Subsidized everything

[DuncanONeil]

*yawns*

"More like Europe" is a null term. Europe consists of over two dozen countries, all of which have different governments, laws and ways of doing business.

And your point is what? virtually all of them are operating from the same play book. Its not working and yet that is what some people wish to see as the manner of conducting the nation here.

But if what you mean is that every worker gets SIX WEEKS OF PAID VACATION, with the accompanying loss of stress and early heart attacks and strokes that involves, then SIGN ME UP FOR THE FUCKING EUROPEAN UNION!!!

If such a system is so desirable you can easily sign yourself up for that system. All it would take would be a little train or boat trip. One way of course!

EVERY European nation has higher taxes than the US, but then nearly every nation on earth has higher taxes than the US. But what's REALLY interesting is that nearly every other nation in the world has a lower incidence of heart attacks than the United States.

High taxes are not a measure of a successful country. As far as the heart attack rates I have heard that said myself. But what do we find in the data? The WHO has a report, which I suspect you will dismiss since it is not by country, that does not provide such a clear cut position. It does divide the world by major groupings; Africa, The Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, Eastern Med, and Western Pacific. Now I know the first complaint will be lumping the Americas together but even then the rates in the WHO report are within less than 5 points of other reports of US specific data. That being said the highest rate of cardiovascular deaths is in Europe at .56% or 561 per 100,000. for the other regions the numbers are as follows;

• Africa - 154
• The Americas - 226
• SE Asia - 453
• Eastern Med - 214
• Western Pacific - 222

It seems that two regions of the world beat us in this unenviable statistic and two others are nearly the same.

Frankly, if it comes to a choice between paying half (or even more) of my wages in taxes and getting six weeks of vacation every year, with government paid healthcare and retirement that beats the FUCK out of social security, or lower taxes, I'll gladly pay the higher taxes. You CAN NOT place a price on health and peace of mind.

"You CAN NOT place a price on health and peace of mind. " But that is exactly what you are doing when you let the Government make those decisions for you. Whether you like their decisions or not you have no choice once you surrender. That same peace of mind you seek can come from your own choices in insurance, savings, or investments.

And for those of you who don't want to pay those horrible taxes for your "economic freedom," please remember that even in the Land of the (not so economically) Free, you STILL did nothing but work for taxes this year until April 9, you got no vacation until you'd been working at least a year, very likely got no or very little health insurance, and probably still believe in the tooth fairy.

The last bit there was uncalled for and a bit demeaning! Consider what you have expressed a willingness to do just a little bit above this paragraph. Work for the Government until at least June 30 instead of working to find a way to get more of the money that you work for into your own pocket rather than somebody elses' pocket. There is such a plan that I favor and would like to see as it does a great deal for the economy, without Government intervention.

Here's the thing: if you believe your government is going to protect you without cost, you're living in a fantasy world. If you understand that government protection costs but STILL don't want to pay for those costs, then you're one of the deluded millions who believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that you're going to be a millionaire someday and you've got to protect yourself against that vague and highly unlikely possibility.

The true question is not "protection" but "protection from what"! Do you believe it is the Governments job to protect you from yourself? That is much of what people are asking for and virtually all that the Government is offering. While at the same time letting sit fallow the very things that the Government is actually directed to do.
I do not need the Government to establish for me how many miles I must get to a gallon of gas. Nor how much salt I can consume, how many eggs, how much bacon, how many time I can go to McDonalds, how much exercise I must accomplish, or how. Yes Government protection costs! But more often that not the Government seeks to lower the funds spent on defense, be it the Military or INS & ICE.
To say that "to be a millionaire someday" is a "vague and highly unlikely possibility" is to deny that the USA is the Land of Opportunity!

Get over it. You're NOT going to be a millionaire someday. And if, by some miracle, you are, you'll be able to afford the taxes on your millions without feeling the pinch that the poor fucker working for minimum wage feels every week. The Rethuglicans rely on your belief that you'll someday be where they are, even though you never will.

You honestly believe, and can say with a straight face, that somehow a tax rate of 2.99% on $15,000 hurts more than a tax rate of 21.46% on $1,040,000. I don't think so! In the former that is my mortgage payment in the latter it is two cars or a really nice Harley! Or look at it another way the 2.99% is 13 meals out I'd have to pass on. Even at the most expensive meal I bought my wife and I the latter would be 171 outings. By any practical measure the claim is not supported that our current tax structure hurts the lesser in favor of the greater.