I don't often find myself in agreement with the columnist Robert Samuelson. But in this article http://www.omaha.com/opinion/robert-j-samuelson-are-we-actually-taxed-too-little/article_36ee2043-bf1f-536f-b7e7-c7de84f6e9cf.html I believe he is correct. He makes the case that we are actually not taxed too much; in fact we are taxed too little.
"The truth is that we can’t afford any tax reduction. We need higher, not
lower, taxes. What we should be debating is the nature of new taxes (my
choice: a carbon tax), how quickly (or slowly) they should be
introduced and how much prudent spending cuts could shrink the magnitude
of tax increases....We are under-taxed in a pragmatic and expedient way. For half a century,
we haven’t covered our spending with revenues from taxes.....Many Americans like big government. They just don’t like paying for it."
That last sentence especially is a true statement. The whole article is worth reading, no one could accuse Samuelson of being a Pollyanna or engaging in irrational exuberance.
After the jump, there is a social media share which has apparently been around awhile, but today is the first time I have seen it. It is worth looking at for a reminder of how much even our loudly and proudly not-socialist society depends on government to carry out essential functions. It is entitled "If You Are a Conservative Who Hates Taxes, Please Do the Following:"
If You Are A Conservative Who Hates Taxes, Please Do the Following…..
1. Do not use Medicare.
2. Do not use Social Security
3. Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
4. Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
5. Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
6. Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
7. Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
8. Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
9. Do not use public restrooms.
10. Do not send your kids to public schools.
11. Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
12. Do not live in areas with clean air.
13. Do not drink clean water.
14. Do not visit National Parks.
15. Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
16. Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
17. Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
18. Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
19. Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
20. Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
21. Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
22. Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
23. Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
24. Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
25. Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
26. Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
27. Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
28. Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
29. Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
30. Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
31. Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
32. Do not apply for federal housing.
33. Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
34. Do not swim in clean rivers.
35. Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
36. Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
37. Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
38. Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
39. Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the
support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
40. Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
41. Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
42. Do not apply to win a government contract.
43. Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
44. Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
45. Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
46. Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
47. Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
48. Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
49. Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
50. Do not live in homes that are built to code.
51. Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
52. Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
53. Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
54. Do not use public libraries.
55. Do not use the US Postal Service.
56. Do not visit the National Archives.
57. Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
58. Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
59. Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
60. Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
61. Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
62. Do not take walks in National Forests.
63. Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
64. Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
65. Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
66. Do not use Medicaid.
67. Do not use WIC.
68. Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
69. Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
70. Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
71. Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
72. Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
73. Do not visit historic landmarks.
74. Do not visit fisheries.
75. Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
76. Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
77. Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
78. Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
79. Do not use public transportation.
80. Do not drink water from public water fountains.
81. Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
82. Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
83. Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
84. Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
85. Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
86. Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
87. Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
88. Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments.
89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
90. Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
91. Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
92. Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
93. Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
94. Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
95. Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
96. Do not attend a state university.
97. Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
98. Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
99. Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought
around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
100. Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a
livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
101. Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government
provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines
which are paid for with taxes.
102. Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.
The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. Without taxes, our
lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. America would be a
third world country. The less we pay, the less we get in return.
Americans pay less taxes today since 1958 and is ranked 32nd out of 34
of the top tax paying countries. Chile and Mexico are 33rd and 34th. The
Republicans are lying when they say that we pay the highest taxes in
the world and are only attacking taxes to reward corporations and the
wealthy and to weaken our infrastructure and way of life. So next time
you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations
and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…
“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
https://artecalifornia.com/…/if-you-are-a-conservative-who…/
Wow, what a list! I'm in favor of big government and think taxes are necessary. The people who really don't care are wealthy Libertaians, who can pay for everything they alone will need, and good luck to everyone else. Carbon tax would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteEven the wealthy Libertarians use a lot of the services on the list, whether they are conscious of it or not. And they would be the first to complain if they were inconvenienced by the lack of those services.
DeleteRonald Reagan took away the deduction for state tax on car purchases as well as raising the threshold for medical deductions. This is how you they raise taxes on the middle class and they want to do it again. I don't mind paying more taxes for a civilized society but everybody, including the rich and corporations needs to pay fairly. Progressive taxes and estate taxes are meant to avoid the establishment of an aristocracy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who has $1B and feels they need another, has a serious mental problem.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with you, Stanley, that the rich and corporations need to pay their fair share. I'm glad Congress is getting pushback on some of the stupid stuff they wanted to do, such as taking away the deduction for adoption expenses (hello, in what way would this be pro-life?) Yeah, I don't understand the mentality of gazillionaires who already can have anything they possibly could want, but still think they need more.
DeleteThere will be NO fair share of taxes paid by the rich and corporations until and unless the 99% of our legislators who are in their pockets feel the pain of their subservience. What is the chance of that happening? About the same as my living to be 177 years of age.
ReplyDeleteProgressives/Democrats always talk a great story, but tend to be swimming pool liberals when it comes to doing the hard work to make their ideas palatable to the general electorate that tends to be woefully ignorant and generally "go along and get along".
Yeah, amen to that. I want to see some poor people in Congress. The rent is too damn high.
DeleteWe are only a week away from the release of the Paradise Papers, on how the wealthy and connected protect their money -- legally -- from the tax bureaucrats they attack at home. And no one has brought it up here yet. (I was gasping for air in Mexico City.) I guess if the SOBs keep hitting you over the head with a 2x4 you don't notice when they get naked.
ReplyDeleteRemember the big levers on voting machines that allowed one to vote one party. They have big buttons now. One should be labelled "Feckless Democrats" and the other should be labelled "Rape Me".
ReplyDeleteWhat about the button for third party candidates that says, "Waste My Vote." I say this as a Third-Partier who no linger flirts with lost causes.
DeleteThis stuff about cutting taxes on the rich and on corporations, saying that the benefits will trickle down to the poor, reminds me of the "Supply Side Jesus"
ReplyDeleteHadn't seen that one, pretty cringe worthy!
DeleteHahaha! Franken does a good Pontius Pilate voice.
DeleteI remember Franken's rabbi on Seinfeld. Was at a Jewish wedding two years ago. Danged if the rabbi didn't sound exactly like Franken's.
DeleteI hate taxes because people seem to spend them on such stupid things--16-year armed conflicts, for instance. Maybe it's a fiction that Americans could once see through the party lenses and still recognize the common good. But that doesn't seem possible any more.
ReplyDeleteMeantime, while the fat cats are trying to cut their taxes, I'm afraid to lookit what's on offer through the ACA. Raber's Bronze plan went up from $54 per month to $300. I'm Silver with the same company, so expecting sticker shock. Stop the world, I wanna get off now.
What I'm hearing from some family members who signed up for 2018 plans is that the subsidies were still there. Even though the word was that they weren't supposed to be. The price of the policy went up, but so did the subsidy. I don't know if you actually have to sign up to find out if they're there or not.
DeleteYou know your subsidy before you sign on. The individual subsidies are still intact. However, when subsidies stay flat and premiums go up, you will pay the difference. And in Raber's case it's pretty high. Also possible that he got a low rate last year as an intro offer.
DeleteCompanies know that if you change policies, it disrupts care, so people will often pay more just to stick with what they have. In my case, the premium decrease for a cheaper policy has to be weighed against what chemo the policy will pay for. A cheap premium that won't cover the chemo saves me nothing. So the research can get fairly time-consuming. Waiting to sign up until after I see the oncologist Thursday to find out what my chemo options are.
Am also losing my job at the end of the semester, so there's that to look at for next year.
Ha! We did better during the recession!
I'm sorry to hear about the job situation, Jean. That stinks.
DeleteAll courses are moving online. Students hate them. Evidence to the contrary, admin thinks they can attract new students that way. In fairness, they asked me to teach online, but teaching 12 novels in their 8-week sessions--no thanks. Yesterday they told me they wanted me to tutor. M'okay, until that goes online. Thank God you can draw SS at 63.
DeleteMakes me wonder if any other countries beside the United States of Capitalism are doing this online edjication stuff.
DeleteA bit. The reason they can do it here is because tenure is pretty much gone, and profs have no say in this. When 70 percent of the faculty in higher ed are terrified adjuncts, admin can do whatever th want.
DeleteThere's a lot of conflicting data, but online seems to work OK for advanced degree students, but not for undergraduates, who have no time management skills and can not concentrate online for more than a few minutes without checking their Instagrams. Our college seems especially stupid about how it's rolling things out.
Mixed feelings about the online classes. To some people trying to complete a degree who live at a distance from a college campus, it could be a godsend. However I don't think there's a substitute for an actual teacher, not to mention classroom interaction. I have often thought I would have liked the online option in the days when I was a young married-with-children, and the nearest 4 year college where I could have completed my degree was a 3 hour drive. But my major was biology with a chemistry minor. Which means extensive lab work. So probably wouldn't have worked out anyway.
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ReplyDelete