----- Forwarded message from Laurentius Metaal ----- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:33:40 +0300 From: Laurentius Metaal
Bah, Bah en Bah, This is some sloppy writing. First of all there is nothing wrong with a bit of socialism but in the US context that is not the case. Socialism US style has very often to do with lobbyists and is thus not socialist at all. With the exception of socialized medicine, in my humble opinion a basic human right, which should finally be taken serious there is at present only something at work which is called a desperate attempt to nationalize some parts of the system since it has been proven that the so called free market of lobbyists does not work and the tax dollars at least have not resulted in government bodies that do what they are supposed to do: regulate. However if the people in Washington had balls they would truly nationalize the financial system instead of dumping tons of good future tax income at bad assets and then giving it away to the private sector to have others profit from it. On taxes: what do you get for your US taxes compared to say any other nation with high taxes? In the US version you will get a lot back for your tax dollars. Dilapidated infrastructure for example, deplorable benefits, Sky high educational fees, a wasteful government. In other countries your tax dollars (or whatever currency) actually provide society with a working infrastructure, a decent, although there is always room for improvement educational, system, a military that is focussed on securing the nations territory only, additional pensions for the elderly, a decent unemployment benefits system.... Both tax systems are good at handing out useless subsidies to the agricultural sector. In France they get these subsidies by dumping manure in the streets, in the US by sending human manure in the form of lobbyists to Washington. I might say that the French modus operandi is somewhat more cost efficient for the farmers. The US tax system is a mess. If you buy a nice home you pay your ass off in taxes just for the pleasure of having a home. Your local taxes make things very basty so even with 20 to 30% national income tax you are royally screwed in the Federal system. In China you pay a top tier of 40% income tax, that's it. Nothing more. Cheerio, Rens Patrice Riemens wrote: > > ----- Forwarded message from goanet-requ...@lists.goanet.org ----- > > From: goanet-requ...@lists.goanet.org > Subject: Goanet Digest, Vol 4, Issue 303 > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:30:57 -0700 > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: America - A Socialist Economy (marlon menezes) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:29:56 -0700 (PDT) > From: marlon menezes <goa...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [Goanet] America - A Socialist Economy > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > > > > The US has been socialized for quite a while from many aspects. > > Lets start with agriculture, where huge subsidies are given to the > agro businesses. Food products and fuels such as cheap ethanol from > Brazil cant be imported because the agri lobby wants subsidies to > continue for its expensive locally grown corn for ethanol. This > boondoggle was initiated by Bush. On a related front, Mahindra which > was supposed to import its trucks targeted for the agri business, is > being forced to review its plans thanks to a 25% import duty on its > trucks. Free trade?? Hmm. > > Another dubious program from the Bush era is the largest expansion of > socialized medicine ala its expansion of medicaid prescriptions for > the elderly. > > Taxes in America are ridiculously high - specially when compared to > countries like China and India. It may be quite a shock to know that > when all the taxes are added, an individual is taxed between 40-60% of > his income. The differences between the the US parties is minuscule > and amounts to a few percentage points. > > Obviously the current administration is only adding to the fires > started by the incompetent (or asleep at the wheel) Bush > administration. The current downturn is a natural correction to the > excesses of the past and the American govt. and people must be brave > enough and take it on the chin. The current spending stimulus programs > are more akin to a drug addict promising this to be yet another last > hit, before he returns to sobriety sometime way in the future. > > The US must gradually return to its old, self reliant model - > eliminate social security, medicaid (Mario, send me your checks) and > welfare. It needs to become more American and less Canadian. Its > military force (man power) needs to be reduced and in part be > substituted with cheaper foreign mercenary forces. All restrictions > on foreign labor must be removed. If an American can be replaced with > an as qualified, but cheaper foreign worker, the employer should have > the right to do so, without the bogus security provisions now in place > that put enormous burdens on industry. The role of the US government > should be focused on just the basics - to provide the basics such as > education, health care for children and the handicapped and defense, > with no allusions of empire and forward force projection. The US can > only maintain its world dominance though technological superiority > coupled with a low cost economic base. I believe it still has elements > of the former, but definitely not the latter. > > The US is still the most dynamic economy in the world, given that it > is still the most free market economy. The severity of this recession > is an indication of the rapid changes and adjustments taking place > here. This is a good thing. We need to let the government to step out > of the way and let individuals and businesses take care of themselves > (or not). China and even India seem to have a lot of this free > wheeling, can do spirit today. However, their larger economic > ecosystems are still heavily controlled by their governments, which > puts an ultimate damper on things. > > Marlon > > --- On Mon, 3/23/09, Mario Goveia <mgov...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > From: Mario Goveia <mgov...@sbcglobal.net> > Subject: [Goanet] America - A Socialist Economy > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > Date: Monday, March 23, 2009, 11:03 AM > > > Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:29:01 -0400 > From: Roland Francis <roland.fran...@gmail.com> > > Canadian Goanet readers must be having the last laugh after hearing > Mario Goveia repeatedly call Canada a socialist economy. > > Yesterday I read that: > > AIG one of America's largest corporations is now 80% owned by the > government. > > That takes it to the level of an Indian nationalized bank. > There must be countless other US corporations that are in the same > predicament as AIG. After all, the US deficit this year is 1.8 > trillion dollars. > > Mario responds: > > Roland, > > Surely you know better than most that certain Canadian Goanetters are > among the most uninformed about the US than anyone else, and maybe > laughing too soon - schadenfreude only goes so far. > > To begin with, surely you couldn't have missed my opposition to the US > being turned into a socialist-like economy by the election of > President Obama and his teleprompter, aided and abetted by Democrat > majorities in the Legislature as the American pendulum swung to the > other side once again. > > In the meantime, every basket case economy in the world is run on > socialist principles and countries around the world are running away > from extreme socialism as fast as they can.? Even France and Germany > and Russia have scoffed at the massive bailout and government > intervention plans of President Obama and his teleprompter. > > > ------------------------------ > > ----- End forwarded message -----
