The problem isn't taxes. It's wages.

Never mind that nonsense about how too much taxation is choking the economy. (That nonsense is brought to you by the Koch brothers and their pals, and the only taxes they care about are their own.)

Here's some startling news about America's economic well-being, or lack thereof, brought to you by David Cay Johnston and some tax data:

The total income reported by all Americans in 2009 was 4 percent less than in 2000. 

Johnston has more eye-opening numbers about our falling wages here, and then concludes:

Changes in economic conditions and in policies set by our elected leaders in Washington and the state capitals are pushing down wages for most people and encouraging elimination of jobs, especially public sector jobs on which the economy relies to provide healthy, educated workers and otherwise grease the wheels of commerce.

Employers have plenty of money to invest. American corporations have roughly $2 trillion in cash, nearly $7,000 per American. They have so much idle cash that they cannot even invest at a high enough interest rate to keep pace with inflation.

Putting that money to work would mean more jobs, more income, more taxes and smaller deficits that could quickly turn into surpluses if our political leaders thought more about numbers than scoring political points.

Right on.