REPUBLICANS take it all...how bad would it really be?

"He's talking about Social Security like it's some kind of federal program!" -- George W. Bush, campaign 2000

 

Haven't read the thread yet, but I'll reply to the question. If the Repubs take it frankly isn't that bad if you are an educated middle to upper middle class guy like me and many of the others on this bbs.

It can be very upsetting if you give a damn about the lives of the poor, or life itself in Iraq or third world countries, the environment, social justice or people not as fortunate as yourself.

 

Whew!!! Thank the good Lord for that.

 

To have hard control of the Senate, a Party would need a 60-40 majority, which neither will get from the next election.

 

I'm surprised I haven't been accused of being arrogant for one of my more arrogant posts. ... There I admit it!

However, my previous post was more directed at the types who say what difference does it make if you vote at all or engage in political activity at all-- not diehard conservative idologues who though misguided do give a damn about the issues mentioned.

 

Well, I'm sure that the Alaskan wilderness will be history.

 

LOL Pole!!!

For me, the crux is, I was raised as a liberal Christian... I'm in remission now, but I have these recurring bouts of sympathy for the disenfranchised.

Au contraire... accusations with no meaningful discourse got Dubya elected, and threatens Jeb as we speak.

But seriously, from the beginning of your post I was under the impression that you were going to challenge me with something that actually works and fits your ideology. You've just typed rhetoric yourself, which Major et. al. has dismantled.

In the meantime, lets get back to our party's handouts. My turn, *ahem*, 40% of the previous tax cut went to the top 1% of earners.

The Republicans are just greasing the palms of their core contributors, you know, the disconnected elite that just want to get by with polluting our cities and perpetuating good ol' boy policies in which, *ahem* white males stay in power.

ps, MadMax, I appreciate your honesty. However, I must say that republicans in the North oftentimes are not as hateful as you guys in the South (w/ the whole fundamentalist Christian/immoral republican policies- vehicle you guys have made).

 

yeah, i know! those guys are sellouts! can't believe they sell out their own race and economic class that way!!! what a bunch of know-nothings!!!

oh, well...back to my crawfish boil and coonskin cap makin'!

 

Look Rookie, I simply can not appreciate your pathetic attempt at introducing class warfare into this debate. Even your democratic party has backed off this ineffective tactic. This is standard liberal fare, however, whenever the topic of taxation is brought up. I offer you this for you to think about:
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2001/february/rwt_defense_wealth.htm

Oh that's nice, on top of your outrageous misrepresentations of tax policy, you've put a little cherry on the top of it by now accusing the Republicans of being racist. I challenge you to think for yourself and not just regurgitate the same lies you might hear James Carville or Jesse Jackson spewing on tv.

 

TJ: I know, I know... You didn't ask for my opinion so I should shut up, case closed, etc, etc...

Never mind the topic of the thread. You all know my opinions here, but am I the only one who finds it incredibly annoying the way TJ uses "rookie" as an insult towards people who have been here so much longer than he has? I know, TJ, you've said before, you don't care who's been here the longest, but honestly, do you even know what "rookie" means? You might as well be calling them "newbies." You say you don't care about post counts or registration dates then you insult people by basically saying they're new here, and you inevitably do it with people who've been here longer. I'd say forgive me for saying so, but you won't, so don't bother forgiving me for saying so: it makes you look dumb.

 

Indeed, the wealthiest 1% pays five times the average worker? Well, big f-ing deal, the wealthiest 1% makes around 4-500k per year, which is about 15-20x the US' per capita figure of 25k a year and 10-15x more than the "middle fifth" worker quotted above. So cry me a river for your 4-5x figure.

Secondly, I make decent change for a person my age, have no dependents, and rent, so I pay A LOT more than 27% of my income in taxes, but I don't b**** and moan about like most people. BUt I am not even halfway to being in the wealthiest 1% so again, f them.


Why don't you compare the tax burden against that of other western democracies? See who gets off easy now. Or even better, compare it to Russia, where most rich people don't bother paying taxes. It's nice and totally deregulattd over there.

PS, kudos to the jackass who wrote the article in "capitalism" magazine quoted above. Nothing like sneering at the "vaunted poor" from your upper middle class perch and b****ing about their "measly" contributions from cleaning your toilets for minimum wage. I hope a vaunted poor person busts a cap in that ******* in an attempted move up the income ladder.

 

Nice stuff...

In recent years, federal taxes have grown to the highest level since World War II.

Of course they have ... primarily because our economy is bigger than ever. Normally, big economy = big taxes. As a percentage of GDP, the tax is not nearly as high as in the past.

But it's not the poor and middle class who shoulder most of this burden; their personal income taxes have actually dropped. A study released last year by the Congressional Budget Office reveals that the middle one-fifth of taxpayers, with an average income of $39,100, pay just 5.4 percent of their earnings in federal income taxes. The poorest third of wage-earners pay no income taxes at all.

Of course they pay the most ... primarily because they have a growing portion of the total wealth and income in the US. Bigger income = bigger taxes. Perhaps if there wasn't a growing wealth distribution disparity, the tax distribution disparity wouldn't be growing either.

(These people don't exactly get off scot-free; every taxpayer gets walloped with enormous payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare -- a program designed and defended by Democrats.)


And so many Republicans want to privatize SS so that we'll need even more more to support said programs.

 

aren't there countries that have already tried the privitization route and found it to be worthwhile? seems i read some scandinavian countries have already beat us to it.

 

aren't there countries that have already tried the privitization route and found it to be worthwhile? seems i read some scandinavian countries have already beat us to it.

Scandinavian countries also have other phenomenal social programs and high taxes to support the elderly. Our way of supporting the elderly is SS.

 

interesting point, major. i just can't believe i pointed to a european nation as a model for how we should be doing things. going to check to see if i have fever now...bye.

 

interesting point, major. i just can't believe i pointed to a european nation as a model for how we should be doing things. going to check to see if i have fever now...bye.

I think the problem starts with how both parties (primarily the Democrats) portray SS - as a retirement savings type of thing and that the government has to "protect it". It's not that at all, but it sounds better than saying its an insurance program or that its a transfer of wealth from young to older.

 

Major, I'm afraid I have bad news for you: Despite your confidence and condescending tone, you are DEAD WRONG. Please read my link:
http://cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/Economics/econ-47.cfm

IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE

GAME, SET, MATCH -- Thanks for playing, junior

 

Achebe.

That describes me almost exactly. In Texas people forget that Christian and Right Winger are not synonymous.

 

oh, man, TJ...do you really have to use the "junior" and "game, set, match" language AGAIN??? hasn't that played itself out yet?

i would be much more willing to click the links and actually read the materials you provide if you'd refrain from all that...it's quite distracting to the otherwise learned content of your posts.

 

i hate when you make generalizations like that.