Republican or Democrat?

[PrinzII]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Definitely agree with USER NAME about the bailouts. Why should the taxpayer be on the hook for someone's crappy business practices? If my business goes under due to mismanagement I'm not getting bailed out.

Well, we taxpayers were on the hook when Chrysler got bailed out in the '80s.

[gmblack3a]

Yes the bailouts suck, but without a healthly lending system the economy would really get bad. It would be nice to see some of these CEOs that stood by and watched go to jail, but that will never happen as usual.

[jfelbab]

Looking at a few tax positions of the parites. Liberally Conservative Blog Archive McCain vs. Obama - 2008 Comparisons - Start Your Engines!


CAPITAL GAINS TAX

Republician
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples) McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

Democrat
28% on profit from ALL home sales

How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.


DIVIDEND TAX

Republician 15% (no change)

Democrat 39.6%

How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.


INHERITANCE TAX

Republician 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

Democrat Restore the inheritance tax

How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms and ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.
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Then there is this email I received a few weeks back:

Remember the election in 2006? Thought you might like to review what has occurred since the Democrats took control of Congress:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.

Since voting in a Democratically controlled Congress in 2006 we have seen:

1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $4.00 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 6.1%;

America voted for "change " in 2006, and got it! Now here we are with a huge financial crisis facing our country and the democrats are showing their leadership by planning to go on a well earned 5 week vacation, once again, leaving this mess to fester and worsen. Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Remember it's Congress that makes the laws, not the President.

Since "no one knows what to do" according to Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reed, I guess they think they should probably take a vacation. Same thing they did when asked to vote on offshore drilling. They have a pattern of acting like empty suits. The cowards cut and run the minute there is a problem. They will leave this crisis to be handled by treasury Secretary Paulson.
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Quote of the Day......"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it." -- Barack Obama
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Also on taxes, did you know that 91% of all businesses in the US are small businesses. These businesses will be hit hard under the Obama tax plan. Small businesses will be forced to 1) cut employees, 2) raise prices, or 3) fail. Under the Obama plan, most of these small family owned businesses will fail on the death of the owner. Why? Because they will not be able to pay the inheritance (death) tax. Fully 70% will not survive this death tax. How effective is this death tax you might ask? 65% of the revenue collected from the death tax goes to the cost of collection and compliance.

Large businesses, as we all know, don't pay taxes. Any tax is passed through to consumers purchasing their products. So raising taxes on businesses will just mean less employment and higher prices.

Not too happy with our congress? Well you're not alone. Their latest approval rating:
Approve=23 Disapprove=68 Undecided=8

[Holden_C04]

Why not vote for the candidate who promises 0% tax on everything?

[jfelbab]

Originally Posted by Holden_C04

Why not vote for the candidate who promises 0% tax on everything?

Or maybe a flat tax on everyone.

A Brief Guide to the Flat Tax

[jfelbab]

One more anecdote.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying. Her father listened and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?' She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.'

Her wise father asked his daughter,

'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.'

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, 'That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!'

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, 'Welcome to the Republican party.'

"If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat, I'm all ears."

[-Longhorn-]

Libertarian

[Holden_C04]

Originally Posted by jfelbab

Or maybe a flat tax on everyone.

A Brief Guide to the Flat Tax

I can't think of a better way to put money back in the hands of people who need it the least.

[dalethompson]

Elliot Ness:

When I mention the story about 400 patients being sent to the U.S., it was for special procedures or circumstances, I don't think the story mentions or points that out.

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated the next day. He went into surgery within a week and for the next five months, the government paid for his radiation and subsequent treatment for the next year. Cost: 0 dollars for him.

No hospital in Ontario or Canada would ever turn away a true emergency patient. If someone has a heart attack, they admit them. These kind of things just can't be predicted of course. What I was trying to point out is that if someone is referred to the U.S for a procedure, it's either a very special procedure or something the healthcare system thinks would be better treated because of the facilities in the chosen hospital in the U.S.

I'm not sure why you are knocking the Canadian healthcare system either. Have you lived here and used it? I have nothing but praise for it because I know lots of people who work in it. More than a few doctors and nurses leave Canada for more money in the U.S. because of the extreme costs the patients pay. The true healthcare professionals who remain in Canada do it because they believe in our system and genuinely care about providing amazing healthcare to all Canadians. They make a decent living, sure, but they turn down the temptation of making 2x - 5x the money in the U.S. to remain in a system they want to help keep up the high standards.

Contradiction? Depends if you look at it that way I suppose. All I know is that Canadian citizens don't pay for heart surgery, cancer treatments or births. There's never a question of choosing which is more affordable for a patient, it just gets done and it's done well. Do you see any healthcare providers in the U.S. sending patients to Canada for treatment? And if you think choosing a system that's privatized and all about making money off a patient to one that is free but sometimes requires waiting, well, that makes you a fool, sorry to say. Google how much heart surgery is in any U.S. hospital and get back to me.

Study: Socialized Canadian surgery half the U.S. cost with same results - Wikinews, the free news source

And, by all mean, vote for McCain and Palin, it's a democratic country and your right to vote for whomever impresses you more. Hey, I just gave my two cents and judging by what I've heard from people here in Toronto, it's a pretty scary prospect possibly electing someone who's so old combined with someone who's so inexperienced. I think it's pretty funny that Canada separates Alaska from the rest of the U.S. and all she's ever done in Canada is hunt lol. As well, kudos to Palin for being able to see Russia from her house... means her fancy designer glasses must be working.

[Holden_C04]

Amen......

[jfelbab]

Originally Posted by Holden_C04

I can't think of a better way to put money back in the hands of people who need it the least.

Sounds like you want a welfare program and not a tax program.

[Holden_C04]

Originally Posted by jfelbab

Sounds like you want a welfare program and not a tax program.

While I would consider welfare an essential program, I think calling a "flat tax" anything other than a handout to the rich, upper crust is well...foolish.