Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Reflections...
When you get older you tend to reflect a lot on your life. How things went, where you could have changed something, where things all went wrong. You do that a lot when your best years are behind you.
I was just thinking today how they used to preach at me to work hard save for your retirement and you'll be set and I did that. I worked hard, tried to start my own business a few times, took out IRAs and 401ks tried to live responsibly.
I did all that and now that I'm left, at age 63, with nothing but social security and VA health care I'm pretty damn glad I have a government I can count on that at least wont let me die. The rest of them have abandoned me. So much for doing what they tell you to do.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
American Entitlements
In all the campaign rhetoric we are being bombarded with the one thing the right screams over and over again is Entitlements "we need to limit entitlements" why do Americans feel entitled to anything? I would ask why not?
In any other country than America citizens are entitled to health care. From Canada to Japan citizens all over the world are "entitled" to good health through their countries health care system. Yes they have a higher tax code than we do but when you consider they get health care whenever they need it you have to consider the tax is worth it.
Some countries subsidize their education system. They know that their future lies in educating their youth so children go to school from K-College on the government and what do they reap? Well they are far ahead of us in just about every area because they have, unlike us, the educated citizens to fill the jobs they need to keep their economies going. We make sure that anyone graduating, who isn't born into wealth, is in debt for years after they graduate.
Now I can hear the rightwingers screaming nanny state, nanny state, but I assure you that no one wants a nanny state nor do we want an intrusive government. We just know that when it comes to a fair shake we have a better chance with a efficient effective government than we do with the sharks on Wall Street.
Do we like higher taxes? No. No one does but then we know the bills must be paid. If the bills aren't paid you run a deficit and the left has historically been able to keep the deficit under control more so than those on the right. We do expect more from our government when our taxes are going up but we know a bargain when we see it and some of the entitlements we already have are well worth the price.
In closing I would ask why is it being an American citizen only entitles you to a life of hard work and in the end nothing to show for it, that is unless your in the 1% of citizens who can afford whatever they want. We are suppose to be the greatest country on earth but yet those countries we look down on entitle their citizens to much more than we do and those on the right want to take back what little we do have.
In any other country than America citizens are entitled to health care. From Canada to Japan citizens all over the world are "entitled" to good health through their countries health care system. Yes they have a higher tax code than we do but when you consider they get health care whenever they need it you have to consider the tax is worth it.
Some countries subsidize their education system. They know that their future lies in educating their youth so children go to school from K-College on the government and what do they reap? Well they are far ahead of us in just about every area because they have, unlike us, the educated citizens to fill the jobs they need to keep their economies going. We make sure that anyone graduating, who isn't born into wealth, is in debt for years after they graduate.
Now I can hear the rightwingers screaming nanny state, nanny state, but I assure you that no one wants a nanny state nor do we want an intrusive government. We just know that when it comes to a fair shake we have a better chance with a efficient effective government than we do with the sharks on Wall Street.
Do we like higher taxes? No. No one does but then we know the bills must be paid. If the bills aren't paid you run a deficit and the left has historically been able to keep the deficit under control more so than those on the right. We do expect more from our government when our taxes are going up but we know a bargain when we see it and some of the entitlements we already have are well worth the price.
In closing I would ask why is it being an American citizen only entitles you to a life of hard work and in the end nothing to show for it, that is unless your in the 1% of citizens who can afford whatever they want. We are suppose to be the greatest country on earth but yet those countries we look down on entitle their citizens to much more than we do and those on the right want to take back what little we do have.
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