How much did your paycheck go up from Trump's tax plan?

[BigDH01]

I would argue the opposite...that we have too much stewardship. The US falls behind against other countries when we take into account how much of our education money is actually spent on teaching. A huge amount of that money goes to administration, oversight, and regulation. From one fork our our tongue, we say our teachers are talented, underpaid, heroes who work miracles for our children (which I think is mostly true). From the other, we tell them that they need 7 layers of administration above them and federal oversight because they are not smart or capable enough to teach. I'd like to put more money into paying teachers more and hiring more teachers and less into paying extravagant salaries to administrators and regulators who will never teach a child.

Then it's a problem with policymaking. For some reason, we spend more in the US and get less. Before shoveling more money into that pit, I'd like to fix what we've got.

 

[BigDH01]

No, I think there's a lack of funding. Teachers spend their own money on school supplies, so clearly that salary ain't going that far,

I've spent money on premium peripherals for work, guess I'm underpaid.

plus their work is exponentially harder than that of the average $60k job. Have you ever worked with kids? 20-30 of 'em? If so, then you know what I'm talking about.

I haven't but my wife has. Instead of saying it was the hardest job ever, she got great enjoyment out of working with kids. It's why she taught in the first place. If you ask her, it was her summers working at a gas station that was hard and she made way less.

You see, it's tough to put normative values on careers like that. There are lots of things I wouldn't do for less than 60k, but people do them all the time. I wouldn't want to clean sewers or be a line cook. Both of those professions make far less than the median teacher and one of them is absolutely vital to modern society in the prevention of disease. How do I determine which should make more?

And how do you reach your conclusion about stewardship? If we're talking about DeVos, then I'm ready to agree.

Easy, we spend more and get less than most other developed nations. Whether it's admin, governments, what have you, we should first determine why this failure exists before throwing more money at the problem.

 

[BigDH01]

That piece is a bit misleading wrt public schools.

http://www.politifact.com/florida/s...nited-states-spend-more-student-most-countri/

Or you can just look at the OECD data: https://data.oecd.org/eduresource/education-spending.htm

Foundations generally give scholarships to private school students. It also doesn't account for the differences between rich & poor public school districts, either.

That's a question of policy, not funding.

I figure public schools would improve in a hurry if private schools were outlawed... which won't happen, obviously.

Yeah, I'm sure all things would be better if the government just eliminated all competition.

 

[Jhhnn]

http://www.politifact.com/florida/s...nited-states-spend-more-student-most-countri/

Or you can just look at the OECD data: https://data.oecd.org/eduresource/education-spending.htm



That's a question of policy, not funding.



Yeah, I'm sure all things would be better if the government just eliminated all competition.

None of that counters what I offered at all. It's a lot more complex than simple averaging-

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/colorado-school-funding-lags-despite-booming-economy

Which is all just diversion from discussion of the Repubs' tax giveaway to America's wealthiest.

 

[BigDH01]

None of that counters what I offered at all. It's a lot more complex than simple averaging-

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/colorado-school-funding-lags-despite-booming-economy

Colorado spends roughly $9900 per student. That's still ~$600 more than the average OECD country. If you don't like how the money is collected/distributed, then let's have that discussion. But don't pretend there isn't enough money.

Which is all just diversion from discussion of the Repubs' tax giveaway to America's wealthiest.

Sure, but again, don't pretend like this tax cut is the reason why Colorado only spends 6% more than OECD average per-student on education.

 

[Jhhnn]

Colorado spends roughly $9900 per student. That's still ~$600 more than the average OECD country. If you don't like how the money is collected/distributed, then let's have that discussion. But don't pretend there isn't enough money.



Sure, but again, don't pretend like this tax cut is the reason why Colorado only spends 6% more than OECD average per-student on education.

And don't keep pretending that you're somehow on topic.

 

[fskimospy]

Colorado spends roughly $9900 per student. That's still ~$600 more than the average OECD country. If you don't like how the money is collected/distributed, then let's have that discussion. But don't pretend there isn't enough money.

Sure, but again, don't pretend like this tax cut is the reason why Colorado only spends 6% more than OECD average per-student on education.

This is a common misconception as US schools are also often used for substantially different purposes than their OECD counterparts. Our schools are social welfare centers where food, medical care, social work, and mental health services are dispensed. This is usually handled quite differently in other countries. For example schools in New York are kept open during the summer so they can continue to dispense food to the poor.

This is why you have to be super careful when comparing per-pupil spending.

 

[mect]

Median individual with masters: 52k
Median household with masters: 78k

A household with two median high school teachers salary would be killing it.

Where are you getting your numbers? I'm seeing 56k for median individual with a bachelors, and 68k with a Masters. And that's from 2015.

https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/should-i-get-a-masters-degree.htm

 

[MtnMan]

About the same as when your credit card is maxed out, and the bank raises your credit limit. It makes you feel richer, but will come to bite you in the ass big time down the road.

 

[ivwshane]

About the same as when your credit card is maxed out, and the bank raises your credit limit. It makes you feel richer, but will come to bite you in the ass big time down the road.

I had a friend when I was younger who got his first credit card and maxed it out right away and when I asked him why he did that he looked at me and said, "its free money'".

 

[piasabird]

On the chart is says for 2 categories
1. Social security, Unemployment, Labor.
2. Medicare and Health.

It seems like Social security and Unemployment are completely unrelated.
What exactly is Health?

Since these two categories cost the most this is where the government needs to cut. I dont hate people but there are limits to how much money the USA Government can give away. I am thinking there are some hidden categories in Social Security like Disability. Then how much are we paying for Refugees and DACA?

 

[Jhhnn]

I dont hate people but there are limits to how much money the USA Government can give away.

Not when it comes to GOP tax cuts to the wealthy. They'll borrow the money to do it.

 

[piasabird]

Military is not the largest budget area according to the chart. However, there are also budget items and liabilities and unfunded items we should probably worry about. I know there are items that are considered Off-Budget. The other side of the issue in Revenue. A lot of that comes from income tax and corporate tax. Is that increasing somehow? For instance when companies bring money from outside of the country, they have to pay a tax on that or report it as income.

 

[piasabird]

One thing I always look at is mission creep. It seems like we are spending an awful lot of money deploying aircraft carrier groups. We even sent them out to help after the hurricanes. USA tends to get carried away in the middle east and other areas because EU is too chicken to get involved in their own security.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Yes, this would be an example of how the government can create policies that affect behavior and help move the country in a particular direction and if trump, the guy who thinks global warming is a Chinese hoax, who pulled out of the Paris climate accord because we set our own goals, the guy who wants to bring back coal, the guy who wants to remove two to one EPA restrictions, the guy who is bringing back off shore oil drilling, were doing it to make people go green it would be laughable at best and at worst just another way to fuck over the little guy, which is exactly the point. Trumps policies don't help America and they don't help your average American.

I appreciate the attempted spin, I even liked your post!

But what is the bottom line? That a higher gas tax could push people towards greener options. The liberals should be cheering just about anything within reason that helps in that direction, but you are more concerned with how it is sold to you. It's like you're more anti-Trump than you're for your principals, political agenda first.

Thanks for the like, they're very important to me.

 

[ivwshane]

But what is the bottom line? That a higher gas tax could push people towards greener options. The liberals should be cheering just about anything within reason that helps in that direction, but you are more concerned with how it is sold to you. It's like you're more anti-Trump than you're for your principals, political agenda first.

Thanks for the like, they're very important to me.

I personally like comprehensive and well thought out policies that work in tandem with other policies as opposed to contradicting them. Then again I like a government that actually works.

 

[Ackmed]

Pretty sure they said to wait till mid Feb to be sure.

 

[Jhhnn]

But what is the bottom line? That a higher gas tax could push people towards greener options. The liberals should be cheering just about anything within reason that helps in that direction, but you are more concerned with how it is sold to you. It's like you're more anti-Trump than you're for your principals, political agenda first.

Thanks for the like, they're very important to me.

So we should cheer Trump for the unintended consequences of his policy even though they run counter to that in every other respect?

 

[ivwshane]

So we should cheer Trump for the unintended consequences of his policy even though they run counter to that in every other respect?

Yeah, pretty much.

 

[SlowSpyder]

So we should cheer Trump for the unintended consequences of his policy even though they run counter to that in every other respect?

I'm not saying cheer Trump, but acting like a gas tax is an evil attack on the lower classes being pushed forward from evil Trump is a bit much, if anything that is a policy you should have no issue with, even be for it. But your Trump hatred blinds you from your own principals.

 

[vi edit]

Looks like about $70 a paycheck. But my retirement account is down about $50,000 in the last few days. So I have that going for me.

 

[jackstar7]

I'm not saying cheer Trump, but acting like a gas tax is an evil attack on the lower classes being pushed forward from evil Trump is a bit much, if anything that is a policy you should have no issue with, even be for it. But your Trump hatred blinds you from your own principals.

Context always matters.

Surely some of the 1.5T in tax cuts could have been spent so that a gas tax wouldn't be needed to cover that spending.

Taking from the poor over and over and over is oligarch bullshit. We have enough of that before Trumpus came in and decided to heap more incompetence onto the pyre.

 

[Bitek]

Bump in time for tax day.

My tax preparer ran a simulation for 2018 under new law based on 2017 actuals. Post your real benefits if you know them.

Overall tax cut is 1% BUT only due to the child tax credits.

Without those my taxes will eventually increase about 1%+ due to SALT limits on deductions.

Obviously those are time bound, so making the middle class portion permanent does not make a net cut.

Also, my mortgage loan and taxes are lower than avg in my area (scored a great deal during downturn and historically low interest rate) so many of my neighbors will get Fd harder.

Lastly, I'm not having enough taken out right now, so be careful with what you think you are getting. Many may end up with a shock next April.

 

[Bitek]

TLDR: FU GOP. How did you manage to pass a tax "cut" bill that blows up the deficit and raises taxes on middle class homes.

If Ds are smart (..... god help us) they will go to war over the SALT provisions and inequality of the benefits.

 

[Commodus]

TLDR: FU GOP. How did you manage to pass a tax "cut" bill that blows up the deficit and raises taxes on middle class homes.

If Ds are smart (..... god help us) they will go to war over the SALT provisions and inequality of the benefits.

Because, of course, the goal was never to lower taxes for the middle- and lower-classes. It was always about lowering taxes for the wealthy and corporations. The horrible part is that the Republicans were deceptive about it -- they created the illusion of a break for middle/lower income households to distract from the actual goal.