"Universal Health Care'

[CancelMyService]

The federal government gives tax cuts to the wealthy, which means less money is available to local/state government, which means services they pay for end up getting cut and/or underfunded to the point of collapse so conservatives can point and say "See? Government always messes stuff up"

A lot of people have been Pavlov'd into instantly reacting negatively to anything that would raise taxes, even if they'd save a lot more money on other things (premiums, co pays) that more than offsets any tax increase.

I believe Grover Norquist's term for it was drowning the government in the bathtub. You could never have a politician come out and say "We're going to get rid of or privatize these social programs that everyone likes and depends on", instead you just slowly cut funding until the programs can no longer function properly. Then of course they recommend the private alternative that is loads more costly and inefficient than the government program it replaced. Not to mention the lack of regulation/oversight ends up causing HUGE problems later on.

[powerboy]

I would love to have Universal Health Care. It would have to be set up exactly like Canada for in order for it too work.

[Boozy]

The federal government gives tax cuts to the wealthy, which means less money is available to local/state government, which means services they pay for end up getting cut and/or underfunded to the point of collapse so conservatives can point and say "See? Government always messes stuff up"

Well said. This is a ubiquitous Republican tactic that both conservatives and liberals need to understand better.

The Bush tax cuts left me scratching my head. It wasn't just that I disagreed with them, it was that I couldn't understand the reasoning behind them. They didn't seem to make any sense for anyone on either side of the political spectrum.

Until my dad explained the "drowning big government" concept to me.

They're doing it with Social Security, too. Once it goes bankrupt, it's private accounts or nothing.

[ebonyknight]

A lot of people have been Pavlov'd into instantly reacting negatively to anything that would raise taxes, even if they'd save a lot more money on other things (premiums, co pays) that more than offsets any tax increase.

I know living in on the East Coast in a certain important Metro area, that taxes can go to things that make things better. I live in one of the highest taxed counties on the east coast and I don't complain. I see my tax dollars at work when I leave the county. Roads, infrastructure, maintenance and other things here are superior to other places.

As long as thinks keep working well and we are "better maintained" than surrounding areas, I don't mind it when they ask for a tax increase.

Now as to whether income taxes and other federal taxes should be around, that's a different story.

As long as I have the option of keeping "private insurance", I am all for "universal insurance". If I am to have it forced upon me, no way.

[Slytovhand]

I know living in on the East Coast in a certain important Metro area, that taxes can go to things that make things better. I live in one of the highest taxed counties on the east coast and I don't complain. I see my tax dollars at work when I leave the county. Roads, infrastructure, maintenance and other things here are superior to other places.

As long as thinks keep working well and we are "better maintained" than surrounding areas, I don't mind it when they ask for a tax increase.

Now as to whether income taxes and other federal taxes should be around, that's a different story.

As long as I have the option of keeping "private insurance", I am all for "universal insurance". If I am to have it forced upon me, no way.

I had 2 thoughts to this EK...

Firstly, are the infrastructure improvements still in high wealth sectors? Or are they being done in the really low economic areas as well? (just a question, naturally - cos I ain't there...)

Secondly, in Oz, we have both. For that matter, they've just upped the income you need before you start paying the Medicare surcharge, with an expected drop in the amount of private health insurance (but that's after the last government was doing stuff as well...))

Slyt

[ebonyknight]

I had 2 thoughts to this EK...

Firstly, are the infrastructure improvements still in high wealth sectors? Or are they being done in the really low economic areas as well? (just a question, naturally - cos I ain't there...)

Secondly, in Oz, we have both. For that matter, they've just upped the income you need before you start paying the Medicare surcharge, with an expected drop in the amount of private health insurance (but that's after the last government was doing stuff as well...))

Slyt

Well, because it's one of the most highly taxed, there aren't a lot of lower economic areas anymore. But places that were, were cleaned up. I have yet to see pot holes or other road maintenance issues last long in my area, while other states and a certain district, have crappy ones.

Where my parents live, they are actively increasing the value of the land (personal property taxes) to drive out lower income groups. Whether it will work or not, I don't know. Everywhere else, tax assessments are dropping (housing slump) while in my parents area, the assessments actually increased or stayed the same. But those lower income areas (the ones I know of) have been renovated.

What's Oz? Ozwald state penitentiary, like in the HBO series?

[Slytovhand]

What's Oz? Ozwald state penitentiary, like in the HBO series?

Ummm... Oztrahlya... (Australia, as it's affectionately known by the locals)