Today, when I woke up, Massachusetts was a bleak and cold place. Until this morning, the weather had reminded me of Kentucky since the climate remained temperate without a fair amount to shocking cold and cloudy skies, but today I woke up to it. Yes, there is another nor'easter supposed to come through (keep New Jersey and New York in your thoughts), but I feel uncertain about the future of the United States. Last night, my husband and I drove into Boston to go to the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center to support Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan. We had a lot of fun talking politics at the Westin Hotel next door and in the Center with various people that had hopes and dreams of balancing America's checkbooks under a new President. Here are some pictures from last night:
.JPG)
.JPG)
Unfortunately, the Romney/Ryan campaign did not succeed, but the campaign brought up questions that everyday Americans will have to answer for themselves. What is the price of "progress"? Is "progress" and federal government dependency the best path to go and at what cost? What reason does anyone have to be successful anymore?
Everyone has a reason to be successful for one reason: the fact that successful people need not rely on anything in particular to stay that way. And since most people who are rich love America in the same way that those who are poor do, is it too much to ask people who make well above the poverty line to pay their federal income taxes for the first time in 10ish years? If the price to pay for freedom and democracy is higher taxes on those who can afford it, then I would be willing to pay it. Wouldn't you?
ReplyDeleteI like how you used "I" in the statement, "...then I would be willing to pay it." You are not me and we both have different views. Freedom and democracy are not the reason the federal income taxes would rise. We already have freedom due to the U.S. Constitution, but news flash, the United States is federal presidential constitutional republic that elects it's representatives democratically. It is not a true democracy and if you think the President is elected democratically, then you need to open an average Political Science textbook. The revenue from raised taxes to the federal government would support welfare/healthcare programs since the order of sequestration. Welfare/healthcare programs create dependency on the government, which I don't support. I would rather supply a fishing pole than the fish if you can catch my drift.
ReplyDeleteWell now that we have established that the President is not elected directly by the people, we can stop focusing on things that fourth graders are taught. Welfare/healthcare programs do not create dependency on the government if employed correctly; rather they act as a necessary saftely net in a capitalist society for those at the bottom who do not have a reasonable chance at rising up the socio-economic ranks. If you believe in a purely laissez-faire system, then you should look at a fantastics historical example of what happens when there are no safety nets: the Great Depression. I am not suggesting that everyone asking for a handout needs one--I am saying that handouts are needed by many people who cannot afford things like food, water, electricity, etc. And on top of that, simply providing the bare essentials does not put a person in a position to succeed; it merely puts him or her in a position to survive. There is a huge difference between these two things.
ReplyDeleteI actually learned how the President was elected in the third grade as I learned Kentucky history in the fourth grade, but so it goes. Now, welfare/healthcare programs do create dependency on the federal government that provides them because why would anyone want to stop getting money and various services for free. These programs/services are rarely employed correctly. Job/employment/education programs would be a good counter to welfare/healthcare programs as they give "fishing poles" than "fish". People get paid for work, so they can start affording the daily necessities to "survive". Here is a good article on government dependency:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/19/morning-bell-government-dependency-rises-as-number-of-taxpayers-declines/
There are various examples of socialistic/communistic government failures: China's Great Leap Forward, many of the "Plans" by the Soviet Union, etc. Since even President Obama believes we live in a "culture of irresponsibility", I highly doubt that everyone is moral enough not to take a free handout when given the chance, thus, creating dependency. Okay, I believe my e-mail is provided. If you want to continue, you can e-mail me. Anymore comments will be deleted. Thank you and have a nice day.