roflmao, so true so true

Slavic-  I don't think the majority of people here in Ohio, when speaking of their anti-corporation views, are referring to small or even medium sized businesses. They are speaking of the large multi-national companies, companies who use lobbyists to to make more money, oil companies who are making astronomical record profits but are still getting government subsidies, but mostly the large companies who have exported all of the jobs to other countries but still expect to sell their products here.  Ohio and Michigan are ground zero for the economic downturn, parts of these states have been in recession since 2001. And as far as people moving countries due to taxes I'm not sure, but people moving due to lack of jobs definately does occur - Ohio is losing population very quickly in fairly large numbers. The largest employer in the state is now Wal-mart - by a fairly large margin. And if you add up all the tax payer funded jobs in Ohio they would outnumber the top thirty or so private employers - COMBINED!

Yes, we might be worse off than the rest of the country but if you look at the areas that are still doing well you'll see that these areas have service and/or knowledge based economies. How sustainable do you think an economy could be when you make nothing and just trade services to one another??  I think we are about to find out.

The democrats not only won the Presidency but also took control of congress - so we will have a very good show of what democrats are all about for the next few years.

I hesitated to reply to this thread, but it's just too compelling...

I've started keeping better track of the amount of taxes that I pay now.  It will be interesting as time wears on to compare the changes before the next election.  I'm keeping track of certain expenses like fuel, heat, water, sewage, food, and some others.  

In the end, it's what I have left after paying for the basics that I can offer to the many folks that need help.  I used to have extra money at the end of the week, really! At this point, I can't give anything away but my time.  Two kids in college, and rising prices everywhere soak up my paycheck.  I think my situation and living in the heartland USA is more typical of most of the folks in the USA.  The idea of having any discretionary income is foreign to me.  I'm not busted, but I'm badly bent, and it's going to be interesting to see what 'change' happens. 

Still, I am proud to be a 3rd generation American citizen, pretty amazing that my grandfather was a migrant worker, gained citizenship, and finally made his way to a job working for a meat packing house in the midwest.  Even with all of the issues that confront the USA, I appreciate the freedom of expression, and opportunity that most in other parts of the world find so hard to grasp.

Here's hoping that the promise of better times is fullfilled in all of your lives.

Cheers