Just When Do The Rich Say: It's Time To Raise Our Taxes (arsenal, dollars)

[albert648]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

This is the Information Age. There are many resources at your disposal to figure out which charities overspend on administration costs vs those that don't. Should we just get rid of charities all together?

But that doesn't really address the point I made in my post.

This. And unlike the government, charities actually have to compete for your donations.

[albert648]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Cosmetic surgery is a luxury, making people pay for necessary life saving surgeries the same way would just raise the mortality rate and lower life expectancies. Heart surgery or chemo are not the same as a BMW, if you don't know that, you're being obtuse

And you get catastrophic insurance coverage for those things.

Obamacare forces me to get insurance for an annual checkup. WTF? A catastrophic policy for when I get hit by a bus is what I need. I can afford the out of pocket cost for a checkup or preventative visit or flu shot, I don't need to insert a flipping middle man whose sole profit incentive is to deny as many claims as possible. This is like getting car insurance that covers oil changes.

BTW, the compliance costs for Medicare and insurance are astronomical. Direct primary care providers charge $60/month for unlimited visits. If I went to see the doctor once a month, that's $60 a visit. At Bluecross's contracted rates, the provider bills Bluecross $2,400 for the same number of visits. Medicare has something stupid like 13 codes for a dog bite.

And we wonder why health insurance, and healthcare in general, costs so much.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

Because now you are talking about luxury items, not health care. There are different market forces driving up the price of luxury items.

And on that note, when I had my laser eye surgery, I wen to a doctor that charged $6k, knowing that there are doctors out there that charge $2k. My eyes are too important to me to go bargain shopping, so I will only trust them to the person with the best reputation. Same would go for cosmetic surgery if that is something I wanted. I have seen too many botched jobs that have to be fixed by more skilled practitioners.

You're a doctor though, so coming up with $6k is absolutely no problem for you. That can be 6 months pay for a vast amount of people though

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

You're a doctor though, so coming up with $6k is absolutely no problem for you. That can be 6 months pay for a vast amount of people though

Or, they can just wear glasses.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

This is the Information Age. There are many resources at your disposal to figure out which charities overspend on administration costs vs those that don't. Should we just get rid of charities all together?

But that doesn't really address the point I made in my post.

I stand by the point that most charities are a money laundering tax dodge

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

I stand by the point that most charities are a money laundering tax dodge

That is because you have no idea how the charitable deduction works.

A tax dodge indicates that the person doing the dodging is gaining something financially.

If I give $5000 to a charity, and I save $2500 in taxes, that is STILL $2500 out of my pocket.

So where is the financial gain for me?

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

That is because you have no idea how the charitable deduction works.

A tax dodge indicates that the person doing the dodging is gaining something financially.

If I give $5000 to a charity, and I save $2500 in taxes, that is STILL $2500 out of my pocket.

So where is the financial gain for me?

It's easy to do, you set up a charity with a relative of yours as the administrator, and give them a high salary, which they don't actually collect themselves, but direct deposit it into a bank account which you own. Viola, money laundered

[InformedConsent]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

The majority of charity funds go to the salaries of those who administer the funds, less than 30% of the money actually goes to the causes. It's basically money laundering

It's obvious you don't donate to charities. You can check how much actually goes to those in need for each charity, here, and plan your giving accordingly: https://www.charitynavigator.org/

It lists charities that have perfect scores for Financial Health and Accountability and Transparency: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ind...view&cpid=2203

Picking one at random, The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, its spending is broken down to:

The Charity's Programs: 88.1%
Fundraising: 6.6%
Administrative (Salaries and Overhead): 5.3%

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/593097333
National Pediatric Cancer Foundation

88.1% is a far cry from your alleged "less than 30%." You're shockingly out of touch with reality.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by InformedConsent

It's obvious you don't donate to charities. You can check how much actually goes to those in need for each charity, here, and plan your giving accordingly: https://www.charitynavigator.org/

It lists charities that have perfect scores for Financial Health and Accountability and Transparency: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ind...view&cpid=2203

Picking one at random, The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, its spending is broken down to:

The Charity's Programs: 88.1%
Fundraising: 6.6%
Administrative (Salaries and Overhead): 5.3%

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/593097333
National Pediatric Cancer Foundation

88.1% is a far cry from your alleged "less than 30%." You're shockingly out of touch with reality.

There are a lot of charities that have a less than 30% figure

[FatBob96]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

I bet I earn more than you do, so if anything, I should be the one asking that question of you, but I don't, because I believe in redistribution

The you/me part of the question was rhetorical.

What make anyone "deserving" of receiving money taken from someone else?