Originally Posted by broke

Frankly -- you're the one that's retarded.

The national wage average is 35,648.55. As an "average" wage earner, you would be placed in the 25+ tax bracket on the hook for $5,580. Adding to that your 15-30%, which places another $5,350 or $10,700 on average joe. Add to that state/local taxes which normally total about 5% or $1,800.

Out of $35,700, average joe has either $23K/year or $18.5K/year to live on...