Dubya’s over in Africa right now, presumably to address issues of poverty and AIDS plaguing the continent, right? But how sincere can his efforts be when he is proposing a budget cut that would slash one third of federal spending on international maternal and child health? Read articles on Znet to learn why over 11 million children are dying each year. Bush & Co. are also dismantling Head Start as a federal program and threatening those who speak out. As military budgets soar, the cost of the war in Iraq hits home. While Bush champions volunteer efforts in public speeches, volunteer organizations are suffering.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>But how sincere can his efforts be when he is proposing a budget cut that would slash one third of federal spending on international maternal and child health?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Good!! People like you are a riot. You bitch because the U.S. gets involved in other people's business, but conveniently choose to forget all the money AMERICAN TAXPAYERS GIVEaway to the rest of the world. America GIVES, that's right, GIVES, more money away than any other country on the planet. And I need to check my facts here, but if I'm not mistaken more than all of Europe combined.
International maternity and child health?? What about the problems we got right in our own backyard. I think I can speak for many Americans when I say we're sick and tired of being the ****ing Red Cross. Slash the budget giving money away for other countries. I'm all for it. Let's spend these tax dollars on our own problems at home that you know so well. So now you bitch because we're not giving money away, LMAO.
Just recently saw that Canada upped the amount of money they sent to Brazil for the starving children here from 1 million dollars to 1.4 million, LMAO!! What a ****ing joke!!! Don't hurt yourselves!! You may be able to feed 1/3 of the population of the small city I live in for about a week on that! And that's if it wasn't Canadian dollars
We just loaned Brazil another 50 Billion recently, yeah, Billion, with a B, and those are American dollars. Their debt is up to 300 Billion now with the outlook of defaulting promising. Wonder where that cash will end up?? All I know is I know the mayor of the small city that I live in here. He hardly had shit 6 years ago when he was mayor. Now he owns 2 oil distributorships, a Volksawagon Truck Dealership, he's the authorized distributor for Xerox in this state and the state to the north, and has a penthouse in Paris and New York. Hmmm, mayor of a small city in a third-world country sure does have good pay!!
www.playadaysports.com
Good!! People like you are a riot. You bitch because the U.S. gets involved in other people's business, but conveniently choose to forget all the money AMERICAN TAXPAYERS GIVEaway to the rest of the world. America GIVES, that's right, GIVES, more money away than any other country on the planet. And I need to check my facts here, but if I'm not mistaken more than all of Europe combined.
International maternity and child health?? What about the problems we got right in our own backyard. I think I can speak for many Americans when I say we're sick and tired of being the ****ing Red Cross. Slash the budget giving money away for other countries. I'm all for it. Let's spend these tax dollars on our own problems at home that you know so well. So now you bitch because we're not giving money away, LMAO.
Just recently saw that Canada upped the amount of money they sent to Brazil for the starving children here from 1 million dollars to 1.4 million, LMAO!! What a ****ing joke!!! Don't hurt yourselves!! You may be able to feed 1/3 of the population of the small city I live in for about a week on that! And that's if it wasn't Canadian dollars
We just loaned Brazil another 50 Billion recently, yeah, Billion, with a B, and those are American dollars. Their debt is up to 300 Billion now with the outlook of defaulting promising. Wonder where that cash will end up?? All I know is I know the mayor of the small city that I live in here. He hardly had shit 6 years ago when he was mayor. Now he owns 2 oil distributorships, a Volksawagon Truck Dealership, he's the authorized distributor for Xerox in this state and the state to the north, and has a penthouse in Paris and New York. Hmmm, mayor of a small city in a third-world country sure does have good pay!!
www.playadaysports.com
I hear ya guys. Believe me, I've ran into the likes of him here before, even worse. The thing I would love the most is for all americans to experience some of these kinds of people and their attitudes. In my opinion by far the majority of Americans aren't aware that there are many Brentt's out there. I wish they were aware, maybe we'd have some policy change as far as foreign affairs, trade, and aid is concerned. Then we'd see how they like those apples. As a brazilian friend I have says, "it's not good with the Americans, but it's even worse without them." I can understand his viewpoint to some degree, but on the other hand these other nations have to take responsibility into their own hands and quit relying on America to jump in and bail them out when they have some kind of catastrophy. Better yet, we just need to stop doing it for a while. I betcha there would be an attitude adjustment in many.
www.playadaysports.com
www.playadaysports.com
Ralph,
There's alot more to America that what they give to Brazil
I'm glad they're helping your people, and I wish they'd help even MORE ... don't you get it?? Grantt was saying that we could help MANY MANY more needy people (even Brazilians buddy) if we quit wasting money on EVIL wars.
There's alot more to America that what they give to Brazil
I'm glad they're helping your people, and I wish they'd help even MORE ... don't you get it?? Grantt was saying that we could help MANY MANY more needy people (even Brazilians buddy) if we quit wasting money on EVIL wars.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lander:
Ralph,
There's alot more to America that what they give to Brazil
I'm glad they're helping your people, and I wish they'd help even MORE ... don't you get it?? Grantt was saying that we could help MANY MANY more needy people (even Brazilians buddy) if we quit wasting money on EVIL wars.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
lander;
I'm not Brazilian, I'm American, I've had a residence in Brazil for the last 3 1/2 years. Still have a residence in the states. Born,raised, and lived there my entire life. Believe me lander, I'm quite informed on the actions of my government. As far as helping other countries? Don't know if your american or not, but I know that I pay a helluva lot of taxes, have since I've been in my mid 20's, and to know that we literally give away money to these countries and most of it ends up in swiss bank accounts. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. The president of the IMF made that exact statement 6 months ago right before we loaned the last 50 billion to Brazil. He got fired for it. The Brazilians we're in such an uproar that he would say such a thing!! LMAO!! It's like WTF are you people thinking!! That's all the politicians do here in Latin America. I read it in the papers every week. That's no exaggeration. But Bush fired the president of the IMF because he had the balls to say it publicly!! Good for him!! I have first hand knowledge of the corruption that takes place here. The mayor of the city I live in is a friend. I travelled to the American consulate in Rio last month with a city councilman, city councilman mind you. Do you know how much he makes per month? 20,000 reais. That's $7,000.00 But here in Brazil it's like making $20,000 per month! And I can't leave my house without stopping my car to not hit the 3 year old children in the street begging for money! And their pissed because someone said the 50 billion would end up in swiss bank accounts
As far as "evil" wars go. We don't live in a perfect world, never have, never will. There's been war throughout the history of the world. Not that it's justification. But what would've been more evil? Leave Saddam in power? Let terrorist groups move from Afghanistan to Iraq to plan their next 911? Let him develop a nuclear bomb? Don't know about you, but after he kicked the UN inspectors out for the third time after the original gulf war, that would've been enough for me. Do you know he kicked out U.N. inspectors a total of 15 times from the end of the war in 1991 until this last war. Now why would a person, with supposedly nothing to hide right? Knowing full well that when the Americans came this time, our sole objective was removing him from power. Why would he continue to kick out the UN inspectors. Don't know about you but if the police want to search my house, and I have nothing to hide, I'm going to let them in. The only way that I don't let them in is if I have something to hide. Guess my point is about "evil" wars is, was it evil to defeat Hitler? Was it evil to remove the taliban? Was it evil to go into a country that terrorists not only controlled by ran the country? Unfortunately we don't live in shangra-la.
www.playadaysports.com
Ralph,
There's alot more to America that what they give to Brazil
I'm glad they're helping your people, and I wish they'd help even MORE ... don't you get it?? Grantt was saying that we could help MANY MANY more needy people (even Brazilians buddy) if we quit wasting money on EVIL wars.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
lander;
I'm not Brazilian, I'm American, I've had a residence in Brazil for the last 3 1/2 years. Still have a residence in the states. Born,raised, and lived there my entire life. Believe me lander, I'm quite informed on the actions of my government. As far as helping other countries? Don't know if your american or not, but I know that I pay a helluva lot of taxes, have since I've been in my mid 20's, and to know that we literally give away money to these countries and most of it ends up in swiss bank accounts. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. The president of the IMF made that exact statement 6 months ago right before we loaned the last 50 billion to Brazil. He got fired for it. The Brazilians we're in such an uproar that he would say such a thing!! LMAO!! It's like WTF are you people thinking!! That's all the politicians do here in Latin America. I read it in the papers every week. That's no exaggeration. But Bush fired the president of the IMF because he had the balls to say it publicly!! Good for him!! I have first hand knowledge of the corruption that takes place here. The mayor of the city I live in is a friend. I travelled to the American consulate in Rio last month with a city councilman, city councilman mind you. Do you know how much he makes per month? 20,000 reais. That's $7,000.00 But here in Brazil it's like making $20,000 per month! And I can't leave my house without stopping my car to not hit the 3 year old children in the street begging for money! And their pissed because someone said the 50 billion would end up in swiss bank accounts
As far as "evil" wars go. We don't live in a perfect world, never have, never will. There's been war throughout the history of the world. Not that it's justification. But what would've been more evil? Leave Saddam in power? Let terrorist groups move from Afghanistan to Iraq to plan their next 911? Let him develop a nuclear bomb? Don't know about you, but after he kicked the UN inspectors out for the third time after the original gulf war, that would've been enough for me. Do you know he kicked out U.N. inspectors a total of 15 times from the end of the war in 1991 until this last war. Now why would a person, with supposedly nothing to hide right? Knowing full well that when the Americans came this time, our sole objective was removing him from power. Why would he continue to kick out the UN inspectors. Don't know about you but if the police want to search my house, and I have nothing to hide, I'm going to let them in. The only way that I don't let them in is if I have something to hide. Guess my point is about "evil" wars is, was it evil to defeat Hitler? Was it evil to remove the taliban? Was it evil to go into a country that terrorists not only controlled by ran the country? Unfortunately we don't live in shangra-la.
www.playadaysports.com
I think Bush could do a lot of good in Africa if he could just find a country there to start bombing. Maybe he could bomb the starving people, that would help ease the pressure on the food supplies. Get Wolfowitz on the phone... and wake up Richard Perle, we need a strategy and selling points for this one. And more Paxil for Dubya.
How much credit can you give a guy like Ralphj who posts statements like this "I know that I pay a helluva lot of taxes, have since I've been in my mid 20's" What does he pay 10% of his salary in taxes. Most 1st world nations pay 3 to 5 times that. He doesn't have a clue that's why I generally don't resond to his kind.
Proof he is missinformed
Proof he is missinformed
Grantasslick
The fact that the U.S. has lower income taxes than several overtly sociliast and some quasi-socialist countries is hardly a Colombo-esque revelation. Especially since substantially all taxation represents theft and forced redistribution of property, and that America broke away from the British Empire over a 3% tax.
Also, that "Straight Dope" article features at least one glaring error -- the Social Security tax is not 7.6%, it is 15.3% -- the tax is paid 50% by employers and 50% by workers for those on W-4 standards wage/salary workers, but is paid 100% out of pocket by the self-employed, professionals, business owners, people on 1099 tax arrangements (such as commissioned salespersons) etc.
Also, of course this is just a matter of the info being out of date, but the ceiling is now $ 87,900.00 and not $ 72,600.00 and it continues to go up. And of course, what "Straight Dope" doesn't tell you is that the "ceiling" is a false one anyway -- at that income rate or higher Americans still pay 2.9% for Medicare, for which there is no ceiling (see here for a more reputable source of info on Social Security than "Straight Dope.")
Finally, branching off on an ill-informed diatribe about American taxation is a pretty ham-handed way to dodge a subject. You ought to just ignore it like you did the first time; it keeps you from looking like a fool.
Phaedrus
The fact that the U.S. has lower income taxes than several overtly sociliast and some quasi-socialist countries is hardly a Colombo-esque revelation. Especially since substantially all taxation represents theft and forced redistribution of property, and that America broke away from the British Empire over a 3% tax.
Also, that "Straight Dope" article features at least one glaring error -- the Social Security tax is not 7.6%, it is 15.3% -- the tax is paid 50% by employers and 50% by workers for those on W-4 standards wage/salary workers, but is paid 100% out of pocket by the self-employed, professionals, business owners, people on 1099 tax arrangements (such as commissioned salespersons) etc.
Also, of course this is just a matter of the info being out of date, but the ceiling is now $ 87,900.00 and not $ 72,600.00 and it continues to go up. And of course, what "Straight Dope" doesn't tell you is that the "ceiling" is a false one anyway -- at that income rate or higher Americans still pay 2.9% for Medicare, for which there is no ceiling (see here for a more reputable source of info on Social Security than "Straight Dope.")
Finally, branching off on an ill-informed diatribe about American taxation is a pretty ham-handed way to dodge a subject. You ought to just ignore it like you did the first time; it keeps you from looking like a fool.
Phaedrus
Ignoring you ladies as you beat each other with handbags, the Japanese Social security rate is quite high, and has the highest ceiling too.
I don't remember Japan being cited as a bastion of socialist welfare before.
Hey P.
Howdwouldya like yer 40% kicking in at $45k like in the UK
So thats why the rich buggers like the USA.
Its the cheapest 1st world nation to be in.
Its just a matter of time P.
Eventually you'll be paying fair dues, just like the rest of civilisation.
I won't gloat, I promise.
I don't remember Japan being cited as a bastion of socialist welfare before.
Hey P.
Howdwouldya like yer 40% kicking in at $45k like in the UK
So thats why the rich buggers like the USA.
Its the cheapest 1st world nation to be in.
Its just a matter of time P.
Eventually you'll be paying fair dues, just like the rest of civilisation.
I won't gloat, I promise.
Why was slavery eliminated you ask.Why allow people to have slave when you can just tax everyone at 33% If the population increases by a factor of 3 then you haven't missed a beat.
December 31, 1860 United States population is 31,443,321.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 7/12/2004 at 9:18:50 PM EDT is
293,722,513
This is 9 times what it was back then. This means assuming that the same people in control that they are making three times what they made back then without having to deal with the "immorality" and limits of slavery.
We are all slaves but we are free 67% of the time is what it comes down to. I would be interested to learn your thoughts on this Phaedrus or Darryl Parsons or anyone else who has a fully functioning brain and testes.
December 31, 1860 United States population is 31,443,321.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 7/12/2004 at 9:18:50 PM EDT is
293,722,513
This is 9 times what it was back then. This means assuming that the same people in control that they are making three times what they made back then without having to deal with the "immorality" and limits of slavery.
We are all slaves but we are free 67% of the time is what it comes down to. I would be interested to learn your thoughts on this Phaedrus or Darryl Parsons or anyone else who has a fully functioning brain and testes.
posted by eek:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Ignoring you ladies as you beat each other with handbags, the Japanese Social security rate is quite high, and has the highest ceiling too.
I don't remember Japan being cited as a bastion of socialist welfare before.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Japan has a bureacratic rat trap of a welfare system like all other "advanced" nations; additionally it has what is arguably the most bloated, corrupt corporate welfare system in the world, making the US and EU look like mere dilettantes.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Howdwouldya like yer 40% kicking in at $45k like in the UK
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
None for me thanks.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
So thats why the rich buggers like the USA.
Its the cheapest 1st world nation to be in.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep. Relatively low taxes makes the US the cheapest first-world nation in which to live, because our (again, relatively) free market environment benefits everyone from Bill Gates down the the womenand children at the abused families shelter far better than any redistributionist scheme could ever hope to do.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Its just a matter of time P.
Eventually you'll be paying fair dues, just like the rest of civilisation.
I won't gloat, I promise.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I already pay far more than my "fair dues," and I do so with only the greatest reluctance, but there are some taxes that cannot be avoided.
As far as what they think I should be paying, that is just immaterial. No amount would ever be enough, so why bother helping them out by cooperating? Resistance to tyranny is the only moral choice.
Phaedrus
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Ignoring you ladies as you beat each other with handbags, the Japanese Social security rate is quite high, and has the highest ceiling too.
I don't remember Japan being cited as a bastion of socialist welfare before.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Japan has a bureacratic rat trap of a welfare system like all other "advanced" nations; additionally it has what is arguably the most bloated, corrupt corporate welfare system in the world, making the US and EU look like mere dilettantes.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Howdwouldya like yer 40% kicking in at $45k like in the UK
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
None for me thanks.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
So thats why the rich buggers like the USA.
Its the cheapest 1st world nation to be in.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep. Relatively low taxes makes the US the cheapest first-world nation in which to live, because our (again, relatively) free market environment benefits everyone from Bill Gates down the the womenand children at the abused families shelter far better than any redistributionist scheme could ever hope to do.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Its just a matter of time P.
Eventually you'll be paying fair dues, just like the rest of civilisation.
I won't gloat, I promise.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I already pay far more than my "fair dues," and I do so with only the greatest reluctance, but there are some taxes that cannot be avoided.
As far as what they think I should be paying, that is just immaterial. No amount would ever be enough, so why bother helping them out by cooperating? Resistance to tyranny is the only moral choice.
Phaedrus
posted by Borat Sagdiyev:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Why was slavery eliminated you ask.Why allow people to have slave when you can just tax everyone at 33% If the population increases by a factor of 3 then you haven't missed a beat.
December 31, 1860 United States population is 31,443,321.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 7/12/2004 at 9:18:50 PM EDT is
293,722,513
This is 9 times what it was back then. This means assuming that the same people in control that they are making three times what they made back then without having to deal with the "immorality" and limits of slavery.
We are all slaves but we are free 67% of the time is what it comes down to. I would be interested to learn your thoughts on this Phaedrus or Darryl Parsons or anyone else who has a fully functioning brain and testes.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That is a very intersting premise Borat. Of course the demise of slavery in the U.S. was imminent at the time that the demon Lincoln "abolished" it, precisely because it was rapidly approaching the point of being less economical than simply paying wages to voluntarily-contracted employees. That the government might simply choose to opt for taxation of freemen rather than to continue to foment the controversy of sanctioned slavery is an interesting idea, especially noteworthy in that prior to the Civil War all attempts at income tax (and even Lincoln's attempts during the war) were struck down.
On the other hand, we went another fifty years without a permanent federal income tax after the Civil War, which is a fact which one must take into account if trying to build support for the premise. But still, a very interesting concept. No government is really against slavery anyway, given that all governments tend to view their citizens as chattels of the state. Working out asystem by which all men consider themselves free while sacrificing their time, money, loyalty, and very lives to the state -- often perfectly willingly, sometimes even with great enthusiasm -- has got to be the crowning acheivement of government as a form of social management.
Phaedrus
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Why was slavery eliminated you ask.Why allow people to have slave when you can just tax everyone at 33% If the population increases by a factor of 3 then you haven't missed a beat.
December 31, 1860 United States population is 31,443,321.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 7/12/2004 at 9:18:50 PM EDT is
293,722,513
This is 9 times what it was back then. This means assuming that the same people in control that they are making three times what they made back then without having to deal with the "immorality" and limits of slavery.
We are all slaves but we are free 67% of the time is what it comes down to. I would be interested to learn your thoughts on this Phaedrus or Darryl Parsons or anyone else who has a fully functioning brain and testes.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That is a very intersting premise Borat. Of course the demise of slavery in the U.S. was imminent at the time that the demon Lincoln "abolished" it, precisely because it was rapidly approaching the point of being less economical than simply paying wages to voluntarily-contracted employees. That the government might simply choose to opt for taxation of freemen rather than to continue to foment the controversy of sanctioned slavery is an interesting idea, especially noteworthy in that prior to the Civil War all attempts at income tax (and even Lincoln's attempts during the war) were struck down.
On the other hand, we went another fifty years without a permanent federal income tax after the Civil War, which is a fact which one must take into account if trying to build support for the premise. But still, a very interesting concept. No government is really against slavery anyway, given that all governments tend to view their citizens as chattels of the state. Working out asystem by which all men consider themselves free while sacrificing their time, money, loyalty, and very lives to the state -- often perfectly willingly, sometimes even with great enthusiasm -- has got to be the crowning acheivement of government as a form of social management.
Phaedrus
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> because our (again, relatively) free market environment benefits everyone from Bill Gates down the the womenand children at the abused families shelter far better than any redistributionist scheme could ever hope to do. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Awww.
Its nice to know that the US has far less poverty, inequality and polarisation than the rest of the 1st world.
So I could just pat those poor children on the head and say 'oh dear' in the USA, and it would save me $96,000 tax dollars compared to the UK.
heh.
No wonder you need a fuxxing gun to protect yourself.
(I do appreciate the learning process though)
Awww.
Its nice to know that the US has far less poverty, inequality and polarisation than the rest of the 1st world.
So I could just pat those poor children on the head and say 'oh dear' in the USA, and it would save me $96,000 tax dollars compared to the UK.
heh.
No wonder you need a fuxxing gun to protect yourself.
(I do appreciate the learning process though)
