Quote:
Originally posted by Rob67
If you step back and take a look at how the economy has acted and reacted over the last 50 years, you will see a rollercoaster trend. It is high for a while, then drops, then goes back up. I find it silly to keep pinning the state of the economy on a president who only has 4-8 years in office. Bush inherited an already declining economy which was made worse by the events of 9/11. Hell, I lost my job the following December. But you know what? I worked my ass off to find another job and didn't cry and wine that life was unfair and that I was "owed" a job. I worked two part time jobs to stay afloat and eventually landed another full time position. I have relatives and friends who have done the same.
When I was laid off, I remember being at my local grocery store. Granted, I was clipping coupons being careful with what I spent. The woman ahead of me in the checkout line had a cart full of name brand food, steaks, and some of the more expensive food items. Stuff I couldn't afford at the time. She had about 8 kids with her and paid with food stamps. On top of that, she bought two cartons of cigarettes. If that doesn't make a hard working person angry, I don't know what would. (I quit smoking when I got laid off for financial reasons.)
People blame the precieved economy and others for their misfortunes way too often in this country. Some people expect everything to be handed to them by the government. People expect us to be nice to everyone in the world and that everything will just be just fine.
I think a flat tax is more then fair. If I make $20,000, then I pay 25%. If I make $2,000,000 then I pay 25%. What's the big deal. The rich are still paying way more taxes. Why punish success?
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I don't think your comments were meant directly towards me... but given that they touch upon some of the things I said, perhaps they were.
Don't get me wrong, I... nor anyone in my family... have ever expected things to be "handed" to us. That's not what this is about.
My father's work ethic has always been "do your job and do it right," and that was handed down to my brother and myself.
But you can't do a job if you can't FIND a job. And when the economy was in the pits during the Reagan administration, you couldn't find work. At least not if you were "blue collar."
All of those tax cuts that benefit the upper-class take jobs away from those in the lower class.
So, as I said, my dad worked whatever measly job he could find.
And yes, we were on food stamps, but unlike the woman in front of you in the checkout line, my parents did not take advantage of the situation.
There was a time when I didn't even know food items came in colorful boxes. I thought they all came in white boxes with black lettering on them.
We didn't eat brand-food, and we didn't buy anything and everything we wanted. My parents bought the essentials.
And neither of them smoked or bought any kind of luxury items for themselves. They scrimped and saved to make sure we had food on our table and clothes on our backs.
But you know it's not easy when you work so hard for so little, and you sacrifice so much just to get buy, while you see people in a different tax-bracket living the good life.
You asked "why punish success," but it sure looks to me like "the little guy" is the one constantly getting screwed-over.
And like it or not, that fosters bitterness.
So no, I don't think people should be handed anything. That's a ridiculous notion. If you want something out of life, you should work for it.
But don't tell me that I can't get angry with a government that makes it damn-near impossible for those in the lower classes to ever get their head above the water, no matter how hard they're working.