U.S. ranks 25th in life expectancy while we pay the MOST for health care

[Headholio]

you know dick

Rude and unimaginative seems to be a common trait among some posters here. Who raised you?

The topic is healthcare.

 

[Headholio]

Fact remains that politicians still don't give a shit about any of the poor or middle class.

posted by Headholio
If you keep avoiding specifics, you need no facts and have nothing to defend. Simple jabs with nothing behind it. I see the ploy, but it doesn't accomplish much, does it?

if you want to talk taxes let's throw some facts into it:

-Tax revenue as % of GDP is 14% this year vs historical 17-20% from the mid 50's through Clinton and Bush.

-400 people in this country have more wealth than 50% of the population combined. what do you want the politicians to do about this bro? Take it away from the rich and redistribute it to the poor? lol.

-Average income for the bottom 90% is $31k. why is that? Do you suppose they have any control over that? Maybe through education, or working harder or smarter?

-Average income for the top one hundredth of 1 percent is $27 million/yr. And? We can't all be wealthy bro. Again, what do you want politicians to do about this? How would raising taxes on those people level the playing field in any other way than making them a little less rich? It's not going to make the poor any richer...unless the gov't starts paying people to be poor.

-From 1979 to 2007, the bottom 80% lost share of American wealth, while the top 20% gained 30% of the wealth, and the top 1% increased their share 120%. Again, your point? It sounds like you expect the dems to play Robin Hood for you. Is that correct?

-Before Reagan, the top tax brackets from the 1930s forward was in the 70% to 90% range, now its 35% and some bozos call Obama a socialist for proposing 39%. that would make every republican President from Hoover forward a socialist as well, except Reagan. I could live with a 4% increase to the top tax bracket. I sure would like to see a complete overhaul of frivolous government spending though (yeah right, like that will happen).

-Reagan increased taxes too, he just preferred to do it to middle class people. Even Reagan realized he created too much debt by his tax cuts, something that todays radical right will never acknowledge.

There, now we have some facts to discuss!

Good questions, CEO. My point in general is to put facts on the table. Those facts aren't very pleasant. Things have not always been the way they are now, which means there are things we can do about it.

In the 60's, a corporate CEO made 24 times the income of his average worker. In this decade, the ratio rose to over 500 times average worker pay.

epi.org/publication/webfeatures_snapshots_20060621/

During the economic expansion between 2002 and 2007, the income of the top 1% grew 10 times faster than the income of the bottom 90%. In this period 66% of total income gains went to the 1%, who in 2007 had a larger share of total income than at any time since 1928.

The gap between the wealthy and the vast majority of Americans is growing larger, exponentially.

You use the term redistribution, which is a common dog whistle term on the right, but remember, redistribution is happening every day. Money is flowing from average Americans to the super rich, every day.

As Americans, regardless of party, I hope most can agree that the trends are not positive. The concentration of wealth held by a very small minority is a characteristic of a third world country, an oligarchy, and exactly the opposite of what our founding fathers wanted.

In the old days, when a CEO made 24 times an average workers salary, he was rich. There was still an upper class, but there was more opportunity for average people.

There has been a trend, and a myth, that making the richer richer, will help everyone. that myth has been proven false. Reagan trickle down did not work. The trickle down went to China an India to increase corporate profits, and the middle class has not benefited.

These trends can be reversed. There can be more opportunity for average people, more help for people who need it, and more wealth among average people. Fiscal policy and government action can make this the land of opportunity it once was. Call it what you will.

“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.”
Theodore Roosevelt

 

[Spartacus]

Rude and unimaginative seems to be a common trait among some posters here. Who raised you?

The topic is healthcare.

some posters
asshole

 

[Spartacus]

fix me another drink french

 

[PICK3]

fix me another drink french

 

[Spartacus]

well goddamn someone got it

 

[Headholio]

some posters
asshole

No need to feel so insecure and scared Sparticus. I'm not a threat to you. Relax, its just the internets.

 

[brownbrown]

Payroll tax cut put up for the middle class... GOP denies it and says it has to be paid for by federal worker pay freezes and budget cutting.

They asked for NO cost leveraging for the extention of the BUSH tax cuts (+/-70 billion a year) they said must be extended to extend unemployment benefits.
There's a clear picture on who is at least doing something for the Masses and not a select few.

The chart above is Mainly do to LEGISLATION not to free market capitolism.

 

[ceo]

Good questions, CEO. My point in general is to put facts on the table. Those facts aren't very pleasant. Things have not always been the way they are now, which means there are things we can do about it. And what do you propose to do about it? Make the gov't take the money from the rich and give it to the poor? Why would the poor want to continue to work hard (those that actually do) when the gov't will pay them just to be poor?

In the 60's, a corporate CEO made 24 times the income of his average worker. In this decade, the ratio rose to over 500 times average worker pay. Yeah, it sucks. You're talking about large corps here, not smaller businesses. People are greedy. Even with checks and balances of a Board of Directors in place the CEOs still get those big payouts. What about the companies that received bailouts? The CEOs still got bonuses and big paychecks...all for running the company into the ground. Those that got handouts should have had the CEOs (and maybe other execs) fired. Fuck em. Nobody (corps) should have gotten bailed out at all.

epi.org/publication/webfeatures_snapshots_20060621/

During the economic expansion between 2002 and 2007, the income of the top 1% grew 10 times faster than the income of the bottom 90%. In this period 66% of total income gains went to the 1%, who in 2007 had a larger share of total income than at any time since 1928. Greed ran rampant. Too bad there weren't more responsible, good people in positions to be able to do something about it (and I don't mean gov't).

The gap between the wealthy and the vast majority of Americans is growing larger, exponentially. Sucks huh? Again...what do you propose we do about it?

You use the term redistribution, which is a common dog whistle term on the right, but remember, redistribution is happening every day. Money is flowing from average Americans to the super rich, every day. Ah, semantics. What would you like to call it? You've given me no direct answer, but it's obvious that is what you want and expect the dems to do. Good luck with that pipe dream. Yes, the rich know how to make money and the poor and middle class living in debt know how to spend it. Do they not have any choice in what they do with their money? It's a fact most people don't budget. Who's fault is that?

As Americans, regardless of party, I hope most can agree that the trends are not positive. The concentration of wealth held by a very small minority is a characteristic of a third world country, an oligarchy, and exactly the opposite of what our founding fathers wanted. Agreed. The trends are not positive. But it is happening and it has been happening for decades, regardless of the political party majority. Yes, that is a characteristic of a third world country. Again, how do you propose to fix this? If not for the country, then at least for yourself and your family?

In the old days, when a CEO made 24 times an average workers salary, he was rich. There was still an upper class, but there was more opportunity for average people. I know. And people worked 9-5 and had an hour for lunch. No cell phones, no internet, even the milk man had a house on the lake with a boat and he did well enough that his wife didn't have to work. She stayed home with the kids and had dinner ready when he got home at 5:30. Of course the average house cost like $6,000 (about $50-60k adjusted for inflation today).

There has been a trend, and a myth, that making the richer richer, will help everyone. that myth has been proven false. Reagan trickle down did not work. The trickle down went to China an India to increase corporate profits, and the middle class has not benefited. Making the rich richer helps everyone? Surely not everyone! I must have missed that trend.

These trends can be reversed. There can be more opportunity for average people, more help for people who need it, and more wealth among average people. Fiscal policy and government action can make this the land of opportunity it once was. Call it what you will. What opportunity for average people? How? Where will it come from? More help for people who need it? You mean more social programs (gov't handouts of tax dollars)? More wealth among average people? Again, how? You mean they will all start successful small businesses? Or will the gov't make them wealthy? How will gov't make this the land of opportunity again? Some will argue that gov't has been crippling the opportunities more and more over time. Regulations and controls, taxes and fees. I knew a lady who was running a very successful 24 hour daycare. it was successful because it was open 24 hours. Well, the state has to be able to visit anytime during operating hours, and no state worker worked nights or weekends, so they forced her to close on nights and weekends and she lost the bulk of her business. She lost her competitive edge, her niche. She shut down. Real opportunity creators, that gov't, huh?

“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.”
Theodore Roosevelt

You still haven't told us what you want the gov't to do about all this uneven distribution of wealth and corporate greed.

 

[javaguru]

Allow me to clarify the statistics the lefties like to quote....

These statistics don't account for healthcare and other benefits as income; Roughly 80% of Americans have healthcare provided...that is real income but not considered income by the tax code based on some FDR era legislation. If you have healthcare provided by your employer that increases in cost by 8% per year that is an income increase...

If you account for benefits provided by employers that aren't treated as income the middle class in America is doing just fine...