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The thing with this is.. that those who pay less (and I'm not saying they shouldn't).. have the same exact things provided for them as well, and then some. So expanding your list... to include entitlement programs...
1. Food Stamps
2. Section 8
3. Energy Assistance
4. TANIF
5. WIC
6. Medicaid
7. Free cell phones
8. Childcare Assistance (although may be on State Level?)
9. Earned Income credit (which I think should only be allowed up to tax liability)
So easily there are 9 more areas which are being paid for by someone else. Now, am I saying that they aren't necessary. No. But, given the fact that you listed 11 things that I pay for and I've added 9 more, and the fact that I pay a butt-load more than anyone receiving any of those 9, who's being ungrateful? And who's being a cheapskate?
Look, I'm not trying to be a cheapskate... but the fact remains that there are those of us who sometimes pay more in a year than most people do in 20. And not from investments or capital gains... but from the sweat of our brow. Earned Income. And while we understand that there are those who NEED.. and we are glad to assist.. we also understand that there are those who TAKE. And to put it quite bluntly.. we're sick of it. And we're sick of being told that we don't do enough and getting called ungrateful cheapskates.
Last year I paid AMT (ouch), so I know all about the uneven tax burden. The three biggest items in the federal budget are:
1) Defense
2) Social Security
2) Medicare and Medicaid
All the items I've mentioned, and the entitlements you included, are considered discrectionary and other mandatory spending. These are just 40% of the budget. The issue is that people tend to focus on some welfare spending and believe it is much larger than it really is. Here are the numbers for 2012: 2012 United States federal budget - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services is $139B, or just 3.6% of the entire budget.
The real question is why some elected leaders keep harping on 3.6% of the budget while not addressing the real issues that are driving deficit spending?
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,145,129 times
Reputation: 2677
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoke_Jaguar4
Last year I paid AMT (ouch), so I know all about the uneven tax burden. The three biggest items in the federal budget are:
1) Defense
2) Social Security
2) Medicare and Medicaid
All the items I've mentioned, and the entitlements you included, are considered discrectionary and other mandatory spending. These are just 40% of the budget. The issue is that people tend to focus on some welfare spending and believe it is much larger than it really is. Here are the numbers for 2012: 2012 United States federal budget - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services is $139B, or just 3.6% of the entire budget.
The real question is why some elected leaders keep harping on 3.6% of the budget while not addressing the real issues that are driving deficit spending?
AMT is a big sore spot with me. We have on occasion got hit very very hard due to Schedule A. And that's where it gets even trickier. Everyone keeps saying... take away the tax breaks for those above certain income levels. What so many fail to realize is that those same "breaks" can actually cause you to pay more tax!!
While I agree that there are big pieces of the pie that need fixed, but nobody who ever ran a successful business nor family budget will ever tell you that the penny's, nickles, and dimes don't matter either.
The real question is why some elected leaders keep harping on 3.6% of the budget while not addressing the real issues that are driving deficit spending?
Because no one can cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or defense, and still get re-elected.
If your breakfast didn't kill you because it had to pass government food inspection, then you are a recipient.
If your health is not degraded from lead and pollutants in the air thanks to government regulations, then you are a recipient.
If your children didn't die from diarrhea because they drink clean water from public utilities, then you are a recipient.
If you got to work this morning using a public roadway, then you are a recipient.
If your car didn't kill or maim you thanks to government safety standards, then you are a recipient.
If your boss has to give you safety equipment, regular breaks, and reasonable compensation due to labor laws, then you are a recipient.
If you can transact business in the world's most reliable and trusted currency, the dollar, then you are a recipient.
If your bank can't fold in the middle of the night and take all your savings due to banking laws, then you are a recipient.
If you or your children have ever attended a public school or college, then you are a recipient.
If you have ever used emergency paramedic, fire, or police services, then you are a recipient.
If you or your parents use Medicare to access medical treatment, then you are a recipient.
If you take everything I mentioned above for granted and whine about how unfair your tax burden is, then you are an ungrateful cheapskate.
How exactly did society survive all of these things before government intrusion.....I mean intervention?
Last year I paid AMT (ouch), so I know all about the uneven tax burden. The three biggest items in the federal budget are:
1) Defense
2) Social Security
2) Medicare and Medicaid
All the items I've mentioned, and the entitlements you included, are considered discrectionary and other mandatory spending. These are just 40% of the budget. The issue is that people tend to focus on some welfare spending and believe it is much larger than it really is. Here are the numbers for 2012: 2012 United States federal budget - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services is $139B, or just 3.6% of the entire budget.
The real question is why some elected leaders keep harping on 3.6% of the budget while not addressing the real issues that are driving deficit spending?
The total amount of spending is not the issue. Debts and deficits are not the issue. Why do you insist on deflecting?
The issue is the scope and scale of transfer payments, and the growing number of people who receive these transfer payments.
Perhaps you should study up on what a transfer payment is instead of harping on the larger budget picture. When you figure out what it all means, then maybe you'll begin to understand what the OP is (rightfully) railing against.
Here's a 101 Class for you. Not all encompassing, but surely a good starter for you:
How exactly did society survive all of these things before government intrusion.....I mean intervention?
There are still plenty of places in this world where people survive without these services. I mentioned Haiti and Somalia, there are many other places in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Don't think that the Quality of Life we enjoy in the U.S. is a benign accident. It takes deliberate effort, with an associated cost, to create a country where people thrive and prosper instead of just survive (your word).
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,145,129 times
Reputation: 2677
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoke_Jaguar4
It takes deliberate effort, with an associated cost, to create a country where people thrive and prosper instead of just survive (your word).
Doesn't it also therefore, take a deliberate effort on the individuals part to thrive, prosper and not just survive? We seem to penalize those who give that effort at a much greater clip than those who are doing nothing but standing with their hands out. I don't have a problem with hand-ups... but hand-outs have become the norm.
Did you wake up in the morning and think this was new or brilliant?
Well, it's obviously above your comprehension.
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