[promethius9594]

ah, well, sorry to post twice, but apparently being a communist would be why your last post sounded communist in nature (this is why you shouldnt start at the end and read backwards).

to shamrock:

"the tax breaks are directed towards those that do not need it - heavily subsidised US industry and large corporations."

agreed, but at the same time, doing varying percentages for taxation isnt fair either. large corporations should be charged a percent scale equal to that of small corporations. they also need to straighten out the income/property tax iniquities. how is it fair that in CA we pay 30% tax if you're middle class, and 35% if youre rich? ONE STANDARD!!!

"not sure whether that's good either, witness the energy crisis in the US caused by a lack of capacity and a worryingly similar trend in the UK"

haha, i did witness it, first hand. i live in CA where the energy crisis all started. you know the funny thing? it was actually a weather anomoly which caused the energy deficit... not economic policy at all. the economic/purchase system is the same as it was then, and there arent any problems right now. (and yes, as a physics major, we actually studied what happened).

"the introduction of the minimum wage here has coincided with a near unprecedented stage of economic success"

case in point, however, i would like to ask about this conjecture: that the standard of living on average increased more for americans in the timespan prior to the introduction of minimum wages than after. I'm not sure if thats true or not, but i think it is...

but the issue was social programs, so, why should the government provide medicare? medicare is known accross the industry as the worst coverage a person can possibly have. the government isnt doing anybody a favor by taxing them until they cant afford their own medical coverage, and then giving them the same half assed substitute that they give every bum who doesnt want to work and lives off welfare. its an injustice.

"whilst charity may be a virtue, forcing people to rely on it is not"

well, i counter: if someone takes something from me, and i dont want them to, (even if they give it to someone who needs it) it is still stealing. there, i said it, i view the welfare system as stealing (for most cases). i would gladly GIVE the money i put into welfare directly to the people. with 0 middlemen to take their cut, the people would see more of it anyway. but i dont want to be sent a mandatory help people out bill with each of my pay checks, that cuts my ability to be virtuous through the act of freely giving. it makes me a victim of anyone who doesnt want to work and can just take my money through welfare. its ridiculous.