An offer you can't refuse

[VTNZ]

Ironically....this thread was started as a somewhat attack ad on what I answered to Bob in his Carson Thread.... this one is about how other happy developed countries have to pay thru the nose in taxes all their lives and THEN get armed govt officials knocking at their door otherwise;according to Up's Dad...

lol....only to be subsequently followed up by more diatribes about how in "America we're taxed to the hilt, get nuthin for ME out of it....and we have "buzzards"knocking on your door...does anyone see the irony here? Read the first piece of op-ed....then read Up's last few posts.....and then,after all that, go check out the infrastructure and mass transport in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany,etc. Huh.....proved my point yet again.

What do Venture Caps pay in tax on their earnings? 14...15%?

And let's see, you've accused Ben and Jerry of tax evasion in order to gain some footing in your rationale....and now in a condescending way you've put a member of the Drake in an awkward position as well to somehow justify whatever the hell...

Keepin' it classy...

[Cary]

ok, I suppose this belongs in the "Doesn't Make Me Ghey" thread; but you, VTNZ, make me laugh.

[Adams]

The Founding Fathers railed about taxation without representation. Now people rail about taxes generally. We seem to be missing an important player in the problem - don't bitch, do something about it.

[SOBF]

The Founding Fathers railed about taxation without representation. Now people rail about taxes generally. We seem to be missing an important player in the problem - don't bitch, do something about it.

You're assuming we don't. I write to state and federal reps on a regular basis. It's mental masturbation from what I've seen.

[VTNZ]

Yea, but SOBF...did you write it on your lobbyists stationary? Otherwise, it won't get the time of day....sadly.

[SOBF]

Yea, but SOBF...did you write it on your lobbyists stationary? Otherwise, it won't get the time of day....sadly.

And on that we agree !!!!!!!!!

[MTgrayling]

I fish therefore I am.

Must I participate in a system where a fraction of one percent takes pretty much all gains the working people create and then uses that capital in unlimited ways against the populace politically?

If the pope is the only human left among us these days, what are we?

Fuckin' society.

[Plow]

Gotta say European socialist bitch more about taxes than anyone in the world, Swedes are the worst. Talks about tax cheats, "socialist" countries are king. Need something done on time and under budget in those countries, pay cash and don't ask for paperwork.

And if you don't bitch about the taxes you pay and the waste it's because you're on the dole and part of the problem.

Europe has good mass transit 'cause with the taxes who the fuck can afford cars (well, might be other reasons too)? A few nice roads too but lots and lots of crappy ones. On a whole Texas has the best roads in the world by far.

[Upsetter]

Ironically....this thread was started as a somewhat attack ad on what I answered to Bob in his Carson Thread....

No. It wasnt. It was started cause I got a funny and (IMO) poignant email laying out the realities of operating a small business in this country in such a way a 10yo could understand it. I thought it was a worthwhile read for teh suk sub-basement dwellers. Only reason for the OP.

[Upsetter]

The Founding Fathers railed about taxation without representation. Now people rail about taxes generally. We seem to be missing an important player in the problem - don't bitch, do something about it.

Im doing everything I can short of running for office myself. Too many skeletons and Im not a big enough douchebag.

[Upsetter]

Gotta say European socialist bitch more about taxes than anyone in the world, Swedes are the worst. Talks about tax cheats, "socialist" countries are king. Need something done on time and under budget in those countries, pay cash and don't ask for paperwork.

I agree. My experience with Norwegians who actually work for a living tells the same story. They fucking hate the leeches and do nothings but feel totally powerless to do anything about it, and they are an influential family of attorneys, medical professionals, and oilfield engineers.

Hell, my brother emigrated to norway to escape feelings of victimization for being gay in the twin cities (go figure?). He tried in vain to start his own medical practice over there (about the only way we americans can emigrate is to start our own business, again go figure?) only to run into the shitstorm of anti-competitive bureaucracy they have there, including explicit limitations on his winning clientele away from other doctors by providing a better service. WTF?? He's now employed as a part time horticulturalist at a lawn and garden center. Those fuckers destroyed his hopes of being a doctor over there. Now both he and his husband are looking to move back here as both are sick of commie europes bullshit. Look out south beach.

[ditchdoc]

The middle class has always made up the bulk of tax revenues. The difference is that when I pay more in taxes, my net income goes down and I move further down the economic ladder. When the one percent pay more taxes, they remain the one percent.

I've never had children, so I've never received the child exemption on my taxes, and therefore pay more. I pay the same tax rate for schools and services which I have never benefitted from. I don't bitch about it because I believe in civilization and the common good. Having said that, there is a lot of bullshit that our tax dollars get spent on, not to mention the outright waste. How much money has been, and still is being pissed away in the Middle-East? We will never get a full accounting of that. When pallets of cash just disappear into a black hole, you can bet that you and I are getting fucked. What could that money have done right here?

I'm of the first generation of baby-boomers. I've been around long enough to see an amazing amount of change. Some of that change has been very discouraging. The fifties and early sixties were boom-times. The American middle class was the envy of the world. It literally drove our, and for a large part, the world's economy. The middle class, since then, has been in decline steadily. St. Ronnie and his ilk destroyed unions. Wages have, overall, stagnated or declined since then. At the alter of profit and dividends, corporations merged, consolidated and moved their manufacturing off shore. Careers were lost. Paychecks were lost. Benefits were lost. Tax revenues were lost. Banks were allowed to pretty much do anything they wanted--damn the risk. Lobbying took over Washington. Now we have ALEC, Citizens United, bought-and-paid-for politicians. None of them give two shits about the middle class.

We have only one recourse. Stop drinking so much of our particular brand of kool-aid, pay attention, separate the bullshit from fact, and VOTE!