The US brings in 78% of what it spends. Period. So our taxes don’t pay for what we get.
In fact, income tax is only a little more than 1/2 of the revenue.
So whatever. Lets stop pretending we have to be fiscally responsible in the US. We haven’t passed a budget since 2008. It’s just spending bills and continuing resolutions.
Give us healthcare. Don’t bark about having the money. Just do it.
[Slaps hood]
This baby can bomb soooo many third world countries
Our taxes fund more public health dollars per capita than almost anywhere else in the world. Medicare and Medicaid spending is higher than DOD budget, and that’s before you include medical research funded by NIH and DOD or VA spending.
The issue is that our prices are out of control because of regulatory capture and downstream inability of the government to negotiate lower prices.
What we need are price controls.
Everyone hates on The United States military, you know, until they are getting their asses kicked. I think the USA should only lend military support to those countries willing to pay for it.
nice military
is it? they’re never home, so we don’t really know
Huge swaths of Southeast Asia, South America, the Middle East, Hawai’i, and even North America’s own Indigenous peoples can all affirm that the US military is indeed very nice and only ever acts in self defense.
Notice that taxes don’t have the same vile vitrol against them outside of America? They get something for their money.
One of my theories is that not only is it about how these taxes get used (as in the OP), but also in the US you have these constant reminders, it’s not added to your restaurant bills or supermarket prices until the end, you have to calculate it yourself all the time and that keeps it front of mind. I never used to even think about tax until I started my own business (since now I don’t have to pay it for business expenses). When something costs 100€ it costs 100€, you don’t think about the fact 20 of them are tax because you, as a consumer, pay 100 and that’s that. Same with salary, it gets taken at the source and once a year you just need to verify, and usually you get some money back making it a positive experience.
I don’t like paying taxes, but holy hell not having the things they’re supposed to pay for sucks. You ever use a toll road or get caught in an intentional speed trap? Holy hell it sucks. And also we’re only kinda sure our food is safe and our medicine works. But the cops have tanks and the beef and gas are subsidized
I mean toll roads make sense, I’m not sure why we’re expected to pay to use public transport but not roads, when roads are far more expensive to maintain and us driving literally causes them to be damaged.
If roads and parking are free then public transit should be free. Otherwise toll roads are fine by me, although they’re technically a regressive charge in the US and Canada since you’re kind of forced to use a car in most areas… I mean car dependence itself is a giant regressive charge so that’s just one part of it.
But assuming we had actual functional transportation infrastructure, toll roads would actually be preferrable near more densely populated areas since it makes you think twice about using your car instead of taking a train or biking.
Canada doesn’t have tolls. And, at least in BC, good transportation.
Toll roads are a kind of tax.
I’m not getting the symbolism in relation to the post but this gif is great regardless.
