Letter to the editor: Tea partiers mostly ill informed

The Tax Calculators & Tips Web page from Turbo Tax advises, “tax breaks are provided to 95 percent of workers and their families.”

The Making Work Pay Credit provides $400 to singles and $800 for joint filers.

Tea partiers mostly ill informed

In 2009, the IRS adjusted the withholding tables, thereby boosting workers’ paychecks. Since the payroll tax only applied to workers, a one-time payment of $250 went to recipients of Social Security, railroad retirement, supplemental security income payments, and pension and disability benefits from Veterans Administration.

Government retirees also receive a one-time refundable tax credit of $250 in 2009.

A recent CBS/New York Times poll asks the following question: “In general, do you think the Obama Administration has increased taxes for most Americans, decreased taxes for most Americans or have they kept taxes the same for most Americans?”

The answer: 24 percent of respondents said they increased taxes, 53 percent said they kept taxes the same, and 12 percent said taxes were decreased.

Of the people who support the “Tea Party” movement, only 2 percent think taxes have been decreased and 44 percent say they believe taxes have gone up.

The iconic Boston Tea Party has had its name shamelessly borrowed by a group of people who don’t even understand their own tax situation.

I wonder if these tea baggers know that Dana Loesch, a Missouri Tea Party leader and organizer, is advocating abolishment of Social Security? Or that Wayne Allyn Root, a leading Tea Party advocate and speaker, is also calling for Social Security’s abolition? Or that Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has publicly demanded the abolishment of Social Security and Medicare?

I’m not as cruel and heartless. I believe that after a person has received as much as they have contributed to a program they should be cut off.