We're Paying Our Dues-So When Do We Get The Privileges Of Membership In American Society?

TransGriot Note: My latest post at The Bilerico Project

Today is April 15 as many of you perusing this post are aware of. With the midnight deadline looming to get that check mailed off to the IRS, depending on whether you owe Uncle Sam or are waiting for a nice refund from the Feds, you have mixed emotions about today.

But I'm going to focus on another aspect of taxes. I was driven to ponder it based upon a quote I recently read from an October 12, 1936 speech President Franklin D.. Roosevelt delivered.

He stated during that Worcester, MA speech that "'taxes, after all, are the dues we pay for the privilege of membership in an organized society."

Well, if that's the case, to paraphrase FDR, when am I and my African descended trans peeps going to get the privileges of membership in American society for the dues we've been paying into it?

It's been a four decade long battle for transpersons in the United States just to have our humanity acknowledged, and even that is questionable depending on when and what day of the week you take a hard look at it.

For trans people of African descent, we continue to fight a multipronged battle not only just to get that recognition in our own community, but inside the white dominated GLBT one as well.

There are days I ponder where we are in the overarching scheme of things as African descended trans people in this country and across the African Diaspora and wonder, is it ever going to get better for us?

My sisters and Latinas are not only paying our federal, state and local taxes, but paying in blood by taking the brunt of the anti trans violence casualties. Unfortunately our sacrifices haven't been translated into significant representation in the leadership ranks of the BTLG organizations that purport to represent trans concerns.

And far too often the political agendas these organizations adopt and pursue don't address our pressing concerns for jobs, jobs, jobs.

When there's money that needs to be raised or melanin is needed for a photo op to show the diversity of the TBLG community, our phones ring off the hook and the e-mails and text messages freely flow.

But let it be a situation in which people need to be hired for leadership in a GLBT organization, testify at a congressional hearing, get invites to the White House or need someone to speak to the media on trans issues, no e-mail or text messages come our way and our phones are silent.

Our taxes paid in many cases have not translated into the political jurisdictions in which we live doing the right thing and passing laws to protect us.

Thanks to the odious tag team of Janice Raymond and Jesse Helms low income trans women since the 80's are barred from using the Medicaid/Medicare system our tax dollars help fund to pay for SRS.

I have yet to see passed the ENDA bill that address our most pressing concern as transpeople of color and give me and every transperson residing inside the United States a fair shot at obtaining gainful employment.

We only just witnessed a few months ago the passage and signing by President Obama of the Byrd-Shepard Hate Crimes Act.

And our lives are disrespected, mocked and treated as wedge issues and political footballs by our so called allies and our enemies.

So I ask the question again I posed at the beginning of this post.

We're paying our dues. When do we not only get the privileges of membership in American society enshrined in the Constitution, but a return on our significant investment in it?


Crossposted from the Bilerico Project

April 15-Talkin' About Taxes

Those of us in the States are well aware of what today's date represents.

It's the deadline day for paying our taxes to Uncle Sam or filing that extension for extra time to do so.

You have until midnight to get that envelope to your nearest post office, get it postmarked and mailed to the IRS processing center nearest you.

The TransGriot was owed money this year, so I've already filed and I'm eagerly awaiting my refund.

The Tea Klux Klan and their Faux News controllers will be having more 'Hate on President Obama rallies' all over the country disguised as 'tax protests'.

The vanilla flavored conservasheeple keep falling for the same tired meme that's been pimped since Saint Ronald of Reagan days about Americans allegedly being 'taxed to death'.

Yeah, right.

Those 'taxed to death' arguments don't hold water for me when billionaire Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man in the US, criticizes our tax system by saying he doesn't pay enough. He said during a 2007 New York speech that he paid a 17.7% rate on $46 million dollars of earnings without attempting to avoid paying higher taxes. His secretary, who made $60K, paid a 30% rate on her income.

How fracked up is that?

According to the most recent data compiled in 2005 by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. based on a family with one wage-earner and two children, only Iceland and Ireland have a lower income tax burden than the United States.

The OECD collects data on 30 member countries and annually calculates what it calls the tax "wedge" for each -- the combined effects of personal income tax, employee and employer social security contributions, payroll taxes and cash benefits.


Tax burdens around the world
Country Single, no kids/ Married, 2 kids

Australia 28.3% 16.0%
Austria 47.4% 35.5%
Belgium 55.4% 40.3%
Canada 31.6% 21.5%
Czech Republic 43.8% 27.1%
Denmark 41.4% 29.6%
Finland 44.6% 38.4%
France 50.1% 41.7%
Germany 51.8% 35.7%
Greece 38.8% 39.2%
Hungary 50.5% 39.9%
Iceland 29.0% 11.0%
Ireland 25.7% 8.1%
Italy 45.4% 35.2%
Japan 27.7% 24.9%
Korea 17.3% 16.2%
Luxembourg 35.3% 12.2%
Mexico 18.2% 18.2%
Netherlands 38.6% 29.1%
New Zealand 20.5% 14.5%
Norway 37.3% 29.6%
Poland 43.6% 42.1%
Portugal 36.2% 26.6%
Slovak Republic 38.3% 23.2%
Spain 39.0% 33.4%
Sweden 47.9% 42.4%
Switzerland 29.5% 18.6%
Turkey 42.7% 42.7%
United Kingdom 33.5% 27.1%
United States 29.1% 11.9%


Sweden, Turkey, France and Poland top the list of countries that impose the highest tax burdens on families.

The countries that topped the list in terms of imposing the highest tax rates on individuals were Belgium, Germany and Hungary. The United States ranked 24th.

However, most of those countries see a larger return on their tax payouts in the form of getting added social services for families such as secure pensions and universal health care.

So shut the hell up Tea Party Fools. As usual y'all don't know what in Hades you're squawking about. I like my interstate highways without potholes and my other government service running smoothly, thank you very much.

And I along with other 'reality based Real Americans' are mature and 'ejumacated' enough to know that it takes consistent monetary investments and personnel to make that happen.

As a matter of fact, if we do eventually get universal single payer health care system in the States (AKA Medicare For All), I wouldn't mind paying the additional taxes to help set up and keep a high quality system going.

As long as Paris Hilton and her friends are paying their fair share as well.

As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated during an October 12, 1936 speech in Worcester, MA.

Taxes, after all, are the dues we pay for the privilege of membership in an organized society.

So yes, while it hurts to write that check to Uncle Sam, remember that your taxes do help ensure that the Feds have the money to pay for the services that we take for granted at times.

Tax Day

Today is the day that many Americans anticipate with fear and loathing, Tax Day.

April 15th is the deadline to file tax returns. I'm due a refund and have had my paperwork and W-2 together since early February, but I usually hold off until late March or early April to file it so I get the refund around my birthday.

I'm getting a little something-something back from the Feds, so I'm not complaining.

But what I am chuckling about is the GOP haters in their desperate zeal to stir up fear, hatred and loathing of our wildly successful so far president have set up anti-tax propaganda rallies all over the country today.

These are alleged to be 'grassroots' events, but are backed by corporate sponsors, Faux News and the Repugnican party.

I checked the ones scheduled for Houston, and all of them with the exception of the downtown event at Jones Plaza, all of them are taking place in predominately white suburbs. I have no doubts that the pattern is replicating itself elsewhere in the country as well along with the glaring lack of melanin of the event participants.

Nobody likes paying taxes, but everybody wants interstate highways with no potholes, their mail to come on time and other federal government services to function on demand, smoothly and efficiently. They can't do that without cash, and as the saying goes, no new taxes equals no new services.

So just fire up TurboTax, e-file it, call it a day and enjoy the entertaining show from the GOP sheeple hatin' on the prez.



They have yet to catch on to the fact (unless they were watching Rachel Maddow LHAO) that the 'teabagging' phrase they are using to refer to their movement refers to a sexual practice.


TransGriot Note: HT to Womanist Musings for the Rachel Maddow Show video link and post.