New report shows Americans earning less

To Ron Tew, boy am I glad I didn't do business with your bank. If you read the article carefully, you will see that it doesn't say that $55,238 is 1% of $55,714. It says that the first figure is 1% "less" than the second. 1% of $55,714 is equal to $557.14. The actual difference is $476. That equates to a difference of .85% or "approximately" 1%. As a "long time banker one would expect that you would be able to make these calculations, or at a minimum read the article correctly. To Lee Lucero, as a beginning teacher I have made less $40,000 for a few years. Although I certainly pay more in taxes now that my income has risen above that point, I certainly paid taxes then.

Let's just sum this up real simple like:
The rich get richer,
and the poor, get poorer.
People making under $40K pay no taxes. Really? Humm, I must not be looking at last years' Federal tax return correctly....
Clinton? Bush? The U.S Congress? They're all politicians, so what do you expect. They'll say and do anything to get elected, then do what they damn well please when they get to Washington.
Wake up folks. Cut through the political spin and all the B/S. Are you better off now than you were four, six or eight years ago?

Lee;Nice comments..I have been a republican for years..but George Bush Jr. and his leadership have changed all that..

I like how you guys told me to try to "live on $900". I used to until we went to school and opened up a business. My husband is 23 years old and he opened up his own business. He works 90-100 hours a week so that he can make the $70,000 a year. In this life you make what you put in. I do agree that some people have it very tough but you can make it through anything with a little brains and the ambition to succeed. My husband was paying rent in his own house at 16 years old. He has it very tough and look where he is now. For the government to take money from me to give to people that make less is crazy. Anyone could make any amount of money they want. It makes me wonder why people put in the effort when the government is going to make us feel as if we only make only $40,000 a year.

I do not need to look at any statistics... All I need to do is pay attention to each and every person we know... EVERYONE is struggling in a way I have never seen as an adult. This is NOT just one age bracket, it is all, from just out of school (high school or college) to Senior citizens. Our country needs some drastic changes as quick as possible. I am basically a Democrat, but not a liberal. I vote for whom I believe is more honest and knowledgeable. We are average middle income. We are thankful for all the wonderful benefits in our United States of America. It is good to care and do for those in other countries, but shouldn't we be taking care of our own first?

Only someone making over $40k would think that those of us who aren't don't pay taxes. I wish my paychecks reflected that nonsense. I work part time (can't find a full time job and I've been busting a hump for a year and half looking), and lose 20% to taxes. I have 3 independent contract jobs to supplement and as a 1099 reporter, earning less than $14,00 from those jobs, I pay taxes on that income too.
My rent has risen more than $400 a month since 2000, utilities gone up 25%, gas prices are higher here than anywhere in the nation and consistently higher than $3 a gallon. I can't afford health care and haven't seen a doctor or a dentist in 2 years. I have executive level experience of more than 25 years, I work hard and I'm scraping, just scraping by.

Some people just don't have a clue what this administration has done to most of the population in this country. I don't mind paying taxes for roads, schools, to help some seniors and really indigent, but I do resent my hard earned tax dollars pouring into a hole in the sand called Iraq and that bogus war!

What people fail to realize is that salaries are a joke compared to the cost of living. Salaries don't go up half as much as the cost of living does. Gas, food, clothes, ect.... Years ago television was free - now we have to pay for it, amongst other modern conveniences. The cost to go to a movie and buy petty popcorn and a soda is ridiculous...forget fine dining and vacations - And yes, with both parents working and even combining salaries, money for a college education for kids, plus being able to save for retirement is even more insane. Has anyone taken a good look at their social security statement? How the heck can anyone retire and live off of that? Least we not forget Healthcare and concerns for what it won't cover for you even though you have to kill yourself working and pay through the nose to get it. Oh yes, but then again they say we are one of the richest countries in the world, thats funny - because it sure as hell doesn't feel like it.

From what I am reading in everyones comments..its time as citizens to unify and DEMAND that something be done to the Internal Revenue Code..did you know,there are over 9 million words in the IRC..its time has come to abolish the IRS and go to the flat tax..that way everyone pays...Fairly and equally

missy...thanks for clarifying the math for ron..you beat me to it.

Wow, Lee, you are so wrong - people who make less than 40,000 pay a large part of all taxes paid. That is half the population, Lee. By the way, I want to congratulate you on your appointment to be Bush's tax advisor; now we know where he gets all his "slam dunk" economic intelligence.

It galls me when you speak of this as receiving something from the tax cuts. It's not the governments money, it is our money. So, the rich pay less taxes now than before. They still pay a lot more than the poorer of us.

It is the amount of money that the government is taking from us, not something they are giving us.

It seems to be a notion that people who think we must be dependent upon the government can't grasp!

Tax cuts are not a gift of the govenment, but the acceptance of a smaller gift from us.

I, as well as hundreds of thousands of others, make less than 35k a year. I am on a salary as a manager. For that privledge...I get to work 50 to 60 hours a week and am paid for 40. We get no bounuses, incentives, rewards or anything else. Our maximum raise per year is 3%. I work for an assisted living facility that houses and takes care of the elderly. Most of my staff makes between 7.50 and 10.00 an hour and they bust their butts to get that. Believe me...we all pay taxes. Most of our staff works two and sometimes three jobs just to make ends meet.

I also live in South Florida. We are still waiting for help from being slamed by 4 and 5 hurricanes in a row. The insurance companies try to tell us that the damages from the storms are due to "wear and tear" and we are still waiting for help from FEMA. I find it amazing that there is no money from the government to help "We the People" but there seems to be an endless amount to spend on helping other countries.

It seems to me that we were the ones that "hired" the members of our governments, local, state and national, by voting them into office. Perhaps we need to look at it in that light. Those in office seem to forget that they essentially work for us and not the other way around. We as taxpayers pay their salaries. If they cannot do their job, maybe they should be replaced by someone who can and quickly. That goes for the Senate, Congress and the President as well. They should be given deadlines to accomplish tasks and should be held fully accountable for their spending and it should all be made public right down to the last penny.

As far as gas prices go? In interviews with the CEO's of various different oil companies, their answer to their extreme profits is that they need that to do research on fuel alternatives. If you really believe that, then I know of some swamp land for sale. I have been driving a vehicle for 40 years and know for a fact that I was buying gasahol back in the 60's. What happen to the knowledge and technology they already had back then?

Let's face it...Most of the problems we have today are our own fault for not standing up and saying one simple phrase..."No More". Instead, we simply gripe and moan and end up going along with the bull.

Perhaps it's time for the Indians to take back the fort from the Calvary. In other words.. "We the People need to take back our country and start forcing those in office to get past all the useless, time wasting committee meetings and do the job they were put in office to do. We placed them in office to look out for OUR best interest. Not the best interest of some foreign country.

If Iraq needs to have a Civil War...then we need to get out and let it happen. It seems to me that we had to have one to start changing things here too.

We need to surround the outskirts so it doesn't spread elsewhere, but not be in the middle of it. Those that are left when the dust clears will probably be willing to finally figure out how to live in peace with each other. They also need to be given jobs to rebuild their own country. At least that would give them something else to occupy their time instead of killing each other, and us. And for god sake take away their damn wepons. It seems to me that that should have been the first step to begin with five years ago. Seems like a no brainer to me. Must we always work ass backwards?

There is a lot we could do to change things for the better and yet we sit back and do nothing at all but gripe. There are far many more people in this country that could be running things far better, but are never given the chance because they don't have to money to get into office. That's extremely sad to begin with. If we could find a way to allow someone who wasn't quite so rich and out of touch with the real people of this country and their problems, we would probably have candidates who were worth voting for.

Wake up America. We are the only ones who can actually make a change for the better.

I don't understand why some people think that if you make under $40,000 a year you don't have to pay taxes. Please, by all means enlighten me, show me what IRS rule says people who make under $40,000 a year do not have to pay taxes and I will stop filing. My daughter, going to college full time, plays college basketball, and who is working part time made $2000 last year and she ended up filing her taxes and paying.

I'm not saying the article is absolutely correct, but it isn't entirely wrong either.

As far as I'm concerned the entire IRS needs to be abolished. It's unconstitutional and not what our forefathers had intended!

Ron Paul has the right idea!

When are we going to stop blaming everyone else for our financial situation. As consumers, we as a whole spend more then we make, eventually it is going to catch up. We all can't have the huge new home, 2 car payments, boats, expensive vacations, and spend endlessly on electronic gadgets and games. Learn to live with in your means!

everyone wanting to ABOLISH the IRS please e-mail now...

Lee Lucero:

1. "people who make under $40,000 per year pay no income taxes at all."

Prove it.

2. "The upper 10% of all taxpayers pay almost 100% of all taxes."

Prove it.

3. "Also, incomes have risen every year in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006."

Prove it.

Mark #79 you make a great point. The flat tax makes more sense than income tax. One of the issues holding our leaders back from supporting this is the fact that it would actually take more personal responsiblilty for this tax to work for everyone. Sure...we would have have much more take-home-pay which would allow us to pay a 30% tax on cars, homes, etc. But 30% on large purchases amounts to a huge amount of money. And sadly, for many spoiled Americans they would just spend more on frivalous things and then whine about not being able to afford a home or car because of the tax.

I am now retired thanks to Bush and congress; and bill clinton, by signing NAFTA into law. My company was bought by a Mexican company and all the product is made in Mexico and shipped back here for the American consumer. Now my family lives on less than $40,000.00 per year; but continue to pay my taxes every year, and a big percentage it is. I am not a Democrat; but now will not vote Republican either. George Bush has sworn me off them. This year I will vote for an Indepentant, whoever they may be.

I make under $40,000 a year and pay lots in taxes out of my paycheck plus have to pay more in April. I have gone up $15,000 in my salary since 2004 after I graduated college.... but only because I changed jobs 5 times in those 4 years. It's the only way I ever see myself getting more money is jumping from job to job, which is hard to find an open job nowadays. As far as the whole job ordeal I believe that America needs to stop being so cheap and bring back jobs that have gone overseas. I lost a graphic design job to outsourcing to a company in India... a graphic design job outsourced to India... who would have thought? They said they were saving millions, but the product was not up to American standards and the company then lost lots of big name clients. Soon there will be no jobs in America. We are basically at the mercy of our bosses and they know it, which means they know they can lower our salary and we will stay because there are no other jobs. I want to know what happened to the days when employers were begging for people to work for them?

I graduated college 4 years ago and now the only people who can go to college where I went are the very wealthy or the very poor. When it is ithe middle class that upholds this country.

I do believe this article is misleading and an attempt to bash Bush. My husband spent a year tour over there in the smallest base they had in Iraq, he said they made lots of progress... things they don't show on real TV and that if we weren't over there, then the Iraqies would be over here. How would you like 9/11 events to happen everyday?

As far as illegals... I live in TX and we have them stand out on street corners and wait for people to pick them up to take them to work, work that they don't pay taxes on but are paid under the table... then they are living off my taxes to pay for there welfare and medicaide and what are they doing for our economy... taking our jobs, our money and places to live.

lee lucero, i would like to know what country you live in,which pays no income taxes for a salery under $40,000. i have paid taxes all my working life, and i will tell you , the older you are the harder it becomes. i think the gov't must owe me a lot of back taxes for all the years i made $40,000 or less, and has to pay out my ass!