If you're paying 60,000 in taxes, you must be a CEO of a bank or something.

Total. Tax. Liability.

I pay far more than I ever get back. I have never gotten back more than I have paid in. Furthermore, the deductions I get for having children do not even remotely cover the actual costs associated with raising, caring for & educating them.

What am I missing here?

Merc could you live on $350 a week? Consider trying to make rent, groceries, gas, utilities, insurance and whatnot on that amount. Now, take off the taxes are that ARE taken out of that check and try. I work with people who have to make hard choices about what gets paid or not. Life is really really hard at that level. A LOT of people are trying to struggle through at that level.

Without going into my personal circumstances too much...
I know I couldn't - I tried. Caring for a family of 5 on that is impossible. So I got a 2nd job and a third job and put myself through college so that I could independently provide better for my family. I did what was necessary to generate more money.
I received food stamps and using them made me sick every time - The stigma THAT I FELT taking a handout was a great motivating factor for me.

Another success story for government programs. My Mom did the same Classic. You may have felt bad for taking the handouts, but thank goodness they were there to help you over the hump of hard times.

You must not be doing your taxes right, then. A single parent with what, 2 or 3 deductions, will get more money back than paid in due to EIC and additional child tax credit.

To play debil's advocate (and I get so tired of saying this) I KNOW it costs money to raise children. I didn't get you, or your ex, pregnant. I didn't participate in the coitus, had nothing to do with YOUR sperm or HER egg, and wasn't even invited into the delivery room.

I assure you my TOTAL. TAX. LIABILITY. is not in the negative range. I've seen about 20 tax forms so far today. There was one single person, one married couple...the rest all made a profit on their taxes.

I think we should change the system to an "adopt a family" system. I'll just write my tax payment check out to a family of my choosing every year. I'd feel better.

Didn't have it for most of the time that was happening. Now my income is >.< that much over the limit.

Absolutely correct - That is Merc's point almost verbatim.

OK lets do it this way then - Will "those people" then get MORE of my hard earned money under Obama's plan? Fuck that - I worked for it I earned it - I WANT IT.

Pico - Yes I took the food stamps as they were the only thing I qualified for. I could have gotten a heck of a lot more if I CHOSE not to work. I actually grossed less by working more and moving toward being self reliant and independent. Many - too many choose not to do so.

Think about what kind of people walk through your door. You're not seeing a fair sampling of the overall tax returns out there. I think because you are seeing this every single day, multiple times a day, you are thinking it's a big problem. But your job is to see exactly this group of people. The people who don't make a lot, but who know to fill out forms to get what is being offered.

That's true, glatt, good point. But what she's saying does prove there is that class, or sub-class, of people out there. It's just a question of how big that class is.

Sure. But they aren't doing anything that they aren't supposed to be doing. If they weren't eligible for those benefits, the government wouldn't provide them. And I'd argue that they are the good ones, because they are actually seeing Shawnee so they can get an education and hopefully get out of the situation they are in.

Classic,

From all I've seen and heard McCain is promising 5 grand more to families.

Who do you think pays for that? Where is that funding going to come from? Oh, you're all welcome.

glatt--good point, but I don't just see poor people. I see many middle class, upper middle class as well. Those who know they won't be eligible for free money still need to go through the steps to get student loans. I don't see any millionaires, but I see an awful lot of upwards of 60 grand. I see upper middle class as well as poor.

ME! Therein lies the problem - no matter who gets elected, I am the one paying for their promises. As a hardworking and productive member of society, I get to pay for the promises these guys make.

Sorry if I don't believe you...

Yes, they are taking advantage of a program set up to help people in their situation, nothing wrong with that.
You're right about Shawnee seeing a disproportionate number of these cases, but it still leaves the question of how large a group this group really is... are they really a statistically significant group, or minor blip in tax filer population?

Yeah, if you're so hard working and productive, what the hell are you doing posting on the intarweb?:lol2: