North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: Way OT: RE: @Home's 119 domain names up for sale
It's kind of funny that people keep making these general claims as though the money is wasted or goes to some unproductive purpose. Personally, I don't consider subsidized housing for the lower-class to be wasteful or a misuse of money. I wonder how many people who decry wasteful government spending would consider road and highway construction a waste of money. If traffic moves to slow to work for your pleasure, get a job closer to home or vice versa. After all, this is the land of opportunity and nobody FORCED you to buy a home far from work. Highway spending is all government financed, but few complain about that as a waste. Funny, when government spends money on something from which an individual doesn't receive an immediate and personal gain and suddenly it's labeled a government pork project. As far as people looking to government to solve some social ills and inequities, I don't see many people volunteering their income to help the less fortunate. Many people seem to have money to burn when donating to their favorite P.A.C. or a nonprofit "charity" that sponsors their child's sports or music program. What about donating money to something from which they receive NO individual gain? I live in a collective society and accept the fact that some government spending does not improve my neighborhood. If government cancelled programs to which there was any objection, nothing would ever get accomplished. Discussion of government spending often spins into a discussion of simplifying the tax code or attempts to make it fairer. Keep in mind that almost all of the tax code consists of rules lobbied by and for corporate Amerika. Very little of the income tax code applies to individuals. As to the fairness question, most of the lower and middle class class are in a higher marginal tax bracket than the well-to-do. The latter get a 7.6% marginal tax break (no FICA or Medicare). So the middle class pay 32.6%; the wealthy pay 20% or less. Talk about disincentives! matthew black california state university, long beach Note: Opinions expressed herein are totally mine and may not represent those of my employer. On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 13:43:49 -0500 "Brian Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:
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