Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
well, even if the data is less drastic, the trend is troubling...really, the concentration of wealth is shrinking the middle class...
The notion of the GOP "not raising taxes for anyone" is a strawman argument. taxation when you are a millionaire vs the average person is relative, as everyday items cost the same too.
Again, the move is to repeal the Bush tax cuts...bring taxation levels back to the Clinton years - people seem to think this is some kind of uncharted territory - it's not.
If the austerity program is to work, cutting government spending is simply not enough. Taxes have to be raised, that's for everyone. The GOP dogma of cutting taxes flies in the face of Republican administrations. Including that of their most celebrated president, Reagan.
this graphic really encapsulates what is wrong with the system...imo... http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/20...tml?ref=sunday |
I think that the whole taxation thing has to be looked at, there is no doubt that taxes has to be raised across most of the classes, with the exception of the working poor.
But I am against Wealth redistribution for redistribution sake. Is there a gap between the rich and the poor, absolutely, is there a gap between the middle class and both sides absolutely. But there has to be that gap and there's going to be that gap because to be honest some peoples skills, or physical skills or intelligence levels or whatever are just more valuable to society, and by punishing people because they're being compensated highly for their skills is just going to sap productivity at those levels.
The U.S. does have to create austerity spending plans, and that includes deep cuts to social programs that have become ineffective and wastful.
The U.S. has to avoid trying to spend their way out of this mess, another trillion for a jobs bill that creates temporary jobs just before an election is short sighted at best. Creating government jobs to boost the employment rate is stupid at best.
America is now at the point where free rides can't be offered everywhere, and you almost have to make people pay for everything, and whether thats through increased taxes for everyone or charging service fees where you can its going to have to happen.
The American's are also going to have to increase their unemployment rate by cutting down on thier civil service instead of increasing it.
While the popular notion is to cut defense spending, and I agree that it has to happen, I don't think that you can cut it that much deeper to the point that it effects readiness. Maybe America needs to start billing countries for its deployment of troops.
I disagree with the notion that in Canada because these things are not well atteneded that its mainly because of apathy. Its mainly because a lot of people in Canada are not in the so called 99% as defined in the states, so why would they protest, and its also because they have thrown these protests wide open so that they sound more like b%tchfests then actual protests.
I'm not going to throw my lot in with a antiwar, Stephen Harper is Hitler reborn, Alberta is evil because we have Oil sands protest where I might agree with one pillar of the protest, I'll wait for the protest thats focused around something that I care about.
I don't know, I'm into babbling now.