civilized ku # 443 ~ tunnel vision
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 10:28AM 
Covered bridge ~ in the Adirondack PARK - Jay, NY• click to embiggenThe notion has been raised that the good 'ole US of A is "going bankrupt".
Bullshit. Pure unadulterated bullshit.
Although, relative to the US debt, if one just sits around and only watches the US Debt Clock and only listens to the Party of NO!'s deepities* of "cut government spending", and, "government's too big" and, "we're burdening our children and their children's children with debt", well, I guess you might come away with the opinion that the country is on the road to bankruptcy.
Without delving into what and how we're spending our tax dollars on - which is exactly what the Party of NO! wants because their prime objective is to make government smaller by simply starving it of the money it needs to operate - the idea that the country is going to go bankrupt is simply wrong.
The simple fact of the matter is that the good 'ole US of A is the wealthiest nation on the planet. We've got plenty of money. Unfortunately, what we lack is the will to pay for what we need and/or want. What we lack is the fortitude to assume the fiscal responsibility, in the form of paying our way, that it takes to pay down the debt and you can chalk up that failure to the Party of NO!'s "no new taxes" mantra.
Here's the facts: the good 'ole US of A has one of the lowest tax rates on personal income in the world. We rank 25th (as of 2007) in the world. The good 'ole US of A ranks 26th on the list, re: taxes as a % of GPD. You can read all about it here and here. Our so-called "oppressive" tax "burden" is very very low.
Simply stated, we don't have to have a huge debt. We can pay our way. But the reason we don't pay our way is twofold:
1. The perveyors of fear have convinced a substantial number of "the people" - by repeating the simple-minded big lie over and over again - that the country is going bankrupt because of "big government spending".
2. Unfortunately, the net effect of that hogwash is that there is no thoughtful discourse regarding what, as a nation, we want government to do and supply in the way of services that provide for the greatest good for the greatest number of "the people".
We here in the good 'ole US of A can't/won't/don't have that discourse because the Party of NO! ~ Agents of Fear Division has convinced enough of "the people" that "big government wants to take away your freedom / big government wants to run your lives / big government wants to spend your money like a drunken sailor", etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. And remember, be a'scared, be very a'scared, because there's a communist / socialist hiding under every bed - and, wink-wink, nudge-nudge - they're most likely niggers (who are also closet faggots as well).
However, as the previously linked Forbes article points out, those countries that have had the conversation about what government should do and agreed upon a course of action have, as a consequence subjected themselves to tax rates which we here would consider to be beyond the pale of possibility - up to 5x the US tax rate. Nevertheless ...
The point is that one can't look just at the taxes people pay here or elsewhere without looking at what they get in return. It doesn't automatically follow that the places with the lowest taxes are the best places to live and work. This is obvious when we think about where to buy a house. We always look at the quality of local schools as a major factor and are willing to pay higher property taxes in return for good schools. The same is true at the national level as well. Higher taxes may pay for services that people value and thus are not as burdensome as they might appear at first glance.
So, for those of you of the we're-going-bankrupt persuasion, you need to get a much broader, and some might even say educated view of the US debt. There's a whole lot more to it than just staring at the US Debt Clock and parroting simplistic political slogans.
*a deepity is a statement that has two meanings, one of which is true but superficial, the other of which sounds profound but is meaningless.
Reader Comments (8)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve_the_beast
Why should I believe your researched facts and figures?
You're an elitist. That's right, an elitist. I'm not smart enough to understand all of these numbers and things. When I admit that to myself, I feel bad about "ME". So instead of working hard to educate myself, in an attempt to make a cogent argument, I'll call you an elitist.
ELITIST!!!
Aaaah… That was easy and now I can look at myself in the mirror again.
The Party of NO are not the only purveyor of this crap. Without the complicity of the so called liberal media these lies would be blown out of the water with a (very) little good reporting.
I suppose you may have a point. However, as I see it, the USA is running on empty - morally and fiscally. Your government isn't the entity on Capitol Hill, it's hidden somewhere inside the corporate boardrooms where they choose the politicians who will get media time and election monies and in the depths of the Pentagon, where they decide what/where/whom to bomb into dust next. It's a shame the wealth (what's left of it) of a country built on the theft of a continent has to be squandered on a global killing spree.
Sounds familiar.
People want roads, bridges, police, schools, fire fighters, B2 bombers....
They just don't want to pay for them.
Jimmi, your rant would be more believable if you had misspelled several key words ;]
Hey Mark,
What are your thoughts on California "going bankrupt." Any truth there or is it also (pure unadulterated) BS. We keep paying more taxes, yet services are continuously on the decline. Humm, I wonder why?
As far as I'm aware, we don't have covered bridges in Australia. Your picture fits in well with your political entry but I was more interested in the story behind covered bridges. A few keystrokes tapped into Google and I'm up to speed. The restoration of the Jay Bridge is a nice story as well.
Too bad we can't rely on the media to keep us up to speed on the real story behind the politics.