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My kids are intelligent. Sometimes you appear to be.
When they got to be around 18 I told them that I would take responsibilty for anything I did 'wrong' that might be detrimental to their future/self-esteem. etc
I would NOT, however, take responsibilty for them using any of those things as an excuse forever since they had the ability to change.
How long have you been an adult now?
Long enough but I lack the skills and money necessary to make a lot of money, so I don't think I have the ability to change. And certainly people - especially burger flippers - reach a point where employers aren't going to hire them anyway; if I woke up tomorrow morning with an accounting degree, I doubt I'd be hired for anything beyond basic bookkeeping, I think that's realistic and not pessimistic.
Long enough but I lack the skills and money necessary to make a lot of money, so I don't think I have the ability to change. And certainly people - especially burger flippers - reach a point where employers aren't going to hire them anyway; if I woke up tomorrow morning with an accounting degree, I doubt I'd be hired for anything beyond basic bookkeeping, I think that's realistic and not pessimistic.
And I think it's exactly that attitude that keeps you where you are.
At least posting here, blaming everybody but yourself for your situation, doesn't take too much of your paltry earnings.
Wealth is distributed by government through policy which allows some to accumulate wealth at the expense of others. By keeping me a rent slave, government distributed wealth to my landlord.
We have WIC, SNAP and TANF(cash) and kids are still coming to school hungry so we have feed them at school now.
Some schools also provide clothes for them.
There's nothing wrong in principle with government taxing the rich to help the poor. There, I said it. And I'm really getting sick and tired of Republicans making "redistribution of wealth" the cornerstone of their opposition to Obama and the Democrats.
True, government taxes too much and spends too much, no question - but the problem is one of degree and not of kind. It's also a problem of the federal government usurping the role of churches, charities, and state/local governments much closer to the people in need. These distinctions are important. When you rail against "redistribution of wealth" as though it's something intrinsically evil, you just sound like selfish, greedy idiots.
Given that you so frequently present yourself and your views from a religious perspective, tell us what God thinks about stealing? Last time I checked, "thou shalt not steal" was one of the 10 Commandments, so it seems to me that God would not be in favor of the Government stealing one person's property to give to someone else. And no matter what deceptive language one might choose to use in describing such theft ... be it "redistribution of wealth", or some other trendy phrase, theft is still theft .... because taking what doesn't belong to you is stealing .. regardless of your "reasons" for doing it. You can do all of the "high minded" rationalizing you want to about reasons and intentions and needs, but none of that changes a thing. It's still flat out wrong to steal another person's property, both in principle, and in practical reality, and if you've convinced yourself otherwise, you're suffering self delusions.
We have a lot of "old sayings", like "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" ... or "a picture is worth a thousand words" ... and "give them an inch, and they'll take a mile". These things stick around because of the fundamental truths they present, which have stood the test of time. And the last one is particularly applicable to such rationalization as you seem to be engaging here, because the moment you compromise the basic principles of theft being wrong, the floodgate of stealing is swung wide open. First it's a dime, then a dollar, then thousands and eventually millions. Give a dime, they'll take a Million.
So I would ask you a simple question .... do you believe that the Government should tax everyone at 100%? Should they just take every single penny and then redistribute all of that money as Government sees fit to do? You go to work, and the Government takes your entire paycheck and then later gives you a little bit of it to squeeze by on, while the rest goes to me? If so, let me just PM you my address, and you can send that paycheck straight to me and cut out the middle man.
Now you probably think 100% is a bit harsh, and would be more in favor of 20 or 30% ? Right? Or maybe 50% ? Well guess what? You don't get to decide that. Once you agree to the theft, Katie bar the door, because other people have their own little lists of worthy causes to spend your money on, that you may not agree with, but then it will do you no good to complain ... because others will decide where that money goes, not you. Some of it will go to the bankers (a lot of it really) .. some goes to the bomb makers so we can continue blowing up other countries .... some will go to the politically connected ... and maybe a trickle will make it to those poor people that you wanted it to go to ... maybe.
A Supreme Court Justice said in the 1800's ... "the power to tax is the power to destroy". And that is absolutely true. Taxation does destroy. It destroys personal wealth. It destroys economic prosperity. And it destroys people's lives .... all of those good reasons be damned. That's the reality.
Let's take one example .... "property tax". We have to have it, they say, to pay for schools for the children. We've got to educate the children!! Sounds reasonable, until you think about it for 5 seconds, and then assess the results. If you have children .. are you not responsible for feeding them? Clothing them? Taking them to the doctor when they are ill? Buying them toys? Then why are you not also responsible for paying for the costs of educating them? Why should I have to pay for YOUR child's education? I don't have children ... so why should I pay for yours? Should I also pick up the tab for all of the other things too? The food, clothing, doctor, the toys? Do I get visitation rights with that investment? Screw that ... pay for your own kids, buddy, because it is YOUR responsibility, and not everyone else's. And I don't say that because I'm greedy and selfish .... I think YOU are being greedy and selfish by expecting others to foot the bill for the raising of your children. Why are you not the selfish and greedy one (and a thief) for wanting to take my money that doesn't belong to you ... while I'm the greedy one for objecting to the theft? Talk about a backwards view of reality .... you're stranding on your bloody head!!
You see, this insanity you propose is what forces Grandma to have to sell the home she's lived in for the past 60 years ... paid off the mortgage 30 years ago, and supposedly owns that home, but doesn't really own anything at all, thanks to people like you and your bright ideas. The "state" owns the home, and she just rents it ... in the form of property tax ... supposedly to help pay for your kid's education. Year after year, the property values increase and so do those property taxes, until the tax is more than the original mortgage was, and eventually, Grandma's retirement income can no longer afford those increasing taxes, and is forced to sell her home. And it's all because of how generous and kind you are!
Grandma says, thanks a lot! You say, the heck with you Grandma ... there is nothing intrinsically wrong with redistributing wealth .... and all of that complaining about being forced to sell her home to pay for your bright ideas just makes Grandma sound like a selfish, greedy idiot. Right?
I got two final old sayings that you may have heard before .... "The road to hell is paved with good intentions", and, "The devil is in the details".
Please produce at least one link where a self proclaimed liberal(s) proclaim they live to take from others. Otherwise how about you shut your generalizing mouth because obviously you are blinded by your own bias.
More amusingly, you are no different than the liberals you bash. You generalize them, they do the same with you. No better than them.
Yea, the same way you generalize all conservatives.
Uh.... No. We haven't become a nation of lay abouts, that is just far right propaganda, along with a lot of what you said. Try not making sweeping generalizations about a nation of several hundreds of million of people.
Well, they have to make these azzhat generalizations. When the facts are against you, when common sence is against and when plain observations prove you wrong you only have so many choices. Lying and misrepresentations are their first choice of arguement. Straw men and irrelevant stupidity are usually their second choice. Denial of reality ranks right up there with the rest of their modus operendi.
Let's just take one single glaring example of the denial of reality. The most successful countries among the western democracys, the countries where the people are the happiest, where the crime rates are the lowest, where there are no big slums, where racism is minimal, where the people have universal healthcare, where higher education is affordable and extremism is very rare. All of these countries have something in common. They all have government and social policies that these American mental cases insist will destroy their country.
The real issue we need to be working on is finding the will to STOP SPENDING MORE THAN TAXES PRODUCE! Do you really believe that our illustrious legislators will not increase spending to match or exceed any possible amount of increased taxes?
Stop spending more than revenue just like we, the American people are expected to do with our household finances. The reason the leaders don't do this is because they know that they can get some American people (the people who don't pay a dime in taxes) to vote for an increase in taxes for others to have to pay. If you don't pay taxes why should you have any say about what others have to pay. Obama's first stimulus failed MISERABLY. Obama is bought by union leaders. Where do you think his next shovel ready stimulus will go?
Americans -> The piggy banks for Obama to give to Union leaders.
From being a human being, ability to put self in others' shoes.
I did, we gave both charitable contributions (from my heart) and high taxes (because we need to pay a reasonable amount of taxes). NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
They are still in line for more. You've pushed me too far. I'm done.
And as I learned more, as a child, I began to notice the message being universal:
"Consider others as yourself" - Buddha
So when are the people who have been on welfare all their lives going to think of the hard working americans who worked to pay taxes so they can get a welfare check? They don't consider these hard workers as themselves. All they do is "demand" more. That is greed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by freemkt
I see nothing in the Constitution that hinders states from screwing poor people, so if Congress has no power to do "anything that helps people" what do you expect to happen to the poor?
Tell them to do something to help themselves FIRST. It will take some effort on their part so here we are. Parents teach their children they are entitled and it goes down the line. It is time to stop.
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