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Monday Thoughts - Space and Taxes
Apr. 19th, 2010 10:19 amI had a chance to read Obama's tax day speech on NASA's space program. As anticipated, he is emphasizing private enterprise to reduce costs and increase capabilities in space. The quote I like most? Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite. And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity's reach in space -- we will strengthen America's leadership here on Earth.
This is a critical transition from exploring space to living in space.
Obama made his speech on April 15 - tax day. As he did, various Tea Partiers congregated and complained about taxes. One of the big complaints was that "47% of Americans don't pay taxes." As is typical, the Tea Partiers got the facts wrong. 47% of Americans don't pay income tax. But they all pay social security, medicare and payroll tax. The non-partisan group Citizens for Tax Justice (pdf file) provided a useful summary of effective taxes and tax rates as a percentage of income. The charts below are the most informative:
This is a critical transition from exploring space to living in space.
Obama made his speech on April 15 - tax day. As he did, various Tea Partiers congregated and complained about taxes. One of the big complaints was that "47% of Americans don't pay taxes." As is typical, the Tea Partiers got the facts wrong. 47% of Americans don't pay income tax. But they all pay social security, medicare and payroll tax. The non-partisan group Citizens for Tax Justice (pdf file) provided a useful summary of effective taxes and tax rates as a percentage of income. The charts below are the most informative:
