Taxes and the Illegals

One of my favorite complaints about illegal immigrants is that they don't pay taxes.

Here is a little snippet from other the latest and last New York Times column by Bob Herbert:

A stark example of the fundamental unfairness that is now so widespread was in The New York Times on Friday under the headline: “G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether.” Despite profits of $14.2 billion — $5.1 billion from its operations in the United States — General Electric did not have to pay any U.S. taxes last year.

And perfectly legal too, thanks to friends in high places.

and I believe 41% of American citizens pay no income tax either.

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Our "Right of Center" country

Words about as meaningless as sand squiggles on the beach.

Here is a little factlet:

To put it bluntly, middle-class Americans of the right, left and center have come to expect a level of personal financial security that -- despite the stereotypes -- most people around the world would never demand from their governments. In a book review this month, Brink Lindsey, vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute -- a man who knows what he is up against -- reported some extraordinary statistics. The majority of Americans are wary of global trade, don't trust free markets and also think that "the benefits from . . . Social Security or Medicare are worth the costs of those programs." And when the sample is restricted to people who support the Tea Party movement? The share is still 62 percent.

So where do we find fiscal conservatives? Or is something else going on?

just as long as they don't cut Social Security, the university's budget, my 401(k), or anything else I depend on, I'm for fiscal sanity myself.

Without Comment

(thanks to Andrew Sullivan).

McCain v Obama: who pays

Both candidates have put out their tax plans. It is informative to look at an analysis of them. Here is a good one, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal. The core of its conclusion:

Under Mr. Obama’s plan, the income for the top 1% would decline by an average of 9%. The incomes of the top tenth of 1% would shrink by more than 10%. Under Mr. McCain, incomes for the top 1% would grow by 3%. The top tenth of 1% do best — with more than 4% growth in incomes.

And:

It’s unlikely either plan will be implemented as is. But one thing is clear: Mr. Obama sees taxes as a way to ease inequality, while Mr. McCain sees them as a way to encourage economic growth by helping the top.

What is more revealing, perhaps, is to read the long trail of reader comments at the bottom.

Taxes: Some data

Jack and I have started a discussion of the role of taxes, among other things. This little post from The Daily Dish (Andrew Sullivan's blog) contains some interesting info putting to rest the common perception among Democrats that people earning ca. $50K pay more in taxes than those earning ca $250K. It's worth a read.