Many readers are pushing back against this one:
That email made my blood boil. It amazes me how people can complain that they made too much money, and blame their lack of planning (and budgeting) on the government. While it does sound like his niece is gaming the system, and that’s unfortunate, it seems unrelated to his issues. But the implication that his tax burden was over $160,000 was really what pushed me over the edge. It seems to me like either he didn’t have nearly that much saved, and therefore couldn’t afford the surrogacy in the first place, or he’s making enough money to be paying that much in taxes, in which case he has no place complaining. What happened to personal responsibility? Or does that only apply to poor people?
Another:
I have a few friends and co-workers who for whatever reason equate bad welfare programs with the Democratic party and seem almost reflexively to believe that somehow being a Republican will miraculously solve the problems. They come up with some stupid anecdotal situation and presto, the government takes my money and gives it to those less deserving. The overall effectiveness of a system can’t be quantified by knowing someone who benefits more than an individual believes they should. And while the Democrats could do a lot better, the Republican party has shown zero ability or inclination to govern or work on the actual issues.
Another notes:
Your angry gay potential Republican misses a very important point: if DOMA were not the law of the land and he were married to his partner, then under federal law his taxes would be much lower. And it’s the GOP that is fighting that.
Another argues that social programs are not the reason for the gay reader’s high taxes:
With arguments like “I’m angry because my huge tax bill is going to pay for this type of stuff, when actually I really need the money,” this reader may not vote Republican, but he sure thinks like one. Apparently your reader hasn’t been paying much attention to politics, as the programs he thinks his “huge tax bill” is paying for have been cut over and over again in the last few years. His tax bill has gone up to pay for debt reduction, because our government has decided that is the highest priority for our nation (even the increase on taxes for incomes over $400K wasn’t used to pay for any new spending, only debt reduction). It’s likely that the reason he underestimated how large it would be (which is his own fault) is because of the bipartisan agreement at the end of 2012 to allow the 2% payroll tax cut to expire, which was done strictly for debt reduction purposes, not to pay for any social programs for single mothers. Oh and those programs? They are actually helping to feed his niece’s children, which I think he would agree is a good thing.
Another offers advice for those with high tax bills:
I was hoping you could pass on this link. While I can’t say if he might qualify, the IRS has a number of programs available for those having trouble paying their taxes in full. And you don’t even have to pay that CPA in a cheap suit on the late night ads!
Despite their reputation in popular culture, the IRS is one of the most incredible groups of individuals I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Any organization of 100,000 mostly underpaid and overworked employees is bound to have some bad apples. But overwhelmingly it is made up of dedicated middle-class workers who go to extraordinary lengths to help taxpayers navigate – amidst a sea of fear, misinformation and outright criminals – their largest and most complicated financial transaction every year.
The last thing I’ll say is that if your reader and his partner really want to add another child, there are tons of children in the adoption system that would be overjoyed to join their family. There’s even a big tax credit for it.
The Dish 