I just realized something...

[CoffeeCat]

Late last year, I decided to do some freelance writing--after being a stay-at-home mom for ten years.

I started writing out of my home and ended up making about $4,000 in November and December.

My husband and I sat down to do our taxes yesterday. I ended up paying about $1,000 in taxes for 2010 on this $4,000.

So, I made $4,000 last year---AND I PAID MORE TAXES THAN GE, A COMPANY THAT PAID NOTHING?

Really?

GE's Strategies Let if Avoid Taxes All Together
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html

[Horse with no Name]

1. Yep. The "tax breaks" for almost everyone

impacted low income folks more than anyone. People under $20k saw huge increases in their taxes.

The people who need it most sacrificed for those that needed it least.

However, the poor don't have lobbyists and are pretty much voiceless in this political process, so, the hard sacrifices will be borne by this group.

[Bandit]

4. If the poor would actually get out and vote they may gain some recognition

However since most don't even bother to vote, not many are willing to stand up for them, and the one's that do are immediately ridiculed as being "Liberals".....

[Horse with no Name]

8. What an asshole statement

You can't vote without an address--can you? What kind of voice do you expect the homeless to have? Especially since it is a large growing segment of the population.

Many of the "poor" have jobs that they cannot take off to vote. They leave, they get fired. I don't care WHAT the law says.

WE are supposed to take care of the lesser amongst us--the young, the old, the sick, the poor. Even the Bible says that.

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. Ummmm......

I'm officially poor. And I fucking vote. Have always voted.

Perhaps the issue is that the list of available candidates rarely includes anyone who serves to advance and protect my interests. Why the fuck would a poor person want to vote for any of those bastards?

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

10. +1

[roguevalley]

12. freelance a letter to your local papers. might blow a few minds.

[peace frog]

2. Just who do you think you are, missy?

TPTB: If you ain't too big to fail, you ain't sh*t. Now STFU and get your nose back to the grindstone, pronto.

[sarcasmo]

3. The #1 problem in this country. Mega Corporations pay zero tax, working people pay all the tax.

[Shagbark Hickory]

5. Something tells me you probably shouldn't let your husband do your taxes.

If you made $4000 last year and paid $1000 it sounds like a hee-uge mistake.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Not necessarily.

If they're in a fairly high bracket because of her husband's income, her added income would be taxable at the higher rate.

Ort if she wanted, she could say her $4K was the 1st $4K of their income & she paid nothing on it, burt her husband's taxes went up by $1K, I suppose.

[PA Democrat]

7. Self-employed people pay 15% into Social Security and Medicare

on the first 106,800 of income. I find the OP's numbers entirely credible.

[cullen7282]

11. my husband's boss gave him a 1099

for a small part of his income last year. I think we payed nearly 500 on 2,000. Although we had a large refund from other income so it just reduced it but we had to pay medicare and ss on that.

[Siouxmealso]

13. Yeah but

how many green jobs did you create?

[felix_numinous]

14. K & R

And it is about taxation without representation. We are not being heard, so what are we paying into this system for? I have resisted posting this before now.