I'm well aware that they will eventually get back pay. But as an airline pilot, you're pulling down multiples of what TSA screeners make. It's not exactly a highly skilled, highly compensated job for our best and brightest. A lot of them live paycheck to paycheck, and when those paychecks don't show up, the bills still have to be paid.

 

If it’s shutdown why did my last paycheck have the same amount of federal tax pillaged out of it?

It’s not a “shutdown” it’s a bunch of welfare rate gov workers having a paid temper tantrum

Should just fire 3/4 of gov, randomly, reduce taxes 3/4, QOL would skyrocket

 

I would guess most TSA agents live paycheck to paycheck like most Americans . So even if they show up and know they’re getting paid they still can’t buy gas to get to work now.

I wanted to post an article from here in Las Vegas about tsa but wouldnt copy. Many are getting payday loans at high interest. Their morale is low and their mental health is affected. They’re not high income earners like pilots. Just curious how many of you posting here have 3-6 months in an accessible account ? How many spend all they make ?

 

You really need to do some research into where all that govt spending actually goes. Firing 3/4 of the federal government would not come even close to reducing your taxes by that much. Really. Do the research into what your tax dollars are actually spent on.

 

“research” lol

It’s a big scam, researching the sales pitch means nothing.

 

Right, because why would you want to confront actual *facts* that contradict your cozy view of the world?

First of all, federal employee salaries and benefits account for approximately 10% of the total US federal budget. So if you fired 75 pct of federal workers, federal spending would decline by 7.5 pct. Not seventy-five percent. I would also suggest that you might find your job as an airline pilot a bit difficult to do if 75 pct of ATC, FAA, and DoT employees were terminated.

So what should we cut? Social Security? It wouldn't affect me financially one bit, so why should I (or you) care? Well, perhaps the fact that eliminating Social Security would cause a degree of societal collapse and poverty that we could not possibly imagine.

Should we cut Medicare and Medicaid? Ah heck, why not, if you're sick and poor, society doesn't really need you, right?

Then there's defense, which I'm guessing you wouldn't want to see cut.

And interest payments, but guess where most of that money goes? To interest payments on T-bills held by Joe Q. Public. Should we stiff them and just cancel the debt? Oh wait...I'm guessing you yourself own T-bills. (If you have any savings at all in a money market, or an IRA or 401K, I guarantee you that you own T-bills. So you'd be screwing yourself.)

Finally, 10-13 pct goes to programs that I'm sure you hate, because if people can't earn money, they should pretty much just starve. Right?

So. I repeat my question. Where would you cut? Assuming you're king for a day.

Top Spending Categories (FY 2025 Projections)
[*]Social Security (22%): Provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to over 70 million Americans.
[*]Health Programs (24% total): Includes Medicare (14%) for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid (10%) for low-income individuals.
[*]Net Interest (14%): Payments made on the national debt. For the first time in 2025, interest costs are projected to exceed total spending for national defense.
[*]National Defense (13%): Funds military operations, personnel, equipment procurement, and research.
[*]Income Security (10%-13%): Covers programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps), unemployment insurance, and housing assistance[/list]

The simple truth is this: the majority of federal tax dollars goes right back to us, the American people, through entitlement programs. Money is generally taken from wage earners (less so from business owners and high net worth individuals) and redistributed to 1) the elderly, 2) the poor, 3) the sick, and 4) gigantic tax subsidies for corporations.

Not to mention tremendous tax breaks for business owners. I personally appreciated those tax breaks -- but it continues to amaze me that, during a tremendously successful phase of my life where I founded, built, and then sold a 150-person company -- I paid FAR LESS in taxes, as a percentage of my income, than I ever did as a mere W2 wage earner.

Anyhow, what would you eliminate? And show us how you'd get rid of 75% of the federal budget without causing complete collapse of our society.

 

Not to mention, many live in high COL areas and have to live somewhat close by the airport to drive in each day. They don't have the luxury of doing 3-4-5 day trips and living two hours away from the main high cost live areas.

Insane someone is this disconnected from reality, but we have almost an entire generation of pilots who've never seen a downturn (except a couple month hiccup with Covid) and who have earned high wages their entire time as a pilot.

 

Preach it, brother. I've flown with a few guys (all senior CAs with two boats, three ex-wives, and mistresses in various sultry Southeast Asian locations), who will throw a hissy fit when we show up in ORD in the winter at oh-dark-thirty, in driving snow, Chicago wind, and below-zero temperatures...and they can't understand "why the ground crew doesn't show a little hustle." I dunno dude, maybe cause they make close to minimum wage and have been out here for the past 8 hours? In conditions that the same CA absolutely refuses to do a walkaround in?

SIGH.

 

• 
  I’m happy to get rid of SS, just give me my money back with interest.

If the gov really cared they’d just say X amount of your income has to be invested or else


Getting the gov out of medicine would lower the costs enough we wouldn’t need the goverment in medicine

stopping playing world police would also be a good idea

 

Cutting down on fraud (fighting it? Looking for a better statement) seems to be catching on…if I knew there was better accountability for these alleged fraud rings around the country I’d be less upset about the tax burden. But what do I know.