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Post by Witchcraft and Sorcery on Nov 16, 2015 18:52:10 GMT -5
I agree that we need to cut spending, but what's unimportant to you? I'm curious.
The grossly overbudgeted military is pretty unimportant to me. I would like to see my tax dollars go to actual important things like roads, schools, the environment, science, public recreation, the arts, things that actually enrich and develop our community instead of trying to make everyone else in the world think like we do.
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Grossly over budgeted!? We are the world's policeman!
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And who elected you guys supreme overlord of Law&Order? Also, if that were true you suck hard at it.
Last Edit: Nov 17, 2015 8:31:08 GMT -5 by Louisistan
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Post by Witchcraft and Sorcery on Nov 17, 2015 9:36:07 GMT -5
We're not the world's policemen.
We are the narcissistic enforcers of our own narrow-minded way of pseudo-democracy that benefits a tiny minority of the population.
Cutting their budget by a third or more wouldn't be overdoing it. They can't meet recruiting goals anyway so don't tell me people will be out of a job. The tax money could go a million other places.
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No roads. No schools. No fire departments. No university. No disaster relief. No social security (whatsoever). No police. No military. No intelligence services.
I don't think you fully grasp just what is paid for by taxes.
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No roads. No schools. No fire departments. No university. No disaster relief. No social security (whatsoever). No police. No military. No intelligence services.
I don't think you fully grasp just what is paid for by taxes.
Geeze Louis, if people want things like social security they can just pay for it when they use it.
As you may guess, I agree with the point Louis is making.
There are a few stories of big businesses in Australia paying a ridiculously low tax rate compared to the 30% the should be paying. I am of the opinion that they are not really doing anything wrong as they aren't breaking any laws and that the government should close the loopholes or address the issue in some other way. I don't see that happening anytime soon...
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Post by Candlewhisper on Nov 18, 2015 11:14:27 GMT -5
Flat taxation has got a certain appeal to it, I admit, in that its simple, its proportionate and it gives people the right to keep most of the money they earn.
However, I think tax, including their absolute % value and the way they are distributed (progressive or flat, simple or complex, etc.) isn't really about an individuals money vs the government's money. Rather, its about how we choose to distribute the wealth of society as a whole, and how we as a society choose to shape ourselves. A flat rate of income tax and nothing else (regardless of whether it is 1% or 90%) basically says that we're happy with society in its current shape: that we feel the rich/poor divide is where it ought to be, and that people - left entirely to their own devices - will self-govern.
That's an appealing point of view to a libertarian mindset, of course, but less so to a socialist mindset.
In terms of economic arguments, you can find experts on both sides who believe that a high rich-poor divide is net beneficial for the economy, or net-detrimental. Its one of those arguments where you can find the "evidence" to support your chosen stance.
To me, therefore, its more of a moral question. Do we consider that a fair society is one that lets the rich have the right to get richer and richer? Or do we consider it a fair society as one that tries to distribute the wealth of society more evenly between all in society?
There's a balance to be struck of course - an absolute communist planned economy doesn't seem to work, as human nature often requires the incentive of greed to progress (though of course, many socialist utopians would disagree). On the other hand, an absolute free-for all results in power perpetuating power, and crushes the potential for social mobility (the so called American Dream). If you're born with a billion dollars of inherited wealth, its pretty trivial to add ten million to that pot by the time you pass that wealth on. If you're born with a thousand dollars of inherited wealth, its exceedingly difficult to add ten million to that pot. The opportunities afforded to the individual are not equal, or even comparable.
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