Thank you Tekla.
Yet no-where is there any indication that America was at any risk.
The US troops have been used as mercenaries. They have not been defending their country, as they have been frequently told. They have not been defending their freedom, since this is not at risk by any of these wars.
It is appreciated that Korea would be a very different place now if the intervention had not taken place and no-one would wish that on anyone. But was it America's responsibility?
I'm trying to point out to you that you've been used. Not to defend your homeland or yourselves, but to do other people's dirty work.
These sorts of videos and other events promote the notion of a powerful nation, kicking ass. Yet the reality is that Americans are dying. Americans are paying. And who takes the flack when things go wrong?
And this has come at a price to you. Not just in the enormous numbers of American lives cut short, not just in the huge numbers of decent young Americans driven to the point of insanity that they behave in ways that are completely out of character, but in personal monitory cost.
Was this the independance that your founding fathers dreamed of?
Below is a relative tax computation I did in 2007. It demonstrates that Amercians are paying more in taxes than Britons.
I've showed it to a large number of people and posted it several times in different parts of the net. No-one has ever found any fault with it.
I did this at a time when the dollar/pound exchange rate was 2$ - £1. Anyone who has ever done international travel will tell you that exchange rates don't reflect value. The real reflection of value is based upon relative buying power. Prices for goods varies by a number of factors, not least local availability. But the notional value, in terms of buying power of the pound compared to the dollar is about 2 to 1.
In the US, you all pay federal taxes. But state taxes vary enormously. Some states take most of their income from indirect taxes, others, mostly from direct. Moreover, some states have higher expenditures than others.
I chose New York because it's state taxes, in 2007, were about average for US states. Slightly under infact.
Also, New York has about the 3rd highest population density of US states.
I chose a single person. This is because tax allowances for people with children in the US are , generally more generous than in the UK. Also, this notional person has no aditional deductions to make against tax. Again, this was done to avoid complicaions based upon local proirities.
Quote
Example of a tax computation
Income tax:
$40,000 (adjusted gross income)
$7,550 × 0.10 = $755
($30,650 - $7,550) × 0.15 = $3,465
($40,000 - $30,650) × 0.25 = $2,337.50
Total income tax = $6,557.50 (16.39% of income)
Note that in addition to income tax, a wage earner would also have to pay FICA (payroll) tax (and an equal amount of FICA tax must be paid by the employer):
$40,000 (adjusted gross income)
$40,000 × 0.062 = $2,480 (Social Security portion)
$40,000 × 0.0145 = $580 (Medicare portion)
Total FICA tax = $3,060 (7.65% of income)
Total federal tax of individual = $9,617.50 (24.04% of income)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_tax_levels
New York 6.02%
US
Example of a tax computation for single person, no dependants, living in New York earning $40,000
Total income tax = (16.39% of income)
Note that in addition to income tax, a wage earner would also have to pay FICA (payroll) tax (and an equal amount of FICA tax must be paid by the employer):
Total FICA tax = (7.65% of income)
Total federal tax of individual = (24.04% of income)
All states impose their own state taxes which are in addition to federal taxes. These vary between states but New York is about average at 6.02%.
State taxes range from 2.34% to 10.66%. The US average is 5.71. New York is 6.02%
Total tax bill for single person, no dependants, living in New York earning $40,000 x 30.06% = $12024
Americans pay income tax on every dollar they earn so the total tax bill will be 30.06% of $40,000
UK
Single person, no dependants earning £20,000.
Income Tax 22%
National Insurance 11% (12.8% is paid by employers).
Total tax 33%
In the UK every tax payer has a personal allowance before tax is payable. For a single person with no dependants this currently stands at £5225. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm
So, taxable pay will be £14,775 x 33% = £4875.75
4875.75 / 20,000 = 24%
The UK tax payer pays 24% of his total pay in tax as opposed to the US tax payer who pays 30.06%
