We are the richest country in the world. We could have:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Universal healthcare for our citizens
The best public education in the world- pre-school, elem, high school, university and post-graduate
Fantastic transportation and mass transportation
Affordable utilities
A coherent taxing system
Alternate energy
Affordable housing
An accountable voting system

We don't have these things because some people think the public coffers are better spent lining particular individual pockets. We spend billions and billions and billions of dollars as American taxpayers - and we see squat as individuals.

Some people prefer to talk about asinine programs like Mars exploration or steroids in professional sports while they line their pockets with your money. Shouldn't you get SOMETHING for your taxes? You are not getting safety, you are not getting security, you are not getting jobs, or prosperity, or healthcare or education. Just what the f!@k are you getting for the money you pay everyday to this Republican oligarchy!!!

What you are getting is SCAMMED!!!!

[blitzen]

1. Excellent post...would make a good 60-second ad n/t

[SnoopDog]

2. Every Dem should be saying this...

I'll add in some 'givens' - 1) maintain clean air and water ans safe food and 2) respect our environment.

[canichelouis]

3. I'll add Real Statesmen and Diplomats

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. If you add up your income taxes and your payroll taxes and your property

taxes and your sales taxes and your whatever other taxes you are paying a shitload of YOUR personal income to these assholes who choose to spend it by LOOSING BILLIONS in Iraq that they can't account for, and by all their other incompetent inanities. Is there some point where we as the American people will be able to file a class action suit against the American government for incompetence and corruption in the administration of their daily duties?

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[txindy]

8. Nice username. You shouldn't tempt anybody like that.

At least you know how to jump rope.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Shouldn't you rest for that big eleventh grade government test tomorrow?nt

[smtpgirl]

6. Awesome post

Phoebe

[G2099]

7. Is there any nation on the planet more corrupt?

[Mika]

10. We are the greatest debtor nation in the world, not the richest.

The "wealth" of America is actually high debt limits.


Not for much longer though.

[Yupster]

11. I really don't know what to make of your post?

Obviously our government at all levels wastes incredible amounts of money.

From the senator who gets a bridge built in his district of questionable cost effectiveness to a city councilman who bills the city for personal travel, to invading countries and fighting guerrilla wars for years, obviously there is tons of waste.

But what do we get for our tax dollars? Your answer is that as indivisuals we see squat.

Well, that's where I leave your reservation.

Your property taxes probably go mostly to the local school district and what you get out of that is free public education for your kids from k-12. What kind of quality is the education? Oh, I guess it depends on where you live, but I think it's fashionable to denigrate the schols though most parents are satisfied with the classes their kids are taking.

The biggest tax most people pay is their FICA tax, and what that gets you is a promise of a social security pension and medicare for health insurance.

We all travel on government maintained roads, depend on the ocal police and fire departments, assume our drugs and food is government monitored.

We take government subsidized airplanes, go to government subsidized colleges on government subsidized loans and when timer are hard get government provided benefits like medicaid, unemployment and AFDC.

So, we can all agree that there are mny areas where government spending can and should be improved, but the idea that we get squat for what we pay in is just a put-down of government which I guess is fair enough, but I don't think it's accurate.

And PS - I wish we'd spend tons more on the space program. When I was ten years old we landed on the moon. If you asked me then what we'd be doing in space 35 years later, I would have predicted we'd be way further along than we are. It doesn't seem like we've made much progress at all in 35 years. I think it is our future to et off this planet. It is the only way the human race can survive over the long-term as a natural disaster will inevitably destroy the earth some day.

[sandnsea]

16. We used to

I think the point is that those things we used to get, that you mention, are dwindling to the point of being ineffective or totally useless. You might be surprised to know the student loans barely cover the cost of school and you need so much that paying them back in today's job market is a crap shoot. Single women with kids can get medicaid and TANF, but it's near impossible for everybody else and there's work requirements for those single moms that leave kids almost parentless. Social security isn't enough to meet basic needs anymore, but the average check is just a teensy bit more than the poverty level. They aren't building housing complexes anymore, so I don't know where low income seniors are even going to live in a few years. Yes parents are satisfied with their local schools, until their kids try to get into college and they discover that "school to work" curriculum just wasn't anywhere near enough to get them anywhere but work, in an "entry level" minimum wage job and that's all there is. So your kids can't move out and you can't catch up on all that saving and investing you had planned to do after you finished raising them.

This country is deteriorating on every level, makes the 80's look like a hay day of social services.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. I'll tell you what we're getting....and what we've gotten

Go to Google earth and find Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. You will find hundreds upon hundreds of warplanes sitting in the Arizona sun worth billions of dollars. That is one single example of a military budget so bloated no one knows really what is spent on what. We have farmers paid NOT to grow crops and others paid higher than market value for their crops. And we have a Social Security sytem and Medicare system that needs work and streamlining.

There is HUGE money to be made keeping things the way they are. Don't expect much change.

[OneBlueSky]

13. well, I'M recommending it . . . something we should all keep in mind . . .

as we work to take our government and our country back . . .

[EstimatedProphet]

14. I don't have a problem with exploring Mars

We can do that and all the other things too. I do have a problem with having a military on guard 24/7/365 that is big enough to conquer the planet.

[rucky]

15. We could also end global hunger. n/t

[BooScout]

17. We are not the richest country in the world....

We are the third richest. Luxemburg and Norway are richer than we are. I agree with the premise of the rest of your post but please stop perpetuating that stupid myth that America is the biggest and bestest at everything. It's a complete and total embarassment to those of us living overseas when Americans feel the need to brag about how great we are when facts just don't back that BS up.