Factoids That You Can Use

The number of Americans who pay no taxes has increased 59 percent in less than a decade, according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation. In 2008, an estimated 51.6 million tax filers--out of a total of 142 million tax filers--paid no taxes. That means 36.3 percent of tax filers paid no federal income tax. In 2000, the number of tax filers who paid no taxes was 32.6 million. During the same period (2000-2008), the number of people filing tax returns grew by only 10 percent. What do all these numbers mean? We have reached a point where many Americans are completely disconnected from the cost of government because they contribute no money to fund the massive federal budget. Is it any wonder why a sizable segment of society wants more "free" government programs, such as health care?