"And then our system falls apart due to lack of funds... which is what you want. You want small government which is not able to govern."
What makes you think that "big" government is able to govern better than small government? I'm sorry, Steelplate but if you think that"big" government governs well then you must be living in a different country than I. Can you HONESTLY say that our government doesn't waste a good 40% of every dollar it collects? Can you HONESTLY say that we don't have departments and agencies that are redundant to the point of farce? Can you HONESTLY say that our educational system is better now that it is run by the Feds than it was when it was run locally?
What we need to do is take a meat cleaver to the Washington establishment. It's bloated, inefficient, corrupt, and totally out of touch. Do I want smaller government? Yes...very much so. The smaller the better.
so... you pick one sentence out of my post that you want to focus on... that's fine. Can I honestly say that they don't waste 40% of tax dollars collected? no... I can't honestly say they don't... the truth is... I don't know. Where are you getting this number from? Is it factual and provable, or is a number you pulled off the top of your head? Redundancy and overkill? oh yeah... we got that...I'll agree there. I have no... read ZERO problem with streamlining that kind of thing. I'm all for it. however... that's only one small part of what Conservatives are demanding.... they want to force this debt load onto us working class people as well. They want to break the backs of the people who have paid into Social Security and Medicare their entire working lives, and turn into a privatized system so that their irresponsible Billionaire buddies on Wall Street and the Health Insurance companies can get their hands on it. So then they in turn can gamble with that money in their NYC Casino, make huge profits off of it, and eventually lose it, like they have so many times in the past... and turn Medicare into a voucher system where the voucher doesn't cover the cost and take money out of the elderly on fixed incomes and insert it directly into the hands of Insurance Companies.
I am sorry... I know that Conservatives don't like "Socialist Programs" like SS and Medicare... but not everything needs privatized. SS and Medicare should very much be left alone and NOT be subject to the whims of Wall Street and Corporate America... They should be kept safe and sacrosanct.
Now, as far as our educational system... Once again... you cut it down to the local level... your local taxes are going to be so high, that you will wish you would have just shut your mouth about it. Do you have any idea what it costs to run a School District? You take that down to a local level and you will either A. Have a poor education to offer your communities' children... or B. Have taxes so high that no one can afford them.
Same goes for your fire protection, your police force, the people that take care of your roads and bridges. You guys seem to have this simplistic view of taxation and only seem to focus on the Federal Income Tax... but that Federal Income tax helps every State in the Union and every Community in each state.
do I think things need streamlined, unnecessary program cut or eliminated and more of an eye towards fiscal efficiency? Absolutely. But I don't believe in the extremism that is coming from the right.
One thing that gets a lot of Criticism from the right is the idea that there is a segment of our population that "gets something for nothing". yes... I agree. It's a valid gripe. That's why I am all for a "working" welfare system. If you need Welfare, you will work for you benefits. Obviously... People with severe handicaps would be exempt... but if you can work, you will work. I am of the feeling that part of the problem with our current welfare system is that people get too comfortable with it.. so comfortable to the point where they fall into the mindset similar to that of say.... an abused wife. Now hear me out a second... An abused wife...actually spouse, not just wife... will tend to stay in that shitty relationship because the fear of the unknown is more frightening to them than the familiarity of the "devil they know".
Have you ever been in a relationship where your spouse, or "significant other" puts you down all the time, criticizes you continually, makes you feel like shit for every imagined infraction? If you get told you're a loser and a piece of shit enough times... sooner or later you start to believe it. I think the same thing happens to most people that are on Public Assistance for a long time. Yes... I do believe that there are some scumbags who take the taxpayers' money and pop out kids, and all the rest of what I hear from Conservatives... I do believe that there are people like that... but I think that number is pretty small. Most of the rest of aren't that way... they need a sense of empowerment. Working does that. I feel that a good welfare program should not only save our citizens and their families from starving when they fall on rough times... but also should bring value back to the taxpayer in the form of Service for Benefits for as long as they are on the program. Because, let's face it... if they have to work anyway, I am sure that they won't stay on it long term. Plus... it will give these folk a reference for jobs they apply for. Employers will have a supervisor they can call and get an honest answer when they ask "what kind of worker is this person?".
Oh... By the way... There is another way that a welfare recipient could get benefits and not work.... Go to School on their own dime. College, Trade School, etc... If they go to school... they can still get benefits until they graduate(Bachelor's degree MAX). Two stipulations... One... they must pay for that education out of their own pockets(Student Loans), Two... they must maintain a 2.5 GPA.
I think this is a reasonable approach for people who fall on rough times and need to take care of their families till they get on their feet. Something similar should be in effect for Unemployment Compensation.
