
itschris
Moderator
Deleted...
Last edited:
To do what?...boy... this administration really knows how to motivate me.![]()
Well, that's not quite right. It's more like, imagine spending four months of your income to pay for common services that you benefit from: infrastructure, emergency services, national defense, and so forth. Don't get me wrong, I think that there's a s**t ton of waste in government, but it's not all wasted. A lot of the benefit that we get from government spending isn't obvious to us.I mean think about that... what if you had to do your job for four months with no pay?
Indeed.It's more like, imagine spending four months of your income to pay for common services that you benefit from: infrastructure, emergency services, national defense, and so forth. Don't get me wrong, I think that there's a s**t ton of waste in government, but it's not all wasted. A lot of the benefit that we get from government spending isn't obvious to us.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.
Therein lies the problem. It seems we've lost the ability to discuss this rationally without someone's "feelings" getting bruised. I'm a history/politics buff but I stopped discussing it with friends/family/acquaintances because how poisonous/personal it gets. I lost a personal friend of 42 years over "discussing" politics. Our last conversation ended up with him saying, "what the f^&* do you know?". I got up and left. For 2 years I had put up with the snarky comments with no factual basis to back them up except, "this is how I feel". The worst part of it is that this has spread to rest of the country and to our elected representatives and the accompanying gridlock in DC. I've always viewed politics like haggling at the market; both parties have to give, if a deal is to be made.Anyway, complaining is just going to lead down a path... that will likely turn political at some point... I already started it... so I figured I end it before I get into trouble.
HaHa, my thoughts exactly!MUST NOT COMMENT, MUST NOT COMMENT.![]()
![]()
I find it's much better discussing and drinking beer it's way more fun and everyone wins.Therein lies the problem. It seems we've lost the ability to discuss this rationally without someone's "feelings" getting bruised. I'm a history/politics buff but I stopped discussing it with friends/family/acquaintances because how poisonous/personal it gets. I lost a personal friend of 42 years over "discussing" politics. Our last conversation ended up with him saying, "what the f^&* do you know?". I got up and left. For 2 years I had put up with the snarky comments with no factual basis to back them up except, "this is how I feel". The worst part of it is that this has spread to rest of the country and to our elected representatives and the accompanying gridlock in DC. I've always viewed politics like haggling at the market; both parties have to give, if a deal is to be made.
Enough of my blathering's.![]()
You'll like this:...The worst part of it is that this has spread to rest of the country and to our elected representatives and the accompanying gridlock in DC. I've always viewed politics like haggling at the market; both parties have to give, if a deal is to be made.
Enough of my blathering's.![]()
That's the real shame of it all.I decided to kill this post. I'm just pissed off. Being in finance, money... how it's made, where it goes, how it's used is all we look at. It just gets frustrating. .
With all due respect, alcohol always makes the situation worse, from my experience.I find it's much better discussing and drinking beer it's way more fun and everyone wins.
No I get it... I didn't get upset with anyone's comments or anything... but I wrote a response which I realized pointed some fingers at some different segments of society. It's not that I don't believe in my heart about what I was saying... just decided this wasn't the place. I was getting flashbacks to three or so years ago when we used to fight about politcal stuff all the time here and we split squarely down the middle between conservatives and liberals.Chris, you deleted your last post, but I read part of it. I was trying to cheer you up a bit by saying that it's not all wasted, but man - I totally understand where you're coming from. It's not about what you pay, it's about it feeling like it's not a fair share. Trust me, I get p***ed off every year when I do my taxes, especially when a buddy at work tells me how much he as to pay after all of his "I'm a breeder" discounts.
This document deserves it's own thread.
I find it's much better discussing and drinking beer it's way more fun and everyone wins.
With all due respect, alcohol always makes the situation worse, from my experience.
I used to hate paying taxes. When I was poor, every penny mattered, so I resented that the government was making me poorer. But I make enough now that I don't mind paying taxes, even though I am paying a higher percentage in taxes. I think it is only right and proper that people with money should pay significantly more than people without money. There are many good and useful services provided by the government, many of which are quite expensive. If you use a road, or anything that was shipped on a road, you have benefitted from government spending. Indeed, you would be really screwed without the things that the government does.Everyone hates paying taxes, but it's a necessary evil. Just be glad you have a good job.