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I can't believe someone would compare our supposedly high taxes to a historical atrocity. There is no comparison between paying a few percent more in taxes, for

I can't believe someone would compare our supposedly high taxes to a historical atrocity. There is no comparison between paying a few percent more in taxes, for causes that benefit the common good, and having your country conquered. None whatsoever.

davidw 16y ago
> I can't believe someone would compare our supposedly high taxes to a historical atrocity You must not have been on the internet long:-/ It seems that even on sites like this, which have a fairly "high quality" user base, the path from intelligent discussions to flame wars is a perilously short one when the subject is politics, which is why I continue to argue for their abolishment from this site. Not that the article in question starts from the best position, either: the number of people "renouncing their citizenship" last year was in the hundreds, whereas every day, some 10,000+ babies are born in the US, just to put things in perspective.
spking 16y ago
"...paying a few percent more in taxes, for causes that benefit the common good..." That's a very broad generalization and an extremely debatable statement. 1. "Paying a few percent more in taxes" When you factor in the whole of the tax burden the average working American pays (Federal, state, local, special district) it adds up to about 50% of personal income. This is not just income tax, but sales, Medicare, SS, Unemployment, gas, property tax, special assessments, DMV, etc. 2. "Causes that benefit the common good" Unfortunately, the vast majority of our tax dollars goes to servicing the interest on the national debt and our vast military machine. See: http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm
- deleted 16y ago
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- pw0ncakes 16y ago
  We pay a shitload in taxes in this country. I'd love to see the amount go down, and I agree that a lot of that money is wasted due to fiscal mismanagement and military buildup. I'd also like to see universal health care and higher education, along with a reasonable social safety net. These are worth spending tax money on, even though they're expensive (in the short term). I care about these more than about the specific percentage we pay in taxes. 50% for a successful, great society would be a bargain; 10% taxation for no social benefits at all is unbearable.

davidw 16y ago

> I can't believe someone would compare our supposedly high taxes to a historical atrocity You must not have been on the internet long:-/ It seems that even on sites like this, which have a fairly "high quality" user base, the path from intelligent discussions to flame wars is a perilously short one when the subject is politics, which is why I continue to argue for their abolishment from this site. Not that the article in question starts from the best position, either: the number of people "renouncing their citizenship" last year was in the hundreds, whereas every day, some 10,000+ babies are born in the US, just to put things in perspective.

spking 16y ago

"...paying a few percent more in taxes, for causes that benefit the common good..." That's a very broad generalization and an extremely debatable statement. 1. "Paying a few percent more in taxes" When you factor in the whole of the tax burden the average working American pays (Federal, state, local, special district) it adds up to about 50% of personal income. This is not just income tax, but sales, Medicare, SS, Unemployment, gas, property tax, special assessments, DMV, etc. 2. "Causes that benefit the common good" Unfortunately, the vast majority of our tax dollars goes to servicing the interest on the national debt and our vast military machine. See: http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
pw0ncakes 16y ago
We pay a shitload in taxes in this country. I'd love to see the amount go down, and I agree that a lot of that money is wasted due to fiscal mismanagement and military buildup. I'd also like to see universal health care and higher education, along with a reasonable social safety net. These are worth spending tax money on, even though they're expensive (in the short term). I care about these more than about the specific percentage we pay in taxes. 50% for a successful, great society would be a bargain; 10% taxation for no social benefits at all is unbearable.