GOOD Magazine: Taxes

by admin on February 7, 2010

{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

WhyCantIVote February 7, 2010 at 9:43 am

The other $3.4Trillion the government spends are the problem now though. Although military spending is very high it doesn’t actually take up much of the USA’s GDP.

adrastea99 February 7, 2010 at 10:06 am

That’s only because the budget was increased by getting more international credit (and increasing debt even more)

US federal budget used to be 1.1 trillion when Clinton was in power, it was increased to
3.1 by Bush and 4.1 by Obama

Besides, it doesn’t factor in things like “nation building” money sent to Iraq, Afghanistan, Albania etc and payoffs so countries like Israel stay friends

If you ask me anything that helps the military should be included in the military budget

ZaoHuZhua February 7, 2010 at 10:30 am

Yeah it was a statistic from an earlier year.

WhyCantIVote February 7, 2010 at 10:57 am

54%? No; it’s actually closer to about 20%. The Federal budget is over $3Trillion; the military budget it only about $600Billion

ZaoHuZhua February 7, 2010 at 11:19 am

Now War is 54% congratulations Bush… Obama… McCain… Palin… Biden…???

jbuzzw February 7, 2010 at 11:49 am

@gtbiscool You can continue to believe that myth, but it has been well debunked long ago. I suggest “Regime Uncertainty: Why the Great Depression Lasted So Long and Why Prosperity Resumed After the War” and also “Depression, War and Cold War: Challenging the Myths of Conflict and Prosperity” by Robert Higgs. The key is understanding how the numbers were made to ‘look good’, hence the myth they created.

“War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or plague brings.” -Mises

gtbiscool February 7, 2010 at 12:32 pm

War does not destroy wealth: The Great Depression was finally ended because of World War 2. Without the total war effort that jump started industries and led to a massive new female workforce, with job skills the economy would still have been in a depression.

Rkmomenah February 7, 2010 at 1:27 pm

states pay for education. Fed pay for military dudes to go to school

pikmindoctor February 7, 2010 at 2:25 pm

Hi, does anyone know where I can get the citation for this?

Krahl123 February 7, 2010 at 2:50 pm

wait a minute… veterans get as much as the education system? wtf

jbuzzw February 7, 2010 at 3:17 pm

Enjoy your new Democrat sponsored income “surtax” to pay for Obama’s escalation of the three wars…

War destroys wealth. War destroys the wealth of the taxpayers, current and future, who pay for it, and it also destroys the wealth of those who are attacked.

bs2174 February 7, 2010 at 3:40 pm

I’m not opposed to taxes. Federal or State. I would like the FAIRTAX, do you know what that is or how it would work? I really don’t know how you could possibly come to the comclusion that your suggesting. Perhaps you meant for this comment to be directed towards MarkDouglasC.

FranklyMisterShankly February 7, 2010 at 4:25 pm

I suggest you move to Somalia or some other third world Hobbesian state-of-nature hellhole that has none of those pesky taxes that pay for the roads you drive on, the cops on your street, the protections for the food and medicines you consume or the education for yor children.

FranklyMisterShankly February 7, 2010 at 5:19 pm

A valid point, but does your NJ water convieniently arrive to your house via a faucet (which, in turn, is connected to a municipal water main and a reservoir constructed with state or federal funds) or do you bring it home on foot by the bucket? If it is the latter, you really do have a credible reason to complain…

jestertru February 7, 2010 at 6:10 pm

Housing means programs FHA, Freddie Mac (pre-crash anyway), subsidies for the construction industry, portions of Federal welfare that go to rent subsidies, etc.

Nutrition means FDA, Dept of Agg and Dept of Education programs involved in research and nutrition, plus welfare cheese, farm subsidies and research.

The big take home should be, however, how much interest on borrowed money and military/defense (which is non-productive – it earns nothing without use) swamps out all of these.

vxHamsterxv February 7, 2010 at 7:03 pm

The video said it was a over simplification. Come on! Go easy on it.

deeher10 February 7, 2010 at 7:58 pm

lol..

XxnEr0xXxMaNexX February 7, 2010 at 8:51 pm

well … dosn’t it ? :D

Rocketdogaffairs February 7, 2010 at 9:26 pm

Seriously!
What does “housing” mean?
What does “nutrition” mean? Like the american government spends a bunch of money on apples?
Sorry but this video is a bunch of crud.

SNathanNeedham February 7, 2010 at 10:09 pm

I am an accountant and I often see numbers I do not believe are accurate. I do not believe the numbers that were presented in the video. I am calling your bluff.

purplebeer22 February 7, 2010 at 11:08 pm

god your really snooty

pikmindoctor February 7, 2010 at 11:13 pm

Sorry I’ve just realised you put ” not you, your leaders” – sorry :)

pikmindoctor February 7, 2010 at 11:15 pm

I don’t think it’s fair to hate an entire country, and actually there’s a lot of things I like about America (some great TV shows, films and music for example). I’m a Brit, so I guess there’s a certain amount of hatred for things our country did in the past too.
However, I and many other Europeans feel that your right wing party is one of the most stupid and corrupt in the developed world, and the way that religion is used to win election campaigns is shocking.

flyffplaya February 8, 2010 at 12:10 am

yes, you people are hated by almost every country on the planet. they act nice infront of you but from insde we hate your politics, not you, your leaders

branemark February 8, 2010 at 1:00 am

3,6 education and 30 on military….
theres something REALLY wrong there…..

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