Who are the 47 percent?

I'm sure by now you are aware of Gov. Romney's offensive comments about how "it's not my job" to worry about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no federal income tax.  That comment was caught on film last May and released by the respected magazine  Mother Jones on Monday.  On Friday Gov. Romeny finally released his 2011 tax returns, and we learned that he only paid 14 percent tax on a roughly $20 million income, far less than middle class families.  In fact, since most of the Governor's income came from investments, Romney paid less in federal taxes than low-income workers, who with their employers pay 15 percent of wages in payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare.   Romney continues to refuse to release tax returns prior to 2010.  Instead, he paid an accountant to issue a written statement that Romney actually did pay taxes in those years.



A word about the 47 percent.  Who are these people that Gov. Romney suggests are free loaders?  The majority are low income workers, who don't earn enough to pay income taxes (but who DO pay payroll taxes).  Slightly higher income workers may earn enough to pay income taxes, but those taxes are offset by standard deductions (e.g. for children).  Others include American soldiers whose combat pay is not taxed (gotta give this to Romney--it takes brass to call American soldiers free loaders!), retirees whose Social Security is not taxed, and college students.

The Republican party wants to abolish the capital gains tax (income earned from investments), which would allow people like Romney to pay no federal taxes at all (investment income is already taxed at a lower rate than labor).  They want an across-the-board tax cut of twenty-percent, and pay for that cut by closing tax deductions used by the middle class.

Are the Republicans not waging class warfare politics?  I'm just asking....