Why Are Liberals Winning the Culture Wars and Losing the Tax Battle?

on the title, no one likes paying taxes, but everyone uses the things those taxes make possible *roads, schools, hospitals, police forces, fire departments, paramedics, airports, heck even sports arenas*. Only a educated few actually realize that paying taxes is a patriotic duty!

Technically, after how the tax cuts defunded the country and both helped send us into a economic spiral, but helped fuel the greed filled atomosphere that made it even worse, the liberals should have had a easy time fighting the republicans on the taxes for the top 2 percent... majority of americans supported giving tax breaks only to the 98% of americans, who are the only ones struggling. the 2% weathered the economic downturn and showed growth because they know how to work the system. but republicans refused to give a rats ass about the fact that it is the 98% who need the help, and now are responcible for paying off the debt the 2% will spend another ten years creating, while bearing no responciblity, and giving no benifit to america (which is what happened the republicans forced through the taxes.

thats the tax issue in a nut shell. You dont give handouts and basically welfare to the wealthy few at the expense of the 98% who both have to work hard for their money, but also has to pay for the wealthy 2% who can just use the system.

democrats are winning the culture wars simply because of the fact that fact and history is on our side. We look to the future, not to the past.

 

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3GnWTy8Ebg[/YOUTUBE]

 

I'll gladly pay high taxes (up to 40 cents per dollar. Hi Norway.) if I can get free health insurance, great social security, fantastic social programs and so on. Gladly.

 

As P.J. O'Rourke said: "If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it's free"

Depending on where you live, if you factor in every tax that is paid ( fed income, state income, sales, gas, property, vehicle property, hospitality/tourism (where applied)...fees passed on by local governments (including the absurd "bag tax" that is in Washington DC..yes...if you choose to use a bag at a retail store in DC you have to pay a tax) and additional local sales option taxes and fees on this...fees on that, etc.. you could be paying close to 70 cents on every dollar.

The true question is: How much is enough?

 

The bag tax should be in place all across America. Or better yet, plastic bags should be illegal in all 50 states, and all U.S. territories. Or do you not care about the gigantic plastic debris field in the Pacific Ocean??

 

No...I just think it is an absurd tax. I refuse to pay it when I'm in DC. I stuff my pockets with my own plastic bags and use them.

 

I think many of you forget that a lot of these countries can afford to have these programs because they aren't policing the world. When the United States stops spending so much on military defense then its possible, but not with it in place.

 

Then the tax has done its job...I don't know what it is in DC, but it was 5 cents the last time I was in Italy...Which is perfectly legit. An aside: you can get 5 cents off per bag at most major retail outlets in the USA...and a hint...some cashiers will even give you the 5 cents off per bag for a plastic bag instead of a canvas one. When I worked in retail, I gave people 5 cents off per bag (company policy) even if it was plastic, or if they refused a bag/offered to put it in storage bins they were buying anyway.

People most likely to refuse bags: young people, and young mothers in particular.

 

I will literally do a juggling act to not have a bag if I don't bring my canvas ones in. Seriously, even if it's like ten things, I'm carrying it out to the car in my hands.

 

Bamaboy, whats absurd is the giant plastic island in the middle of the ocean and the animals that it kills. If forcing people to pay taxes to use plastic bags helps improve the planet, than its a great tax.

 

A giant plastic island...sounds like something the Saudi's built.

 

Paying taxes might be a patriotic duty (even though I think the concept of patriotism in and of itself is almost total hogwash to begin with) but I think people are entirely justified in being furious with the way tax funds are constantly and completely misappropriated by the federal government. Like in the United States for example, where more than half of our national budget goes to defense, but 2% goes to public education.

^ This pretty much sums up my personal take on taxes (from Stranger Than Fiction)

^ This. I just don't want to pay high taxes to cover the ridiculous Orwellian "homeland security" measures my country is currently dreaming up by the dozens.

Sort of hard to live in a free country behind the bars of a cage.

 

I am warming up to the idea of a national flat rate sales tax. but there are people in the top bracket who only pay 16% of their income into taxes, while my parents pay 33%... we call that in part facisem.

 

Universal Health care is not a reality mostly because of Republicans. Republicans have continually blocked the idea because it goes against their agenda and it would damage their ability to control certain aspects.

 

the ironic thing is, the one thing republicans are now useing as a clarion call for repealing healthcare, the individual mandate, was something republicans spent a decade and a half demanding be apart of any healthcare reform. it isnt even a democratic idea, it is a consession, and might be the largest poison pill the republicans have ever done.

 

What's also ironic is that Richard Nixon offered Ted Kennedy a deal that was very similar to what was eventually achieved under Obama, but refused it because he thought he could get better. Quite possibly he wanted to keep it till his own planned presidency, but he ended up stalling it by decades.

An answer to the substantive question could be a move towards individualism and old-style liberalism, favouring low taxes and personal freedom.

 

I wouldn't necessarily put myself in the left or right camp. However, I do believe that the private sector can do some things better than the public sector (government), and that the public sector can do some things better than the private sector. Its figuring out that balance that is the problem.

As for health care. I think in a country as wealthy as Canada, it should be a human right for all Canadians and the government (through taxes of course) should provide it to everyone. I think it is too dangerous to leave Health Care in the hands of the private sector as providing medication and medical care is not something I want manipulated in order to improve profits. With Private Industry providing care, there is little incentive for preventative care, as it limits profits. With the Government providing care, preventative care becomes a cost-savings measure and improves the health of the population.

 

I do the same thing..I am not elderly (they have a reason to use plastic bags) and I am not a mother juggling a million things plus her baby (they also have a legit reason to take one). If I have more than I can carry, I'll take a cart/basket out to the car, load my trunk, then return the cart/basket to the store. An inconvenience like that will force me to be more careful to remember my canvas bags the next time.