PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama tax pledge up in smoke

[kludge]

Maybe we should have all our taxes reflect which behaviors we condone, and which we don't.

Don't you see how that's an infringement of freedom? Taxes are force, pure and simple. The government shouldn't use force to discourage legal behaviors it does not like. There should be a high test for using force. The government certainly puts a high test on us for using it, shouldn't they have to pass a big hurdle to use it?

Now, tell me that you want smokers to be ineligable for Medicaid or Medicare, and we might be in agreement.

Who is forcing someone to smoke, or eat a Big Mac, or drive an automobile (federal/state gas tax), or buy guns and ammo?

Avoid the behavior, avoid the tax. How is that an infringement on freedom? It IS an infringement on MY freedom to pay for someone elses healthcare based on THEIR behavior. I get a Medicare Tax dedeucted from every single paycheck. The more I make the more I pay. I don't smoke. How is that fair?

Taxes pay for things. You like roads? Police? Fire Dept? State/National Parks?

I'd rather pay taxes based on what I use versus thing I don't use, or need, or want.

If we as a society deem that Medicare is good, then the people that smoke need to pay their share.

 

[dross]

Who is forcing someone to smoke, or eat a Big Mac, or drive an automobile (federal/state gas tax), or buy guns and ammo?

Avoid the behavior, avoid the tax. How is that an infringement on freedom? It IS an infringement on MY freedom to pay for someone elses healthcare based on THEIR behavior. I get a Medicare Tax dedeucted from every single paycheck. The more I make the more I pay. I don't smoke. How is that fair?

Taxes pay for things. You like roads? Police? Fire Dept? State/National Parks?

I'd rather pay taxes based on what I use versus thing I don't use, or need, or want.

If we as a society deem that Medicare is good, then the people that smoke need to pay their share.

Taxes are a necessary evil. I am not against all taxes, I just think taxes should be shared fairly amongst all the beneficiaries of government services.

I agree with you that I don't want to pay for a smoker's healthcare. I also don't want to tell someone what behaviors they should be able to engage in. The fix for that is to not pay for people's healthcare. If you want my money to pay for someone else's healthcare, it's call charity and you should have to PERSUADE me to pay, not force me.

I'd rather pay user fees too, for government services. So let's have toll roads and monthly fees for fire and police. I like it.

No, no one is forcing anyone to smoke. But smoking is an individual choice. When one man buys tobacco from another, FORCING them to pay money to the government is use of force, based on behaviors the government doesn't approve of. That's an infringement on freedom.

Our country was founded in no small part because of the way TAXES were imposed. You know, those taxes that pay for things.

 

[jforrest]

Already there. Pays for DNR stuff nationwide. I'm happy to pay it.

This rant is a little off topic:
I know what the purpose for the DNR is, but they just make me angry. My friends and I have a 14 foot jon boat and every time we try to take it out on the Kankakee River we get harassed by some DNR officer. If there is an officer at the boat ramp they automatically think we are there to do something illegal and they ask us a million questions, and search our boat for every little thing so they can try to not let us go. I know we are all younger ages between 19 to 21, but I thought it was innocent till proven guilty, not guilty untill we prove you innocent. Only one time they actually found a reason and that was we didn't have enough werable lifejackets. The square pads you can sit on don't count. It just really ticks me off paying for these people to harass me.

Back to the topic, sorry for hijacking the thread a little.

 

[CarmelHP]

I propose, I know that this is a radical concept, that everyone pay for their OWN healthcare, and let PRIVATE insurers tailor the costs individually to that persons risk profile. I don't know why no one else has ever thought of this.

 

[dross]

I propose, I know that this is a radical concept, that everyone pay for their OWN healthcare, and let PRIVATE insurers tailor the costs individually to that persons risk profile. I don't know why no one else has ever thought of this.

That's nutty, loony, crazy talk! What is wrong with you?! Let people take responsibility for their own lives and bargain in the free market for the services they need? Treason! Blasphemy! Get up against the wall, and here's your blindfold!

 

[cce1302]

Hey, I've got an idea!! let's tax things we DON'T like at a higher rate, to discourage the behavior and increase revenue at the same time (sin/tobacco tax).

Hey, I've got an idea!! let's tax things we DO like at a higher rate, to encourage the behavior and increase revenue at the same time (taxing success-graduated income tax).

Our legislators/gov't leaders are such geniuses. Why do we keep re-electing them??