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There's a faction of US politicians that are philosophically against (most) government and taxes. It's not about ROI, it's about their goals.

RyanAF7 7y ago
Interesting. A faction you say? You mean like the faction that drafted the Articles of Confederation?
- SimbaOnSteroids 7y ago
  No, the contemporary one that learned nothing from that folly.
  - RyanAF7 7y ago
    Oh! The one that found success with the Laffer Curve. Right. Freedom isn't an idea. It's an actual place. In terms of kingdoms a free peoples kingdom is a Freedom; and you don't have to pay someone for the right to exist. Oddly enough we agree, there is a faction in the US pursuing its own agenda.
    - corybrown 7y ago
      > The one that found success with the Laffer Curve Care to explain? The most recent tax cuts that were supposed to pay for themselves haven't. So where are we on the Laffer Curve right now?
      - microcolonel 7y ago
        Hard to measure both over long and short timescales, since so many factors affect the willingness of people to invest personal effort and risk toward earning. You might have more success looking at the amounts while attempting to control for more factors; but of course, you could make it worse, because statistics is hard!
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- nerdponx 7y ago
  Ah, yes. The failed constitution.
conanbatt 7y ago
This faction of the US is unique, which is why the US has some of the lowest tax rates in the world and in consequences has one of the most positive balances in net immigration, specially considering it has one of the harshest immigration policies in the world.
- SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
  "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, Those sick of a 35% income tax on earnings over $45,000".
  - conanbatt 7y ago
    I'm literally upset at the US for being so closed for immigration. If it were just a little more lax it would have a lot more than what it has now.
- microcolonel 7y ago
  The U.S. is by any good measure somewhere between #1 and #3 in median individual income net of taxes and other mandatory transfers; and always #1 in the mean. I think a lot of people look at the gap between the mean and median, and think that something must be going wrong; but to me, the inequality of outcome this measures is more a sign that America is a welcome home of extremely productive people and the smarter of their direct offspring, who inevitably earn ridiculous sums of money when and where doing so is not itself reviled.
- koyote 7y ago
  The US has some of the lowest tax rates in the world, IFF you are making a large amount of money. If you are earning a median wage a lot of other countries have comparable tax rates. If you are earning minimum wage a lot of other countries have lower tax rates.
  - conanbatt 7y ago
    Yup, not a great country to be poor. Also tax-pressure is still considerable (33% of GDP). This implies the US has lots of regressive expenditures and taxes. On the whole, I think the tax rate is the main difference between the US and most of industrialized countries, and net immigration is hugely positive for the US.

RyanAF7 7y ago

Interesting. A faction you say? You mean like the faction that drafted the Articles of Confederation?

SimbaOnSteroids 7y ago
No, the contemporary one that learned nothing from that folly.
- RyanAF7 7y ago
  Oh! The one that found success with the Laffer Curve. Right. Freedom isn't an idea. It's an actual place. In terms of kingdoms a free peoples kingdom is a Freedom; and you don't have to pay someone for the right to exist. Oddly enough we agree, there is a faction in the US pursuing its own agenda.
  - corybrown 7y ago
    > The one that found success with the Laffer Curve Care to explain? The most recent tax cuts that were supposed to pay for themselves haven't. So where are we on the Laffer Curve right now?
    - microcolonel 7y ago
      Hard to measure both over long and short timescales, since so many factors affect the willingness of people to invest personal effort and risk toward earning. You might have more success looking at the amounts while attempting to control for more factors; but of course, you could make it worse, because statistics is hard!
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
nerdponx 7y ago
Ah, yes. The failed constitution.

conanbatt 7y ago

This faction of the US is unique, which is why the US has some of the lowest tax rates in the world and in consequences has one of the most positive balances in net immigration, specially considering it has one of the harshest immigration policies in the world.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, Those sick of a 35% income tax on earnings over $45,000".
- conanbatt 7y ago
  I'm literally upset at the US for being so closed for immigration. If it were just a little more lax it would have a lot more than what it has now.
microcolonel 7y ago
The U.S. is by any good measure somewhere between #1 and #3 in median individual income net of taxes and other mandatory transfers; and always #1 in the mean. I think a lot of people look at the gap between the mean and median, and think that something must be going wrong; but to me, the inequality of outcome this measures is more a sign that America is a welcome home of extremely productive people and the smarter of their direct offspring, who inevitably earn ridiculous sums of money when and where doing so is not itself reviled.
koyote 7y ago
The US has some of the lowest tax rates in the world, IFF you are making a large amount of money. If you are earning a median wage a lot of other countries have comparable tax rates. If you are earning minimum wage a lot of other countries have lower tax rates.
- conanbatt 7y ago
  Yup, not a great country to be poor. Also tax-pressure is still considerable (33% of GDP). This implies the US has lots of regressive expenditures and taxes. On the whole, I think the tax rate is the main difference between the US and most of industrialized countries, and net immigration is hugely positive for the US.