just in case you've forgotten where your taxes go...

1. 67

   SparklingJewelposted 13 years ago

   here are excerpts from a recent article...
   
   "Taxpayers foot the bill for an increasing number of government workers at outrageously growing wages. ATR  reports that federal employment has increased by 230,000, or nearly 5 percent, in just the past year. USA Today reported Aug. 10 that federal pay and benefits per employee now average more than twice that of private workers: $123,049 compared to $61,051. Federal salaries outpaced inflation in the past decade by 33 percent."
   
   "The United States is headed toward financial collapse unless these trends are reversed. The radical change needed is not a government takeover, but a significant downsizing of government's intrusion into our economy and daily lives."
   
   http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 … overnment/

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      shazwellynposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The UK government has cut back on the services and then decide to overload the ones left over by introducing strategies that are setting them up for failure (re:  call centre hell with working families tax credit after introducing experian credit checks to those who only want to report a basic change of circumstance)

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2. 95

   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   So what else is new?  We have passed the point where less than 1/2 of the people support the other 1/2 through welfare, SS, govt. employment and so forth.
   
   We can expect it to continue till the system collapses from the sheer dead weight of non-productive citizens.

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      Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Any studies to support this or did you just see it on Fox and assume it to be true?

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         C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/ … 5874.shtml

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      ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      "non-product citizens"
      
      What a wonderfully passionate way to describe those unfortunate enough to be struggling to feed themselves as a result of your failed capitalist ideals.

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         Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Is it better to be a "product citizen"?

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            Sufidreamerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Due to outsourcing, all 'product citizens' are now manufactured in China

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               SparklingJewelposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               ...a funny play on words...
               
               but I think he meant productive citizens...don't you?
               
               when a citizenry losses its self respect by not being productive, by not taking care of itself, government handout is not the answer to their regaining their self respect... it's a hard spot where the human psyche gets stuck if one has things handed to one for too long...we see too many that are not recovering from it...

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               1. 79

                  Sufidreamerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  hehe - I am just teasing.
                  
                  I do actually agree with a lot of what you say - one of the reasons why the Greek economy is in such trouble is because 70% of Greeks are working their backsides off to support the other 30% with cushy civil service jobs (Of course, many civil servants are extremely hard working and productive - sadly, a large proportion are parasites).
                  
                  They are getting rid of a lot of the superfluous civil servants, reforming the structure of government, and sending people to jail for corruption - about time, too.

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               Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Not for long.  We will soon be borrowing money from Bangladesh to manufacture our own product citizens!
               
               USA! USA! USA!

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            wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry, Ron.  I'll try to do better in the future.

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         wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Few govt. employees actually produce much of value to society.  Police, fire, military - these are exceptions.  Most are simple bureaucrats who shuffle paper and talk for a living - they don't actually produce hardly anything.
         
         Multiple generations of welfare recipients produce little but more babies.
         
         Few retired people produce much of value to society.  This does not mean they should collect the SS they have paid for - it means they no longer produce.
         
         Stripped of the negative connotation you try to give it, "productive" citizens means someone that produce something of value to our society.  Nothing more.  It has nothing to do with passion, or unfortunate people.  It has to do with production of valued goods and services.

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            Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            You could say that very few employees anywhere actually produce anything.  Most shuffle paper - electronic paper nowadays, but they are not "producing" anything.
            
            Eery single government program has a reason behind it and often that reason is to help businesses or protect consumers.  These are not "useless" employees.  They most definitely are producing something of value to society.
            
            Why don't you name some government agency you want to get rid of and explain why? 
            
            That's the problem, you know: every time some fool gets themselves elected to "cut taxes", they start looking at everything that taxes go for and soon realize that there isn't much that can be cut without hurting real people.   
            
            That's why they usually end up going after the poor and disadvantaged - cut funding for the mentally ill, cut food stamps, cut welfare!   Of course those cuts don't amount to much, so there is always more chance for another dumb "tax cut" person to stir up the ignorant.
            
            Typical Tea Party ignorance.
            
            Oh, and by the way: many "retired" people are still productive.  Many volunteer in numerous capacities.   They ARE a productive part of society.

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      jerrylposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Whatever happened to (TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS?)
      
      Businesses sure as hell are not hiring!  Banks are not lending after
      we bailed them out!
      
      We will collapse from the debt building monetary system we operate under!

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         Evan G Rogersposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         trickle down economics is nonsense.

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            jerrylposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Exactly.  Not many got trickled down to, but many got trickled on.

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   jerrylposted 13 years ago

   Here is the link to the national debt clock.
   It will not let you forget.
   
   http://www.usdebtclock.org/

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4. 67

   SparklingJewelposted 13 years ago

   researchers made the following assessment to
   Obama's economic policies.
   
              "President Obama's response to the economic
              crisis is to promote a statist model for the
              economy that fundamentally transforms our
              fee-market system into a state-run, European
              model."
         ... while unemployment remains high, the federal         government
         is expanding at the highest rate since Eisenhower,
         the U.S. economy is shrinking and our government
         is engaged in out-of-control spending creating an
         insurmountable debt that could bankrupt our nation.
   
   Not surprisingly, most of the money from the stimulus package
   went to federal, state and local government projects and
   unions instead of investing in businesses that would
   actually spur economical growth.
   
   Under Obama, we now have the largest government workforce
   in history with the largest government payroll ever and a
   federal pay scale that is, on average, 40 percent higher
   than their private sector counterparts. And we pay their
   salaries!
   
   source: Grassfire Nation

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5. 66

   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   Now That's Rich
   We need to pinch pennies these days. Don’t you know we have a budget deficit? For months that has been the word from Republicans and conservative Democrats, who have rejected every suggestion that we do more to avoid deep cuts in public services and help the ailing economy.
   Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
   
      
   But these same politicians are eager to cut checks averaging $3 million each to the richest 120,000 people in the country.
   
   What — you haven’t heard about this proposal? Actually, you have: I’m talking about demands that we make all of the Bush tax cuts, not just those for the middle class, permanent....
   
   
   
   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/opini … ef=opinion

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6. 66

   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   From each according to his ability, for each according to his need...including a "nookie room!"
   
   http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PU … 2885614620

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   lovemychrisposted 13 years ago

   Rich people deserve your money.
   And so do the military, corporations and big business.
   
   Profits uber alles. That's the republican way.
   
   Give more to those who have more. Take from those who need.
   
   Isn't that what they practice when given the chance???

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