What do you think of current taxes?

[Pyrrho]

So what you're saying is that you'd like 'his' children to be educated for selfish reasons rather than because they should be educated for their own sake?

I said that because of the selfish things other people have said in this thread. Appealing to something as elevated as "morality" will not work with many people. Education is good for the children, and their education is good for me. It is a win-win situation, which is something that many people seem to fail to grasp. If people are fine with paying for other's education for altruistic reasons, I have nothing to say against it. I simply meant to point out the fact that there are good selfish reasons to want it as well.

As you do not live in the U.S., perhaps you are not aware of the mythology of this backward country, in which many people foolishly believe that they are not part of a society, and that society does not affect them. Many people here believe that people are alone as individuals; never mind the fact that the vast majority of them are totally dependant on others for their survival, and would starve to death in a very short period of time were it not for the actions of others. So the good of society is not always thought of as a goal; people often look to their own good. I simply mean to show people that their own interests are intimately tied to those of others. I am sorry if there was a misunderstanding due to societal differences.

(As a side note, we have never produced a philospher even remotely as good as your best, David Hume.)

No, working was not 'a stupid thing to do'. Regardless of the fact that working should've given you experiance (presumably you are encouraged to find work in the field you're studying in?) that not working wouldn't, the fact of the matter is that aid is by definition for those who need it. Whether or not people abuse the system is an altogether separate matter.

You presume incorrectly. The work has nothing to do with one's education; it is all about earning money to go to school (in the context of my original statement).

That's a rather all-encompassing statement. Are you sure you're standing on solid ground?

Do you have anything useful to suggest that might have been wrong with what I said, or are you just trying to say that I am wrong without bothering to explain yourself? Do you seriously believe that teachers should not be allowed to fail students? If so, what, exactly, does "passing" even mean?

 

[Pyrrho]

Some parents wont hear of it,having there kid repeat because its the best thing. The parents pride would be hurt. Around here,after the third or forth kids pops out,the older kid starts staying home from school to help mom babysit,that would be from 5th grade up. Lets see,school breakfast starts at 7am,parent drives up to school in pj's and curlers and dumps the kid out at 6am,of course nobody here to watch the kid. After school playground and supervision is over at 4pm,same kids still here hanging until same parent that looks the same picks them up,around dark. This doesnt change except for the amount of kids this happens to,its always growing. Parents are a wonderful thing. BTW,we had a student and parent that came in to get there free 5th grade camp paper because they didnt have the money to send them to camp. We donate every year so the needy can go. This low life parent had the custom nails going on with more gold then i own and some $$ fake hair.

Of course parents won't hear of it! That is why we have high school graduates in the U.S. who can't read or write!

What I am saying is not what people want, but what must be if we are to avoid the problems that we now have in the U.S. Of course I am not stupid enough to suppose that this is going to change any time soon. Indeed, the 'rot' has been creeping upwards, so that a college degree means quite a bit less than it once did. I expect it to creep into graduate school (if it hasn't already), not get better.

50 years ago, a high school diploma meant something in the U.S., but not anymore. Of course, I do not mean to imply that everything is worse, as the opportunities for minorities (women and non-"white" people) have improved, and that is a good thing. But if we dumb down the education, it is no good for anyone. So I am not suggesting a return to "the good old days", but we need standards, or we have no real education, and diplomas and degrees mean nothing.

 

[Buckle-meister]

I said that because of the selfish things other people have said in this thread.

Uh, ok. Sort of like two wrongs making a right?

Education is good for the children, and their education is good for me. It is a win-win situation, which is something that many people seem to fail to grasp. If people are fine with paying for other's education for altruistic reasons, I have nothing to say against it. I simply meant to point out the fact that there are good selfish reasons to want it as well.

That last bit's great! I thought it really funny. Thanks for that.

As you do not live in the U.S., perhaps you are not aware of the mythology of this backward country, in which many people foolishly believe that they are not part of a society, and that society does not affect them.

I doubt there's much difference between the cities of this world. Humans tend to behave as humans regardless of which continent they live on.

(As a side note, we have never produced a philospher even remotely as good as your best, David Hume.)

Never 'eard of 'im. Is 'e from 'ackney?

Do you have anything useful to suggest that might have been wrong with what I said, or are you just trying to say that I am wrong without bothering to explain yourself?

I wasn't aware I needed to explain myself to you.

Do you seriously believe that teachers should not be allowed to fail students?

No, of course not.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Pyrrho is hitting on exactly the type of stuff that is the core of the problem. There are hard things to be done and they aren't all politically correct. Politicians - and politics be damned! A failing student should not be allowed to pass. A dropout irresponsible kid should not be the key prospect for the military. A employee who works for the state should be expected to work every day he is paid - and have that work be productive.

The issues are not ones that can be dealt with because nobody CAN be elected who will force the tough love decisions down the throats of others. There is nobody who is forcing the "No child left behind... unless he's a complete buttwipe" policy. There's nobody saying "If you don't work today because it is raining, and you won't do this other task, then you are fired." It isn't being said because it CAN'T be said by the managers in charge of others.

All to make things better for all Americans... across the board - and not all of it is easy to deal with.

Heck, not all of it can even be dealt with without a serious change in overall policy.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

A dropout irresponsible kid should not be the key prospect for the military.

When I signed-up you had to have a HS diploma minimum for any branch. They're probably not so picky now.....

 

[Matt34]

When I signed-up you had to have a HS diploma minimum for any branch. They're probably not so picky now.....

They are letting GED recipients in now.

 

[Pyrrho]

Uh, ok. Sort of like two wrongs making a right?
...

You are still misunderstanding my point. There are those who, for selfish reasons, do not want to pay for part of the education of the children of others. I meant to point out the fact that there are selfish reasons to pay for part of the education of the children of others. I did not think that appealing to morality would be effective when dealing with someone who has stated that they do not care about others, and that they only care about themselves. So I meant to explain why it is in their own best interest to care about others, or, if you don't like the way I have expressed that, their own interests are tied to the interests of others, and therefore it is in their own best interests to promote the interests of others. I did not mean to make them moral people thereby; I merely hoped that they might reconsider their position based upon their own self interest.

...
I doubt there's much difference between the cities of this world. Humans tend to behave as humans regardless of which continent they live on.
...

Human nature isn't different in different places, but the mythology is different in different places, and that can affect attitudes and behaviors.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I pay way too much in taxes. Give me some more tax breaks!! I feel thankful that I dont live in one of those socialist nations, because I couldnt imagine paying more than 1/3rd to the feds. Some nations are much, much worse. They need to cut welfare more and put those 'career' welfare folks to work.

 

[philh]

You are still misunderstanding my point. There are those who, for selfish reasons, do not want to pay for part of the education of the children of others. I meant to point out the fact that there are selfish reasons to pay for part of the education of the children of others.

Are these the same people who drive on roads designed for trucks? they don't drive a truck, why should they pay for them. I've never called the police, so why should I pay for police services? Kids are a part of living in society. I know you aren't the one advocating that we shouldn't share the expense of educating society's children, but this post finally got to me.

Our Govt is absolutely out of control. Heard an intersting interview this morning on the local AM superstation. Wish I had written down the persons name or organization name, because he had a lot of good things to say about pork. My wife and I are involved in the local govt, and it's absolutely amazing to watch the attitude at even the local levels.

 

[shokhead]

You dont know what waste is until you have worked in the school district.

 

[Mort Corey]

I pay way too much in taxes. Give me some more tax breaks!! I feel thankful that I dont live in one of those socialist nations, because I couldnt imagine paying more than 1/3rd to the feds. Some nations are much, much worse. They need to cut welfare more and put those 'career' welfare folks to work.

If only it were that cheap....30% Feds, 15% FICA, 10% State.....plus sales taxes, property taxes, excise taxes (and a myriad of hidden taxes) starts adding up to indentured servitude.....at least the old sharecroppers used to keep half.

Mort (who thinks that we are closer to national socialists than just plain garden variety socialists in the US)

 

[Matt34]

You dont know what waste is until you have worked in the Federal government.

There, fixed it for ya. You should see the money that is spent here on post just for MWR(Morale Welfare and Recreation) These guys are out of control and surprisingly enough, soldiers rarely reap the benefits of it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I work for an A/V company specializing in government installations. Yes, it's my bread and butter, but their wastefullness is beyond understanding. NO used product, NO open box merchandise, million dollar rooms with $100,000 custom built furniture.

The truth? A projector and some tables from Wal-Mart is what they really need.

 

[audiohead01]

Hi All,
I too feel the need to vent over taxes, I live on the East Coast NY,NJ and it is not so much the taxes, you can always move... Its the corruption, for instance google umdnj and read about the tens of millions of tax payer money handed out as if they were operating a mob family. It is unbelievable. The people here keep voting the corruption into office and wonder why they are paying 7-10 k a year in property taxes. I think the downfall of the public school system, yes there has been a downfall, is directly related to teachers unions... tenure in 3 years! What !!!!
ahhhh, I feel a lil better, I just cant believe I live in a state where they vote for corruption everytime, NJ- the stupid state. but then again I too can move ????

 

[gmichael]

Hi All,
I too feel the need to vent over taxes, I live on the East Coast NY,NJ and it is not so much the taxes, you can always move... Its the corruption, for instance google umdnj and read about the tens of millions of tax payer money handed out as if they were operating a mob family. It is unbelievable. The people here keep voting the corruption into office and wonder why they are paying 7-10 k a year in property taxes. I think the downfall of the public school system, yes there has been a downfall, is directly related to teachers unions... tenure in 3 years! What !!!!
ahhhh, I feel a lil better, I just cant believe I live in a state where they vote for corruption everytime, NJ- the stupid state. but then again I too can move ????

One of the reasons I moved to PA. My taxes here: $4k/yr. Taxes on the same (or similar) house in NY: Almost $10k/yr. And I got nothing extra for it. In fact, I'm getting more here. Add in that the same house would also cost 40 to 50% more? Thats even if you can find a builder who would build such a small house. Several builders in NY laughed at me when I told them what I was looking for. It seems they can't be bothered with anything under $500k. Oops, sorry. I got off topic a bit.
Yeah, taxes are way high in NY/NJ for what you are getting.
I used to commute into Westchester county from Orange. Weschester's taxes are much higher. But as I crossed from Putnum into Westchest the road would suddenly turn to ice. What? With all those taxes they can't afford salt? That money must be ending up in someone's pocket.

 

[Audioholics]

Hmmm.... Anyone want to buy my beach house in South Carolina (near Myrtle Beach)? 2200 sq feet, 3 mini blocks from the ocean and taxes are like $1600/year. PM me an offer!

 

[warhummer]

What I have seen for a lot of military recruiting is that if you are a young kid with no direction or aim or goals in life... then that is exactly what they are looking for.

I know a few Marines who might have a bit of a problem with that statement...

 

[warhummer]

I work for an A/V company specializing in government installations. Yes, it's my bread and butter, but their wastefullness is beyond understanding. NO used product, NO open box merchandise, million dollar rooms with $100,000 custom built furniture.

The truth? A projector and some tables from Wal-Mart is what they really need.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's an Air Force program. Am I right?

 

[Mort Corey]

Hmmm.... Anyone want to buy my beach house in South Carolina (near Myrtle Beach)? 2200 sq feet, 3 mini blocks from the ocean and taxes are like $1600/year. PM me an offer!

Though the taxman ain't killin' ya I'll bet the insurance company is lickin' their chops

Mort

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I know a few Marines who might have a bit of a problem with that statement...

Luckily they can't read it.