Extry, Extry: Haloed Millionaire Nurse to Pay Extra Taxes
The front page of The Post today had a story about how President Obama's new tax plan will increase taxes for some people -- as the subhead says, "Under Obama Plan, Some Entrepreneurs' Bills Would Soar." Here's how it starts...
I'm married to a nurse, and I know it's a hard a job where people, mostly women, give everything to make medical patients happy and healthy. They take care of the sick and the dying. Over the years nurses have been asked to do more as hospitals and other medical providers try to save a buck by cutting back on nursing staff. You take orders from doctors, mostly men, the pay isn't very good, it's tough and most nurses do it because they love it, they care about people.
This nurse, we find in the first paragraph, is even more golden-hearted than most. She has spent twenty years, we read in the first paragraph, building a business to take care of sick children so their "working parents can keep their jobs."
Next paragraph:
Do you get this? In the first paragraph we learn that she "doesn't think of herself as wealthy." In the second paragraph we find out the family brings in a half-million dollars a year. And this makes these wonderful people a "target" for the new tax policy.
Raise your hand if your family income is a half million a year or more. I don't know where the exact cut-offs are, but from recent surveys and discussions it seems that this nice nurse is in the upper one percent of the population. Maybe she doesn't think of herself as wealthy, but she is -- raise your hand if you think we need to feel sorry for rich people who think everybody makes a half million bucks a year.
In 2007 the median household income in the US was about $50,000, according to the Census Bureau. That means that half of Americans make less that that, half make more. This nice nurse's household makes ten times that much and they're whining because their taxes are going to go up, this article says, by $23,000 a year.
The subhead says that "Under Obama Plan, Some Entrepreneurs' Bills Would Soar." It appears that these people's income tax is going up about four percent, which does not seem to meet the criterion for "soaring." Tell me, does it appear that your utility bills have gone up four percent in the past year? Are your gas and electric twice as good as they were last year, or just twice as expensive? Why are we worrying about some millionaire nurse's income tax? Sheesh, people.
I wonder how much the reporters are making who wrote this. Here's what I really wonder. How is it that the richest citizens are able to entice hard-working people, who are barely getting by, into supporting them? The so-called "Republican base" is largely lower middle class white Americans whose taxes have stayed the same or gone down under the Democratic president. The factories and retail outlets where "the base" (it's interesting if you say it in Arabic) works are being shut down while gazillionaire executives continue to suck cash out of the system, but still "the base" supports them. Working people are worried sick over the taxes the very rich will have to pay, how did that happen?
What do you think inspired these reporters to write about this whining millionaire whose taxes are going to go up a little bit? What editor decided this was a story? How many readers are going to point to this over their morning coffee and say, see, it's just like that guy on Fox was saying, taxes are going up? It's amazing sometimes to watch these things happen.
Gail Johnson doesn't think of herself as wealthy. The former pediatric nurse has spent 20 years building a chain of preschools and after-school programs that accommodate sick children so working parents can keep their jobs. Small Businesses Brace for Tax Battle
I'm married to a nurse, and I know it's a hard a job where people, mostly women, give everything to make medical patients happy and healthy. They take care of the sick and the dying. Over the years nurses have been asked to do more as hospitals and other medical providers try to save a buck by cutting back on nursing staff. You take orders from doctors, mostly men, the pay isn't very good, it's tough and most nurses do it because they love it, they care about people.
This nurse, we find in the first paragraph, is even more golden-hearted than most. She has spent twenty years, we read in the first paragraph, building a business to take care of sick children so their "working parents can keep their jobs."
Next paragraph:
But, like most small-business owners, Johnson reports her profit on her personal tax return. In a typical year, she and her husband make more than $500,000, according to her accountant, a figure that throws them squarely into the ranks of the richest Americans -- and makes them a prime target for the Obama administration's tax policy.
Do you get this? In the first paragraph we learn that she "doesn't think of herself as wealthy." In the second paragraph we find out the family brings in a half-million dollars a year. And this makes these wonderful people a "target" for the new tax policy.
Raise your hand if your family income is a half million a year or more. I don't know where the exact cut-offs are, but from recent surveys and discussions it seems that this nice nurse is in the upper one percent of the population. Maybe she doesn't think of herself as wealthy, but she is -- raise your hand if you think we need to feel sorry for rich people who think everybody makes a half million bucks a year.
In 2007 the median household income in the US was about $50,000, according to the Census Bureau. That means that half of Americans make less that that, half make more. This nice nurse's household makes ten times that much and they're whining because their taxes are going to go up, this article says, by $23,000 a year.
The subhead says that "Under Obama Plan, Some Entrepreneurs' Bills Would Soar." It appears that these people's income tax is going up about four percent, which does not seem to meet the criterion for "soaring." Tell me, does it appear that your utility bills have gone up four percent in the past year? Are your gas and electric twice as good as they were last year, or just twice as expensive? Why are we worrying about some millionaire nurse's income tax? Sheesh, people.
I wonder how much the reporters are making who wrote this. Here's what I really wonder. How is it that the richest citizens are able to entice hard-working people, who are barely getting by, into supporting them? The so-called "Republican base" is largely lower middle class white Americans whose taxes have stayed the same or gone down under the Democratic president. The factories and retail outlets where "the base" (it's interesting if you say it in Arabic) works are being shut down while gazillionaire executives continue to suck cash out of the system, but still "the base" supports them. Working people are worried sick over the taxes the very rich will have to pay, how did that happen?
What do you think inspired these reporters to write about this whining millionaire whose taxes are going to go up a little bit? What editor decided this was a story? How many readers are going to point to this over their morning coffee and say, see, it's just like that guy on Fox was saying, taxes are going up? It's amazing sometimes to watch these things happen.
posted by JimK at 9:10 AM
13 Comments:
"In 2007 the median household income in the US was about $50,000, according to the Census Bureau. That means that half of Americans make less that that, half make more. This nice nurse's household makes ten times that much and they're whining because their taxes are going to go up, this article says, by $23,000 a year.
The subhead says that "Under Obama Plan, Some Entrepreneurs' Bills Would Soar." It appears that these people's income tax is going up about four percent, which does not seem to meet the criterion for "soaring." Tell me, does it appear that your utility bills have gone up four percent in the past year? Are your gas and electric twice as good as they were last year, or just twice as expensive? Why are we worrying about some millionaire nurse's income tax? Sheesh, people."
Jim, we're not a socialist country. We do have a progressive system of taxation already. She may make ten times as much as the average person but she is already paying far more than ten times as much tax. The money is business income and probably mostly plowed back into the business, producing jobs.
Her utilites bills wnet up just like everybody else's. She works as many hours as anyone else, probably more.
The American approach to inequity is not to bring down the rich, it's to make as many people as possible rich.
Go to France. They think like you there. Resentment and envy have produced a dying society.
Sales taxes, social security and medicare taxes, gas taxes, and all fees such as driver's license and license plate fees, inspection fees, and legal penalties such as parking fees and traffic tickets are all very regressive, in that they hit people at lower income levels at an exorbitantly greater portion of income and disposable cash, than they do wealthier people. Some of our tax system is progressive, but a large part of the way our governments (state local and federal) raise money are regressive.
Bottom line, Robert, is that the upper 10% of earners in the country are already paying for most of our bills.
Pushing it further just hurts the country as a whole.
This woman is doing well because she's found a way to be of service to her fellow citizens and they are acknowledging that by compensating her.
We need everyone seeking to find their own way to contribute rather than relying on transfering other people's money to themselves.
"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'"
thanks for citing scripture
it is important that Jesus made charity the responsibility of the individual, not the state
surveys show that conservatives and those who believe in limited government tend to contribute more to charitable causes than liberals, who tend the take the attitude that it's the government's problem
Conservatives are reported on average to contribute more to charity because they give to churches and deduct it on their taxes.
do you deduct your contributions, Robert?
or are you so patriotic that you don't claim your deductions?
or what?
I think charity is charity, and the government shouldn't fund mine. I don't deduct my charitable contributions.
That's idiotic.
You could have more money to give to charity if you did.
actually, rarely do I have enough deductions to justify itemizing.
The reality remains that the disparity between conservatives and liberals in terms of contributions to charity reflects overwhelming contribution to churches. Church is a fabulous thing, but I think a lot of churches go overboard with the physical plants and evangelism. I don't see so much how evangelism and fabulous houses of worship contribute to society.
rrjr
"Church is a fabulous thing, but I think a lot of churches go overboard with the physical plants and evangelism."
Actually, a lot of non-religious charities go overboard with the physical plants and conscience-raising.
You're simply biased.
Typical liberal wants to assuage their guilt by supporting higher taxes on someone else to transfer to lower-income people.
It's nice that they want disadvantaged people to be helped.
It would be nicer still if they were willing to make a contribution.
Yeah, liberals always have great ideas about what someone else should be doing.
Take gay Michael Jackson's advice and look at the man in the mirror!
Yeah, liberals always have great ideas about what someone else should be doing.
Take gay Michael Jackson's advice and look at the man in the mirror!Does anybody have any idea what this comment is supposed to mean?
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