More Bad News - Obama Reducing Mortgage Interest Deduction for "Top Earners"

Oops, meant to say "the biggest problem with paying more taxes is not the extra tax itself".

My other pipe dream is an "edit" function. :-)

belisarius,

i understand your points, but i want to correct number 3.

there is a very clear check on government spending: it's called voters. in a democracy the government is the expression of the will of the citizenry. if we feel our tax dollars are being misspent we can vote out the folks misspending those dollars. to claim that somehow corporations--with their cushy, insider boards--are more accountable than the government is simply inaccurate.

type3, petrifitz is a known demagogue and shithead. He's probably a Russian thug or something like that. Don't take him seriously, he doesn't deserve your aggravation.

me thinks that always is a new screen name for another a hole poster we see here often.

Happyrenter. I do pay taxes and I am not trying to get out of my obligations by volunteering. I think taxes are necessary. My real point about volunteering is that if you had spent significant time helping people who are on welfare and medicaid you would see that often our tax dollars are abused and taking more money from me or anyone else is not going to solve that issue. In fact, I predict, it will make it worse. More people will expect more goods and services from the government and take less personal responsibility. I applaud you for volunteering (especially at holiday time). Also, I do disagree about braces. Except in rare instances, they are a cosmetic luxury. The government should not be expected to foot that bill.

braces for children are simply not about cosmetics. it's not a debatable point blossom. it is established medical knowledge that dentistry and orthodontistry for children have important health consequences later in life. you may think that it is gold-plated medical care and that poor children do not deserve such high quality medicine in the united states. but you can't call it cosmetic when it is established medical knowledge that it is important for health.

as for tax dollars being misspent, that's inevitable. in every system on earth tax dollars are misspent and quite frankly, if you've ever worked for a public corporation you would see that shareholder dollars are also misspent. a certain amount of waste is just endemic to any system. are there things that can be done to minimize waste? absolutely, and they should be done. but simply pointing out that there is waste is not an argument against government spending or taxation. there will always be waste.

fraud and abuse are altogether different--they are illegal and should be punished and prosecuted. are you actually accusing the people you worked with of defrauding the system? because if it is simply that you think they got more assistance than you personally think they deserve that is not abuse at all.

Well, one thing is for sure - petrifizz is definitely entertaining. Remember this one, kids?

"petrfitz
about 8 months ago
ignore this person
report abuse

I have a driver and ride in a Prius. He details it for me. No tanning beds needed I have a beach house and use SPF 30."

Ha hahaha. Oh my fucking god that's great stuff. You can't make it up, can you? Type3secretion obviously never saw this.

always - "demagogue"? That's a little over the top. He's just a child, did you not figure that out?

happyrenter,
Braces for children are simply for cosmetics. Do not argue this with me because I certainly know more so than any here. Some doctors may claim otherwise to provide more services but it's nothing but a money sucking claim.

Unless you have a skeletal orthodontic problem, it does not pose any medical/dental risk to any cavities or diseases. In fact, Crowding does not contribute to cavities. It may accumulate more plaque but one can brush their teeth twice daily and goto the dentist twice a year for any debridment.

Petrfitz,
You do sound more like a retarded kid. Your posts are nothing but a lie, made up dream world facinations. Please enlighten me with more before I start educating your 5th grade brain.

Why not start paying for lumineers for patients with stains/tetracycline staining? Pay for implants because bridges are more harming to the tooth.
Some democrat convinced the state to pay for such thing as braces when the tax dollars were flowing in, but when it doesn't does all benefit must remain the same? I say as long as you have food,water, shelter, scrap the rest unless you are a taxpayer.

dwell
about 21 hours ago
ignore this person
report abuse Yeah, now they can text it in: "I C trorist"

haha that was the funniest post I've read all week :)

Yes and braces are to fight the terrorist by biting and ripping their skin off with those sharp metals.

petrfitz
about 21 hours ago
ignore this person
report abuse "There are already low cost land line phone programs for the needy. Why do they need cell phones?"

maybe it is now cheaper to give them cell phones than it is to maintain the land line cables inside of public housing? hmm but understanding that would require you to think a little and not outright hate poor people.

The state is issuing free cell phones because they think it's a neccesity. One must make an emergency call on the road and so on. IMO, it's bullshit.
I don't hate the poor, but I just hate how our hard earned money are spent. Remember the recent headline about this one state issuing $1 check to every resident (costs more than a $1 to process these checks) to get the $46million funding from the gov't?

Ultimately, what constitutes a "safety net" depends on your vision of where this country is going, and what the basics are or should be. If you want to to deliver the minimum necessities to those in need, forget food stamps - think about how much it costs each family to store & cook food that is bought with food stamps. Better to make the poor line up for soup kitchens. Guaranteed nutritious meals, and economy of scale. And why should they have individual living rooms & kitchens in their subsidized apts? They should have access only to communal living. Oh, and mandatory sterilization after the first 2 children. Stoppage of welfare benefits to any child who has hit puberty unless they have birth control implants. Where do you draw the line?

i like the way you think nyc10023. mandatory sterilization, let the poor live in dormitories, maybe make poor children work in factories rather than go to school. personally, i would prefer to live in a country where even poor folks are treated with decency and respect. obviously not everyone agrees.

as for the importance of proper dentistry and orthodontistry, here is the ADA:

Orthodontic treatment is used to correct a “bad bite.” This condition, known as a malocclusion, involves teeth that are crowded or crooked. In some cases, the upper and lower jaws may not meet properly and although the teeth may appear straight, the individual may have an uneven bite.

Protruding, crowded or irregularly spaced teeth and jaw problems may be inherited. Thumb-sucking, losing teeth prematurely and accidents also can lead to these conditions.

Correcting the problem can create a nice-looking smile, but more important, orthodontic treatment results in a healthier mouth. That’s because crooked and crowded teeth make cleaning the mouth difficult, which can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and possibly tooth loss. An improper bite can interfere with chewing and speaking, can cause abnormal wear to tooth enamel, and can lead to problems with the jaws.

Hey, when you talk braces, everyone who's paying taxes gets defensive. It's a big-ticket item for a regular family (I mean regular, not "middle-class" New Yorkers). I know many families who are solidly middle-class who can't afford to get braces on more than one kid at a time. It would sort of kill them to see welfare recipients getting for free what they have to scrimp for. BTW, I'm not against giving all children braces for free. If we're going to bankrupt ourselves as a country, might as well spend on braces & education for everyone.

Fabke boobs for everyone! Who's gonna look at your teeth when you're knocking people over with DDDDDD? men and women!

stevejhx: "Someone who makes $40,000 pays a much higher total tax percentage than someone who makes $400,000."

This was a ways back in the thread, but worth a response. Steve, you are plain wrong. With typical deducations (and a child), a person making $40k a year will likely pay NO federal income taxes at all. ZERO. NONE. NADA. The tax credits that they are "entitled" to are enough to outweigh whatever (minimal) federal income tax that they would have to pay otherwise. In fact, may people in that position actually get a tax REFUND when they haven't paid ANY federal income tax. And, I can assure you, someone making $400k a year will never get away with paying zero in federal income tax.

slope: sometimes it's better to ignore stevejhx, HR, petre and others after two comments or so, they tend to have this inherent weakness of thought, the more they post, their thoughts become fact. Strength of mind always overcomes that. Post two times in rebuttal, then ignore them.

The true measure of a society (and the true measure of a man/woman for that matter) is the way it (he/she) treats the less fortunate. And as a society we need to be concerned about the less fortunate. Less fortunate can mean those with economic hardship and those with medical hardship. Some are less fortunate because they have not had the same opportunities that others have had.

This country has NOT always done a good job on this idea but it has always strived to create equal access to opportunities. We hear the words equal opportunity all the time and for good reason. Equal opportnity for jobs, for lenders, for public works projects and so on. Equal opportunities to attend schools and universities.

The goal has been and should be to provide equal access to opportunity. What you do with those opportunities is up to you.

The goal has never been and should never be to equalize the outcomes. The Obama administraton is taking giant leaps toward "spreading the wealth around" and equalizing the outcomes. That is socialism.

If nothing else the American people are very good at responding to incentives. Offer a free good or service and Americans will demand a lot of it. Subsidize a good (e.g. housing) and Americans will buy a lot of it. Make braces free and guess what? Everyone will be demanding a million dollar smile . Make a little blue pill available in the medical benefits of retired auto workers and guess what? There is $2,000 worth of Viagra in every Chevrolet, GM is bankrupt and you are wondering who knocked up your daughter!

Why should people who do not pay any taxes be getting "rebate" checks from the government? Do people making more than $250,000 a year use the roads more? use the public schools more? use the police and fire department more? use our armed services more? If you do not bear the cost you do not understand the value? We do not as a society value the things that are free or the things that are given to us. What exactly is so wrong with asking for some contribution from the citizens who derive benefit from our government and asking them to understand that these services cost money?

Shouldn't any American citizen with a job contribute something to the national defense? to the operation of our government? to the protection our police and fire departments provide? to the education their children receive?

HR, why should the teeth brushers and every day flossers pay for the fillings of those who choose not to floss or brush?

why should skinny people pay the same for health insurance as fat people?

nobody said they should

what about people with rotten family history?

"stevejhx: "Someone who makes $40,000 pays a much higher total tax percentage than someone who makes $400,000."

This was a ways back in the thread, but worth a response. Steve, you are plain wrong. With typical deducations (and a child), a person making $40k a year will likely pay NO federal income taxes at all. ZERO. NONE. NADA. The tax credits that they are "entitled" to are enough to outweigh whatever (minimal) federal income tax that they would have to pay otherwise. In fact, may people in that position actually get a tax REFUND when they haven't paid ANY federal income tax. And, I can assure you, someone making $400k a year will never get away with paying zero in federal income tax. "

Correct, Steve is painfully wrong. We have a progressive tax system when all taxes are factored in.

HR. I do think that poor people should be treated with dignity and respect. You assume because I think braces are cosmetic that I am not respectful of poor people? Ridiculous. The federal government is already wasting and mismanaging our tax dollars that taking more from me and others like me is bothersome.
Yes through my volunteer work and practice, I see people both abusing the system and the system allowing itself to be abused. Any physician who has worked in an emergency department or who sees Medicaid or no insurance patients will agree with me on this, and if not, would love to hear from them. Maybe it is just the system in my state.

The opposite end of the spectrum from sterilization, communal living, factory working children is just as absurd. Lets let everyone have braces and caps on their teeth, invitro fertilization, a summer home for those sultry days in the city, cell phones, Hummers-(they are much safer than being in the other car if involved in a two car accident), fake boobs (as real ones that are not perky and slightly uneven may give some young women poor self esteem), trips overseas to Paris for true cultural stimulation, where does it end?

The government needs to get rid of pork projects, manage properly the programs it already has in place before it asks it's hardworking citizens for more.

here we go again. the same tired rhetoric about the 'hard working' rich people being taxed to death. blossom, you think only rich people work hard?

i wish you all would just admit that you are selfish and only care about hoarding as much as you can for yourselves. i think that's reprehensible, but at least it is honest. trying to tie yourselves into pretzels making some kind of moral argument that medical care for poor children should take a back seat to your desires to live in luxury is just hilarious.

last thing, then i'm done with this thread: the 'opposite' scenario you lay out, blossom, is actually the scenario you are arguing for: instead of providing basic services for everyone, we should sacrifice those services so a select few can pump up their boobs, cap their teeth, vacatio in paris, and drive hummers. that's the system we've been moving toward since 1980. more and more for fewer and fewer to waste on crap.