What just happened to the US in the election???

[TOM4CWB]

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by Legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,
that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

[cottonpicken]

After watching obamanation one of the little voices in
my head whose name is Snowball I. Hell,reminded me
that if the dems and cons could figure out a real plan
we would see some real fireworks.

[JohnGalt]

Obama now has nothing to lose. No more worrying about getting re-elected.

I feel sorry for any US citizen that makes over $250,000.

Everyday the US news sounds more like the pages from Atlas Shrugged

[sumdumguy]

I dont feel too sorry. It will be a make work
project for accountants finding ways around it.
You all know about corps, paid benefits, income
splitting. No problem, Obama wont get anything
out of it, but he got voted in because 99.9% of
the population does not make $250,000 and
wishes he did.

[Gofer]

Maybe don't feel too bad for the rich in America. A man I know, and don't feel sorry for, buys farmland and develops it into acreage subdivisions around here also has a 50/50 partner in Texas where they are doing the same thing.
He is always ranting about how we are taxed to death in Canada and if it weren't for his Grandchildren he would move to the USA and pay about 1/3 in taxes. Even one of the richest men in the world,Warren Buffet, says he pays less tax than one of his office workers and that he thinks he should be paying more !!

[ASRG]

John Galt (love the name!): The people with money will escape to other places. It is already happening now......raise the taxes and they will get out as fast as possible!
These $250 K people are the ones who own the small businesses who provide the jobs......who will replace them? Maybe Obama can pass out some subsidies so the poor will start up some businesses.....

[rockpile]

What happened is that the people exorcised their
hard fought right to chose their leader and some of
you are happy and some are not. But that was their
right, the consequences will follow one way or the
other. There is no way out for the US but to both
increase revenues and decrease expenditures, like
removing tax breaks for the ultra rich and reducing
military spending from 4 to 3% of GDP. To punish
the poor is an invitation to cause civil warfare. Some
would say that there is a large portion of the
population that just don't want to work, but keep in
mind they used to. Many of those jobs were
exported across the oceans, just like the 31 trillion
dollars in offshore accounts held by rather wealthy
Americans. To fix this fiscal mess there is no choice
but to invoke 'tough love'. And that's just the way I
see it. And BTW, we're deluding ourselves if we
think things are hunky dory here. Stay tuned.

[ASRG]

So how do you force these rich people to stay in the country, whether the USA or Canada? How do you force them to stay productive?
What is the level of taxation that people will endure before they say you kno what? To hell with this......I'm going to go sit on the beach in Panama or Costa Rica or wherever?
Could you restrict the amount of money they can move out of the country? Should people be allowed to take their property and go? If not, how is that any different than a prison?

[rockpile]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy - "Ask not what your
Country can do for you, ask what you can do for
your Country."
These guys achieved what they did because of the
opportunities they would never have encountered
anywhere else. Is it too much to ask them to
recognize this and contribute back, or should we all
just go back to the cave and grab our clubs and
play 'survival of the fittest'? This was the nation that
had dreams, put men on the moon, was the world
champion for freedom, a nation that went to the aid
of those around the world who really needed it. I
still believe America is a great nation, but all
Americans have to buy back into the dream. If you
measure everything in life by dollars and cents,
then I say "how pathetic".

[TOM4CWB]

Interesting times!

Freedom always has a cost.... those who defend Justice must stand steady and fight for their next generation.

Cheers!

[ASRG]

So what happened to that nation......that "good nation"? Is America still a "good nation", a "great nation"?
Is it a nation the "rich" should be donating to?
You might think these so called "rich people" are pathetic for wanting to keep their property, but the fact is our whole system is built on the right to earn money, keep that money, and spend it how ever you want to? It's called property rights.
Of course governments need funds to provide essential services.....but how much is too much? Is 50% too much? or 60%? or 70%?
Here's a good example: I have a friend who is a specialized drilling consultant. He gets the tough jobs all over the world. He makes $3800/day. He refuses to work more than half a year because the government takes too much if he works the extra days! Because he is a private contractor he doesn't have to work unless he chooses to.
He intends to retire and leave Canada in the near future for a tax shelter country (Panama). He is 45.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

It always seems to me that democracy and
capitalism is an impossible combination,
as this is the only possible outcome
once half the population is dependant on
the government, there is no turning
back.

This election looks like the perfect
opportunity for Canada. Revise our tax
code, bloated social programs and
backwards immigration system to attract
all of the economic refugees who will be
leaving the US and Europe to escape the
taxes and economic disincentives. What
motivation does an entrepreneur have in
Europe right now, and US going forward?
We could attract the entrepreneurs,
educated, ambitious and hard working, in
exchange, the freeloaders here might
just decide the free lunch is over, and
emigrate to the socialist utopia the
ambitious are fleeing from.
Apparently the exodus has already
started from France. Where else in the
world could one go to start a business
or a career? Singapore maybe, not many
bright spots left in the west.

[oneoff]

OK Tom et al

Just what separates the wealthy from the poor? Whatever you think the factors are; one could theoreticaly (and also in practice) bring everyone down to the same relatively poor level by applying taxes, confiscation; restrictions etc. and pressure to that end.
Now maybe a near 100 % tax on income, confiscation of tangible goods and property etc. could accomplish that goal; but would any democratic leader dream of doing all those drastic measures at one time to force their agenda. A few per centage points just won't hurt that much.

And Tom I would predict that it would turn out like someone related to me several years ago.

It would be no time until those same once wealthy; but now ruined persons had earned it all back.

Besides, shouldn't we all be concentrating on Eternity and worrying much less about our short time on this earth and how little baggage we are permitted to leave with.
Its funny how the most important factors aren't actually often considered in coffee shop gossip. Also extremely funny how we protect our subsidies, power, good fortune and entitlements; yet would deny similar handouts to those less "well off".

[ASRG]

How far does any government have the right to take your property?
Every man will decide the answer to that question for himself?
We might decide "Okay I'm good with 30%, but decide No.... 40% is too much?"

You might decide the level of taxation is to high for you to continue to live in that society? You might choose to leave and go to another place where the level is better?
Is that your right to do so?
Didn't you earn your money? Shouldn't you be able to decide if you want to accept how much the government takes from you?
Should the government be able to say you can't leave, or you must give up your money if you want to leave? Didn't they do those sort of things in Nazi Germany and the communist Soviet Union?

[mcfarms]

What happened there was what happened in Alberta the last provincial election, they choose the easiest way for themselves and left the hard way to their children .