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"The U.S. Constitution  promises to "insure domestic tranquility," to "provide for the common defense" and to "promote the general welfare." Taxes make these things possible. Taxes pay for the good roads, clean air and water, safe food and drugs, and strong military that Americans value. Taxes make it possible for businesses to thrive, for children to attend school and for hospitals to care for the sick. Tax dollars pay the salaries of firefighters and police officers. Taxes pay for the emergency workers, shelters and services needed when the nation is devastated by natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. So maybe the federal income tax should get a birthday party. It has, after all, given us civilization. " This article talks about how taxes are important to our government. It talks about how taxes came to the way they are now and how they pay for important things. It talks about how they pay to keep our country and community safe and first aid. Taxes pay for a lot of things and most of those are very important to our everyday lives.

"While incomes have fallen in recent years, the median net worth of American households has taken an even worse hit. The median family had net worth of $135,400 in 2007, adjusted for inflation, according to the Federal Reserve." America is not fair for many families, as inequality has taken a hit as well as taking people out of the middle class. This can happen to anyone, not just blacks and Hispanics. This makes income inequality such a serious thing in the United States of America (Zumbrun).

"Notably, only 10% of Americans identify as lower-class and only 2% as upper-class. By this measure, a vast majority of Americans appears to identify as either middle-class or pretty close to it." This article talks about American social classes. The majority of Americans are middle class. The article talks about the income of the middle class and the differences inside the middle class. There aren't a lot of Americans that are higher than the middle class.