a degree of socialism

That's how our system works here. We call it a social democracy and it "floats" on capitalism. Free enterprise is good, but a free people, is better.

Unbridled capitalism is just some people who take YOUR resources (coal, lumber, whatever, or the resources of other countries) and make money and then it's YOU, the taxpayer, who gets the water supply polluted, tops chopped off mountains or their forrests decimated, etc. Then it's the taxpayer who has to pay for, or suffer the consequences, BESIDES having to pay to buy back the resources they took. In a fair society, the corporations pay taxes for the privilege of being allowed to harvest YOUR resources A...

a degree of socialism

That's how our system works here. We call it a social democracy and it "floats" on capitalism. Free enterprise is good, but a free people, is better.

Unbridled capitalism is just some people who take YOUR resources (coal, lumber, whatever, or the resources of other countries) and make money and then it's YOU, the taxpayer, who gets the water supply polluted, tops chopped off mountains or their forrests decimated, etc. Then it's the taxpayer who has to pay for, or suffer the consequences, BESIDES having to pay to buy back the resources they took. In a fair society, the corporations pay taxes for the privilege of being allowed to harvest YOUR resources AND to cover cleanups, repairs, restorations etc. Seems fair to me..

The current Socialist candidate for President of the United States (Amazing! There is such a guy) -- was on a TV Talk & Comedy show last night. (The Daily Show).

It was hilarious. He bristled with barely controlled anger. He was very offended that "socialism had been slandered in this way."

"Progressive taxation is not socialism," he said, foaming at the mouth. Adam Smith, the Father of Capitalism, for gods'sake was a supporter of progressive taxation."

"Every single European country and Australia, New Zealand,the U.S. have progressive taxation! 80% of the world's economist support progressive taxation."

You may not like Obama's tax plan, but it's not socialism http://www.kansascity.com...

The current Socialist candidate for President of the United States (Amazing! There is such a guy) -- was on a TV Talk & Comedy show last night. (The Daily Show).

It was hilarious. He bristled with barely controlled anger. He was very offended that "socialism had been slandered in this way."

"Progressive taxation is not socialism," he said, foaming at the mouth. Adam Smith, the Father of Capitalism, for gods'sake was a supporter of progressive taxation."

"Every single European country and Australia, New Zealand,the U.S. have progressive taxation! 80% of the world's economist support progressive taxation."

You may not like Obama's tax plan, but it's not socialism http://www.kansascity.com/449/story/854301.html

"Even the current Wall Street Socialism is not socialism -- it's government intervention in the free markets." Brian Moore said.

"Good God!" Moore continued, "read your Communist Manifest: 'Workers of the world, unite!' that's the very first sentence.'

"it doesn't say 'bail out banks,' it's about unions, it's about good wages, it's about safe working conditions -- all of which were deplorable in Karl Marx's time."

'Also, The means of production must belong to the people, unions should have stocks in their company, the workers must also be owners.

Alienated labor of the assembly lines has to be modified to once again give workers inherent value of the whole of the product they produce.

"Power to the People! Worker's Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!"

At this point Mr. Moore was dragged off the stage by two thug lackeys of the predatory capitalist media.

From backstage he could be hear yelling: Free Health Care! Free Child Care! Free Education. -- Woman and children don't belong in the workplace! -- Workers will no longer be passive cannon fodder for capitalist and kings!

A spectre haunts our nations! The history of socienty is the history of class struggle, unequal distribution of wealth, wages driving workers into poverty.

tax burdens

Maybe it's a cultural thing. I don't see taxes as a burden at all. I pay them gladly. If they want more, to make things even better, they can ask, tell us what the money is for, and we'll think about it. It could be for the elderly or for the environment, a Metro, etc. My country ie. gives you a world class education, free healthcare etc and makes sure you lack NOTHING to make the very best of yourself and utilise your full potential, without worry, even in hard times, or in sickness or in old age etc..When I left uni, I left with no debt, nor were my parents indebted or fleeced, nor did I have to work at all, while studying. The taxes MY parents paid, were passed...

tax burdens

Maybe it's a cultural thing. I don't see taxes as a burden at all. I pay them gladly. If they want more, to make things even better, they can ask, tell us what the money is for, and we'll think about it. It could be for the elderly or for the environment, a Metro, etc. My country ie. gives you a world class education, free healthcare etc and makes sure you lack NOTHING to make the very best of yourself and utilise your full potential, without worry, even in hard times, or in sickness or in old age etc..When I left uni, I left with no debt, nor were my parents indebted or fleeced, nor did I have to work at all, while studying. The taxes MY parents paid, were passed to me. When I pay taxes, I am passing on the help I got, to them coming after me. This goes for the roads and bridges built, the concert halls, libraries, beautiful parks etc. These are things I and others want. I am not burdened by it at all. We put pride in caring for each other. It's a way of society, whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the well being of the entire community. To us, we don't measure the value of people OR one's own self worth, by how much you have. Money is a lousy measuring stick for happiness. We value societal benefits, a good life, calm and contentment, above monetary wealth. Not that you can't be rich if you want to though! 36,000 could add there names to the list of millionaires here last year. You can have all that, if money means that much to you, but to most, they just want quiet, happy lives with their families. In fact, we're probably such an "oddity" to Americans, I can imagine, because, IF you're rich, it's isn't kosher here to go flashing it around, coz we think it only makes you look silly. 'LOL*

Money in the bank helps no one. Money well spent, is what we enjoy the fruits of every day. It's all good to me. Taxes are not my enemy, but my enabler. I hope that made sense. .

Why should anyone pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than anyone else?

Easy.
Because if you earn minimum wage, you have no money left after food and lodging and basics.

Survival is greater than 100% of your income - though it make not look like it until the car breaks down and you can't get to work.

If you're very wealthy, survival consumes less than 1% of your income. The state is not taking away your hope of survival.

To one, 15% of income would mean no food. To the other, 80% of income would be mere incovenience. Obama seeks only to return the 35% top bracket to where it was before Bush, 39.6. In LBJ's day, it was wayyy higher than that.

We've been on...

Why should anyone pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than anyone else?

Easy.
Because if you earn minimum wage, you have no money left after food and lodging and basics.

Survival is greater than 100% of your income - though it make not look like it until the car breaks down and you can't get to work.

If you're very wealthy, survival consumes less than 1% of your income. The state is not taking away your hope of survival.

To one, 15% of income would mean no food. To the other, 80% of income would be mere incovenience. Obama seeks only to return the 35% top bracket to where it was before Bush, 39.6. In LBJ's day, it was wayyy higher than that.

We've been on a slippery slope, alright - away from expecting the rich - who made money off of the system sustained and empowered by the government - to pay their full share.

It is sooooooooooooooooooooo different in most of Europe. Sounds great. Very comfortable way to live. Less stress.

Why The USA so different? --Perhaps the fact that we are not all the same is part of the reason why.

We are not all Irish. We are not all Italian. We are not all Nordic. We are not all anything. We are completely pluralist, many cultures, many religions.

This makes it easier to divide people, to set one group against another. Nobody wants to work for a common interest but for the interest of themselves or their own group.

It's a dog eat dog world in the USA. That is the best way to look at it. Consider how many murders happen every year in your nation/any other nation.

We...

It is sooooooooooooooooooooo different in most of Europe. Sounds great. Very comfortable way to live. Less stress.

Why The USA so different? --Perhaps the fact that we are not all the same is part of the reason why.

We are not all Irish. We are not all Italian. We are not all Nordic. We are not all anything. We are completely pluralist, many cultures, many religions.

This makes it easier to divide people, to set one group against another. Nobody wants to work for a common interest but for the interest of themselves or their own group.

It's a dog eat dog world in the USA. That is the best way to look at it. Consider how many murders happen every year in your nation/any other nation.

We have 5.7 Murders per 100000 people. If you're not in a war zone or a Third World country, you have less.

The USA infant mortality rate is 6.71 infants died in the United States for every 1,000 live births.

It's ghastly.

The disparity of wealth, too, is great. The United States has the highest inequality and poverty in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - the EU and a few other countries)


So....high crime rate, bad health system, a great divide between rich and poor. No safety net. Endless world wide wars. Survival of the fittest.

Of course life is good for many of us. It's fine for me.

But America has a lot of harsh realities.

The election of Obama is good. A big step forward and a step in the right direction.

That's the good news. but it's far from an instant fix. It's just getting off the wrong road going in the wrong direction and getting on the right road going in the right direction.

Now there's lots of kilometers to travel.