[quote]And The democrats seem to be lowering the threshold of the rich. It was around 250k, and the last I heard, it was at a 150k and dropping. So much for taxing the rich (which after all is not going to do much good for anyone, least of all those out of work).[/quote] You heard wrong. Biden simply misspoke. That's the trouble, some people hang on every word and miss the big picture. Be well.
[quote]When it comes to the federal government, streamlined & centralized are mutually exclusive concepts, I'm afraid. The federal regulations governing healthcare transactions outweigh the Tax Code by a factor of about 2 (Yes, we're talking hundreds of pounds of documents). [/quote] Believe me, I am aware in working detail of the issues here. I was a regional director for a private psychatric hospital sytem and dealth with the issues of regulations, intergratin
With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, Last night was a good night in the Zendo. Of course anytime one practices zazen is a good time as it brings peace and stillness into the world. This morning, though, I woke late, and made a nice little breakfast of diced potatoes and onions with smoked paprika, fake bacon, and eggs. We sat together at our table and watched the world through the plate glass window in the dining room.
[quote]That is true today, after we've had the 'benefit' of megabureaucracy you seem to think we need. [/quote] Intersesting assumption, but false. I was, in fact, working hard against a "megabureacracy" in the early days, and continued to fight PPOs and HMOs in the more modern era. Daiwa, we have a very large national system involving an incredable amount of protective regulation, as well as oversight for fraudulant claims, mismanagement of funding and so forth.
[quote]What I don't appreciate is when people choose to close their eyes and ignore facts in order to placate their emotional desires. Who the poor are, what they do, and how they got there are not unknowns. It may appeal to your emotional needs to think of them as noble people struggling against the arbitrary fates of life but that doesn't make it true. We know who the poor are. We know why they're poor and what they could do to not be poor. I also don't appreciate when people choose t
[quote]We seem to skip past local and state responsibility these days and go right to the Nanny government. [/quote] Hello Jill, I do not skip past local government or state government. Hardly. The fact is costs for services of all kinds keep going up; taxes keep getting cut. Something is seriously out of balance. Local and state governments and charitable organizations are stretched to their max. And in this economy, it will only get worse
[quote]What you completely ignored I would contend that it IS a government's duty to ensure that pensions are payed, that those that renege on pensions they owe are jailed for pension fraud, and that the elderly who were reneged would receive subsitute pension from the government.[/quote] I didn't ignore it, I just did not respond to it as I see it as irrelevant. If I'm a pensioner and my fund goes bust as a result of fraud or other criminal activity, what do I
[quote]Since you seem to be so keen on suggesting continuing education, perhaps you should read Atlas Shrugged.[/quote] One of the reasons we seem so often SO at odds with each other is that we come to the "facts" with (apparently) very different eyes and interpreting within that set. You look at society to see heroes such as entrapreneurs. You rank their value on the basis of their contributions to the whole. I look at society and see a web of inter
[quote]The most interesting one in this list... is the elderly. The elderly were not born elderly, they became elderly over many MANY years... which begs the question. Why do they not have pensions to live off of?[/quote] Well, it would seem we have a disagreement on the "working poor" existing or not. So it goes. Many elderly were born in a time when many large companies offered pension plans. Over time many of these plans have faded, some gone defunct
[quote]Please tell me why the Federal government should take care of your examples of the needy? Why have we given up on our own local communities taking care of their own? If we don't care enough about our own family and friends, why should anyone else? Does anyone still believe the government can do a better job of taking care of anything than what can be done locally?[/quote] Its quite simple, Jilluser, local communities, family and friends go a long way in providing d
[quote]Are you seriously suggesting that the 50+% who are not paying taxes are the poor, sick, disabled, elderly, orphaned, abused, or neglected[/quote] Goodness, this number keeps increasing. Pretty soon it will only be the very rich who pay any tax at all, according to the very rich. But to answer your question, no. But apparently that 38%, 40% or now 50+% income is not taxed for a reason. It may be that it is below the poverty line, it may be because
[quote]Nothing to be sorry about, I'm used to dealing with unearned arrogance from liberals.[/quote] Draginol, this statement is beneath you. Arrogance is never good, even if it is from a conservative, successful, CEO.
[quote]No, I am against raising taxes on anyone. But I am particularly against the idea of the government taking money from one individual to give to another one in which there is no tangible benefit to the person whose money was taken.[/quote] I take it your point, then, is that the poor, the sick, the disabled, the elderly, orphaned or abused and neglected children are a drain on our society? But isn't that the nature of a social contract? It's what "we, the peopl
[quote]What happens when 50.1% of the population ends up getting more cash from Washington DC than they send to it? We may soon find out.[/quote] Actually, I am a little confused. Are you arguing of late that we should raise taxes, but only on the lower end of the income/taxable spectrum. It sure sounds as though you are. I thought (I guess I'm wrong) that conservatives were opposed to increasing taxes. Be well
With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra is a condensed statement of a Zen Buddhist understanding of reality. It should not be read as a statement of belief, but rather a reflection of one person's experience of awakening. It begins by pointing out that everything is "empty". Westerners really need a better translation of this (Ku) in the Sino-Japanese version. Empty refers to something
LW, Oh my, we seem to be on the same "side" so to speak, although I really am developing a strong distaste for "sides" on socio-political discussions. I was taken with your comments throughout. The simplistic sort of Social Darwinism espousesd by many seems to me to be just a simple way to both blame and dismiss large portions of our society. Most people I have met, including those I met as an "Income Maintenance" and "Food Stam
With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, I have not posted for a few days. Sometimes a break is an important part of the process. Time for reflection and decision (see below). In the meantime, I would like to explore some issues regarding monotheism and Zen. One issue that stands out in my mind is that of duality. In monotheistic faiths there is a tendency to separate God fro
[quote]Sodaiho, it's one think to not see something, it's another to ignore what is in front of you simply because your interpretation is different.[/quote] Hello Charles, I like how you and I are talking. I can see how you think I might be ignoring something, although I don't believe I am. The definitions you provide are of the sort though that are hardly precise and that's part of the problem. Unless a person meets all of the criteria they would not be
[quote]It's a very slow movement, but Jews are slowly becoming Republicans.[/quote] Hey there, Leuiki, perhaps. I know of only a handful in our congregation. And these are mostly hawkish people who worry about the Democrats and protecting Israel militarily. I do see the Republican platform as being opposed to many of the social welfare and social action (tikkun Olam) practices and beliefs of Jews. Also, the very strong fundamentalist Christian orien
[quote]Obama is not a socialist, even when more than enough proof, facts and definitions of the word were provided, not to mention some who are of Liberal and/or Democrat mentalities somewhat agree that Oabma is either somewhat socialist or socialist, which would indicate that somehow calling Obama a socialist is offensive to you.[/quote] Yes, Charles, I agree it is a semantic sticky wicket. But to your point, I have not seen a single "fact" that shows Obama is a soc
[quote]In a country where 38% of the voters pay no federal income taxes, it's pretty ironic that Obama and his supporters are always so anxious to demonize the people who foot the bill for the "wealth" he intends to spread. [/quote] Let's try to get back to aspects of Draginol's article. First, let's look at an assumption here, what is the underlying message regards people who don't pay federal income tax? Somehow they should not be paid attention to? Pe
So, I will never address Lula's questions? Hmmm. Obama served in the Illinois State Senate which was heavily Republican. In spite of this, here is his record: BUDGET & TAXES= Voted to raise the minimum wage in Illinois from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour over two years. (2003) Helped pass a 5 percent earned-income tax credit for low-income working families in 2000; made the credit permanent in 2003.
[quote]IN the words of Diawa, BULLSHIT. You clearly stated that calling Obama "Socialist" is akin to calling McCain "Facist". YOur words not mine. You can practice your tongue twisting on your empty headed neophytes, but not here bucko.[/quote] My, my, touchy aren't we? You make my point, bucko . In the sense that both are infammatory exxagerations, they are the same...and THAT was my point, not</s
[quote]Seems to me Sodaiho is the one who believes socialist is an insult (a bad thing).[/quote] Interesting point Charles. I do not claim being a socialist is a bad thing, per se, although I myself do not approve of classic socialism. I am saying that in the United States to be referred to as a socialist in an election can be a bad thing as most Americans have a negative view of what has come to be called "socialism" here. I suspect Sen Obama is a clos
With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, This morning was a chilly 45 degrees according to my thermometer as we headed out the door to meet friends Eve and Allen for a brisk morning walk. Actually, I needed less brisk, but then there was a morning breeze with that chilled air, so we naturally had a quick pace. Somewhere along the way I asked Allen to slow down. It was a rest/easy walk day for me. I
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