1) Every item you purchase, from a load of bread to a car, was able to be produced at the price it was because of federal subsidies in some form.
2) Social programs, yes, are expensive and you might not ever need them. But, chances are at some point in your life your either did or will need them in some capacity. Whether it's WIC when you're a baby, federal unemployment as an adult, or Medicare when you retire.
3) Without many of those social programs are society would be a cesspool. There wouldn't be healthy workers to flip your cheap burgers; or provide tens of millions of workers the health insurance, food, and shelter they need to be the backbone of our industrial society (whether currently or what they will be in the future), millions would be unemployed without federal subsidies to protect their industries, millions of farmers would go bankrupt in a bad year causing food shortages in the future, so on and so forth.
4 I guarantee that no one here pays as much taxes off their paycheck as I do. Thanks to the great thing (no being sarcastic, it really is great, but it is expensive) that is Railroad Retirement, 13% of my check goes straight to them on top of my federal taxes.
1) This is not true. Some items, perhaps. But it is clear that each and every item is TAXED.
2) I might, but I doubt it. I have worked hard for my retirement planning (including heath coverage as I'm skeptical that Social Security & Medicare will be viable), I am able to do several jobs so it is unlikely I will be unemployed very long. I pay for disability insurance, used the GI bill for college and professional school, neither myself nor children used WIC support. I guess the point is that I take a bit of pride in covering the finacial bases in a responsible way...why do you think I'm driving a Contour? Believe me, I fight the notion of driving off with an M3 every day...and I know several who plan less and drive alot nicer stuff than I have. And again, I do consider myself fortunate here..
3) Around here..a BUNCH of those "cheap burger" flipping jobs go unfilled because people can make more with government benefits... Yes certain gov programs are important...protecting farmers because they have "unique" importance and challenges, heath care for kids, loans (not gifts) to go to college or start a buisness. But I see it as a narrow view to think that our society would not function without MANY of the wasteful and typically inefficient or ineffective programs we now have. Government programs like lawyers increase there own demand.
4) Are you counting your railroad retirement as a tax?????
1999 Amazon Green SVT Contour (#554/2760)
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."
-Soren Kierkegaard (as posted by Jato)
