Political Beliefs

[GoRepeat]

I am a full time student, while having the full time job of property management, as well as other forms of income. I also pay my own way through school, with an income below the median salary for the country in which I live. I respect your opinion as well, and when my income is double taxed both from the country it is made in, to the country I live in, it also hurts. I can relate on many levels. I was referring to the guns, meat, mostly to the comment on smaller governments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_on5gEM ... re=related

I think Ron Swanson is one of the most brilliantly scripted characters in modern television.

[Zinnel]

I'm mostly apolitical when it comes to elections; None of my national parties really reflect the spectrum of my opinions, and I'm like why compromise and why would I want to inflict my beliefs onto others. Loosely I could be described as either Libertarian or Individual Anarchist, this is on part of my love for individual liberty and a anti-authoritarian streak. Like Kant I see that people ought to be treated as their own moral agent, .. In that we can decide what is right and what's wrong, but this doesn't excuse us from consequences such disease or illnesses from lifestyle choices to imprisonment from criminality.

The Anarchist (mini or not) option comes more the notion that Taxes are basically theft and government shouldn't own public services, and I adhere to the principle of mutualism. However to add that I also see Taxes as a necessary evil until we can build up better series of private industries, in that Tory politicans here in the England got it wrong, because they thought it was going to be an overnight hatchet job. I agreed with what they wanted to try, .. but it backfired completely, due to how they went about it. But in Scotland where I reside there's a better scheme in that as a savvy young generation of entrepreneurs, capitalists and other shady yet idealsitic business types, are eligible for business grants and quite cushy business loans. So rather than simply cutting public services, we're building "the competition" so that in time we can see which one's more effective than the other.

Which is pretty decent than just giving tax breaks to the rich, because it encourages innovation and gives industry some fresh blood. If you just give tax breaks to the rich, it's going to solidify their monopoly on the market and downgrade jobs till everyone works at Tesco's pushig carts and moping floors working for less than minimal wage. Plus there is no gurantee that they'd use to make their industry bigger, to hire more workers, .. it also has the problem of saturation; summed up as "How many new automobiles do we really need?" so we're possibly not making things useful or better, but the same old, just version 2.0. I doubt if we'll give tax breaks to Robert Murdoch he'll be like "Yeah, I'll hire more Journalists, Editors, Newspaper personal" or make the quality of news adhere to any set of credible standards.

If I was an America -which I'm not so I'll probably be ignorant- I would vote Ron Paul 2012.

[IrrelevantComment]

government shouldn't own public services

That is quite a blanket statement. Do you mean we should depend upon private companies for schooling, healthcare and defense?

[Zinnel]

Yes. For all cited services. There already are private schools which should teach people to do a job; like if we were to teach Medical Researchers Theology rather than contemporary biology and it's subfields they would be outmatched by those that were more skilled and useful, private healthcare is still available here despite the NHS and defence can be paid for by those in society that deem it necessary.

Of course, thats just what *I* think, I'd like to add the disclaimer that:I'm as thick as a brick. I'm not a Politican, I'm not a Economist, my views are subject to change as I become more aware of information or evidence on a current issue. But what I've said is concurrent of what I believe today, and shouldn't change without probable cause.

EDIT: The only public service I believe shouldn't be privately handled, would be the legislative and legal side of the Government: In that establishing Consumer Rights and Trading Standards, to sentencing -as opposed to punishing- Crime including and especially business Fraud and white collar crime, to maintaining public safety by outlawing certain materials if they're shown to be a cause of danger eg. Preventing people from buying a toy that the Manufactors made with lead paint even if it had a disclaimer.

[IrrelevantComment]

The "Teaching Medical Researchers Theology" example makes a good point about adult education but isn't all that relevant to children.

"defence can be paid for by those in society that deem it necessary."
I'm not sure if you are talking about police or about military, but in either case they is no motivation for them not to be corrupt. If there is no national military, then, say, Bill Gates could buy the biggest army and take the country by force. Also if there is no police force, I could go and mug you and nothing would come of it. Anarchy simply doesn't work due to human nature.

[GoRepeat]

So you think the poor should pay more money that they don't have, get no healthcare from the government, worse schooling, police and fire protection, and for what? So that you can spend more money on killing people? Are you completely devoid of compassion or empathy?

PS - I would just like to come back to this for a sec because I want to dispel a certain myth.

The majority of our budget does not go to defense or war.

18% of the US Budget goes to the Department of Defense.
59% of the US Budget goes to Entitlement Programs (Medicare, Welfare, Social Security, Unemployment, Foreign Aid).

OUR HUGE GAPING DEBT THAT IS SPIRALING US INTO OBLIVION is from all of these entitlement programs not "spending money on killing people".

Of all the money generated from tax revenue, the VAST majority of it comes from the top 10% earners in the country. 49% of the population don't even PAY TAXES. Guess which 49% it is? (It isn't the ones that actually have jobs, it is the ones who spent the last summer pooping in city parks protesting how evil Wall Street is).

But yeah, lol, let's spend more money on the poor.

[IrrelevantComment]

I was responding to the original post:

Minimal to no welfare? Yes please. Increased military budget? Oh god yes.

[IrrelevantComment]

Also I don't know if you keep up with news in the UK but recently it has turned out that most of the very rich people in the country do their tax offshore and so don't pay tax. And bear in mind that income tax only accounts for 29% of the UK's income, every other tax is paid equally.

[GoRepeat]

I was responding to the original post:

Minimal to no welfare? Yes please. Increased military budget? Oh god yes.

Yeah, I used you as a spring board to rant; that wasn't aimed at you or anything - was just a good launching quote!

[Zeus Kabob]

Man. It seems that all our resources are going to this thread.

We should re-balance the budget! Bring the love to random topics!

I'm just saying this because I'm incapable of starting conversations. T.T

[Zinnel]

Man. It seems that all our resources are going to this thread.

Ain't that the truth, .. I was sure this was just to get everyone's opinion like a what's your favourite food thread. Not that I don't mind arguing but it does become a but tedious, and I sorta joined this forum moreso to draw porn.

[GoRepeat]

Man. It seems that all our resources are going to this thread.

Ain't that the truth, .. I was sure this was just to get everyone's opinion like a what's your favourite food thread. Not that I don't mind arguing but it does become a but tedious, and I sorta joined this forum moreso to draw porn.

I don't see no porn!

[BlueLight]

So you think the poor should pay more money that they don't have, get no healthcare from the government, worse schooling, police and fire protection, and for what? So that you can spend more money on killing people? Are you completely devoid of compassion or empathy?

PS - I would just like to come back to this for a sec because I want to dispel a certain myth.

The majority of our budget does not go to defense or war.

18% of the US Budget goes to the Department of Defense.
59% of the US Budget goes to Entitlement Programs (Medicare, Welfare, Social Security, Unemployment, Foreign Aid).

OUR HUGE GAPING DEBT THAT IS SPIRALING US INTO OBLIVION is from all of these entitlement programs not "spending money on killing people".

Of all the money generated from tax revenue, the VAST majority of it comes from the top 10% earners in the country. 49% of the population don't even PAY TAXES. Guess which 49% it is? (It isn't the ones that actually have jobs, it is the ones who spent the last summer pooping in city parks protesting how evil Wall Street is).

But yeah, lol, let's spend more money on the poor.

Not trying to be a ass. but i would like a cite on this information for the sake of the information itself.

[Smackman]

The budget now could be divided that way, but the massive gaping debt that was acquired during the bush administration was from the war. They're paying the contractors who make the jets and stuff way more than they're worth etc.

But i tend to think you're wrong on the budget anyways. I think maybe most of the taxes are being paid by the upper middle class. People making like 200 000$ per year or more. These are the people who really put up a fight against taxing the upper class because they feel they've worked really hard for their money and they're getting fucked by leeches at the bottom. the issue is that the people making billions a year are getting tax exemptions and shit.

IMO noone should be making several billion dollars a year, it is impossible to spend it, there is no conceivable way that they work millions of times harder than the guys making 50g a year.

[BlueLight]

IMO noone should be making several billion dollars a year.

I disagree just by concept of luck, intelligence, and fore thought.

[BlueLight]

and lets not forget about inflation.

[GoRepeat]

Not trying to be a ass. but i would like a cite on this information for the sake of the information itself.

It is kind of amazing to me that most people living in the US don't really know that all budgetary, tax and spending information is compeltely transparent. My source is www.whitehouse.gov You can look at President Obama's proposed budget (it is posted online). But if you need a summary in a pie chart, here is one. Feel free to google it yourself if you think the site is biased, you will find the same result no matter where you look. Or, like I said, you can just read the budget yourself straight from the President himself.

http://nationalpriorities.org/en/budget ... /spending/

The budget now could be divided that way, but the massive gaping debt that was acquired during the bush administration was from the war. They're paying the contractors who make the jets and stuff way more than they're worth etc.

But i tend to think you're wrong on the budget anyways. I think maybe most of the taxes are being paid by the upper middle class. People making like 200 000$ per year or more. These are the people who really put up a fight against taxing the upper class because they feel they've worked really hard for their money and they're getting fucked by leeches at the bottom. the issue is that the people making billions a year are getting tax exemptions and shit.

Unfortunately you would be wrong. While a large chunk is held by military spending, the majority of our debt is Health and Human Resources (aka entitlement programs). And feel free to go to www.irs.gov or the official US Census if you want to look at tax statistics. But for the sake of simplicity, you can refer the same site I showed Blue:

http://nationalpriorities.org/en/budget ... eral-debt/

Of course, I encourage you to research for yourself!

[Thaedael]

An educated American making educated statements with proper citations. This is impossible. /thread.

[talin]

Maybe we should look into something like they had in "Space Marines"? Contribute and you get all these benefits of citizenship, don't and you get called a civilian with only basic rights and minimal government support. Just a thought.

[Thaedael]

I think you mean starship trooper and not space marines.