Percentage of US families that pay any estate tax whatsoever……………………………….1.2%

Percentage of estate tax paid by richest 5% of Americans……………………………………99%

Amount of money that repeal of this tax will take from our public treasury
& put in the coffers of the richest families in one decade……………………..……$1 trillion

Number of superrich families that have quietly funded
A stealth campaign for the past 10 years to promote
The repeal of the estate tax………………………………………………………………..18
(including the Waltons of the Wal-Mart fortune and heirs to Gallo wines,
Campbell soup, and M&M candies)

Total savings that just these 18 families would reap if the tax is repealed………$71.6 billion

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. facts are goooood!

K & R

[senseandsensibility]

2. I've seen Jim in person and you're right!

He's a great speaker. Unfortunately, I just checked his site and he has no appearances scheduled.:-( However, I encourage all DUers to read his books.

[mod mom]

8. He's great. I wish he would run for office. I think his sensibility

would reach a lot of folks.

I held a fundraiser for True Majority in '04 and Jim Hightower was my guest speaker. I still have a photo of him with me and mod dad taken in my kitchen for an after party hanging. He is a great public speaker but much more reserved in person.

[senseandsensibility]

9. That's great that you got to meet him

I saw him at a fundraiser for a local peace and justice group. You contributed whatever you could afford, and afterwards he signed his books. What I particularly remember was it was BAKING that day, literally 105 degrees, and the hall he was speaking in wasn't air conditioned. I can be a real wimp about that,but as soon as he began speaking I forgot my discomfort as did everyone else in the room.

[omega minimo]

3. "Error: You've already recommended that thread."

:kick:

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

4. OK so I posted this

on a forum and got this response. Besides the fact that this guy is a real asshole, and is highly aggressive, I need to counter some of this "arguement". I need some stats of my own. Got any ideas? Here's his response:


<snip>This is such a stupid fucking argument that people make all the time. Why don't you get your facts straight first?

In 2005, if you have 3 kids, you'd have to make $50, 900 before you'd pay ONE DOLLAR in federal tax. Of course the people making $1 million plus are going to save more money with tax cuts. They're paying most of it in!

Let me throw some stats in their for you, since you felt the need to skew them in your post:

The top 1 percent -- 1.194 million taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes above $229, 230 -- paid 32.3 percent of all federal individual income taxes.

The top 5 percent -- 5.972 million with adjusted gross incomes above $101, 202 -- paid 50.8 percent.

The bottom 50 percent of earners paid 4.3 percent.

Please look at the WHOLE argument before you start bashing people.<snip>

[Vickers]

5. I have 3 kids, I make less than $50k, and I pay federal taxes.

Your forum buddy is full of shit.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

6. Of course he is!

I certainly wouldn't call him my buddy, he's most definitely a troll. But, I need some stats to counter his. I have no idea where he got them of course, naturally as most of these kinds of people are inept at citing sources. However, I need some verifiable sources to smack him down like the pig he is. I've been doing some research on the matter but, haven't come up with anything yet. I was hoping someone would have the info I need bookmarked some place.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

7. I need hightowers sources

I looked a the poster this info comes from, needing the sources for the numbers, but I can't find them anywhere! Am I just not seeing them?