Are these taxes really necessary?

Subject: What is a billion?





What is a 'billion'?


Now here's a reality check!





This is too true to be very funny





The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money





A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases














A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.














B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.














C.


A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age











D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

















E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.














While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans.


It is amazing what you can learn with some simple division











Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.


Interesting number, what does it mean?











A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.














B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.














C.


or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012











Washington, D.C. HELLO! ... Are all your calculators broken?





Tax his land,





Tax his wage,





Tax his bed in which he lays.








Tax his tractor,





Tax his mule,





Teach him taxes are the rule.








Tax his cow,





Tax his goat,





Tax his pants,





Tax his coat.








Tax his ties,





Tax his shirts,





Tax his work,





Tax his dirt.








Tax his tobacco,





Tax his drink,





Tax him if he tries to think.








Tax his booze,





Tax his beers,





If he cries,





Tax his tears.








Tax his bills,





Tax his gas,





Tax his notes,





Tax his cash.








Tax him good and let him know





That after taxes, he has no dough.








If he hollers,





Tax him more,





Tax him until he's good and sore.








Tax his coffin,





Tax his grave,





Tax the sod in which he lays.








Put these words upon his tomb,





'Taxes drove me to my doom!'





And when he's gone,





We won't relax,





We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!





Accounts Receivable Tax





Building Permit Tax





CDL License Tax





Cigarette Tax





Corporate Income Tax





Dog License Tax





Federal Income Tax





Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)





Fishing License Tax





Food License Tax





Fuel Permit Tax





Gasoline Tax





Hunting License Tax





Inheritance Tax





Inventory Tax





IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),





IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),





Liquor Tax,





Luxury Tax,





Marriage License Tax,





Medicare Tax,





Property Tax,





Real Estate Tax,





Service charge taxes,





Social Security Tax,





Road Usage Tax (Truckers),





Sales Taxes,





Recreational Vehicle Tax,





School Tax,





State Income Tax,





State Unemployment Tax(SUTA),





Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone St ate and Local Tax,Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax











STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?





Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,





and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.








We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.














What happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'











And I still have to 'press 1' for English

Are these taxes really necessary?
"Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, "





Actually at least half of those taxes, excluding the ones that are not taxes and the ones you listed more than once under different names, existed 100 years ago. That list hasn't changed in 20 years, despite the subsequent repeal of some of the taxes listed. The telephone excise tax, for example, was first imposed in 1898 and repealed in 2006.





When someone cuts and pastes this list two years from now, I have no doubt they will still list the corporate income tax, that turns 100 next year, as a tax that did not exist 100 years ago.
Reply:Above answer answered it all.
Reply:This is probably the worst question that I have ever seen on Yahoo answers. The asker of this question has too much time on his or her hands.
Reply:You really are clueless.
Reply:Perhaps not, but what is the alternative? Do you send your kids to a public school? Do you drive on roads that are paid for by a public authority? Do you think that we can do without a military to protect our freedoms?


Should we abandon the vital services that our various government agencies provide us with?
Reply:If by "necessary," you mean, "Is it possible to imagine a relatively functional political system without these exact tax laws," then the answer is certainly "YES!"





Lots of those taxes are probably really bad ideas. Maybe there's a much better way to do things. Maybe we shouldn't have taxes at all--maybe we should find other ways to pay for things. Great! I can't wait to hear your ideas.





By the way, a lot of the laws you identify as "taxes" aren't even taxes. They are licensing fees--a payment in return for the right to do something. If you get something for your money that you didn't have before you paid the money, you're not paying a tax. You're just choosing to buy a right, and that's all. Governments aren't the only ones who sell licenses.





As to the New Orleans problem: First of all, you're point to a piece of PROPOSED legislation as if it were law. Just because one member of Congress suggests spending a huge amount of money for something, it doesn't follow that Congress will approve it. It's far more likely that in the end, far, far less money (if any) will be approved.





And consider this. $500,000 per person may seem like a lot of money if the person were to receive it in cash. But when you consider all the roads you drive on every day, the buildings you enter and leave every day, the city services you receive directly or indirectly every day (the cops, for example), it wouldn't surprise me at all if there were millions of dollars worth of infrastructure supporting every citizen of this country--including you. All that infrastructure got put in place somehow--with tax money.





The system might be a mess. But all of those taxes were put in place by legislators that we could vote out of office if we wanted to. If the system is a mess, who is to blame? Politicians? All politicians became politicians because people like you and me voted them into office. We should blame ourselves.