sixby9is42
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JedThorp wrote >> I think the bottom line is: democracy isn't easy people. It's hard work. And, it requires the masses to be engaged, informed and involved in their government. We can't only pay attention every 4 years for a week, and then let Fox and MSNBC spoon-feed us political soundbytes. Like I said before, government is extremely complicated and before we judge it we should be required to deeply understand it - and that takes effort.
+∞
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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hugh59 wrote >>
Mike, sometimes I get a chance to save some little guy from a stupid, wrong, and illegal tax assessment. It's not much, but it is my little bit for trying to make the world better and make government better.
Good on ya
You're providing a valuable service for our tax dollars and prove that government really can provide services (a check or balance is a service too) just as well as any corporate entity IF it maintains FOCUS. The focus on service is the key.
J.R. Locke
Weinland Park
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Republicans have won the public discourse that government is the problem. Hats off to the great communicator.
Now it must be an ironic life working for something you don't believe in. The life of a red politician.
Quietly clinging to my guns and religion.
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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Right now I am pissed. Ohio's corporate franchise tax law is unnecessarily confusing. A little business got confused and filed a wrong form. They got hit with a 1,000% penalty! Nothing I can do based on office policy. This will probably drive this little business out of business.
I would be happy if all three state skyscrapers in downtown Columbus (and the Supreme Court building) would come crashing down. The fact that I am in one of those buildings does not bother me one bit. This is so wrong and I hate being a part of it.
We can look forward to more nonsense like this as we give the government more and more responsibility.
J.R. Locke
Weinland Park
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hugh59 wrote >>
Right now I am pissed. Ohio's corporate franchise tax law is unnecessarily confusing. A little business got confused and filed a wrong form. They got hit with a 1,000% penalty! Nothing I can do based on office policy. This will probably drive this little business out of business.
Wait so a private business files the wrong paperwork and we don't blame the efficiency of the private business but we blame the government.
Interesting.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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JedThorp wrote >>
I think the bottom line is: democracy isn't easy people. It's hard work. And, it requires the masses to be engaged, informed and involved in their government. We can't only pay attention every 4 years for a week, and then let Fox and MSNBC spoon-feed us political soundbytes. Like I said before, government is extremely complicated and before we judge it we should be required to deeply understand it - and that takes effort.
Yes. Very well said.
And I would add that those who have not made the effort should STFU and RTFM.
kcrissinger
Brookshire
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May I take this off-topic a bit and ask you how many people are unhappy with Columbus City School's decision to hold classes today? They're not exactly government, but they're as close as you can get.
rus
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kit444 wrote >>
We have two parties eager to offer the goodies (Dems--more spending; GOP--cutting taxes) without the responsible complementing action (Dems--increased taxes to cover spending; GOP--cutting spending to match the reduced revenues) and a populace that has come to expect getting the former without the latter. It's not just the politicians' fault.
Given that, what's the solution? Or is there one, beyond waiting for US Treasuries to hit junk bond status, the collapse of the dollar, and China replacing us as the lone super power?
KSquared
Literally Hell
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Well, the politicians have to cater to the voting public to keep their jobs, right? And we have a voting public that is often neither educated nor involved in the political process. What if it was required that each citizen who wanted to vote be able to pass a test showing that they had at least a basic grasp of how things worked, along with general reading comprehension? One has to pass a test to drive a car, why not to vote for people who will drive the country? It just seems like the privilege should come with some responsibility. Not sure if that comes with too much overhead to be feasible though.
kit444
Elsewhere
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rus wrote >>
kit444 wrote >>
Given that, what's the solution? Or is there one, beyond waiting for US Treasuries to hit junk bond status, the collapse of the dollar, and China replacing us as the lone super power?
I don't think the American people have the resolve to solve a problem until it reaches crisis mode, so that probably will be the result.
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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J.R. Locke wrote >>
hugh59 wrote >>
Right now I am pissed. Ohio's corporate franchise tax law is unnecessarily confusing. A little business got confused and filed a wrong form. They got hit with a 1,000% penalty! Nothing I can do based on office policy. This will probably drive this little business out of business.Wait so a private business files the wrong paperwork and we don't blame the efficiency of the private business but we blame the government.
Interesting.
Yes, interesting. The law is unnecessarily complex because Ohio tried to game the US constitution and tax income that it was not allowed to tax. The state failed, but we are left with this odd system that is counter intuitive. So a high percentage of taxpayers (especially little businesses) make this mistake.
I am prohibited from discussing any of the facts of the case; if I did, you would realize how messed up this system is.
"we don't blame the efficiency of the private business...." Obviously you have no sympathy for little businesses that can't afford expensive tax preparation services. I hope that in all of your dealings with the government that you cope with unfeeling, unsympathetic civil servants who will screw you with smiles on their faces.
thefiercelime
the 4th Dimension
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rus wrote >>
thefiercelime wrote >>
If the nation weren't so apathetic, like myself, it'd be constantly up in arms about a government that seems forever hellbent on waging at least 2 wars at all times and bankrupting the economy.And yet the Federal budget for social security, medicare and medicade is much larger than the defense department...
1. It should be. Those services are needed. Our nation's wars, however, are unnecessary, expensive big-time failures.
2. Where do you show that information?
rus
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KSquared wrote >>
Well, the politicians have to cater to the voting public to keep their jobs, right? And we have a voting public that is often neither educated nor involved in the political process. What if it was required that each citizen who wanted to vote be able to pass a test showing that they had at least a basic grasp of how things worked, along with general reading comprehension? One has to pass a test to drive a car, why not to vote for people who will drive the country? It just seems like the privilege should come with some responsibility. Not sure if that comes with too much overhead to be feasible though.
Reminded me of this:
"People who could not even spell the word 'vote' or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House," he said.Tancredo, a failed 2008 presidential candidate, made his reputation as a rabid foe of illegal immigrants. The literacy tests he pined for were once used in the South to keep blacks from voting.
There's no way a literacy test can be required for voting; the mere suggestion is perceived as an echo of jim crow era racist policy.
And KSquared, I'm NOT saying you're racist or anything like that, but rather that the very idea is loaded.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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rus wrote >>
kit444 wrote >>
We have two parties eager to offer the goodies (Dems--more spending; GOP--cutting taxes) without the responsible complementing action (Dems--increased taxes to cover spending; GOP--cutting spending to match the reduced revenues) and a populace that has come to expect getting the former without the latter. It's not just the politicians' fault.Given that, what's the solution? Or is there one, beyond waiting for US Treasuries to hit junk bond status, the collapse of the dollar, and China replacing us as the lone super power?
stop spending 130 billion/year to fight two utterly useless wars
stop spending 500 billion on top of THAT to fund a military budget that is more than 10 times (!) that of our the spending of the second largest military budget in the world (China). Something like perhaps 50 Billion (Still equal to China). We're spending all that money being the world's police force. Screw that. We can't maintain a pax Romana at the cost of ourselves.
Then instead of spending more for economic stimulus we can simply take that 600 Billion/year or so saved and reinvest it in OUr own economic growth (as most civilized countries do).
Our entire infrastructure that has been sadly neglected over the last 40 years and is a) in bad need of repair, and b) needs to be upgraded to make it run on something other than oil. This has been a drag on economic growth for years and oil will become even more of a drag in the next 20 years we NEED to move away from it BEFORE it is an emergency. This investment in economic growth would end up paying off in increased revenue and would over time end up paying off the national debt. Remember how the government was running at a surplus during the 90s because of economic growth increasing tax revenue?
I have a lot of other suggestions, but posting them here is essentially pissing into the wind.
rus
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thefiercelime wrote >>
rus wrote >>
thefiercelime wrote >>
If the nation weren't so apathetic, like myself, it'd be constantly up in arms about a government that seems forever hellbent on waging at least 2 wars at all times and bankrupting the economy.And yet the Federal budget for social security, medicare and medicade is much larger than the defense department...
2. Where do you show that information?
A quick google later:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2010_spending_by_category.jpg
Cookie
Flyntonville
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rus wrote >>
A quick google later:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2010_spending_by_category.jpg
I'm angry at that useless pie chart.
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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thefiercelime wrote >>
rus wrote >>
thefiercelime wrote >>
If the nation weren't so apathetic, like myself, it'd be constantly up in arms about a government that seems forever hellbent on waging at least 2 wars at all times and bankrupting the economy.And yet the Federal budget for social security, medicare and medicade is much larger than the defense department...
1. It should be. Those services are needed. Our nation's wars, however, are unnecessary, expensive big-time failures.
2. Where do you show that information?
Not all of our defense spending is for the wars. Some of it is going to maintain our military's standing ability to protect our country and defend our allies. If you want to cut back on those expenditures our country might someday find itself in the position that England way in back in 1938 where it had drastically cut back military readiness. Oh nuts, they did that while Germany and Japan were arming themselves like mad. Big oops. Lucky for them the US was there to pick up the slack.
There won't be anyone to pick up the slack if the US cuts its military readiness too far.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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rus wrote >>
Rockmastermike wrote >>
I have a lot of other suggestions, but posting them here is essentially pissing into the wind.Since I don't think any of us have the ability to enforce our will on the government, I think we're all pissing into the wind.
dont get me wrong... sometimes it's FUN to piss into the wind... but sometimes it just feels like a whole lot of wasted effort.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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hugh59 wrote >>
Not all of our defense spending is for the wars. Some of it is going to maintain our military's standing ability o protect our country and defend our allies. If you want to cut back on those expenditures our country might someday find itself in the position that England way in back in 1938 where it had drastically cut back military readiness. Oh nuts, they did that while Germany and Japan were arming themselves like mad. Big oops. Lucky for them the US was there to pick up the slack.
There won't be anyone to pick up the slack if the US cuts its military readiness too far.
I'm not suggesting we cut it back "too far". But lets not be stupid about it. We're still maintaining cold war readiness and spending far far FAR FAAAAR more than any other country.
Case in point: Japan. The base in Okinawa is expensive to maintain and is not wanted in it's current form by the locals including the current Japanese ruling party. Lets take this opportunity to pull out now before they change their mind (probably when the current oposition party comes back into power).
Just one example
Look... we no longer face the threat of 1000 soviet bombers flying into western Europe. Lets stop pretending we do.
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