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visagrunt
Polymath
Joined: Oct 17, 2009
Age: 45
Posts: 5754
Location: Vancouver, BC
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 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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Look north, then.
We have realtively low levels of taxation (slightly higher than yours, but well smaller than any in Europe) along with reasonable levels of debt (smaller as a %'ge of GDP than yours or any of the lower taxed OECD nations, except Australia).
On top of that, our public pension program is funded on a going-forward basis (it is able to continue to pay projected benefits with no increase in premiums for 75 years). We provide medically necessary care to every person (though we haven't come to grips with the prescription drug issue, yet).
Quality of life is high, health indicators are good.
Maybe founding your country on the principles of "peace, order and good government" is a better recipe for national contentment than, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It's not perfect here, to be sure, but we have damn few things to complain about, and the quality of our governments is a significant factor in that.
_________________
--James |
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Oldout
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 10, 2012
Posts: 1539
Location: Reading, PA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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| ruveyn, although I tend to agree with you about government, let me say this -- I've worked in the federal government and in Fortune 500 companies. The government being what it receives far more scrutiny than the private sector. The government is far more restricted by laws and our fairness society than the private sector. I often wonder what would happen if the government actually could function better (without becoming overbearing). You must understand I believe there are things the government should and must do (i realize these things are debatable). |
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Rainy
Snowy Owl
Joined: Apr 24, 2012
Posts: 174
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Joker wrote: | | Wikipeida is not a good source of information just sayin. |
Wrong. |
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TM
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 04, 2012
Posts: 2122
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Rainy wrote: | | Joker wrote: | | Wikipeida is not a good source of information just sayin. |
Wrong. |
It depends, if you check the sources of the information which are usually linked you can determine the validity of said information. In that case, it may be more practical to link the wikipedia page and let the recipient of the information check the sources by themselves. |
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marshall
Under the whirlwind
Joined: Apr 15, 2007
Posts: 9196
Location: Western Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: How do democrats plan to promote job creation for all bu |
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| WilliamWDelaney wrote: | | Simple: stop scaring the markets! Republicans habitually exercise a belligerent foreign policy, and they have reckless fiscal habits. The Democrats cause enough problems by taxing corporations disproportionately, but that's mild compared to the reckless, irresponsible, myopic behavior typical of Republicans. |
It's funny how we have a higher corporate tax rate than many other developed countries, yet our largest corporations manage to pay less taxes (percentage wise) than those based in other countries. |
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marshall
Under the whirlwind
Joined: Apr 15, 2007
Posts: 9196
Location: Western Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| TM wrote: | To chime in on what William said, the markets are scared now because the economy is in the hands of politicians and politicians are like the UN, noble intentions but little gets done right.
On the note of tech creating jobs in the 1990s under a democratic president was a case of Mr. Clinton's time on office correlating with a new industry being born. To assume that Clinton had a big effect on markets is like arguing that Eisenhower and Truman had a big effect on the markets when the car industry was booming in the post-war US.
The challenge is that the incentives to create jobs in the US are dodgy, because not only a labor costs higher, but the US is doing a piss-poor job at education whereas China has millions of fresh University graduates every year. Corporations can trust that China will continue to create a fresh stream of highly qualified and capable employees for years to come.
China also has a government which isn't made up of what seems to be 80 - 90% lawyers, they have engineers, scientists, economists and so on in their government to a much larger degree. Law is a profession which isn't about who is objectively "right" its about who can argue their view of reality the best and that's not conducive to good politics.
The tech boom stayed in the US because the US had the most qualified graduates that had the competence and knowledge required by the companies. In the US now, you are paying more for people who often have poorer qualifications. |
I think politicians are idiots to think they can return the country to 5% unemployment rates. Global competition has changed the landscape irreversibly. The thing is there are humane and inhumane ways of dealing with the present reality. Punishing the most vulnerable members of society by gutting social spending for the purpose of "paying for" new tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals (supposedly designed to "create jobs") is the absolute worst way to go IMO. |
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Oldout
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 10, 2012
Posts: 1539
Location: Reading, PA
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| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| The politicians aren't the only idiots. The American people are on the sidelines watching or hopefully not waiting for their next dumb instructions. |
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TM
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 04, 2012
Posts: 2122
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| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| marshall wrote: |
I think politicians are idiots to think they can return the country to 5% unemployment rates. Global competition has changed the landscape irreversibly. The thing is there are humane and inhumane ways of dealing with the present reality. Punishing the most vulnerable members of society by gutting social spending for the purpose of "paying for" new tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals (supposedly designed to "create jobs") is the absolute worst way to go IMO. |
I agree, 5% unemployment in the short picture is unrealistic without large-scale workforce reeducation or new industry emergence. What should be done is to get rid of the tax cuts, since businesses and people are not going to spend when they feel insecure about their future. Tax cuts create jobs when businesses feel secure in investing the money they do not pay in tax in domestic business ventures.
Businesses and individuals are going to hoard as much of their cash as they can until they feel that they can spend it because more coming in is more or less a certainty. A better way to spend the money is large-scale government infrastructure projects and perhaps incentivizing natural gas exploration since its an industry that cannot be moved out of the country. |
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