Well, there’s something more to be said about paying the FICA, etc. My (ex)husband and I started a small busness and after about the third year we were doing better than before….but….ONLY HE could pay into FICA….I didn’t exist except to work in the business full time. Several years later, we divorced and I got the business. It was after that time the law was changed and both married partners of a business could pay into FICA. So, now after we divorced and I retired, I could get more Social Security on the amount I paid in for the years that I worked than ANY that he paid for 30 years!…..he now gets several hundred dollars a month more from Social Security than I do….and only when he dies do I get to claim on “some” amount that he paid in…that doesn’t look too promising. I closed the business and worked another job for 10 years, and the “givernment” sez I’m below the poverty level. But I’m not worried yet…my house, car and everything are paid in full, and my credit card is paid every month…. My parents taught me how to survive on what you had to work with and not to buy what you couldn’t aford to pay. It’s working for me….!! Yes, I pay for my own supplemental health insurance! and I don’t know what I’d have done without it for the past couple of years.

Under Obama’s socialistic plan, after paying all of those taxes, the ability to save for such a rainy day would be reduced, guaranteeing more people would end up dependent on President Government for handouts. The solution? Raise more taxes to support more people, I suppose.

That’s what I don’t like.

I don’t have any family on whom to depend. My savings is my lifeline, and I’m still building it back up after the dot com and 2008 debacles. Higher taxes on me and higher prices = less income I can put into savings = greater chance I will need government handouts later to stay alive, which is very distasteful to me.

It’s usually just a fraction of a percent, but it’s on your GROSS RECEIPTS, not net. Depending on your expense structure (for example, if you run a service business with high-paid staff, or some other high-expense business), it can easily mean a few percent off your bottom line if the profit margin in your industry is low.

Both the state and the city may levy these taxes, independent of each other.

Yes, if I still had my small business, I’d write in, too. I was appalled at how much of our income went to taxes. If it wasn’t for R&D deductions and related credits, some years it would have been very close to a 50-50 split between the company (me and all 2-3 of my employees), and the government.

Both McCain and Obama have access to some pretty experienced and astute economic advisers. I think by not being very specific about how their plans will affect people in different economic circumstances, they both open the door to a lot of criticism. People view their respective plans through the prism of their own biases.

McCain says this is not a time to raise taxes on anybody. That should play well with everybody. But the queston remains as to how the country can get out of this economic mess unless taxes are raised on someone. I don’t think it is unreasonable that the big corporations should be expected to pay more taxes than they currently do. As for Obama’s plan, I don’t know if $250,000 is or isn’t a realistic cutoff for not paying more taxes. I sure wish I took home anywhere near $250,000. I wouldn’t mind paying a little more taxes if I did.

I do think both candidates need to flesh out their plans more and not talk in generalities. I wish they would expain how they are going to get us out of the economic mess we are in. Many of us who have stock investments have seen a big drop in our stock values.

Many people have had to sell their stocks at depressed values in order to just pay their bills. Many are walking away from their houses because their house is now worth less than their mortgage. Costs of food and medicine and health care are skyrocketing. It certainly sounds good to hear someone say let’s not raise taxes on anybody. Sounds great, but is it realistic?

No matter what promises the candidates make, they are unlikely to be able to keep them. This is partly why they remain vague about details. What actually will happen will depend upon the balance of power in the House and Senate. There will be endless hassles over budgets and budget cuts, earmarked funds, etc

So it seems to me, you pick your candidate, and you live with the results. And the results are unlikely to resemble anything you hope will happen.

I’m waiting for my check.

Check with your Board of Elections–it’s true!

Hillary is not officially registered for write-in status in any state, so your vote for her is not only wasted and will not count for her, it will go to Barack!

Better to vote for McCain, which is like taking two votes from Obama. Staying home helps Obama and writing in Hillary is a disaster for PUMAs. With all the ACORN fraud, writing in Hillary will put Obama over the top.

Country First! Vote McCain!

I wish I still owned my business; I would be calling right now.

I’m with you. I was forced to close my small paralegal temp. business this year after 15 years. All the law firms that had scheduled me for the current year, cancelled because they were/are experiencing a downturn in clients being unable to pay their attorney fees in a timely manner. So, outside assistants like me are not being contracted.

I experienced a slight downturn shortly after 9/11, but it was short-lived. Not this time.