You were right, Rusty - I "only" paid about 35% of my gross income in taxes this year!
That's federal, state, SS, MC, real property, cars, nanny, and estimated sales tax. Not included:
1. The 7.65% of our wages that our employers have to pay for SS/MC, and that could otherwise be paid to us.
2. All the taxes passed along to me by businesses in the form of higher prices, which I have no idea how to calculate (but I'm sure some smart people have written books/articles on it).