RRC Archives

Xtant wrote:

kato wrote:I don't think this is a partisan thing so much as the government in general seeing potential for a MASSIVE revenue stream and trying to get their hands on it.

lol...yeah...just wait until we pay usage taxes by the GB

Whoever tries this will probably have about as much success as the music industry has had with piracy. And for the same reasons.

We're running a $1T deficit and that will continue to grow. Every time the government steps in, it costs us money.

Socialized health care is not free. It's gonna cost us a whole lot.

How many billions did we dump into GM? It's ok, though. They paid us back. $6B, I believe. The government gave them more than that just to float them through their restructuring during bankruptcy. Billions were lost on that sinking ship.

If you want to see where socialism gets you, look no further than Greece. We'll be sending $billions there, as well. Or, more appropriately, China will be sending billions to greece through us.

We don't have the money for any of this. In Fact, we're short by $1,000,000,000,000 this year alone. That's a lot of zeroes.

Why is this bad? Aside from the possibility the US becomes insolvent? Taxes. You are gonna have to pay a lot in order to save the US's debt rating and in order for the US to NOT go bankrupt.

How much? Well, some of the most socialized nations pay a VAT of over 20%. That's in addition to income taxes, property taxes, etc. That's a 20% sales tax. How would you like to pay $120 for that $100 cam?

Talk of a VAT is making it's way around DC.

So...BEST case scenario, over 50% of your income goes straight to uncle sam for all these entitlements. Worst case scenario? The US folds. Riots in the streets. Your money is worth nothing.

I don't really see the latter happening, but the former? Yeah.

So what positive change has he made?

"All your internet are belong to us"

toad857 wrote:

Xtant wrote:Obama brokered a deal that gave the UAW (a union of workers) controlling interest in the company for which the worked. Workers collectively owning the business they work for is definitive socialism.

i went to a restaurant that did this, too. the workers, kitchen staff, bartenders, all own the restaurant the day they get hired. pretty neat. they're now one of the most successful restaurants in town (~30 years now). people are dying to work there.

Big difference...

The government did not show up at the front door of the restaurant and force the owner to give majority ownership to the workers. Most "employee owned" corporations (or variations of) have one "shareholder" or group that maintains controlling interest. This person or group is usually the original owner / controller of the corporation. It is the owner's decision to offer "non-public" shares to THEIR employees, not a government mandate.

You are confusing the above business model with a true Co-Operative (Co-Op). All things considered, when you compare the number of Co-Ops out there with the number of private, publicly traded, and "employee owned" corporations, the actual number is very small. It will only be successful in select situations.

Xtant wrote: So...BEST case scenario, over 50% of your income goes straight to uncle sam for all these entitlements....

we hit that mark a long time ago...

toad might be a little delirious.

toad857 wrote: let's not forget that we're still a capitalist country, and, again, that won't change.

It already has changed!! The federal government has been growing for 100 years, and there appears to be no end in sight. If you really believe that America could never become like France or Greece you are clueless....

Fartspray wrote:"All your internet are belong to us"

Sorry it went over your head, Fartspray. It was a "geek humor" referrence to the broken english phrase "all your base are belong to us" from a Japanese computer game, the translation of which is "all your bases are under our control".

Wow that was brilliant Larry ! The dog has caught the car.