What is really important to us here on BlueNC?
My take?
1. That we get a comprehensive health care plan for every citizen in the U.S. to be able to realize health care benefits that are not based on your ability to pay or on what is best for the providers.
2. That regardless of race, sexual orientation, religious belief, political belief...male or female..etc...we ALL have the exact same rights and priveleges as outlined in the constitution.
3. That everyone in this country should be offered the ability to obtain a first class education.
4. That service in the military should be offered to every qualified citizen of the U.S. regardless of sexual orientation, race, creed, religion or political belief.
I am sure there are more things to offer up in this regard and I encourage anyone and everyone to contribute to this line of thought here.
These are what rests heavy on my heart. Yours may be different and I'd LOVE to hear what you all have to say on this.
Thanks.
Comments
Number 5
5. America must reverse the hollowing out of the middle class lest we drift from democracy to oligarchy. I don't know how to reverse this trend, maybe begin by taking a hard look at what has happened to the capital gains tax over the past 30 years.
-b
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There cannot fail to be more kinds of things, as nature grows further disclosed. - Sir Francis Bacon
Explain that for us that do not have a clue, boball
Can you be more specific about this for us, boball? Not trying to question what you are saying...just trying to understand it.
Thanks.
If you're not an investor you wouldn't know...
But, CG taxes have plummeted. Anyone living off (long term) capital gains pays less tax than people who earn it by the sweat of their brow....about 15^% tax.
Guess who that helps? The folks with big portfolios. Not the little guy.
Stan Bozarth
Thanks
One of the things that the Obama administration is offering up is a hiatus of capital gains taxes (or something to that effect) for small business owners in order to help in our jobs/economic plight.
Is this, then, not a good thing? Why has capital gains gone down so much over the past years? Has it been just corporate/wealthy greed or has there been some impetus for it? And, if this administration wants to work within capital gains to hopefully spur economic growth, why has this plummeting of those taxes not already helped in keeping America stronger in that regard since a great many of those considered "rich" are, in fact, business owners?
Lot of questions, I know.
It is confusing.
Perhaps I misspoke
about the Oligarchy. Upon further review our direction seems more toward Plutocracy.
On the tax thing it appears to me that since capital gains is a 'flat' tax (I think going back up to 20% soon) it would be smart to have the bulk of your income to be in the form of capital gains, and not salary, especially if that income is very large.
There cannot fail to be more kinds of things, as nature grows further disclosed. - Sir Francis Bacon
Number 105 at the unemployment lines?
I don't know how to reverse this trend, maybe begin by taking a hard look at what has happened to the capital gains tax over the past 30 years.*boball
In the past 30 years, The American middle class has gone from 60 million to the present 30 middle class out of a Nation of 300 million or 10 % carrying the majority of the Tax base in the United States. The Rich or superrich of the United States carry only 1% of the Tax Base during this time. Reasons for this vast differnce are NAFTA, GAFTA, and other losses were Tax loopholes for Corporations that paid only 2% of the Tax base, thus making the quote " That only the Rich got more Rich and the Poor got Poorer" Due to Republican so-call Free Trade policies with other Global Nations with Cheap labor for goods. America has become a service base industrial nation, while it's industrial base was destroy and move off-shore to cheaper labor markets.
Red China meanwhile in the past 30 years has done this. It's middle class went from less than 30,000 to a soaring 300, million which is the total American population of 300 million at the present. In short, The American middle Class was transfer to Red China along with it's industrial base.
When you hear free capitalist market trade idiots tell you that only free markets Global trade can raise the American System to Riches is lying out of their neo-con teeth or they either hasn't the foggest idea how real protected Trade has work in ancient and modern Global history.
The first rule of a State is to protect it's citizens from the greedy corporate profiteers that seek to drain the blood out of it's citizens for massive profit and control markets by monopolyist practices of a few......
#6
6. A balanced budget at every level of government.
Truth be known
Unless something drastically changes, this may be a reality FORCED on government at every level. I think states already have that requirement.