those 400 people made derectly off us taxpayers? Forget subsidies. If they are invested heavily in companies that sell billions in weapons, fuel and services to the government, they rake in our tax dollars! Then they continue to claim to be taxed to death and threaten to take their ball and go home if we don't give them more breaks!

It's really upper middle class people that might be getting screwed the most. A couple that works extremely hard to make in the low six figures and can't take advantage of the loopholes the big players can. They pay full bore. Then all the while are terrorized by the right into thinking we want to take away what they've got.

Getting "screwed the most"?

One less power lunch a week?

Belize instead of a private beach in Jamaica for vacation?

A new car every OTHER year?

(Economically speaking, I think we poor folks are suffering the most, and I'm no longer poor enough to fear homelessness every day, like I was two years ago...)

said some upper middle class people. I know some that have worked really hard to get there and some not so much. If they had rich parents that made college just like four or more extra years of high school and then got a head start with a nice inheritance, I can't say I feel real sorry for them. If the people at the top were actually paying their fair share, those upper middle class people would be a lot closer to the top than they are.

First one, percent of GDP
Top countries include health care and retirement that we don't. The point that we pay less than other countries would probably remain. Just not as dramatically.

The chart of average federal tax rates..
Needs an associated chart of effective tax rates.

That top chart is like comparing grocery stores where the shopper only buys meat at our store and buys his fruits and vegetables from somewhere else. Then compares his bill to a Swedish store where he buys all three together.