The same is true if you drive on the road, accept police protection, expect children to have decent schools, want the military to defend us, are willing to accept medicare, plan on having some social security, want reasonably safe airports, have radio, TV, cell phones that work in some kind of reasonable order, and ALL OF THE OTHER BENEFITS you recieve, but are constantly wanting to reduce the revenue that is used to pay for them.

 

All you people that want to cut taxes, quit using the systems provided for by those taxes, or you are simply being hypocritical.

 

Interesting points, Ace. I never thought about it that way.

The goverment either extends the unemployment or everyone on unemployment files for welfare and everything else. I have been on unemployment for almost a year I applied for a job last week and there was 5 people applying when I did. I figure they probaly get 20 to 30 people applying a day. Everybody I know that is on unemployment is broke and barely making it nobody is being lazy. My sister just lost her job last month and was making 70,000 a year she gets unemployment but its know where near that much. Unemployment is no joke I do get to see my son alot more than if I was working thats my only plus to unemployment. There is just not enough good jobs out there. Its been 3 weeks since I even got a unemployment check it takes the unemployment offices over a week to set up for this new extenison it really sucks.

The same is true if you drive on the road, accept police protection, expect children to have decent schools, want the military to defend us, are willing to accept medicare, plan on having some social security, want reasonably safe airports, have radio, TV, cell phones that work in some kind of reasonable order, and ALL OF THE OTHER BENEFITS you recieve, but are constantly wanting to reduce the revenue that is used to pay for them.

 

All you people that want to cut taxes, quit using the systems provided for by those taxes, or you are simply being hypocritical.

This is so absurd it's hardly worth arguing.

 

How do you balance your household budget when times get tight… by spending more money than you can reasonably take in? Not if you enjoy your freedom.

 

How is 50% of someone’s entire sweat and earnings not enough in taxes? If the government wants more than that... its wants are too big.

 

Between federal, state, county and city income taxes, workers comp, social security, Medicare /Medicaid, 46 cents a gallon gasoline taxes, sales taxes, tanning bed taxes, cigarette and alcohol taxes, excise taxes, property taxes, taxes that add up to 37% to phone bills and 28% of electric and natural gas bills… etc., etc., etc.

 

When you consider that most of these taxes are added after the Feds, State and Locals take their cut of our income, and we are taxed further on what money is left that has already been taxed… I’m not sure 50% is a big enough number to cover every area our incomes are sucked away by taxation.

 

While your job and income may not presently rise to the 50% level, speaking on behalf of a significant segment of those who now work six months out of the year to pay for our bloated government and programs instituted by Congressional prostitutes that apparently cannot say no to anyone or any cause, and just keep writing bigger checks…

 

For those of us who actually pay our share of these taxes for the services you outlined, so that everyone in this great land can use them and benefit from them... this is incredibly offensive.

 

It is time to start cutting...

The same is true if you drive on the road, accept police protection, expect children to have decent schools, want the military to defend us, are willing to accept medicare, plan on having some social security, want reasonably safe airports, have radio, TV, cell phones that work in some kind of reasonable order, and ALL OF THE OTHER BENEFITS you recieve, but are constantly wanting to reduce the revenue that is used to pay for them.

 

All you people that want to cut taxes, quit using the systems provided for by those taxes, or you are simply being hypocritical.

 

That's not true at all. I think that some taxation is necessary, I never said there should be no taxes, HUGE DIFFERENCE. I favor use taxes where EVERYONE pays for what they use and there are fewer if any deductions and no payroll withholdings. Forget about the inane system we now have that allows almost half the population to escape paying income tax, yet still allows those people to vote for lawmakers that establish tax policy and take advantage of all of the services you listed.

 

I think that we are taxed to much therefore there is no moral or conscionable conundrum about me taking deductions that I am leagally allowed to take. You on the other hand are on the record saying that taxes should be raised therefor as a matter of conscience shouldn't you "do your part" and pay more? If you and everyone that feels like you did the same wouldn't that go a long way towards raising tax revenue to the level that you feel it should be at?

The goverment either extends the unemployment or everyone on unemployment files for welfare and everything else. I have been on unemployment for almost a year I applied for a job last week and there was 5 people applying when I did. I figure they probaly get 20 to 30 people applying a day. Everybody I know that is on unemployment is broke and barely making it nobody is being lazy. My sister just lost her job last month and was making 70,000 a year she gets unemployment but its know where near that much. Unemployment is no joke I do get to see my son alot more than if I was working thats my only plus to unemployment. There is just not enough good jobs out there. Its been 3 weeks since I even got a unemployment check it takes the unemployment offices over a week to set up for this new extenison it really sucks.

I'm trying to tactfully express a concern here. Anyone else see anything here?

Interesting points, Ace. I never thought about it that way.

 

You probably never thought of it because it doens't make sense. He only has a point if you pay no tax what so ever.

I love these threads. (Not) I wonder if sometimes some of you have no grasp of the reality for many workers who are unemployed right now.

 

Regarding the notion: "Pick up and go to a state that is hiring." - how do you do that exactly? Is it as easy as that statement makes it?

 

Real Story: My neighbor is 50 years old. He worked for 25 years at Ridgeway Clocks and worked his way "up that manufacturing ladder" on the floor. After a couple of buyouts the plant was shut down about a year ago. He has a house and a wife working in the school system. He is going back to school trying to earn a degree that will get him a job. Tell me how does he sell a house in this market? What value will he get back in selling the house in a place that has 15 to 20 % unemployment? Do you throw away your investment on the HOPE of a job somewhere else? ( I won't even go into the outlying factors of aging parents who are in failing health and his feeling of responsibility to care for them)

 

I don't think UE is the solution by any means. However the notions sometimes offered here are lacking in in any real concept of the pressures and circumstances of people. They are also lacking in compassion for these kinds of individuals I've described.

There are other options to moving to another state. The unemployment rate in Martinsville may be 20% but the unemployment rate for Virginia (at 7%) is well below the national average of 10%. That tells me that other areas in Virginia have a significantly lower unemployment rate then Martinsville. Martinsville is in Henry Co correct? That is directly south of Franklin County correct? The unemployment rate for Franklin Co is less then 8%. The unemployment for Bedford and Roanoke are less then 7%.

I favor use taxes where EVERYONE pays for what they use and there are fewer if any deductions and no payroll withholdings. Forget about the inane system we now have that allows almost half the population to escape paying income tax, yet still allows those people to vote for lawmakers that establish tax policy and take advantage of all of the services you listed.

I heard a soulful choir singing as I read this... AMEN Brother... :thumb:

I heard a soulful choir singing as I read this... AMEN Brother... :thumb:

 

You can amen all you want, but just because I don't, or someone else doesn't, pay income taxes doesn't mean that they are not paying taxes into the system.

 

I would favor a usage tax too if you could be sure that everyone is paid a LIVING WAGE.

You can amen all you want, but just because I don't, or someone else doesn't, pay income taxes doesn't mean that they are not paying taxes into the system.

 

I would favor a usage tax too if you could be sure that everyone is paid a LIVING WAGE.

 

What happens when people quit using stuff, so they quit buying it, so we don't need people to make it, so we lay them off, then they don't have money to buy stuff, so less stuff is made, so more people are laid off, OH Crap, that is where we are now. There are no demands for goods because people don't have money so more people are being laid off so fewer people have money, so fewer things are needed. AND you guys want to give those who have little even less, or none, but you want to give those who have plenty more. Can you not see how silly that is. Those with more don't need stuff and it is silly to expand your business when nobody is buying anything. Why would you grow your business when there are no demands for your goods? That is the problem with the supply side theory. When people quit buying the supplies the economy crashes.

What happens when people quit using stuff, so they quit buying it, so we don't need people to make it, so we lay them off, then they don't have money to buy stuff, so less stuff is made, so more people are laid off, OH Crap, that is where we are now. There are no demands for goods because people don't have money so more people are being laid off so fewer people have money, so fewer things are needed. AND you guys want to give those who have little even less, or none, but you want to give those who have plenty more. Can you not see how silly that is. Those with more don't need stuff and it is silly to expand your business when nobody is buying anything. Why would you grow your business when there are no demands for your goods? That is the problem with the supply side theory. When people quit buying the supplies the economy crashes.

So am I to assume that the answer you support is to elect representatives in Congress that will pass new legislation and validate spending policies that are guaranteed to add TRILLIONS of new debt and the subsequent need to increase taxation at a time our economy, industries and available tax payers are languishing?

 

Whether you accept it or not, these reckless economic policies are precisely what is causing the extended economic malaise we are in.

 

There are few sensible business people willing to stick their necks out under current conditions. The wise (survival) tactic is to hunker down and wait for more favorable circumstances.

There are other options to moving to another state. The unemployment rate in Martinsville may be 20% but the unemployment rate for Virginia (at 7%) is well below the national average of 10%. That tells me that other areas in Virginia have a significantly lower unemployment rate then Martinsville. Martinsville is in Henry Co correct? That is directly south of Franklin County correct? The unemployment rate for Franklin Co is less then 8%. The unemployment for Bedford and Roanoke are less then 7%.

 

The UE rate in Franklin County is based on a bed room community for Roanoke area. Same for Bedford. There is little industry in those counties that are adjacent to Roanoke. Henry is 60 miles away and many make the commute. But that puts the number of people searching for the employment opportunities in Roanoke enormous as that one area is supporting all the counties you mentioned.

 

As to the state UE rate, it is skewed (& experts in VA know and talk of this) by Northern VA (government), Norfolk (Military), & Richmond (more government and some industry).

 

The problem for Southside VA is that the entire economy was based on 2 primary manufacturing industries: Textiles & Furniture. Now imagine how those 2 are doing. Exactly. And you have generations of "Mill Workers" who knew nothing else and are skilled for nothing else. The higher skilled (tech people, et al) have moved on to the areas that these jobs are available in. The unskilled are trying to re-educate (sometimes in their 50's) or collapse.

 

I might add the "trauma" of the above is palpable. In about the last 15 years Martinsville/Henry County alone has seen the closures of:

 

Dupont, Tultex, Fieldcrest/Cannon, VF Knitwear, Pannil Knitting, Sara Lee, and a few other textiles.

 

Hooker, Bassett (all but a hundred jobs are gone), Pulaski, Rideway Clocks, American, Stanley (all but Corporate offices will be gone by 1/1/11) in the furniture markets.

 

These factories all represent thousands of jobs that are gone in 15 years (most in the last 10 years). Add to that some companies literally locked the doors (Tultex and American for example) and all employees lost retirement investments, as well as employment.

 

Statistics only produce part of an equation and don't reveal the whole problems sometimes.

What happens when people quit using stuff, so they quit buying it, so we don't need people to make it, so we lay them off, then they don't have money to buy stuff, so less stuff is made, so more people are laid off, OH Crap, that is where we are now. There are no demands for goods because people don't have money so more people are being laid off so fewer people have money, so fewer things are needed. AND you guys want to give those who have little even less, or none, but you want to give those who have plenty more. Can you not see how silly that is. Those with more don't need stuff and it is silly to expand your business when nobody is buying anything. Why would you grow your business when there are no demands for your goods? That is the problem with the supply side theory. When people quit buying the supplies the economy crashes.

 

Take less would be the appropriate verbage here. So it's give more to those who have less and take more from those that have more. That is what you are in favor of?

That is your verbage. If that is what I meant, that is what I would have said.

The sad part is there is no true way to measure by dollar the amount of time you give back to the kids in your district and community.

 

 

But to follow up on another comment. Doesn't the Bible teach us the most two important things to learn is to Love God and Love thy neighbor? You can't Love God if you don't Love your Neighbor. So during this time of economic stress, what better way to show Love by digging down and giving a little more?

 

So does Hypocrisy fit us all in some way when we complain about government tries to lend a helping hand to those whoa re suffering?

 

There we go again with people mixing politics with religion. This country was founded on a basis so as to prevent that.