Show These Charts To Anyone Who Thinks Debt, Spending, And Taxes Are At All Time Highs

[hfojvt]

5. I object to the charts in a coupl of ways

first, the business of looking at total revenue as a percent of GDP - first, because that combines FICA and income taxes. Second because it hides huge tax cuts. Take a change from 19% of GDP in 1981 down to 17% of GDP in 1983. My mind says that 19% vs. 17% is not that big a deal. But two percent of $3 trillion is a large chunk of money - $60 billion.

But combining revenues allows cuts in income taxes to be offset by increases in payroll taxes, just like Governor Brownback of Kansas is offsetting his income taxes for the rich by increasing sales taxes on the poor and working class. Total revenue may not be changing much, but the burden is shifting.

Same with the "average income tax rate". If you look at that over decades, well the total average rate is going to be impacted by the increasing share of income going to the top which has been happening over the last 30 years. In 1986 the bottom 50% collectively made more than the top 1%. By 2006, after 25 years of Reaganomics, that was no longer the case.

It's just better not to lump all these things together.