Every human being deserves to have their basic needs met - period! Every Country should have systems in place to ensure that it’s citizens are having their basic needs met. It is just that simple…
American’s often refer to Canada as a socialist country, yet I have never heard another Canadian referring to our country as being socialist. If Canada is in fact a socialist country - I certainly don’t find it a bad system to live under.
Here’s an example of what the approach of “progressive taxation” is doing for us in the U.S., as food for thought:
"Income tax day, April 15, 2010, now divides Americans into two almost equal classes: those who pay for the services provided by government and those who don’t. The percentage of Americans who **will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009 has risen to 47%. **
That isn’t the worst of it.
The bottom 40% not only pay no income tax, but the government sends them cash or benefits financed by the taxes dutifully paid by those who do pay income tax. "
eagleforum.org/psr/2010/may10/psrmay10.html
Tell me how this is sustainable? Take money from those who produce and encourage those who don’t. The disproportions here have been rising consistently for years. We have been increasing government dependence and the worship of the government as an idol of salvation. We have been decreasing human liberty and dignity.
In the words of William J.H. Boetcker:
“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.”
These should be self-evident. Do I really need to defend them?
Consider this also, from the same source as above:
"…the
overwhelming reason for big government’s extravagant spending, which is properly railed against by limited-government conservatives,** is the breakdown in our culture,** which social conservatives have been battling for years.
If limited-government conservatives are dreaming of taking back America for fiscal sanity in the November elections, they should study how **the unprecedented decline in marriage and the increase in illegitimacy are the major causes of our bloated government and its gigantic welfare spending. **
In 2008, **40.6% of children born in the United States were born outside of marriage; that’s 1,720,000 children. This is not, as the media try to tell us, a teenage problem. Only 7% of those illegitimate babies were born to girls under age 18, and over three-fourths were born to women over age 20. The problem is the collapse of marriage as the social institution responsible for the costs of the care of children. **"
I would add to that a culture of entitlement and dependency. One that rewards lawsuits and whining to the government, voting more benefits to oneself (whether in a union or as a citizen) rather than trying to work hard and better one’s lot in life. An environment hostile to business that reduces success and innovation and drives companies overseas.
Other disheartening statistics of the class divisions
created by our government:
"Those handouts create a tremendous bloc of people who depend on the government for their living expenses. The Tax Foundation reports that 20% of Americans now get 75% of their income from the federal government, and another 20% get 45% of their income from the government. "
"According to the Tax Foundation, married taxpayers pay three-fourths of all federal income taxes, whereas two-thirds of single parents who file as head-of-household pay no income tax at all. According to a Heritage Foundation report, taxpayers (mostly those who are married) will spend more than $300 billion providing welfare aid to single parents (mostly women). "
"The outright cash handouts include the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which can amount to as much as $5,657 a year to low-income families. Other financial benefits can include child tax credits, welfare, food stamps, WIC (Women, Infants, Children), housing subsidies, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, S-CHIP, and other programs.
This is both a massive transfer of wealth and a soak-the-rich racket. The top 10% pay 73% of the income taxes collected by the federal government."
This amounts to modern "Taxation without representation, IMO. Hence, the Tea Parties.
"Even the recently passed Obama Health Control Law contains financial subsidies to unmarried couples that are denied to married couples.
…
Even though all evidence shows that marriage is the best remedy for poverty, lack of health care, domestic violence, child abuse, and school dropouts, federal welfare programs continue to discriminate against marriage and instead give taxpayer handouts to those who reject marriage. This isn’t any accident; it is a central part of the Democrats’ political strategy that produced 70% of unmarried women voting for Obama for President in 2008.
Here is the approximate cost in the Health Control Law for an unmarried couple who each earn $25,000 a year (total: $50,000). When they both buy health insurance (which will be mandatory), the combined premiums they pay will be capped at $3,076 a year. But if the couple gets married and has the same combined income of $50,000, they will pay annual premiums up to a cap of $5,160 a year. That means they have to fork over a marriage penalty of $2,084."
“The Podesta report failed to mention that the Government Accountability Office reported that the IRS estimates that between 27% and 32% of EITC dollars are collected fraudulently”
