60 Billion. IN ONE MONTH!!!!!!!!

[luckydog71]

$782 Billion dollar 2004 U.S. Federal Discretionary Budget – representing your federally taxed money from your paycheck..........
An interesting split --- $399 Billion dollars for Military spending vs. $383 Billion dollars for Non-Military spending.

luckydog, is this the too big government you speak of?

Yes.
For some reason America has appointed itself policeman of the world. This is not a GOP / DEM argument. This has been going on since WWII.
I wish we would reset our military objective...protect our country from attack... Pull our troops out of Europe....Pull our troops out of Asia... Finish the job in Iraq and turn peacekeeping over to the Iraqis or the UN and bring our troops home.....develop an exit strategy for Afghanistan......Use our military to reinforce the borders and stop illegal immigration....

 

[rickoshadows]

Yes.
For some reason America has appointed itself policeman of the world. This is not a GOP / DEM argument. This has been going on since WWII.

Policeman?

How about "Private Security Corporation" for U.S. multinational corporate interests. An upstanding policeman would protect the interests of all. The U.S. has only looked after itself!

Now every nation is entitled and has a duty to look after its own interests, but cut the crap about policing the world for the good of all, I've been shoveling enough snow, I don't want to start on shit too.

rickoshadows

 

[donnyknotts]

Man am I tired of Americans calling themselves the "policemen of the world." Nobody appointed them to that position--they appointed themselves, and as policemen they've demonstrated that they'[re one crooked bunch of cops. It seems the only time they are concerned about law,order and freedom outside of the US is when their economic interests are involved. Other than that most Americans and most of their government don't give a s*** what's going on in the rest of the world. (Rwanda, Chechnya, Sudan, Congo, the list goes on....)

The main reason the world doesn't want the US running the show is that the US has consistently demonstrated one basic philosophy: "The ones with the power makes the rules". The US has consistently demonstrated it will violate international laws and interfere with internal political systems of foreign countries to further their own interests. (Nicaragua, San Salvador, Chile, the list goes on...)

mANY Americans also have one big flaw in their psyche; they've come to believe their own propaganda and think that the US is the best place in the world to live and that everyone desires to be American or at least live like one.

Well, America is a great place--if you're stinkin' rich. The best lifestyles and medical care are there for you. If you ain't rich, then FORGET ABOUT IT! Since 1980 the top 20% of Americans watched their collective wealth double while the middle and lower quintiles fell behind what they had been earning (in real dollars not inflated ones)

This is the fruit of Reaganomics and right wing "business is good, greed is even better" philosophy that so many Americans have bought into.

So, keep watching more TV and get even more brainwashed into being good consumers and work even harder and maybe some day you'll be rich too.

Ha, dream on. Do you realize that many Americans still believe anyone can become President, if they just work hard and smart enough,? Give me a break, with 300 million people to chose from, Americans had to go back to the same well twice in a decade to "choose" their President, that is, son of King George, King George II.

Thats scary as hell.

Americans, you have some big time soul searching to do, so stop telling the rest of the world what it needs to do, and start concentrating on your own stuff before you find yourselves slaves in your own country.

 

[gotsome2004]

That is good reading and I agree fully, unfortunately your factual statements will fall on the deaf ears of Americans who regularly post here.
It's like shooting a dead person.
Whats the point?

 

[luckydog71]

.....unfortunately your factual statements will fall on the deaf ears of Americans who regularly post here.

Gotsome – you seem to make no distinction between disagreeing with your point of view and not listening to what you say. I read most of the political posts (except the real long ones).

If you believe that the only correct point of view is yours then you would conclude that anyone who did not agree with you did not listen to you.

To set the record straight, I listen I just have a very different perspective than you do.

For example:

I believe government should be minimal impact on society. They are there for national defense and to provide essential regulation for fair and balanced commerce. They are a safety net for the truly needy and should look for ways to provide a hand up (not a hand out) their goal should be to collect only the minimum amount of taxes needed to fulfill their purpose.

My liberal friends believe government should be into most social programs and that bigger is better. They view their government’s ability to provide many services as superior to the private sector. They also support redistribution of wealth (The Robin Hood theory of economics. Rob from the rich and give to the poor). They are big supporters of entitlement programs and view life long entitlement (e.g. Welfare) as a positive.

See I do listen. Look at how well I understand you.

 

[donnyknotts]

The problem with many right wingers such as yourself Mr Luckydog, is that you're convinced that the private sector can do it all and better than government. I concede that the private sector can do many things better than government but it can't do it all. I left to its own devices the capitalist system will create great inequities between its citizens. The US is the best example of this. It has the greatest concentration of wealth in the hands of the fewest people of all countries on earth. It also has the distinction of having the richest CEO's on the planet relative to its workers. As mergers and acquisitions continue, the levels of concentration and power increase exponentiallly. Corporations are now so powerful they exist outside of direct control of the citizenry. Disaster awaits.

Does that mean I'm a socialist? No way unless you mean do I have a social conscience, then yes I do. Most corporations have none.

 

[luckydog71]

I prefer the name conservative, but I do answer to the name right winger.

I read your post (thanks for keeping it concise) and you have your facts correct the difference is you see those facts as a bad thing. I see them as a good thing.

There are exceptions but I do believe private enterprise as a general rule can do it better than government run enterprises.

Most civil servants are encouraged to spend the money before the budget year runs out. Getting value for money is not their priority. If they don’t spend it they lose it. I will concede there are exceptions but not many.

I oppose the notion that government is empowered to redistributing wealth. Let’s use an example the nice ladies on this board. How many do you think would continue their work if all money made was but into a pot and distributed equally to all. No consideration would be given to their quality of services, the frequency of their service, how much work they put into promoting their business. We will just count the monies collected and divide it equally amongst all.

As far as corporations having a social conscience, I do not know about Canadian companies, but U.S. companies have given huge sums of money to the disaster relief fund. Most large US based companies have a matching program for their employees who make charitable donations.

Competition is a good thing and government subsidies delay the beneficial results of competition. For example U.S. Airways. My government continues to prop up this loser company with my money. I say let them go under. Their passengers will still fly, just on an airline that was better run. Look at Air Canada. Your government subsidized them and they used this benefit to break Canadian Air. AC now has a virtual monopoly and they still can’t run a profitable airline. I believe these subsidies are excessive government medaling in private enterprise.

 

[rick hunter]

As far as corporations having a social conscience, I do not know about Canadian companies, but U.S. companies have given huge sums of money to the disaster relief fund. Most large US based companies have a matching program for their employees who make charitable donations.

Well then it must very few as I heard that the Canadian public has raised $150 Million for the tsunami while the US public has only raised around $400 million. That's barely above $1 per person! This is a pretty sad statement as most of those company and people could easily contribute more. Examples being Beill Gates and the Walton's.

Though I agree with you Luckydog about subsidies for companies. That is just coporate welfare! Right now our government is being pressured to match film tax credits from Ontario and Quebec. Don't they realize the biggest problem is reality tv and not a higher dollar??

 

[donnyknotts]

luckydog

As you can see from my previous post I am not a socialist, most Canadians are not socialists but realists that understand that the free market cannot do it all.

I am on the same page as yourself on the corporate welfare game that goes on all too often in both our countries. Here in Canada we have now underway this pathetic exercise where Provincial Governments are now attempting to "poach" film business from each other by using tax breaks or subsidies. What a load of crap. I don't want my tax money used to prop up any industry especially one that overpays its "stars" and even its truckers (Teamsters who make 100G plus).

The subsidy competition game is one we are always going to lose because there is ALWAYS some jurisdiction in the world willing to go one better and beat us at it.

If we can't attract and keep business solely on the advantages we have, throwing tax money at it will ultimately fail. There are thousands of previous examples (Skeena Cellulose-300 million at least, Sydney Steel-a couple billion, are just two) that show the folly of government "support" which is just a slick vote-buying scheme.

 

[therealrex]

The problem with private industry is the only goal is bigger profits wages & benefits are only red ink and as a business grows it eliminates competition and the workers make less and the top 1% makes more.