There are good articles on Bush tax policy in The New York Times and The Washington Post today. The Times notes that

Fully one-third of President Bush's tax cuts in the last three years have gone to people with the top 1 percent of income, who have earned an average of $1.2 million annually, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to be published Friday.

The report calculated that households with incomes in that top 1 percent were receiving an average tax cut of $78,460 this year, while households in the middle 20 percent of earnings - averaging about $57,000 a year - were getting an average cut of only $1,090.

...those in that bottom fifth of earnings received an average tax cut of only $250.

The Post notes that

the wealthiest 20 percent, whose incomes averaged $182,700 in 2001, saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent of total tax payments in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. The top 1 percent, earning $1.1 million, saw their share fall to 20.1 percent of the total, from 22.2 percent.

Over that same period, taxpayers with incomes from around $51,500 to around $75,600 saw their share of federal tax payments increase. Households earning around $75,600 saw their tax burden jump the most, from 18.7 percent of all taxes to 19.5 percent.

But in both articles, GOP spin doctors point out that this is only fair, because the rich pay so much income tax.

Don't fall for this spin. Remember how much federal tax you have to pay that isn't income tax:

The social security portion of FICA is 6.2% of your covered wages, up to a maximum wage base of $87,900 in 2004. If you reach the maximum payment, you do not pay any more social security tax until the next calendar year.

Remember, that means a CEO who makes $5 million in a given year pays no Social Security tax whatsoever on $4,912,100 of that $5 million. If you have a job that pays a middle-class wage, you pay Social Security tax -- 6.2% -- on every dime.