St. Olaf wrote:You're welcome to your own estimates, but what I paid in for over forty years plus interest should take me a long ways, and I'll probably die having paid enough for the next generation to have a little to get them started.
As for you, are you trying to say that you're among that above $400,000 income crowd that will have to pay a whopping four percent more income tax now?

I've run the math on mine and I'd better live a long time
As for the 400K, nope. You don't need to earn anywhere near that to rack up my tax bill. Even if I did, that whopping 4%/16K is a years tuition at the U. I could put it to good (and probably more economically valuable/stimulative) use than the assorted government agencies I support.
St. Olaf wrote:Maybe we should just try the simple solutions first and if they don't work we can go for the more complicated ones.
Oh no......that would be too simple.
Keep in mind that we've been trying the complicated Republican "cut everything except defense and give huge tax breaks to the rich" since Reagan and all it got us is the Bush Recession.
At what point can you admit it failed?

You're countering points I did not make. To me, that's further evidence of the limited understanding. I'm no more a Republican fan-boy than the next guy in Minnesota. On the other hand, the Democrats are no better. Both are irresponsible. Based on visible and measurable outcomes, people in the US sure seem want more government than they say they are willing to pay for. Everybody is for cutting taxes and spending until their ox gets gored. Everybody wants "the rich" (who nobody seems to be wiling to clearly define by net worth or income) to pay their "fair" share. They pay a lot today. At some point, the house of cards will crash and we'll be forced to make honest choices on some real hard issues-
What is the role of the Federal, State, and local governments?
What do we "need" government to do at each level?
What do we "want" government to do at each level?
What level should be capable and responsible for what?
What (if anything) should each and any level of government spend on defense, education, social welfare, DNR, DMV, international aid, healthcare etc?
What is the best way to pay for those needs?
If we choose to have the wants, how do we pay for them?
I can hardly wait for that

. I don't think the answers to any of those questions are "simple". I think a lot of people confuse wants with needs, just like confusing wants with rights (like my 17 year old

). We'll see how it all turns out. I'm pretty sure the longer we listen to the foaming at the mouth idiots on the far left and right, the harder we will fall. I'm blessed because I get to move to Illinois next summer and have my income tax rate drop by a couple points and my property tax rate double
I'm out. Later. Word.