Now you are mixing short term investing versus long term investing. Short term capital gains and dividends are taxed as ordinary income. Long term, held more than 12 months, capital gains AND dividends are taxed at 15%. Spoon it in, chew well and then swallow.

A good documentary for you to watch is The Shock Doctrine. Maybe one of your neighbors has a tv and dvd player they'll let you use. You'll need lots of tin foil to keep your head from exploding though.