undercoverjoe wrote:Hawk wrote:undercoverjoe wrote:Do you think that if government did not take roughly 50% of all you earned, and of what you your mother earned over both of your lifetimes, you would not need government assistance? It is so clear---our greedy government takes about 50% of all we earn in taxes and various fees, and then fools act so gracious when that same government throws you a little bone. They are making you dependent on their handouts, but you think this is a good thing.
If we ware able to keep most of what we earn (like it was done in the US for about 150 years), then we would not need any government assistance for our parents to live.
The government is keeping you in a slave class. Just go on thaking your masters as they take you money and liberties.
OK . If we have it your way, we would have no military, no Federal highways, no state , county, or city roads. No overseers for for safe drugs, no police, no safe water, no education, no prisons, no funding for technology, no space program, no clean air, ......................................................................................................................................................................
I can go on and on and on.
I feel a need to contribute to society. Paying tax is a small part. I also think American people should go above and beyond paying taxes, each in his own way, to make contribution to society in other ways besides paying taxes.
There will always be poor. There always was. So if they keep 99% of their earnings, will they be able to care for themselves at retirement of if they are disabled ?
When you make a statement like that, think it through as to what the country would be like without taxes. Of course we can go back 150 years , get around on horseback and drink water from the stream that someone took a bath in up the stream.
Or we could privatise everything. I'll buy the road in front of your house, and charge you to use it. How else would such things be paid for.
US Government is good. Not perfect. But it is the best in the entire world !
They got you real good Hawk. That government hook is set in real deep. Are you scared to be free? There is safety in being a slave, especially if the massers throw you a bone every now and then.
Was not America great before Comrade Roosevelt started us on the road to Socialism? The government of the US only needed about 4% of GDP to run for 150 years. People from all over the world wanted to come here because we were a great country. We do not need a large government to be great. How did they run things on only 4%? They did it without income taxes which is legalized stealing. Today the unconstitutional bloated government takes in over 21% of GDP to run the largest employee agency in the world.
Come on Joe. There were no highways and mostly none of the other things I mentioned. Stop thinking of just yourself. You failed miserably at rebutting everything I brought up. You just fall back on "we pay too much". Your right if you are middle or upper middle class. If you are in the top 10% you would have seen your taxes drop significately in the last 8 years. Now I see that as unfair.
By the way, go study your history books. Back when the government too little to no tax, they went bankrupt ! They had to BEG a railroad magnate (whose name escapes me) to bail them out. If he had not, the Federal government would have collapsed.
If you did not pay taxes you (personally) might contribute to take care of those who can't take care of themselves. But who would run that ? But I'm afraid that donations would not come close to covering all the good things the US Government. I don't see the top 10% of the country making donations to the country. They make donations to those in power for legal bribes called lobbying. You would find congress making decisions FOR the people if lobbying was outlawed !
Fact is the US government could not get by on donations.
Look up "Earmarks" and find out how much money is being wasted on personal projects. That would save Billions if that were cut out.
I'm not scared to be free, but then, I don't just think of myself. I try to consider everyone. Especially when I have an opinion on a subject that affects everyone.
Cut in taxes, sure I want that too. It would come if we voted for a fiscally responsible congress and president.
I have another unfortunate character defect. I never wanted to be rich. I just wanted to be comfortable. And I am . It would have been so easy for me to work 12 + hours a day 6 days a week and I would have double what I have now. I chose to work less and spend time raising a family. My success was never dictated by monetary accumulation, but by having good family and good friends. If I won the lottery (my wife plays, I don't) a significant amount would go to starting some kind of company to employ people (citizens).
So I don't like to pay taxes either but I do believe it is necessary for all the good things the government does (see a tiny partial list above).
If we do not need a large government. Please list the specific things you would take away, how much money it would save and the perceived consequences.
A steady babble that we pay too much (although I agree) doesn't make for a good discussion .
mjb, I let my tax man figure out what I owe and I pay it. No cheating or cutting any corners.