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The drug bill is probably a waste of money however I do not see a problem with it. People talk about their right not to be drug tested, what about my right of not paying for their housing, food, kids, & etc.! I love how people have more kids to get more welfare.
As I say if you cannot afford a baby and you are not married you have no reason to be doing you know what. I am not saying you have to be married but you have to be able to at least financially support the result of your actions.
No sex unless you are looking to have a child (and can financially support one)? How Santorum of you.
Unfortunately, often times people are perfectly capable of supporting children when they have them. Small things like recessions and medical bankruptcies take a big toll on the finances of many, and have unfortunately pushed many parents to the point of requiring welfare for their families.
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Yes, it is ridiculous that 47% of Americans do not pay an income tax(I am specific because then people will say everybody pays taxes etc.). We are becoming like Europe and that is not a good thing. Everybody who has an income should pay an income tax.
People who talk about "becoming like Europe" obviously (no offense) have any idea of what has gotten some Euro nations in trouble, while completely ignoring the Euro nations that are in much, much better financial footing than ours.
I'm sure you would talk about countries like Greece, Spain, etc etc and say that the root cause of their entire trouble was too much debt. First of all, you'd be way wrong. Second, take a moment and compare those countries to countries like Germany, Switzerland, Norway, etc in how they responded when the recession hit.
Greece, Spain, Ireland, and Iceland immediately cut funding to their respective social safety nets. We know whats going on in Greece. Spain now has 25% unemployment (50% for citizens under the age of 30). I could go on.
What did Germany, Switzerland, and Norway do when the recession hit? They raised spending on their social safety net. Why? Because if the middle and lower class (also known as "consumers") have no money, youre economy has no chance of growing.
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That is why I support a sales based tax, because everybody gets hit with it.
Just because "everybody gets hit" with it doesnt mean its best from an economical standpoint. When you consider the fact that 75%+ of our GDP is consumer spending, consider this:
A 2% tax increase on someone making $500k/year affects their spending habits very little, if at all.
A 2% tax increase on someone making $35k/year affects their spending capability quite a bit.
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I grew up in a family with money so I did have advantages but I made everything I have now with an initial investment from my mother of 40k. Later I sold that company and started another company, once that company was up and running I got into rentals. I still have ownership in that company however I am not active in the day to day running. I also occasionally flip houses.
That's fantastic. A good buddy of mine runs a similar type of business (Section 8 rentals). He does very well while working to improve the communities he's involved in.
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And for the Occupy Movement.... Get a JOB!
They would if there were jobs available - hence the point of their protests. Our tax and economy system over the past 10-15 years doesnt favor domestic job growth. The situation were in today is the result.
And I say this as one of those greedy guys who worked on Wall Street for 6+ years before starting my own small private equity shop.
47% of Americans pay no federal income taxes. Not only do they pay a bunch of other taxes, but they pay a much higher % of their income in taxes than the other 53%.
What are you talking about? Right around 50% of Americans pay ZERO in federal income taxes and a growing percentage get refundable credits, most notably the earned income tax credit.
I just wrote the IRS a hefty check, and my total federal income tax was more than the annual gross income for 75% of Americans. Add to that state taxes, local taxes, SS/Medicare withholding, etc., and not sure where you get the absurd idea that people who pay no federal income taxes somehow pay more than I do as a percentage of their incomes....through what....sales tax?
As for drug testing for welfare recipients...if you don't want to be tested, then don't take the money. If you don't do drugs, then you have nothing to worry about. Pretty simple actually.
What are you talking about? Right around 50% of Americans pay ZERO in federal income taxes and a growing percentage get refundable credits, most notably the earned income tax credit.
I just wrote the IRS a hefty check, and my total federal income tax was more than the annual gross income for 75% of Americans. Add to that state taxes, local taxes, SS/Medicare withholding, etc., and not sure where you get the absurd idea that people who pay no federal income taxes somehow pay more than I do as a percentage of their incomes....through what....sales tax?
As for drug testing for welfare recipients...if you don't want to be tested, then don't take the money. If you don't do drugs, then you have nothing to worry about. Pretty simple actually.
The point is that it has been PROVEN to COST more then it saves in Florida. As someone hollering about how much tax they pay that should be "pretty simple actually".
Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday signed off on Georgia's proposal to drug-test parents who seek welfare, pushing the state towards a legal confrontation with opponents over the new law's fairness.
Deal signed House Bill 861 without ceremony or immediate comment. The Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights said earlier this month it was preparing a lawsuit if the state moved ahead with the mandate. The American Civil Liberties Union also had issues with the bill.
Wonder why, We drug test routinely for paying jobs.
The point is that it has been PROVEN to COST more then it saves in Florida. As someone hollering about how much tax they pay that should be "pretty simple actually".
Of course, ideally, you are testing 100% of the recipients and none of them is coming up positive, so it's not about saving money per se. It's about getting people off of public money who are using it for purposes other than what it's intended.
Personally, I'd rather spend more to ensure that fraud is taken out of the system. Of course the real solution is to pare down the scope of these programs in a bigger way, to reduce the overall costs.
What are you talking about? Right around 50% of Americans pay ZERO in federal income taxes and a growing percentage get refundable credits, most notably the earned income tax credit.
I just wrote the IRS a hefty check, and my total federal income tax was more than the annual gross income for 75% of Americans. Add to that state taxes, local taxes, SS/Medicare withholding, etc., and not sure where you get the absurd idea that people who pay no federal income taxes somehow pay more than I do as a percentage of their incomes....through what....sales tax?
Yes, sales tax. State taxes. Local taxes. Gasoline taxes. Finally, the payroll tax (the biggest "offender," if you will).
You may say that state and local taxes arent that much. In the grand scheme of things (for someone who may make as much money as you or I, for instance) they are not. For the bottom 20% of earners in America - including those hippie freeloaders like teachers and firefighters - more than 12% of their income goes to pay state and local taxes alone.
Note: This leads to a further point that it is the regressive nature of our state and local tax system that really needs re-evaluating.
Going forward, it's best to look at the effective tax rate when evaluating the tax burden that citizens pay.
PS: The vast majority of those who pay little to no taxes at all are the elderly, disabled, and children. Not sure what else we an squeeze out of them.
Easy solution to a lot of our problems: allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and remove (or dramatically increase) the cap on payroll taxes. Fast forward five years after unemployment drops another 3% (thereby increasing tax revenue across the board) and our deficit + social security funding problems are solved.
Yes, sales tax. State taxes. Local taxes. Gasoline taxes. Finally, the payroll tax (the biggest "offender," if you will).
You may say that state and local taxes arent that much. In the grand scheme of things (for someone who may make as much money as you or I, for instance) they are not. For the bottom 20% of earners in America - including those hippie freeloaders like teachers and firefighters - more than 12% of their income goes to pay state and local taxes alone.
Note: This leads to a further point that it is the regressive nature of our state and local tax system that really needs re-evaluating.
Going forward, it's best to look at the effective tax rate when evaluating the tax burden that citizens pay.
PS: The vast majority of those who pay little to no taxes at all are the elderly, disabled, and children. Not sure what else we an squeeze out of them.
Easy solution to a lot of our problems: allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and remove (or dramatically increase) the cap on payroll taxes. Fast forward five years after unemployment drops another 3% (thereby increasing tax revenue across the board) and our deficit + social security funding problems are solved.
Sorry, but your math just doesn't work. Your thinking here is delusional.
Do you realize how much in purchases someone would have to make at 6% or 7% sales tax?
Even the payroll tax isn't that much. I pay the maximum FICA and Medicare tax every year, and it totals around $10K. Someone who pays no federal income tax isn't coming close to that amount.
Then add the massive federal and state income taxes I pay...ON TOP OF the other taxes mentioned. How on earth do you figure that someone who pays no income tax is paying a higher percentage? Again...your math just doesn't add up.
Easy solution to a lot of our problems: allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and remove (or dramatically increase) the cap on payroll taxes. Fast forward five years after unemployment drops another 3% (thereby increasing tax revenue across the board) and our deficit + social security funding problems are solved.
I"m not in favor of repealing the Bush tax cuts as it has been proposed. The proposal has been to repeal the tax cut only for the high earners. If you are going to increase their taxes, increase them for everyone. Stop the class warfare. Even increasing the taxes on the wealthy does almost nothing for the budget. The much talked about Buffet Rule would raise about $47 billion in 10 years. Meanwhile, in next year alone, we are looking at a budget deficit of about $1 trillion. Increasing the taxes on the rich does almost nothing to solve the budget problems. The problems are due to entitlement spending and few politicians (no blues) are even considering addressing the real problem. It is more politically beneficial for them to trot out a half-senile Warren Buffet and talk about his secretary and how "unfair" it is that he pays a lower tax rate on his capital gains. Pure political asshattery from our president.
I have no problem increasing the payroll tax cap. I think that needs to be done. That alone could make Social Security viable for the long term. That is an easy fix.
Medicare is not an easy fix and at some point we have to decide how much we the taxpayers should spend to keep grandma alive for that extra 3 months. Her last three months are bankrupting the country. It is an ugly discussion, but at some point, the conversation needs to be held. However, it won't because of the blue-red divide and no one outside of Paul Ryan really proposing viable solutions.
I say we should cut out the tax breaks/credits, simplify the tax code and we would see a more fair tax code. I don't care how many kids you squirt out, I don't think you should pay less than me because of it. Can't pay your taxes and contribute to society while paying for all the benefits you receive, then don't have a kid. It isn't a hard concept. I know that is just one example, but get rid of all of them. No one should get a check back from the government for not paying taxes. That is absurd. Burn the tax code eliminating the complexity and make it simple. Add transparency and things will improve.
We are becoming like Europe and that is not a good thing.
I fear this thread is getting of topic, but I was compelled to respond. Lets just clarify that I do not believe in the welfare state, especially in the U.S.
It is getting annoying whenever Republicans say "we are becoming like Europe" with such disdain (was a republican, became a libertarian). Have you ever lived in Europe? If not, how can you say? Both places can learn a thing from each other. America can follow Europe's lead of actually cutting instead of always saying we are #1. If we are, lets prove it.
Of course, ideally, you are testing 100% of the recipients and none of them is coming up positive, so it's not about saving money per se. It's about getting people off of public money who are using it for purposes other than what it's intended.
Personally, I'd rather spend more to ensure that fraud is taken out of the system. Of course the real solution is to pare down the scope of these programs in a bigger way, to reduce the overall costs.
This is really stupid reasoning and it's almost grasping.
So would pay more in tax just to keep people from wasting tax? Did you read what you typed? Is there any kind of congnitive dissonance going on if you say that out loud?
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