Politics

Fraz , basically he believes in fair tax.The IRS itself is a money sucking machine. Fair tax also greaty benefits middle class americans which make up the majority of this country.

Here is a link to read further about it.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=5

More:

http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/TheFairTaxAndMiddleAmericans--CaseStudy.pdf

Thanks, aerwin!

I read the stuff at the links and got reminded that I really am not middle class. No family, no house, no kids, no savings, some good years, some bad...no way will I be able to live a long life without some help.

But even more, somehow I got reminded that I have one idealogical notion that I kind of go crazy not knowing any way to have it become part of the mainstream.
Here it is:

All fertile men and boys who are sexually active should be required to wear condoms, every time. Period, unless they have a woman who has put in notarized writing that she is willing to not only have a child with the man (who has to commit to support the mom and potential kid financially) but is also willing to risk her life to AIDS, cervical cancer, herpes, and other STDs that can render her infertile and/or very diseased.

For this to happen, men have to make themselves find sex with rubbers more erotic than sex without.

No blowjobs without a rubber, too.

Yep. i mean it.

Obama has clearly taken the lead for the Democrats, with 9 primaries in a row, and two of the Clinton wins with disbarred delegates.

My today's view is that Clinton should withdraw, support Obama enthusiastically, and beat the hell out of McCain in four years.

Obama just seems so hollow to me. I have no clue, even with great research, if anything he will do will have any positive affect on my issues, except for (and it is a big one, positive in his favor) the USA's standing in the terrorist world. I do believe he is the only one who will help the US there.

But I truly believe he will be crushed by McCain, who will make my personal life, and the USA's life in global issues, much worse.

*******

I really welcome some debate here. I want to state the issues that matter most to me as a woman approaching 60, no family, no home ownership, most at home in the arts, extremely concerned about how people like me are going to live out our days. Obviously people with families and who have home ownership have different priorities. I want us to find ways that will make ALL out lives better. (and nobody currently running seems to have a clue how to do that). Maybe by the next election we can have some ideas formulated.

I mean, I am willing to pay my zillion percent taxes as a single-non-home-owning-woman to at least educate other people's kids. And to hire police and firemen for all of us, even those with kids who start fires (a real concern in Southern California), take drugs, need rehab, etc.. And to pay the salaries for politicians who make three times what I do even at a local level.

I am willing to find ways to work until I am 75. After that, I will absolutely need help. There are even laws requiring that people retire at 65 in many industries.

If I retire at 65, I will be a ward of the state. That is my reality unless something changes, radically.

Should I be punished for living a life not grounded in sensible American business-corporate-marriage-where-the-man-makes-enough-to support the wife and kids?

Maybe. But if that is the case, what can I do to get a special dispensation? I am perfectly willing to say that I blew it. I should have married some guy who works and was willing to support me forever.

But I did blow it, and did not do that. And do not even have kids to bribe such a man.

I AM ON MY OWN. WHAT CAN I DO????

Let us, smart women, come up with at least some theoretical ideas about how to accommodate us all.

Moving to France or Denmark soon enough to make it possible to be a citizen is the most promising, but dang, I would rather live in America.

But if you all think America is hopeless, given my circumstances, please say so.

I need some encouragement one way or another.

Gosh Frazz, reading that just breaks my heart I so wish I knew what to tell you to do or how to help. I just don't know. I am married with kids and own a large home so I just never had to think about being in your situation. There must be someone you can talk to that can help you out. Someone who knows what people in your situation should do.

I am afraid being brought up Republican we do have the "you must learn to take care of yourself and not rely (or trust) on the government to help you" attitude, so that is how we have lived and planned and prepared for retirement. I cannot imagine being in your position or knowing what to do Being married, having kids and owning a home was just the only way I ever saw my life. I so wish I had advise you I so wish you had found the perfect man for you and lived happily ever after, or that your career had taken off. You so deserve that. Don't give up hope! Something good will happen for you! Good people deserve good things! I will pray for you!

Thanks, FC.

I am not so much looking for magic personal answers, but wanting to come up with some political answers that are at least a possibility for America. There are huge numbers of people who are not in families with two parents, and huge numbers who do not own homes. There are gigantic numbers of people my age who are terrified about what to do once they can't work (or simply will not get hired) anymore.

I suspect that moving to Denmark or France or another as yet unknown to me country is the only way for me personally.

Frazz, my suggestion would be to talk to some sort of financial planner. Someone who can answer those questions and tell you what the laws are. Maybe there's some grant or something that you don't know about.

I don't agree with you about McCain. I'm tellin you, I have a friend AND her family who are staunch George Bush Republicans who say they would have no problem voting for Obama. I think if he doesn't do what normal democrats do (like not respond to attacks and try to please everyone all of the time like Kerry did) I think he'll do really well. He's not hated like Hillary is.

My friend agreed with me that Hillary is to Republicans what George Bush is to democrats. They just hate her too much and we don't need anymore in-fighting.

FC, I don't think Frazz is just sitting and waiting for the government to help her. I think what she's saying is that she's being penalized tax-wise, etc., for not living up to the "American Dream". That women like us are punished for not marrying and having 2.5 kids. The rich are the ones with the tax breaks.

Then we get older and we're not "viable" anymore. She's looking at a government who shuns her. There are many governments who take care of their elderly - just not the United States, where they don't give a damn about you. It's very sad to live in the "land of opportunity" and be THIS CLOSE to living on the streets. It's not hard these days. Salaries have not kept up with the standard of living. Gas is at a horrendous price. We're not asking for a hand-out, but a way out.

I was not implying that I thought Frazz was just waiting around for the government to help her. I meant I was brought up to not even think about looking to the government for help. Not because there is anything wrong with getting help, but because we didn't believe they would be there to help us. So we planned on taking care of ourselves, at least unless some tragedy happened. I will say that Medicare has for the most part been amazing for my folks, especially my Dad. In some ways the VA has been good too, in other ways, not so much. Just in my immediate family (Hubby, boys and me) we would rather not have to deal with the government if at all possible. We do not have much faith in politicians or the government to truly look out for us. It is horrible yes, but that is how we feel it is. Therefore, I don't how to help Frazz, since I don't think the government is going to care for her they way that it should. I would hate for her to feel that she has to leave the country to get what she needs, but maybe when she is done checking into everything that will be the best option for her. I just hope it never comes to that. Now, if she were an illegal I'm sure she would get plenty of help - but you do not want to get me started on that subject.

No we probably don't want to get started on the illegal discussion since I know a couple of them who are angels who work their asses off and receive no benefits of any kind. I'm sure we have hugely differing opinions on the subject.

We're not even talking about the government helping, even though wouldn't THAT be nice, since we're supposed to take care of our own. We're actually being PENALIZED for not doing what they want us to do. It's like, "oh, you don't want to have children? No house? SCREW YOU!"

It just seems a shame, as people who have worked hard our whole lives and paid our taxes, that we're left with nothing to show for it in the end. We're asked to give so much, while receiving almost nothing. It's just terrible.

They may be angels and hard workers, but they also could come to this country legally. If someone is here illegally than why should they be entitled to any benefits? Come here legally and I would begrudge you nothing. The governor of Illinois wanted to let illegals have everything possible! Thank goodness his ideas got a resounding NO across the board. I have nothing against these people based on race, color, creed etc., just that if you do not come here legally then you should not have the same rights - like voting!! I would not go to another county illegally and expect the same rights as the legal citizens. If I have to pay taxes for my benefits - than so should they. If they love it here and take things from here, then give back the way the rest of us do.

I do not know your situation or Frazz's personally. I do not know why or how it is that because you are single and childless means you are not entitled to benefits when you retire. Do you not get SS? I don't understand. My mom never had a job in her whole life and she gets SS. So why wouldn't you guys? Granted it is not much, and I don't know how things will go when my dad is gone. But, you should be getting something. Maybe you guys could move in together! Lots of people live together to share expensives. If you mean health care - well the expenses are insane and I do not see how that is ever going to get better. It's best to not get sick! Getting sick has wiped out my folks. It just doesn't make sense to me that you guys would be entitled to less because you never got married That's crazy!

I have paid close to a half a million in taxes over my lifetime. The benefits I have received include kindergarten through high school in public school, and general highway/cops/firefighter citizen benefits.

I help put other people's kids through school. I help people like Bush put on wars I think are immoral and build weapons I think should be globally illegal. I pay to subsidized married people's taxes. As a renter I help pay for my landlords to live in mansions. I pay for Britney to have 25 cops, plus ambulence drivers and EMTs, escort her to the hospital. I help pay the salaries of all the republican politicians.

If the government would give me my half a million back, I'd be just fine.

OMG! Does it really add up to THAT much??? That is damn scary! I try not to think about the taxes going to Britney and landlords. That would make me loony! But, thanks for helping to put my kids through school! Now if you could help a little more with the $20,00 we need to put Eric into NIU in a year and half we would really appreciate it! Then we will have to start Justin into college also Oh my, us married people with kids don't always have it so easy either - not when it comes to feeding teenage boys and putting them through college. But that's OK. I wouldn't trade them for a billion dollars!

Harumph. I worked my way through college. In a rock & roll joint and what was then known as a Head SHop. I looked the part, even though i detested pot.


Put those kids to WORK!

p.s. I do not think anybody has it easy. That is why I want political ideas that can be helpful to all households where the people do not make more than $200,000 a year. AFter that, they ought to pay gigantic taxes.

Like I said, FC, we will just have to agree to disagree on the illegal issue. All I see is a lot of people coming here to do work you and I would never do, running from a place where there's no opportunity. Our views are mutually excusive and probably will not find a common factor.


Frazz, what you said is sheer poetry. Yep, that pretty much nails it. We've given and given and don't get anything in return. The rich get richer...

The one thing FC proves is that in order to make it after retirement, you must have two incomes. If you don't, you'd better hope you win the lottery, because all you'll get is a "thank you very much for all that money you gave us, now please shut up and go away".

If America had Universal Health Care like all other first world countries (and some second and third world), I could believe I'd find a a way to live one way or another until I croak. Without that, no way. Old is old, and it really doesn't matter how determined to stay healthy you are, you still need check ups, blood tests, etc., which cost thousands of dollars a year without insurance.

I am currently eligible to pay a minimum of $500 a month for insurance. I am making (working 50 hours a week at two officially decent jobs) with takehome pay that is about $500 a month too little to live a normal life. SO I'd need an additional $1000 to get insurance. An a thousand on top of that to save for retirement.

WHy don't I have retirement savings? Well, I had them but over the past year and a half before i finally got work, I was looking for work, had interviews for jobs i would have gotten if I were 30 years younger, so didn't get them and wound up spending every thing I had. All my savings, cashed in all my stocks, everything. I was practically republican in my preparations. But I couldn't find work.

How did I finally get work? By using what I actually have, a genuinely eccentric personality.

Not many hirers want that, but I never get jobs where they don't want that, no matter how generic I pretend to be. They can smell it just as much as the eccentric-appreciators can.

But there are many fewer jobs for eccentrics.

And lobotomies have been illegal since I have been an adult, so even if I tried to be less me, it just wasn't in the cards.

If I were suited to being a wife and a step-mom I am sure I could have found a guy. But I realy am not so suited.

I might wind up with an equally eccentric guy, but it is unlikely.

I will never be a mom, step mom or anything other than an eccentric Auntie Mame. That is my true nature. So any hopes of getting some kids who feel beholden to support me (or even do some chores I can no longer do, already) in my waning years are extremely dim.

Was that lack of planning? I do not think so, at all. I absolutely panned to have enough money to take care of myself forever without any unpaid help. But it did not work out that way.

Plus I was married. For 17 years. I nobly (and felt right about it at the time, not realizing how much discrimination in the workplace there is against women, especially no-longer-fuckable ones) took nothing. NOW I wish the fucker had to pay me. I helped him in many ways become the successful writer he is today (as in, he actually could not have done it without my years of dedication to helping him write, helping him know how to deal with people, helping him in interviews, etc. while he undermined me every step of the way as an actor. When I surrendered, quit acting and started writing with him full time, motherfucker started cheating on me. The end.).

GE, we may not agree much when it comes to politics, but we do agree on the important issues - like Jensen, Jared and Steve Perry!

Frazz, both of my my boys have jobs. They pay for their cars, car insurance, gas, school lunches, and any fun activities with their friends like going to the show. But, we do feel it is our responsibility to get them a college education, even though we cannot afford the really good or out of state schools. We want to get them their Associates Degree without school loans, but we will probably have to take out school loans when they move on to NIU to get their Bachelors Degree. Unless we inherit any money by then. I wish we didn't have to get school loans, but even going to a nearby state University and not living on campus will cost us about $12,000 a year. We ended up with too many expected issues with our new home and flooding that drained a lot of the money saved for college.

Coming from a healthcare perspective, I see a system that is so out of control in spending and waste that it is going to suck the life out of retirement benefits, nursing home services, and the cost of routine healthcare for all of us. There needs to be a complete change of focus in how care is provided and like in other countries, limits need to be set on how much money is going to be spent to prolong lives of people that are elderly and at the end of their lives, are not citizens of our country, etc. etc. etc.

Obama understands that importance of putting our money in the only place we can truely change the course of the healthcare crisis...prevention and paying for preventive services before someone winds up on a ventilator because they are morbidly obese and rack up a million dollar hospital bill that no one can pay for....

Luca, you are exactly right. But I still am astounded by how many ppl go bankrupt over medical costs. And that is people WITH insurance. The insurance compnies are there to make a profit. PERIOD. Believe you me that can deny payment. Something has to be done. That is why I also agree with Obama that there has to be a watchdog over these insurance corporations. Preventative care will go a long way in curbing costs. But something has to be done about unethical pratices going on with insurance companies.
And sorry I am sure most illegals are here to work. Get in line and become legal. Plenty do .I completely disagree with McCain on amnesty for them. Look at it this way out healthcare is not free buy yet illegals get free healthcare. How is that possibly fair?
It's not.

And my son has had a free public school education , but I GUARANTEE you he will not get a free ride for college. We have to pay for it. It is ruggle for most people.

YES AERWIN!! THAT is what I was meaning! The illegals here get free medical, don't pay taxes, AND our Governor wanted them to be able to vote and get Drivers Licenses, and more. WHY would anybody even bother to come here legally when they can get even MORE for free than my family can???!!(wait, my family doesn't get anything free )HOT button with me like you would not believe!!

Honestly, I don't know who the hell I will vote for. Maybe I will move to Denmark with Frazz. I don't think any of them will really fix much of anything. I don't really trust politicians as far as I can throw them.

BTW, we have good medical insurance with my husband's company and the trip to the ER for my son on New Year's Eve (we were there two hours) was $600 out of our pocket AFTER our insurance paid their portion. The ER was $900 and and that did not include the doctor or any of the tests done. It was just for Eric to be in the stinking room for 2 hours. The doc who looked at him billed $300 and the pathologist billed us $250 for the test he ran. It is unfortunate that Eric got so sick at 10:15 PM on a holiday and there was no doctor's office to go to. But there are no options out where we live but ER after hours. So what else could we do? Most of the two hours was waiting for labs. Not much was done but vitals and take blood. Oh, they gave him 2 Tylenol and wrote a prescription.

Well, I don't know if I would call our sons public education free. We pay $14,000 a year in property taxes - most for schools, and $500 - $800 registration fees depending on what year they were in. HS fees are high, especially sophomore year. It was $365 for drivers ed last year for Justin. They are raising it to $685 next year JUST for the drivers ed class.

Everybody who pays taxes subsidizes the public education, the cops, the firefighters, the politician salaries, the roads, airports, Medicaid, the social security (such as it is) even for people who never worked (that one I really don't get).

I certainly am not implying that home-owning, with kids, married couples are unfairly subsidized, just pointing out that they they ARE subsidized. Households with over $200,000 income get subsidized and pay much less of a percentage as the rest of us. And the higher the income after that, the less they pay.

Until I get social security. I will have gotten only a public education, roads, airports, and libraries for my half million. And when I get social security (if it still exists, then) I will get not much more than somebody who never worked. If Medicaid is still around I will undoubtedly make use of that, too.

By the way, most of the mainstream illegal workers (restaurants, etc.) DO pay taxes. Unemployed or self employed do not.

THe mafia bosses set that up in the 50s, where they got fake ids that go with real social security numbers. So the workers pay taxes but get no benefits. That is part of what is so odd about America. THe government never cracks down of things that make it money (street drugs, for example, and under-minimum but legal pay that is taxed).

Neither my husband nor I understand why my mom gets SS when she never worked or paid into it. I have no idea how that works. My mom received a head injury when she was 6 years old. She was bed ridden for 8 years after. She has some learning disabilties. Lived with her folks until she was 19 when she married my dad. Never worked, didn't get a drivers license because she struggles with reading and was afraid she would get lost etc., So we were shocked when we found out she got SS. FWIW, it's not much.

My cousin's husband employs many illegals. Pays them under the table so they don't pay taxes. His advantage is being able to pay them less and get more contracts because of lower bids. I don't approve of what he does, but I am certainly not going to cause family problems and say anything. He is a general contractor for building custom homes. I know this because he built our custom home. We did not know ahead of time that that was the reason he was more affordable than other builders we checked out. It is not just him, it is landscapers and widow washers we know doing the same thing. But hey, I get a ton of big windows cleaned for an amazing price. Our neighborhood drywaller - who is Hispanic - does the same thing. All of his guys are illegals and they send the money to their families back in Mexico. My youngest son is friendly with his son. Not like I am going to cause any trouble for these people. I don't say or do a thing about it. But it is well known here where I live that this goes on. If there is that much of it going on in our area, I am sure it is going on all over the country. I know they are hard workers. I know they do a lot of work others don't like to do. I know they are good at their jobs. I think it is nice they help their families back home. But I think they should become legal. Get paid legally. Pay their income tax and then send what they can to their families back home. I believe things should be done properly and above board. Just the way I am.

Things are far from perfect in this country, but going about things illegally is not the answer. NOT that I have the answers. I am not smart enough to figure all that out. I am sure people without kids hate paying high property taxes for the schools when they have no use for the schools (but good schools do raise your property values so all should want good schools) but what would the alternative be? Only people with kids pay extra high taxes? I don't know how to make things like that fair.

I can't even imagine an income of over $200,000 - but it sure would make putting our kids through college easier!

I keep trying to imagine myself with an income over $200,000. In fact a coupla million a year would allow me to pay for myself until I am 85.

Ha! Millions!! I think we should start buying Lotto tickets then! Not that that ever worked for my folks. They have been buying Lotto tix since the first week Illinois started them. They have won a few hundred here and there, but nowhere near as much as they have paid out for tix over the years.

I have no problem with immigrants coming to this country and trying to make a living here and eventually contributing to the system. The problem I have with the services that illegals get that come over here strictly to be treated for serious diseases that they cannot afford to pay to have treated in Mexico or elsewhere where it is a cash for services system. If you can't pay for chemotherapy for your cancer, you don't get treatment. But, you can come over to this country and receive emergency medical coupons and get a free ride for cancer surgery, chemo, to have your baby etc. whatever you need in some cases. Maybe I just happen to live in a state that provides lots of assistance regarding "charity" health care services compared to other states...I don't know.

Do I blame families for bringing their sick family members over here for treatment to try and save them? Hell no. If I had a sick child or loved one who needed treatment I could'tn afford, and knew there was a chance they would receive it here FOR FREE...I would certainly bring them here too. I don't blame the people for doing this. We all would do the same thing if put in the same situation. Is it a noble thing our system does in these cases or is it eventually going to be one of many severe mistakes that have been made all under the guise of a "democratic" system where everyone supposedly matters and is able to get equal treatment.

The ethical problem comes in when you are a poor or middle class person that has some shitty insurance and gets cancer, or is not extremely persistent in applying for medicaid and gets cancer and is initially refused government medical asistance. If you have a home, some savings etc. you may not "quality" and wind up losing everything. In comparison, if you are not a citizen, have never worked here or contributed a dime to the system, but have a life threatening illness, you can quality for emergency medical coupons and most of your treatment will be paid for or written off in some cases...

And I am pissed as hell about how unfair, overburdenned, and unrealistic our medical system is. Doctors are trained to try and treat people with the most expensive and agressive treatment, regardless of the prognosis, quality of life, or ability to pay for it. If the family wants them to continue providing agressive medical treatment in an Intensive care unit for a person who had a living will saying they did not want to be on a ventilator or have agressive treatment if they were brain dead- if the family wants doctor's to continue treatment, they are so afraid of being sued, they keep going with it.

I blame the government for never wanting to be the bad guy and set limits for who we provide charity treatment for and for going to extreme measures to extend people's lives when there is no chance for quality, or concern about how we are going to pay for it. We certainly can't go to Switzerland, Mexico, Canada etc. and expect free treatment where we are not citizens or contributing to their healtcare systems.

There is not one politician out there that can fix the screwed up healthcare system becaue it reflects how our society thinks and what the priorities are. No one wants to talk about end of life issues and setting limits on how agressive doctors will be with expensive treatments. Dayum, poor Dr. Kavorkian was practically burned at the stake for trying to address some possible alternatives to ending suffering at the end of life. In some European countries if you are over a certain age, you don't quality for being put on a ventilator, or to get certain procedures. Somewhere tough decisions and lines have to be drawn. No politician has the balls to go there...and they would be stopped by all the special interest groups out there anyway if the limit affected them personally. We are all too selfish and use to having what we have. Until everyone is willing to make real sacrifices to solve these huge problems and the blaming and finger pointing stops, nothing is going to change no matter who we elect to try and turn it around.

Just my humble opinion...Now you know why I have avoided talking politics. I don't claim to know much about many of the issues, but this one I live everyday, so I am very passionate about it.

My absolutely favored manner of death is gentle suicide. At age 85 or older, assuming I am not in terrible pain, but it being obvious the end is coming.

If I am in terrible pain with no hope of it receding..I just want them to kill me, gently or not.

As far as I am aware, in California, under Ahhhnold, you not only do not get treated if you are ill with no insurance, but you can only go to about ONE hospital in Los Angeles to get treated for things like major car accidents not caused by yourself.

As I work at AIDS Project L.A. I am learning what is actually available. Not much for ill or dying people without insurance, with or without AIDS. The place serves the ones with AIDS, using donated services by dentists and doctors and hospices. As far as I can tell, they get almost NO government assistance.

If you do not have AIDS, I dunno what you are supposed to do, here.

Luca, I am very interested in your point of view. I forget what state you are in.

In L.A. there is no way they would take care of you, American, Immigrant, or anything other than insured.

Well that's very interesting about Calif. because in my state GA. it is the same as Luca's. So I ask again why is it fair that people with insurance should have to go bankrupt paying for healthcare?! It is ridculous.