Monday, October 13, 2008
NOBama!
I don't know where I saw that word, but it's very fitting for this post. I'm going to try not to go off on a rant, but it's about time that America gets off it's blind "we need a change" horse and comes to grip with reality. Obama constantly says that he wants to lower taxes for 95% of the population (those making less than $250,000/year). What he really means though is he wants the top 5% to pay the way for the bottom 95%. I cannot possibly wrap my head around how anyone thinks this is a good idea. I don't have nearly as much money as some people, but I don't go up to them and ask them to give it to me! Why should those people who work hard and are successful have to work even harder to support everyone else? And, there are plenty of small business owners out there who busted their ass to make $250,000/year, to try to live "the American dream." Now, because they have successfully done that, you're going to take it away from them? Recently, Obama made the infuriating remark that the country should "spread the wealth around." No, Robin Hood, we should not! I must have missed the point at which the US turned into a socialist nation. If it hasn't yet, it certainly will under an Obama presidency (the possibility of which makes me cringe). Maybe the unconditional meetings that Obama plans to have with Kim Jong Il and Hugo Chavez are not a bad idea, as they'll be able to give him economic advice.
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6 comments:
Well, someone has to pay for the American way of life. The statistics vary, but one I heard recently suggested that the total debt load per household (including the national debt) in the US is something like $450,000. Eventually someone is going to have to pay for your way of life.
Regardless of the rich vs poor taxation debate and how the tax system is structured, the money to pay off your debt and to maintain your roads, your police and fire services, your EMS, your military etc. is going to have to come from somewhere.
I find it mystifying that so many Americans are so opposed to paying taxes. Where do you think the money to build a civil society comes from?
The money is going to have to from someone/somewhere. Right now, it's coming from your great-great-grandchildren's paychecks.
It does not all need to come from the top 5%. Everyone benefits, so everyone gets to contribute! You cannot just lower taxes for those making less, while raising taxes for those making more, and then require those small business owners to provide health insurance and everything else on top of it. Like I said, the top 5% should not be responsible for the bottom 95%. And lets be honest here, $250,000 (which is where he's drawing the line, is not a ton of money. If Obama follows his plan and makes small businesses cover health insurance, and increases taxes to the highest levels in history (for some people), those making around $250,000 are going to feel the squeeze. And, they should not have to. What incentive is there to make more money, if the government is just going to take it away?
I think the solution is better spending. We currently spend more than any industrialized nation on health care, without getting the best results. The government needs to change how they allocate the money they're already getting...not continually spend more and more of it. Unfortunately, politicians don't know how to best care for people. It is far cheaper to pay for a doctor's appointment when someone has a cough, than it is to pay for a month in the ICU once they develop pneumonia. Right now, we're paying for the pneumonia.
"I must have missed the point at which the US turned into a socialist nation."
Well, you must have missed that small little injection of $700 billion dollars so as to divert the absolute meltdown of our financial markets. Or the soon to be ownership stake in our commercial banks, by thats right, the US Government. Unfortunately, 8 years of deregulation (less government, less oversight) have led us to this sad place.
Your put forth the idea of wiser spending, and yes, that is absolutely a great place to start. Unfortunately, quickly google the current figure for our national debt, yes, it is that large. No amount of spending cuts can fix that. Taxes have to be raised, plain and simple.
I am really not one to argue over politics as I respect all opinions but I have to ask you if you really feel comfortable with the possibility of someone as inept as Sarah Palin being next in line. You are way too smart to believe that she is capable of leading our nation through this bleak time in our history.
Thanks for your reply. Yes, we do have a very large national debt. However, it would seem to me that if you want to get rid of debt, lowering taxes is not the best way to do it. If they are going to raise taxes, I do not support laying the entire burden on the top 5%, while actually decreasing the taxes for the rest. If you need to raise taxes that badly, it needs to be done across the board.
I do not like that McCain picked Palin for many many reasons, and I still can't quite figure out the logic behind that. However, I am voting for who I want to be President, not who may take over as President if the current one dies. People can die at any time, but I think McCain's got at least 4 years left in him! As it stands, either McCain or Obama will be the next president. As much as I dislike Palin as a Vice Presidential choice, I like Obama as a presidential choice even less.
the top 5% should not be responsible for the bottom 95%.
Are you your brother's keeper?
This is where we differ. I believe that with priviledge comes responsibility. And that a civil society contains at its very core the ideal that individual members of society contribute for the common good.
In some respects, the American Dream can be seen as an experiment in rabid individualism (read selfishness); an experiment that the I generally feel has produced some very negative outcomes.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I believe that by paying taxes, you are already helping the common good. And, if you are paying 30% (or whatever the actual percent is) of a million dollars a year, you're contributing a whole lot more than someone who is contributing 30% of $30,000! However, I do not think it is fair to say that the person who is making a million needs to pay an even greater percentage. America is not a socialist country, and I hate seeing it head in that direction.
I do not think that it's selfish to want to work harder and make more money. Not all professions pay the same, and no part of me could ever be convinced that they should. If someone works hard, becomes a small business owner, and does well for themselves (which would be the "american dream"), then good for them! They deserve everything they get. They do not, however, deserve to have their hard earned money taken away to support those who have not done the same.
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