Board index › Topical Discussion › Politics, Philosophy, and Religion

Greenspan Chides Republicans For Pushing To Extend Bush Tax

Page 8 of 13 [ 202 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ... 13  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

number5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,691
Location: sunny philadelphia

14 Nov 2010, 1:25 pm

ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

If you'd like a healthy and strong nation, both physically and financially, then yes. We have no problem with this line of thinking when it comes to having a military.


No problem there. Joining the military is voluntary. Being taxed is not.

ruveyn


But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

14 Nov 2010, 2:05 pm

number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn



number5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,691
Location: sunny philadelphia

14 Nov 2010, 2:36 pm

ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.



Inuyasha
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,745

14 Nov 2010, 3:27 pm

number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


If we didn't spend money to keep our military top of the line, etc. we would be in serious trouble if another country that did actually spend money to keep their military top of the line attacked us. The fact our military is top of the line means that aside from lunatic terrorists, nobody is going to attack us because it would be insane.



number5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,691
Location: sunny philadelphia

14 Nov 2010, 3:41 pm

Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


If we didn't spend money to keep our military top of the line, etc. we would be in serious trouble if another country that did actually spend money to keep their military top of the line attacked us. The fact our military is top of the line means that aside from lunatic terrorists, nobody is going to attack us because it would be insane.


9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.



Inuyasha
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,745

14 Nov 2010, 3:58 pm

number5 wrote:
Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


If we didn't spend money to keep our military top of the line, etc. we would be in serious trouble if another country that did actually spend money to keep their military top of the line attacked us. The fact our military is top of the line means that aside from lunatic terrorists, nobody is going to attack us because it would be insane.


9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.


No, but Canada happens to be a United States ally and there are mutual treaties between the two countries, are you saying Canada shouldn't have come to our aid and ignored treaties they signed?



number5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,691
Location: sunny philadelphia

14 Nov 2010, 4:03 pm

Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


If we didn't spend money to keep our military top of the line, etc. we would be in serious trouble if another country that did actually spend money to keep their military top of the line attacked us. The fact our military is top of the line means that aside from lunatic terrorists, nobody is going to attack us because it would be insane.


9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.


No, but Canada happens to be a United States ally and there are mutual treaties between the two countries, are you saying Canada shouldn't have come to our aid and ignored treaties they signed?


Not at all. I'm saying size doesn't matter when it comes to fighting terrorists - brains do.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

14 Nov 2010, 4:05 pm

number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


I agree. We are spending five times as much on the military as we need to for our reasonable national defense. Part of the problem is that we are stuck in a rut fighting "the Forever War".

ruveyn



Inuyasha
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,745

14 Nov 2010, 4:07 pm

number5 wrote:
Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
Inuyasha wrote:
number5 wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
number5 wrote:

But we are still taxed for the military whether or not we join.


How else shall we buy weapons and training for the volunteers? Unless you think we don't need a military at all.

ruveyn


I do think we need a military, it just doesn't need to be so expensive and expansive. I also think we need universal health care for similar reasoning as I pointed out earlier.


If we didn't spend money to keep our military top of the line, etc. we would be in serious trouble if another country that did actually spend money to keep their military top of the line attacked us. The fact our military is top of the line means that aside from lunatic terrorists, nobody is going to attack us because it would be insane.


9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.


No, but Canada happens to be a United States ally and there are mutual treaties between the two countries, are you saying Canada shouldn't have come to our aid and ignored treaties they signed?


Not at all. I'm saying size doesn't matter when it comes to fighting terrorists - brains do.


So we should ignore the possibility of other potential threats and largely dismantle our military except for special ops, because we aren't currently being attacked to by let's say China... :roll:



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

14 Nov 2010, 4:19 pm

Inuyasha wrote:

So we should ignore the possibility of other potential threats and largely dismantle our military except for special ops, because we aren't currently being attacked to by let's say China... :roll:


We are in no danger for China. We are working for them now.

ruveyn



psychohist
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,623
Location: Somerville, MA, USA

14 Nov 2010, 8:31 pm

number5 wrote:
psychohist wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
only he would have been bankrupted, and probably lost his house and everything else of value.

You're mistaken. You can generally keep your house in a bankruptcy, less anything owed on a mortgage, which you would have owed anyway.

You are making a false assumption here.

I'm not making any assumption. I'm just responding to auntblabby's point by pointing out a truth: if you own your house, you can keep it through bankruptcy.

Quote:
Medical bankruptcies are very common and the current system destroys both lives and livelihoods of those who are unfortunate enough to become sick.

It's not "the current system" that destroys lives. It's severe sicknesses that destroy lives. And sometimes, those severe sicknesses are preventable; for example, if an alcoholic destroys their liver and needs a transplant, I don't see that others should have to pay for it.



psychohist
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,623
Location: Somerville, MA, USA

14 Nov 2010, 8:40 pm

number5 wrote:
9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.

There have been plenty of terrorist attacks in Canada. They do tend to be smaller than those in the U.S., but that's largely because Canada is so much smaller a nation from the population standpoint - less than the size of California.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

14 Nov 2010, 8:55 pm

psychohist wrote:
number5 wrote:
9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.

There have been plenty of terrorist attacks in Canada. They do tend to be smaller than those in the U.S., but that's largely because Canada is so much smaller a nation from the population standpoint - less than the size of California.


Do you have news references for these? That would be very helpful to know.

ruveyn



Inuyasha
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,745

14 Nov 2010, 9:01 pm

psychohist wrote:
number5 wrote:
9/11 didn't happen on Canadian soil.

There have been plenty of terrorist attacks in Canada. They do tend to be smaller than those in the U.S., but that's largely because Canada is so much smaller a nation from the population standpoint - less than the size of California.


I don't recall hearing of any recent terrorist attacks that were successful in Canada.



number5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,691
Location: sunny philadelphia

14 Nov 2010, 9:18 pm

psychohist wrote:
number5 wrote:
psychohist wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
only he would have been bankrupted, and probably lost his house and everything else of value.

You're mistaken. You can generally keep your house in a bankruptcy, less anything owed on a mortgage, which you would have owed anyway.

You are making a false assumption here.

I'm not making any assumption. I'm just responding to auntblabby's point by pointing out a truth: if you own your house, you can keep it through bankruptcy.

Quote:
Medical bankruptcies are very common and the current system destroys both lives and livelihoods of those who are unfortunate enough to become sick.

It's not "the current system" that destroys lives. It's severe sicknesses that destroy lives. And sometimes, those severe sicknesses are preventable; for example, if an alcoholic destroys their liver and needs a transplant, I don't see that others should have to pay for it.


I've already stated how one can easily be forced to sell their house to pay for medical expenses, even without bankruptcy. And yes the current system does destroy lives. Don't pull out the preventable illness cop out. Yes, some illnesses and injuries are preventable, but more often than not, the prevention comes directly from regular check-ups. Liver dysfunction is not always caused by alcoholism either as my friend did not drink at all.

Is is not enough that a family has to deal with a diagnosis of cancer for their kid? Is it really acceptable to say "oh well, tough luck" when their life's savings go down the drain as well? Should an insurance company be allowed to turn a profit off of it?

And as far as the 'why should I have to pay for it' logic goes - you already do. Hospitals pass off their bad debt to you as a surcharge for the uninsured. Every time an uninsured patient goes to the ER for an infection that could have been easily and much more inexpensively treated by a primary care doc, you pay. When a cold unnecessarily turns into pneumonia due to lack of care, you pay. When a baby is born with severe developmental delays because the mom could not afford prenatal care, you pay (this neglect becomes quite expensive over the course of the child's life). I think you see where I'm going with this one.



Inuyasha
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,745

14 Nov 2010, 9:21 pm

If obamacare is so great why all these big businesses and unions begging to be exempted from having to follow it?

I have a seperate topic for this, but figured I should point it out.