Reply #9: I e-mailed Barbara Boxer...again.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

I've sent a brief e-mail to her every time someone from the Bush camp has tried to resurrect this travesty.

Seriously, folks...the Social Security scheme is NOTHING compared to this one.

RENT will be taxed.

DOCTOR and DENTAL visits will be taxed.

BUSH'S BASE will have FAR MORE left in their bank account than YOU after you are both finished "consuming" for the year.

John Linder (R-GA) came up with the original proposal, and it has the backing of Dennis Hastert, who promoted Linder immediately after the 2004 election so that he would be in a more advantageous position for pushing this through.

Every economist who's looked at Linder's "math" (23% added to local state taxes) has said it WILL NOT WORK. A more realistic number is 40-50%.

So here's my example, once again: in Silicon Valley, where I live, I pay 8.25 sales tax. Add 50% to that, and your tax...on ALL GOODS AND SERVICES...becomes 58.25%.

SO...if you pay $1200 / mo. rent, your NEW rent will be $1899 / mo.

If you are UNEMPLOYED, and living off of your NEST EGG, and that nest egg is made up of money you EARNED and deposited in your bank AFTER you paid income taxes on it, Bush will have the right to "DOUBLE-DIP."

That means that if you paid 33% income tax on it when you EARNED it, when you SPEND it you will pay an ADDITIONAL 58%, which means...

...sit down, kids...

YOU WILL ULTIMATELY PAY 91.25 CENTS TAX ON EVERY DOLLAR IN THAT "NEST EGG."

Under the current model you would pay the initial 33% income tax plus 8.25% when you spend it, for a total of 41.25%.

Extracting an additional 50 cents on the dollar from hard-working Americans isn't "simplifying the tax code"...it's HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

Start calling. Start e-mailing. Or sit still and wait for this little proposal to stick its boot straight up your ass.