In that case most people would never vote because most paychecks do not have that much in taxes withheld or paid at the end of the year. 37% is top for Federal which would mean that between State and Local the taxes for them would be over 13%.

Did your mom vote for Hoover or what his name?

Mai- There are a lot of other taxes removed from paychecks that just federal, there's Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment and for some State Taxes. Plus there's paying for medical and dental plans as well as retirement contributions.

By the time those are removed 30% to 50% of your starting income is gone.

The voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971. The argument to support this lowered age was: If they are old enough to go to war, they are old enough to vote.

And if they’re old enough to vote, they’re old enough to drink and smoke. (In some states, like Alabama, the legal age to purchase tobacco is 19.)

Raye if unemployment etc. is removed that means you are not a regular employee. Being a boss or independent contractor sometimes means paying for things. Most of other things everyone pays.

Payroll withholding will never amount to anything near 50% of wages except in rare circumstances. Nor near 40% for most people.

Elmer - I gave an average range of 30-50% I can't think of a time when mine was less than 30%. Many young people are unaware that the salary they will earn is not what they will take home. Knowing where the money they earned is going is a good lesson to influence how they will vote.

"I gave an average range of 30-50%"

For a range of what's average, that's way too high. I'd guess it's more likely 25- low 30s, all in.

Elmer does your figure include those areas with an earnings tax?

If you're talking about a city or regional (sub-state level) income tax, those aren't very common and rarely more than a percent or two. The conversation was about generalities and not specifics. If you want to think about specifics, an "average withholding range" would be what you'd expect for people with average circumstances and an average income level.

No Elmer. However in thinking back when I was having 40% taken out of my paycheck I realized that 40% included retirement and health insurance which I considered a protection for myself both current and future. I was never self employed so I did not have those taxes taken out. Some people wrongly think of anything taken out of pay as a tax.

Yes, I agree. There are often elements of payroll deductions that are voluntary, the best example of which would be an employee's choice to contribute to some kind of retirement plan. The term "withholding" shouldn't be applied to deductions like that, same for voluntary stock purchase plan type items.

Let's be careful with terminology, in technical subjects words can be specific. You said that you never had certain things "taken out" since you weren't self employed. "Taken out" usually refers to deductions from payments, whether payroll or otherwise. People who are self employed are paid gross, free of any retentions/deductions and then need to make disbursements on their own for whatever insurance, taxes, etc., they need to pay.

In retirement, Social Security is our monthly 'paycheck'. I don't regret for a minute the Medicare Part B ($135/mo) that I have chosen to have deducted from it. Government-run Medicare saved me $500,000 in provider billings in the last year.

I do resent that I have to pay for Part D insurance (another deduction from my 'paycheck'). There are no Medicare-type government controls on drug prices, and I hate paying a middle man (the oh-so-profitable insurance industry) -- another variety of 'protection racket'.

Early on I thought this thread was going to be about a right, Women's Suffrage and the right to vote after a century of protests.

Instead, payroll deductions. :)

Yes, Michael, this thread was meant to discuss women's right to vote. I posted because I realized that my mother was 28 yr old before she was allowed to vote in a presidential election, but had been allowed to marry at age 16. Under normal circumstances, it was possible that she could have been responsible for raising 2 to 4 children by then. This country declared independence in 1776 and not long after, formed its government, but it took 144 more years to allow women to vote. The pace of development was very slow

It is amazing how a thread can wander off to develop its own personality, and maybe derail. I suppose this illustrates another freedom, the freedom to express ideas.

Jem, I though the post was focused on voting age. In last paragraph in the OP I thought it was about why an 18 year old is too young to vote and what are some of the reasons for that.

Decades ago a typical 18 year old was transitioning from graduating high school to the adult life of leaving home, being married, having a job and raising children. Their goal was to be independent from their parents and responsible for their family. Today's typical 18 year old is still graduating high school but not living an adult lifestyle, they want to remain dependent on their family and don't want the responsibility of a family.