What do you want from government?

[Ame®icano]

I want government to make me healthy. I want government to make me as rich as the next guy. I want government to look on my choices as favorably as any other choices. I want government to make sure noone makes too much money. I want government to look out for people, not businesses (which really have nothing to do with the people I want government to look out for), I want government to play nice so others will like us.....

Meet Helga!

 

[Kingpin]

Just the freedom to exercise my democratic rights! And have my own uncensored opinion.

 

[ihopehefails]

I want government to make me healthy. I want government to make me as rich as the next guy. I want government to look on my choices as favorably as any other choices. I want government to make sure noone makes too much money. I want government to look out for people, not businesses (which really have nothing to do with the people I want government to look out for), I want government to play nice so others will like us.....

Dictatorship of the proletariate is a concept based on that government and those that its power should be established for is for the middle-class, working man, or proletariate and saying that you want government only to watch out for the "people" and not businesses (which is more people, btw) is nothing more than creating a government of the proletariate where all its power is for them which is like dictatorship of the proletariate because everyone outside of that group are subject to their dictates.

 

[ihopehefails]

Protect peaceful people from force and fraud form within.

Protect national sovereignty from force from without.

End of list.

So you don't want any laws involving speed limits or which side of the road to drive on? Would you allow commerce and industry to be able to pollute the air, soil, water without restriction? Is there no room for the intent to promote the general welfare in such matters?

But while I think most Americans (including you) are probably in full agreement on those kinds of things, the others listed in the thread starter are a bit more complicated.

The general welfare of the public is always protected by protecting the interest of the any and all private citizens so when someone is polluting my land then the law can act or when someone feels they can run a red light which might endanger other citizens then the law can act but when no one's interest is at stake or when no one complains about their safety being in danger then the government must also remain silent.

 

[MaggieMae]

I think the answer is that a government must evolve with the needs of a society. There are some functions that the government does better and there are some that private industry does better. There is also a need for Government oversight of private industry.
Prior to the 1960s, private industry could do whatever it wanted in terms of the environment. Waste products were just dumped into rivers and lakes. If you didn't have a river you just dumped it into the ground. You burned what you liked and put it into the air. The results were the poisoning of many people in surrounding communities as well as a destruction of our water system. Even though industries complained that the government was forcing them out of business, we needed government to step in and protect us.

Your example answered Dude's question to me "What the hell are you talking about?" What seems "good" to some is "bad" for others. A no-brainer.

 

[MaggieMae]

What do you want from government?

Stop fixing our lives!

...until your own needs fixing? I wonder how many Republicans are also unemployed these days and are thankful for the government umbrella that keeps them alive.

 

[MaggieMae]

I want government to make me healthy. I want government to make me as rich as the next guy. I want government to look on my choices as favorably as any other choices. I want government to make sure noone makes too much money. I want government to look out for people, not businesses (which really have nothing to do with the people I want government to look out for), I want government to play nice so others will like us.....

Newsflash: If "others [don't] like us, we become sitting ducks, or have you forgotten 911 already? We now live globally, like it or not, and cannot isolate ourselves anymore, dictating our way of life for other nations to emulate, picking and choosing our enemies based on specific events (friend of Saddam in the 80's; enemy of Saddam in the 90's et seq.)

 

[Skull Pilot]

I want the government to leave me more than 50% of my income to do with as I see fit.

I want the government to go on a fucking diet and operate within a prescribed budget of no more than 30% of GDP.

I want the government to stop enacting "good for us" legislation

 

[MaggieMae]

Just the freedom to exercise my democratic rights! And have my own uncensored opinion.

You have it. Just don't piss off the USMB mods is all.

 

[dilloduck]

I want government to make me healthy. I want government to make me as rich as the next guy. I want government to look on my choices as favorably as any other choices. I want government to make sure noone makes too much money. I want government to look out for people, not businesses (which really have nothing to do with the people I want government to look out for), I want government to play nice so others will like us.....

Newsflash: If "others [don't] like us, we become sitting ducks, or have you forgotten 911 already? We now live globally, like it or not, and cannot isolate ourselves anymore, dictating our way of life for other nations to emulate, picking and choosing our enemies based on specific events (friend of Saddam in the 80's; enemy of Saddam in the 90's et seq.)

Other countries aren't expected to be tolerant ?

 

[MaggieMae]

I want the government to leave me more than 50% of my income to do with as I see fit.
I think you need a new tax accountant.

I want the government to go on a fucking diet and operate within a prescribed budget of no more than 30% of GDP.

I want the government to stop enacting "good for us" legislation

......

 

[Skull Pilot]

I want the government to leave me more than 50% of my income to do with as I see fit.
I think you need a new tax accountant.

I want the government to go on a fucking diet and operate within a prescribed budget of no more than 30% of GDP.

I want the government to stop enacting "good for us" legislation

......

Add it up maggs.

it's not solely income tax as I believe you are assuming.

Add up every tax you pay and you will find that the average American pays more in taxes than they do for housing, food and clothing combined.

 

[dilloduck]

I want government to make me healthy. I want government to make me as rich as the next guy. I want government to look on my choices as favorably as any other choices. I want government to make sure noone makes too much money. I want government to look out for people, not businesses (which really have nothing to do with the people I want government to look out for), I want government to play nice so others will like us.....

Newsflash: If "others [don't] like us, we become sitting ducks, or have you forgotten 911 already? We now live globally, like it or not, and cannot isolate ourselves anymore, dictating our way of life for other nations to emulate, picking and choosing our enemies based on specific events (friend of Saddam in the 80's; enemy of Saddam in the 90's et seq.)

Cannot isolate ourselves anymore ? Is it OK for us to have buildings that people from other countries don't knock down ?

 

[The Rabbi]

I want government to insure an equality of opportunity, not an equality of results. I want them to insure that things are done in an opaque manner. I want them to assure that the money I have is good and of stable value.
Then I want them to stay the fuck out of my life and stop bribing me with my own money and spending it like there's no end.

 

[dilloduck]

I want them all to resign so we can start all over again.

 

[Douger]

I want my $885,000 back PLUS all my SS money.
All it ever got me was my " freedom' protected, which I never asked for.

 

[KittenKoder]

All I want is the government to stay out of my life and do it's job ... making sure everyone else stays out of my life.

 

[Foxfyre]

I think some limits need to be set regarding huge amounts of money and leverages and investment 'vehicles' that are deleterious to the system. Derivatives need to be regulated, stringently. They amount to a total system break down and the skimming of all the working capital. You can be as rich as you want, but when you corner the assets the game is over and the whole deal comes tumbling down. It's basically betting on spec. You wanna bet? Put the money down, don't hedge it and tranch hedge it and resell it ad nauseum. And if you do have that much money a certain amount should be utilized as directly back into the economy as possible.

So what would you do to reform the system that would not take away the freedom of people to invest and take risks as they choose? Or is it the government's responsibility to protect us from such risks or prohibit us from taking them?

Betting at a casino is just as risky with far more people losing than winning. Many people are betting and losing their grocery money even. Should the government shut that down?

Or do you see these two things as different?

 

[alan1]

I want the government to leave me more than 50% of my income to do with as I see fit.
I think you need a new tax accountant.

I want the government to go on a fucking diet and operate within a prescribed budget of no more than 30% of GDP.

I want the government to stop enacting "good for us" legislation

......

Add it up maggs.

it's solely income tax as I believe you are assuming.

Add up every tax you pay and you will find that the average American pays more in taxes than they do for housing, food and clothing combined.

I made a thread about all the taxes the average person pays, but it might have been on a different message board.

Skull is right, Maggie.
When you start adding up all the miscellaneous other taxes (aside from income taxes) that you pay it probably is close to 50% for the average household.
Some of those taxes/fees are built right into the purchase price of things, so many people don't even realize it. (Think gasoline, alcoholic beverages and tobacco for prime examples)
Then there are those almost unnoticeable taxes that get added to your everyday living expenses, take a good look at your phone bill, or next time you buy tires for your car, take a good look at that, there is a federal excise tax on tires.
One of my favorites in my local area is the "Impervious Storm Water Tax". If you own property, they tax you on the square footage of the land that is unable to absorb rain---the house, the driveway, a concrete patio, etc. Yes, they are now taxing me for rain.

 

[Foxfyre]

Protect peaceful people from force and fraud form within.

Protect national sovereignty from force from without.

End of list.

So you don't want any laws involving speed limits or which side of the road to drive on? Would you allow commerce and industry to be able to pollute the air, soil, water without restriction? Is there no room for the intent to promote the general welfare in such matters?

But while I think most Americans (including you) are probably in full agreement on those kinds of things, the others listed in the thread starter are a bit more complicated.

Speed limits...Local issue. On open interstates highways; none for non-commercial traffic and enforce lane usage, i.e. the Autobahn.

Pollution of the air and soil is a quasi-aggressive act....Especially given that the land pollution would likely run off onto another's property.

I agree that government, as much as possible, should have ability to prohibit pollution that can extend beyond one's private property. But when such pollution is pretty much a local matter, should that be an issue for the federal government? Or local government? Or both? I do want my right to not have my air, soil, and water polluted by others protected, but where do you draw the line on that? If my neighbor is allergic to or dislikes wood smoke, should I not be allowed to have a fire in my fireplace on a winter night?

And if the majority of us do want speed limits in school zones, on public streets, to protect construction workers, or simply to keep it safer on the highways, should not government accommodate such social contract?