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0 pointssolutionyogi16y ago0 comments

Wow, HN folks sure have a 'socialist' slant. Anyway, do you think you are getting your money's worth when you give away 30% of your income in taxes? Do you know how much of the tax money is spent of infrastructure? Look at this chart of US budget spending.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY...

65% of taxpayer's money went to defense/social security/medicare-medicaid. Think about it for a moment. 65% of the money spent had nothing to do with infrastructure. Also, do you think that government is spending all the taxpayer's money carefully OR you think that government wastes tremendous waste amount of money? There are 3 ways to spend money:

1. Your own money on yourself. [You are very careful about getting your money's worth and you do spend generously] 2. Your own money on someone else. [You are very careful about getting your money's worth but you spend as little as you can] 3. Someone else's money on someone else. [Let's burn some money to heat up the place!]

Government falls in 3rd category and it's no surprise that there is tremendous waste.

That's why libertarians are advocating 'limited government', 'minimal taxes' so that people (you and me) can keep their hard earned money for themselves and spend as they see fit.

0 comments

scott_s16y ago

I actually think people here tend to run more libertarian than socialist.

I wish we spent less on the defense, but the amount spent on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid sits fine with me. I consider that social infrastructure. When large portions of society go without, all of society suffers.

We see ourselves as fitting into society in different ways. You feel that the government is taking your money in the form of taxes. I feel that I'm paying for the privilege of living in a society that affords me the opportunity to earn money.

solutionyogiOP16y ago

Why is the social security/medicare/medicaid program okie with you? What is 'social infrastructure'? Why do you think that government can do a better job at spending your money than you alone? Check my other comment where I have written about money spending patterns. Also in another reply I have written about the amount of waste/fraud incurred by medicare/medicaid.

Trust me, I have no problem with taxes, I understand their need and pay them on time every year. My problem is the already high taxes and the fact that they are increasing. This means that government gets bigger and bigger and wastes all our (yours and mine) hard earned money. Unless you are suggesting that government doesn't waste money, I don't want them to increase taxes.

Daishiman16y ago

When you can get 40% off the retail price of basic medicine because you can negotiate drug prices en-masse, let me know.

Or how about when making sure education reaches everyone's hands.

See, the funny thing about people defending libertarian positions is that if they hadn't lived in a country with a public education infrastructure, roads, fire brigade and energy, it would be very unlikely that they'd had the capacity to acquire the knowledge and stability they'd need to become what they are today.

The inescapable fact is that they did nothing to "deserve" their health care of education through their infancy, yet it's one of the core reasons they got here, and they have the gall to complain about it.

Evidenced by the high standards of living in countries which do have social infrastructure (and yes, it exists, no need to put quotes around it) it works, and works reasonably well.

Doing infrastructure planning and development for millions of people kicks in economies of scale which are unachievable otherwise. History has effectively shown that social benefits that guarantee a minimal level of rights for education and health have dramatic effects in social mobility and overall quality of life.

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mikeryan16y ago

I don't want people spending their money as they see fit, see I'm not a politician so I can say this.

This why I don't see libertarianism (or even conservatism) working in general. There are vast swathes of americans who given more money would spend it irresponsibly - and what do you do then when someone spends their limited income on new truck nuts instead of health insurance?

solutionyogiOP16y ago

Great. Please allow me to control your bank account so that I can dictate how much you spend on your car, on your health insurance, on your vacation, on your wedding, on your kids, on your personal growth, on your food... each and everything which affects you.

Are you okie? I hear a 'no'. Then why do you think you want government to control how others spend their money? Do you really think someone else knows better than you what to do you with your own hard earned money? And why do you think libertarianism doesn't work? America is a living proof that libertarianism/capitalism works.

Another example: I am an Indian and when I was a kid, I remember how poor our country was. Since India decided to open up the trade in 1991 and adopted some of the libertarian policies, it has flourished. I don't know how old are you but did you hear about India as a vibrant economy 25 years back? So please don't suggest that libertarianism doesn't' work because I have seen it with my own eyes how well it works.

mikeryan16y ago

"Do you really think someone else knows better than you what to do you with your own hard earned money?"

You're not answering my question. I trust myself, heck you seem smart enough, I even trust you. I don't trust large sections of my country and you don't have a solution for dealing with the people who decide to spend their money irrationally.

You can not call America a libertarian country and wave it like an example. Its far from it and thankfully so. The most economic success this country has seen in the last 25 years was the eight were it was run by democratic leader (you know the tax more spend more people).

Likewise India's success in the last 25 years is great, but its a bit hard to show that as an example when it houses 1/3 of the worlds poor and 42% live beneath the international poverty line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India

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0 pointssolutionyogi16y ago0 comments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY...

Government falls in 3rd category and it's no surprise that there is tremendous waste.

That's why libertarians are advocating 'limited government', 'minimal taxes' so that people (you and me) can keep their hard earned money for themselves and spend as they see fit.

0 comments

scott_s16y ago

I actually think people here tend to run more libertarian than socialist.

solutionyogiOP16y ago

Daishiman16y ago

When you can get 40% off the retail price of basic medicine because you can negotiate drug prices en-masse, let me know.

Or how about when making sure education reaches everyone's hands.

Evidenced by the high standards of living in countries which do have social infrastructure (and yes, it exists, no need to put quotes around it) it works, and works reasonably well.

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mikeryan16y ago

I don't want people spending their money as they see fit, see I'm not a politician so I can say this.

solutionyogiOP16y ago

mikeryan16y ago

"Do you really think someone else knows better than you what to do you with your own hard earned money?"

Likewise India's success in the last 25 years is great, but its a bit hard to show that as an example when it houses 1/3 of the worlds poor and 42% live beneath the international poverty line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India

2 more replies

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