And then I remembered
Obama sucks
The Democrats suck
The Iran deal sucks
The ACA sucks
The size of our debt sucks
The EPA sucks
Regulations in general suck
Taxes suck
But our corporate tax sucks even worse
Now apparently the Cuba negotiations suck too, and I await a thread for that
Our border sucks
Our unwillingness to enforce immigration laws sucks
The middle east would suck less is Obama wasn't president, but then again, so would most things
Anchor babies suck
The Fed sucks
Pork spending sucks
Poor people suck because they want free shit
Food stamps suck because ALL people who get them live like Kings
While we're at it, all government programs suck because......well they just do
Federal control of anything sucks
The IRS sucks
Our trade deals suck, but are better than having unions because....
Unions suck
Teachers suck
Public education sucks
The VA sucks
Publicly funded pensions suck
In fact all pensions suck because they let stupid people retire with a luxury they don't deserve
Social Security sucks
Medicare sucks
Alternative energy sucks
Basically, everything sucks and will continue to suck until a Republican is again elected.
Now that we've covered a typical week worth of responses, how bout some of you bitter people take a break for a day and risk going outside a smiling at something.
Max,
ReplyDeleteAn intriguing post and with which so many can identify. I think we should add to your long list items attached to the mammary gland of society the overriding factor that it is the population who suck the strongest of all.
Our society has evolved not into an egalitarian society where “all for one and one for all” is the aim, that belongs to the three musketeers and the Socialist party. We have not morphed seamlessly from feudal society with a King or ( Queen) for the benefit of William! Into a society where we are governed by a benevolent dictatorship, although perhaps that would be a worthwhile goal.
What we have managed, with all our intelligence and experience, our knowledge of history and our super powers to invent new products and new ways of stuffing society is to develop into a population of Oliver Twists! Can I have some more please is the catch cry of everyone of us. I can speak with authority only on my own population; I have good reason however to believe that you in the US are little different.
We are born in a hospital at least subsidized by the government, we receive the benefits of citizenship from day one and from day one we receive government benefits, perhaps at this early stage, only subsidies on primary health care, immunizations, baby formula and so forth. We go to a government school and sit at the desk totally disinterested in the lesson being paid for by the government. Leaving school there is no job for our brain to be used on. We have become addled by speed, ecstasy ,ice or worse. We go on social security benefits and with careful management we remain there for our productive lives. The only things we produce is a heap of kids and we carefully teach these kids the tricks of the trade so that they too may join the rest of the losers on the public tit.
Now, the above contains generalizations but I know many families who fit my description and it is fair to say that they are generally families two generations on from the end of WW2. Looking at my contempories, those born just before the war and who managed to survive, we at least had work to go to when we left school. University education then was only for the wealthy and a smattering of scholarship students. The rest of got our degrees from the school of hard knocks.
Many of us joined the services, not for a career, but for the experience and opportunity of overseas travel not otherwise available. In my case, I enjoyed the lifestyle, married a lady sailor and prospered. Post service life was made sweeter by an index linked pension for life. It at this point that the public teat began flowing copiously, the pension payments in twelve months used my entire contributions over the previous twenty years. In the past 31 years I have continued to receive the inflation adjusted income and in addition because of a medical condition as a serving veteran, I receive total medical care at public expense. To the benefits above I receive social security payments as measured against my private income. I pass these items on, not as a boast, but in explanation of my claim that it is us the people who have stuffed the system. I have neither the need nor the wish for all the public monies I receive so charity donations do well from me.
So what do I propose? Quite simple really, increase taxes on a means tested basis. Tax estates following death and means test all government disbursements to the individual. Unpopular? Certainly is. our present debit is as a result of too many sucking on the public purse and the milk supply must be reduced. Only then will the list that Max has supplied begin to wither away.
Cheers from Aussie
Interesting post K.
DeleteOne item, the government has no money, only money collected from taxpayers.
Increase taxes on a means tested basis. In the US, 45% of Americans pay no taxes today. The top 10% pay 70% of all Federal Income Tax. I use to be part of that group, I decided to not be a part of the group.
As far as government spending. Today, 1 trillion is spent on Government assisted healthcare. 1 trillion is spent on Social Security and government pensions. Both programs grow each year leaving few places to actually cut spending.
Should I work hard all my life accumulate 5 million dollars that I have paid taxes on, is it right for the government to assess taxes after my death on that money yet again?
As to the great day, some look at government as the answer to all the countries problems. Others see government as an impediment to moving ahead in life . Some see government as they way they choose to survive and contribute nothing to this country. After all, we have illegals to do the menial labor which is below Americans expectations and self worth.
Should I work 40 years paying into social security along with most other American workers so that you can knock what many of us are counting on for a portion of our retirement? Good for you Lou to have made that much but not everybody can. I paid into SS for my RIGHT to count on it to help fund my retirement. Maybe if you were going to get some of it you will feel different but guess what lou, guys like you are going to be the first cut out. You got 5 million I guess so you don't need any retirement help. 95% of Americans do and we have work long and hard for that.
DeleteI did not claim it would be popular, it is however necessary that spending by governments be cut and citizens learn to rely more on their own efforts rather than handouts from the government.I offer my thoughts here as an Aussie and I speak mostly on behalf of my own nation. I have high regard for America and my knowledge of your financial and political environments have led me along the present path. It is perhaps a little trite but Kennedy’s speech in Berlin is probably his best known speech outside the US. "Think not what your country etc. This is perhaps one of the few topics in which I shall not be required to gently massage Williams viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteCheers from Aussie
I was trying to create a caricature of what this site has become lately, which is basically a place and come and just bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch and so on. The nattering nabobs of negativism are no longer the people in the media, I've leave that to you to figure out who I think the nabobs are today.
DeleteMax, keep up the good work!
DeleteKing
DeleteI wouldn't say that repeating Kennedys' comment is trite... people haven’t heard it enough. What I find trite is that to some (A considerable number in fact), it automatically means higher taxes and bigger government. There are a thousand ways a citizen can help, support and strengthen their country without giving the government one more cent with which to expand the public dependency and thereby weaken not only the individual but the country of which he speaks. ‘Country’ is not synonymous with the government that is charged with its defence.
Mike
If you aren't here to talk about the political situation in the United States upon which there seems to be considerable disagreement perhaps Twitter and its inhibiting 140 character limit would be more to your liking? ;-) ... or tune in an episode of Ren and Stimpy... ‘Happy Happy Joy Joy’...
All seriousness assign, just why do you post here?... is it to express your idea of a better America... to learn about other ideas?... to be argumentative?... blow off steam? Your list while comprehensive gives this one:
'While we're at it, all government programs suck because......well they just do'
Actually Mike, these programs, their faults and the rational for believing them faulty has been explained in detail many times... Quite often your responses are... “I can’t disagree with that”...“Those are valid points”... “You don’t know how much I actually agree with what you are saying”... BUT! And most generally the logical defence of your BUT can be summarized in:
“well they just do”
Now, for my regular evening walk with my wife.
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DeleteIn the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
Delete[26] And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.
[27] My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
[28] Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.
Kennedy uttered0 the phase king referred to in his inaugural speech in 1961.
DeleteHe famously called himself a Berlin'er in 1963.
"President Kennedy visits the site of the Brandenburg Gate, looks over the Berlin Wall, and then visits Checkpoint Charlie. President Kennedy delivers an address upon signing the Golden Book at the Rathaus Schöneberg on Rudolph Wilde Platz. In his speech President Kennedy discusses his hopes for the reunification of Germany, and emphasizes the philosophical differences between capitalism and communism, noting, "Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free." In his remarks President Kennedy famously proclaims, "Ich bin ein Berliner.""
And the other Caricature:
ReplyDeleteOh the poor people need food.
The people starving.
The people that cannot afford healthcare.
The poor illegals just want to support their families.
The Republicans suck.
The republicans, the party of no.
Obama just wants to do his job.
Reagan tripled the debt, Bush doubled the debt.
The ACA is just a first step.
If the GOP doesn't like the ACA they should just fix it.
Texas sucks.
All Republican governors suck.
Iran's our friend.
Sign the agreement or it's war.
The poor in America are starving.
We need to tax the rich 90% and return to Eisenhower rates.
Blah, Blah, Blah.
Neither list, yours or mine is accurate.
p.s. Love the Federal reserve. If you were smart enough you made big bucks in the last 7 years.
Bigger government as proven in the last 20 years is not better government.
TS, I will start a different thread of "Why do you post here?" unless someone else wants to. In general, I think I express myself pretty well, perhaps you disagree on that point.
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ReplyDelete