How A Corporate Tax Break Program Costs All Texans Billions (Houston: health insurance, private schools)

[Marty Janetty]

Originally Posted by EDS_

You are rationalizing or at least minimizing the fact that more Euros and Western Euros are here than the other way around and you've fought that fact hard for several pages. You are a smart guy let go of the emotion.

You might start by looking at professional salaries (salaries v. COL v. taxes) across Europe vs. here for some idea of motivation.


Millions of people is important and you flat out know, or should, that more would come here if they could.

_______________


My wife runs a large IT office in London. She tells me in the main IT pays .65 - .85 there vs. here. So the people there make less, live in one of the worlds most expensive cites and pay higher taxes.

I used to own 10% of a small but sneaky successful company in London that mainly bought and sold Royalty Trusts - when he retired the CFO there made less than my wife who was an IT Director here.


Don't take my word for it look this stuff up.


________________


BTW if you'd like to switch this discussion to hard numbers COL v. taxes v. pay or median income comparisons etc. I'm game.


Here's one........per The OECD.

Average Household Net Adjusted Disposable Income Per Capita:

Denmark - $29,606
UK - $28,715
Germany - $34,207
France - $31,304
Canada - $30,854
Auz - $32,759
Italy - $26,588
Japan - $29,798
US - $45,284

We can also compare the homicide rates of those countries to the USA.

This argument is intellectually dishonest. Having a high gdp or higher average income doesn't automatically equal a higher quality of life for the average person.

For a example using your logic we could say that Brazil which has a much higher gdp than Norway would be a much better place to live, do you think that's true?

Americans may have more disposable income because they pay less taxes but the money gets spent the same,for example spending money on education, healthcare,car maintenance because of poorly maintained roads (the fact that you have to set money aside to own a car because of non-existent public transportation) and security measures because of high crime rates among other things.

[Marty Janetty]

Originally Posted by EDS_

We aren't talking about, "most Americans" or "most Europeans" only the numbers who move short and long term.


Working class life in Europe may seem easier but the income v. COL v. taxes numbers are terrible. What's, "working poor" here is almost, and literally in some areas, "middle class" in Europe.


There is a good bit of truth to your last point.

Higher income doesn't automatically equal better life quality.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Marty Janetty

We can also compare the homicide rates of those countries to the USA.

This argument is intellectually dishonest. Having a high gdp or higher average income doesn't automatically equal a higher quality of life for the average person.

For a example using your logic we could say that Brazil which has a much higher gdp than Norway would be a much better place to live, do you think that's true?

Americans may have more disposable income because they pay less taxes but the money gets spent the same,for example spending money on education, healthcare,car maintenance because of poorly maintained roads (the fact that you have to set money aside to own a car because of non-existent public transportation) and security measures because of high crime rates among other things.

1. Sure, homicide rates are fair game. So are acid attacks and many other things...........relative freedom from government coercion being a big one in my book.

2. My argument is 100% intellectually honest. You don't like the numbers.

3. "Using my logic"..........I would never use nominal GPD numbers as means to compare QOL or finances between countries of grossly different populations. FWIIW Norway has much higher per-capita GDP than Brazil. By several measures Norway is the richest country on Earth. Brazil is in most ways still a frontier economy. So no you have me all wrong on that one.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Marty Janetty

Higher income doesn't automatically equal better life quality.

For me it does.

Anyway The OECD Better Life Index has US QOL right there with the better ranking Euro countries.

[Marty Janetty]

Originally Posted by EDS_

For me it does.

Anyway The OECD Better Life Index has US QOL right there with the better ranking Euro countries.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...y-adjusted_HDI

#28 on this list adjusted for inequality.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Marty Janetty

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...y-adjusted_HDI

#28 on this list adjusted for inequality.

I noticed you backed of your Brazil Norway fumble.

I don't pay any attention to UN statistics normally.

Why are you here if it sucks so badly?

[Marty Janetty]

Originally Posted by EDS_

I noticed you backed of your Brazil Norway fumble.

I don't pay any attention to UN statistics normally.

Why are you here if it sucks so badly?

I'm not going to argue semantics with you.

I'm not within the freedom to leave my jurisdiction at the moment unfortunately.

It doesn't "suck so badly" at all especially depending on where you're coming from, but my point is that the US isn't the end all be all and higher incomes don't automatically equal a greater standard of living

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Marty Janetty

I'm not going to argue semantics with you.

I'm not within the freedom to leave my jurisdiction at the moment unfortunately.

It doesn't "suck so badly" at all especially depending on where you're coming from, but my point is that the US isn't the end all be all and higher incomes don't automatically equal a greater standard of living

I'm sorry you are stuck somewhere you don't want to be.

I'm not for a moment claiming The US is the be all and end all or that everyone should love it and/or want to be here. I grow tired of some Americans relentlessly running down The US with fantasized visions of Euro. perfection. It's pretty clear many Americans do not understand how expensive the free things in Europe really are.

[Marty Janetty]

Originally Posted by EDS_

I'm sorry you are stuck somewhere you don't want to be.

I'm not for a moment claiming The US is the be all and end all or that everyone should love it and/or want to be here. I grow tired of some Americans relentlessly running down The US with fantasized visions of Euro. perfection. It's pretty clear many Americans do not understand how expensive the free things in Europe really are.

I get it,but my point is that you pay for those things one way or another whether it's through taxes or having to spend your own income to cover those needs.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Marty Janetty

I get it,but my point is that you pay for those things one way or another whether it's through taxes or having to spend your own income to cover those needs.

That's right.