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No not even that I think. People in the USA perceives any kind of added tax, as money stolen from the state. Most of them do not have the notion of public regar

by atmosx 13y ago

No not even that I think. People in the USA perceives any kind of added tax, as money stolen from the state. Most of them do not have the notion of public regarded as something positive. Let's say it's a very different perception of property, compared to Europe. I am trying to convince myself that it's not wrong it's just different. I try to accept the fact that I don't understand their approach and get over with, otherwise turns me kinda crazy.

sp332 13y ago
The government is in bed with the industry. I don't trust the government with increased power over health care, because they will just screw everyone even more and give money to corporations. I have 0 confidence in the federal government to represent my interests, and that's the only reason I don't want them to have more control over my healthcare costs.
fennecfoxen 13y ago
> People in the USA perceives any kind of added tax, as money stolen from the state. Hmm? The typical perception (among those who actually share the perception, which is not all Americans) reads more like: additional taxes are money stolen from the people and transferred to the state, whereupon significant chunks of it are wasted by a soulless bureaucracy (and sometimes select corporate sycophants) before the bureaucracy gives the People back a lot of substandard services. Of course, enough US citizens were willing to vote for certain Congresspeople and presidents that a significant law was recently passed, with the ostensible goal of reforming health care. You may have heard about it as "the Affordable Care Act" or, colloquially, "Obamacare". So be careful with generalizations about American attitudes. Perhaps study of this law's actual effects will ultimately be able to demonstrate the accuracy or inaccuracy of this perception? Disclaimer. This post attempts to describe attitudes only, without endorsing or condemning them.
wmt 13y ago
There's no need to raise taxes, just provide universal healthcare. US is already spending as much per capita on public healthcare to European countries![1] This means that instead of tax hikes you would need to use the existing budget for public healthcare to provide free public healthcare to everyone, just like all other countries who provide a "free" public healthcare paid with taxes. [1] http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-countries-that-spend-the-most-on-health-care-2013-07-30 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-countries-that-spend-the...
- danielweber 13y ago
  How did they arrive at $4000 per capita on health expenditures? Times 300 million people, that's $1.2 Trillion. DHHS including Medicare and Medicaid was $940 Billion in 2013. Anyway, I'd love to see a system that reallocated the money that the government is spending right now only on certain groups and used it to provide the best boost to public health it could for all Americans. But you would be running right into the AARP lobby who would frame this as taking care away from seniors. That's a fierce lobby, and you'd need some sort of plan.
ahomescu1 13y ago
I'm European, and I perfectly understand this approach. Increased taxes can go to increased services (and they do, in some countries), or they can go into the pockets of corrupt government officials (which they do, in many other countries). It's insane to pay higher taxes, and see no benefit in return. I often wish my own country had much lower taxes, to "starve the beast", in a way.

by atmosx 13y ago

sp332 13y ago

The government is in bed with the industry. I don't trust the government with increased power over health care, because they will just screw everyone even more and give money to corporations. I have 0 confidence in the federal government to represent my interests, and that's the only reason I don't want them to have more control over my healthcare costs.

fennecfoxen 13y ago

> People in the USA perceives any kind of added tax, as money stolen from the state. Hmm? The typical perception (among those who actually share the perception, which is not all Americans) reads more like: additional taxes are money stolen from the people and transferred to the state, whereupon significant chunks of it are wasted by a soulless bureaucracy (and sometimes select corporate sycophants) before the bureaucracy gives the People back a lot of substandard services. Of course, enough US citizens were willing to vote for certain Congresspeople and presidents that a significant law was recently passed, with the ostensible goal of reforming health care. You may have heard about it as "the Affordable Care Act" or, colloquially, "Obamacare". So be careful with generalizations about American attitudes. Perhaps study of this law's actual effects will ultimately be able to demonstrate the accuracy or inaccuracy of this perception? Disclaimer. This post attempts to describe attitudes only, without endorsing or condemning them.

wmt 13y ago

There's no need to raise taxes, just provide universal healthcare. US is already spending as much per capita on public healthcare to European countries![1] This means that instead of tax hikes you would need to use the existing budget for public healthcare to provide free public healthcare to everyone, just like all other countries who provide a "free" public healthcare paid with taxes. [1] http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-countries-that-spend-the-most-on-health-care-2013-07-30 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-countries-that-spend-the...

danielweber 13y ago
How did they arrive at $4000 per capita on health expenditures? Times 300 million people, that's $1.2 Trillion. DHHS including Medicare and Medicaid was $940 Billion in 2013. Anyway, I'd love to see a system that reallocated the money that the government is spending right now only on certain groups and used it to provide the best boost to public health it could for all Americans. But you would be running right into the AARP lobby who would frame this as taking care away from seniors. That's a fierce lobby, and you'd need some sort of plan.

ahomescu1 13y ago

I'm European, and I perfectly understand this approach. Increased taxes can go to increased services (and they do, in some countries), or they can go into the pockets of corrupt government officials (which they do, in many other countries). It's insane to pay higher taxes, and see no benefit in return. I often wish my own country had much lower taxes, to "starve the beast", in a way.