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The U.S. Government Is One of the Best Bargains Around

ttwtt78640 said:
Bargain? The federal gov't now SPENDS about 24% of GDP, yet only collects 17% of GDP in taxes. The article conveniently leaves out that pesky little detail. Of course it is a bargain UNTIL you add back in that "average" share of national debt, then the deal is not nearly so sweet.
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No, they didn't leave out that detail. Read the whole article.
 
A new report published by the Congressional Budget Office shows that the average household paid 17.4 percent of its income to the federal government in the form of taxes in 2009, the latest data available. Today's rate is probably comparable. That's the lowest tax burden on record. It's about 20 percent lower than the federal tax burden in 1979, when the CBO's data series began.​


*Yawn*

Historical Source of Revenue as Share of GDP
 
Deuce said:
No, they didn't leave out that detail. Read the whole article.
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It fails to put the needed emphasis on that detail, which makes the whole article intentionally misleading. The overall message of the article is "don't be mad at government, let's raise taxes."

But the fact that the article is suggesting we're "getting a good deal" out of what's been happening is like saying I got a good deal on a house just because I was able to put down a tiny down payment. I'm still on the hook for all of it, plus interest. Just because the down payment is small does not mean it was a "bargain."

This author chose an idiotic way to frame the issue.
 
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ttwtt78640 said:
Bargain? The federal gov't now SPENDS about 24% of GDP, yet only collects 17% of GDP in taxes. The article conveniently leaves out that pesky little detail. Of course it is a bargain UNTIL you add back in that "average" share of national debt, then the deal is not nearly so sweet.
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there is a pretty simple solution to that in my opinion. which would be to raise the taxes on everyone and reduce government spending. however the second one party tries to raise taxes the other will slaughter them in the media. Even if it is the best thing to do politics is about staying office more than it is about improving our country which is why nothing gets done. It is more important to make the other party look bad or keep them from getting credit for doing something beneficial.
 
LowDown said:
Meh. You can't really call it a bargain if you're forced to buy in.
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You don't have to buy in. I'm sure there are other countries that would take you.
 
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