Hillary's Star Continues To Rise

And I just don't understand where the 'socialist' canard comes from. Unless, of course, it's the 'insult' thrown out by those who can't make a quality argument against another's opinion.
Cycloptichorn

The rich should pay more of their money in taxes because they receive more protection both physically and in terms of wealth than the average U.S citizen.

Cycloptichorn wrote:

And I just don't understand where the 'socialist' canard comes from. Unless, of course, it's the 'insult' thrown out by those who can't make a quality argument against another's opinion.
Cycloptichorn

Your underlying philosophy shines forth from what you say, cyclops. It isn't as well hidden as you might wish it to be. If you are proud of your opinions, and socialism, why should you be insulted? I would encourage you to be proud of your philosophies and opinions.

Your philosophy - of lowering taxes and starving the gov't out of existence - doesn't work and never has.

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

Your philosophy - of lowering taxes and starving the gov't out of existence - doesn't work and never has.

Cycloptichorn

We don't have a choice, cyclops. The government is a bottomless pit of spending. There is no end of what they will dream up to "help us" if we give them more and more money.

[We do have a choice:

Raise taxes, lower spending.

Our country has made gigantic profits, advances and strides during periods in which taxes were much, much higher then they are today. Raising taxes is no barrier to making money; but it is necessary to pay our bills as a society, which have mounted tremendously due to foreign wars.

As a fiscally responsible member of our society, would you agree that we shouldn't engage in elective warfare without showing how it will be paid for? The Iraq war has raised our debts, and therefore your taxes, considerably.

Cycloptichorn

I would streamline the management of the military and do away with outdated technology, which is the very thing Rumsfeld got in trouble for when he tried to do it.

It does matter. 20/20 hindsight tells you when you made the wrong choice. We made the wrong choice on the Iraq war as a nation.

Entitlement spending isn't the problem you make it out to be. You are of course aware that Social Security still runs a healthy profit every year, which is then taken by the gov't and used for other means - instead of being re-invested the way it should be?

Defense spending has a lot of room to be cut before our ability to defend ourselves is harmed in the slightest. I don't see the point of ignoring this fact when it comes to making cuts.

Show me some good faith, Okie - show me what you would cut out of defense and I'll show you what I would cut out of social programs. We will have to cut both to make ends meet, AND raise taxes.

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

It does matter. 20/20 hindsight tells you when you made the wrong choice. We made the wrong choice on the Iraq war as a nation.

Entitlement spending isn't the problem you make it out to be. You are of course aware that Social Security still runs a healthy profit every year, which is then taken by the gov't and used for other means - instead of being re-invested the way it should be?

Defense spending has a lot of room to be cut before our ability to defend ourselves is harmed in the slightest. I don't see the point of ignoring this fact when it comes to making cuts.

Show me some good faith, Okie - show me what you would cut out of defense and I'll show you what I would cut out of social programs. We will have to cut both to make ends meet, AND raise taxes.

Cycloptichorn

Typical - social security is NOT an entitlement program. It is intended to work as sort of a savings plan. If you had a REAL JOB and paid REAL TAXES you'd know that about 10% of your pay goes to FICA. Sure, you are funding someone elses SS because it never worked as designed, so it's become a pyramid scheme, but it is NOT - NEVER WAS - an "entitlement program".

EmilyGreen wrote:

Mysteryman is right. Cycloptichorn, you are sounding like the stereotypical socialist who doesn't want anyone to have more than you do.

And its not necessarily about working hard, you have to work smarter and manage your money. There's all kinds of help out there for you if you're having trouble making ends meet.

Neither the democrats NOR the republicans do the right thing with the budget. Raising taxes and giving them more to play with isn't going to solve anything. I know, though, that economics can be very difficult to understand, so I'm not upset with you for not really understanding what's going on in the government - but that doesn't mean that you have to stay in the dark about it. This is why I feel that education should be the US' number one priority - so many people don't understand how their own country does business. Its truely pitiful.

Another refreshingly common sense opinion here, which is highly appreciated. Your point about working smarter and managing the money was needed to be pointed out.

In regard to your comments about the budget, I view it as sort of a tug of war. If you give them more rope (more money), they simply want even more rope (spend even more than you give them), so it boils down to which comes first, the chicken or the egg. They will never spend only what the tax rates and revenues give them, so we are reduced to playing the game of restricting their tax rates without regard to what they do with it after that. I am of the opinion that they are taking enough of what we make now, so let them live on that.

okie wrote:

EmilyGreen wrote:

Mysteryman is right. Cycloptichorn, you are sounding like the stereotypical socialist who doesn't want anyone to have more than you do.

And its not necessarily about working hard, you have to work smarter and manage your money. There's all kinds of help out there for you if you're having trouble making ends meet.

Neither the democrats NOR the republicans do the right thing with the budget. Raising taxes and giving them more to play with isn't going to solve anything. I know, though, that economics can be very difficult to understand, so I'm not upset with you for not really understanding what's going on in the government - but that doesn't mean that you have to stay in the dark about it. This is why I feel that education should be the US' number one priority - so many people don't understand how their own country does business. Its truely pitiful.

Another refreshingly common sense opinion here, which is highly appreciated. Your point about working smarter and managing the money was needed to be pointed out.

In regard to your comments about the budget, I view it as sort of a tug of war. If you give them more rope (more money), they simply want even more rope (spend even more than you give them), so it boils down to which comes first, the chicken or the egg. They will never spend only what the tax rates and revenues give them, so we are reduced to playing the game of restricting their tax rates without regard to what they do with it after that. I am of the opinion that they are taking enough of what we make now, so let them live on that.

Thank you! It kinds seems like our current members of government need to learn about managing money. I mean, I wouldn't hire any of them to help me with my personal budget, or I'd be in debt up to my eyeballs and I'd have a bunch of stuff in my house that I don't need, ha ha.

Cycloptichorn, I wasn't trying to talk down to you. I was being sincere. I didn't always understand economics, I had to do a LOT of research on the topic.

Quote:

Typical - social security is NOT an entitlement program. It is intended to work as sort of a savings plan. If you had a REAL JOB and paid REAL TAXES you'd know that about 10% of your pay goes to FICA. Sure, you are funding someone elses SS because it never worked as designed, so it's become a pyramid scheme, but it is NOT - NEVER WAS - an "entitlement program".

I agree with you! But it's typically listed off as one by the right wing.

Cycloptichorn

social security is NOT an entitlement program. It is intended to work as sort of a savings plan.