Consumption Taxes anyone?

[Gavin in Va Beach]

Gavin- give gay marriage another go and I'll bring him out.

 

Eminem is dead. He cannot be revived.

263133[/snapback]

 

RIP Clancy the Dog

 

[JimBob2232]

Do you really not see how giving the government control over the marionette strings of behavior is a bad thing? You do, of course, agree with everything the government mandates be taught in schools then. And will mandate in the future? I mean, that's all moeny driven- teach this or get no funding. They're just trying to elicit certain behaviors from people. Can't be anything wrong with that right?

 

When you get a speeding ticket, it is a tax. Are you proposing we do away with speeding tickets because it gives the government control over the marionette strings?

 

Ugh, I just dont know what to say anymore. If you read into what I wrote JUST A LITTLE, you would see that I AM NOT AGAINST A CONSUMPTION TAX. You would see that i AM for helping people achieve things that they otherwise couldnt achieve, ESPECIALLY when those achievements (such as an education) help better our society as a whole. Again I AM NOT AGAINST A CONSUMPTION TAX, but there are aspects of our current tax system which are very beneficial, and they should be incorporated into a new system, whatever that new system may be.

 

I am against government regulation of our daily lives. I am against censorship of the airwaves and the internet. I am against the majority of gun control laws. I am against countless other regulations the government imposes on us.

 

There is a difference between a government that gives an incentive to people to better themselves and their country and one which forces people to do as the government chooses. Nobody is forcing you to go to college, or buy an electric car, but if you choose to do so, the government helps you out and gives you a tax break to help it be more affordable. THIS IS A GOOD THING, and it is not to be confused with a controlling government (though other aspects of government are very controlling)

 

As far as government funding of schools, I am completely against a public school system as we know it. I think there should be a system of for-profit private schools, regulated by the government, with annual achievement tests and published results, and parents should be allowed to choose where their child goes. Funding would come from the government based on the number of students each school enrolls. Perform well, parents want to send their kids to your school, you make alot of money. Perform poorly, parents pull their kids out and send them to a competing school.

 

We keep throwing billions of dollars into education and get no results. Money does not solve the problem. Accountability and the profit motive would.

 

I ask again: can't you manage yourself? You would trust the government to program behaviors- that is frightening, but it's your desire, not mine.

 

I dont trust the government to do much of anything. But that doesnt mean I shouldnt trust the government to do anything. Once again, there is a difference between encouraging desireable behavior which is good for all americans, and controlling personal freedoms and choices.

[JimBob2232]

Don't misunderstand me - I was simply agreeing that forcing someone to write out and sign a check was a better way to get people to pay attention to how much they are giving to Uncle Sam.  That doesn't mean I like income taxes.

262245[/snapback]

 

EXACTLY! Someone gets what im trying to say here. Is it practical to make everyone cut a check every quarter and mail it in? Probably not. For one, it would be very cost prohibitive to do so. It would also never happen because the people we elect to send to washington do not want us to realize how much we spend in taxes. And you are right, there would have to be increased law enforcement oversight to track down deadbeats.

 

My point was that people simply do not know how much they pay to the government. You and I might, but the fact we are having this discussion means that we are much more intune to our financial picture that at least 50% of the population. If everyone realized how much of their paycheck goes to the federal goverment, they would be outraged. And washington would have no choice but to cut spending.

[WebersHotGreenTomatoPicalilli]

If everyone realized how much of their paycheck goes to the federal goverment, they would be outraged.  And washington would have no choice but to cut spending.

263418[/snapback]

Sure they would. Santa Claus visits every good kids house on December 25 doesn't he?. A junkie doesn't care which arm the needle goes in, nor where his fix comes from. Instead of worrying about what everyone else should/would be outraged at, set an example by your own actions.