Texas Governor Reaffirms States’ Rights Under 10th Amendment!!!!

[KrazyHorse]

Followup question: are they doing the same thing for everybody?

[Lorizael]

Here's a question for you:

why is it that when US sources quote Canadian "public debt" they include debt owed by provinces and municipalities, yet when they quote US "public debt" they include only national debt?

Because we won the Civil War, duh. If those ***** southern states want their debt to be a part of the public debt maybe they shouldn't have kept so many slaves.

[Ramo]

Most state and localities are bounded by balanced budget laws. The bulk of our public debt is federal.

Dunno why accounting standards are different. Whose quotes are you referring to?

[Ben Kenobi]

States!= Provinces. Much different arrangements. They don't have transfer payments like we do.

Anyways, the US does need to cut back on spending. The US should have the lowest amount of debt, and be the strongest nation financially. I don't see why that is a bad goal, nor does it make someone advocating it a 'libertarian wingnut'. If you want fiscal prudence, you need to look at a nation like Australia, rather then Somalia. Australia isn't some hell-hole.

[Arrian]

No, indeed, Australia has national healthcare. OMG! They must be dirty socialists.

-Arrian

[Ramo]

And Australia (like everyone else in the developed world) has somewhat higher government revenues/GDP than we do.

[Ben Kenobi]

If rich school districts consistently outperform poor ones, wouldn't that suggest at least a correlation between funding and quality of education?

No, that assumes parents take a much greater role in their children's education, which is one reason why they are both wealthier and their children are better educated.

If you consent to it, it isn't theft. And if you voluntarily pay your taxes rather than refusing to do so and going to jail as a form of civil disobedience, you're consenting.

1. It's compulsory. That would be like saying the draft is voluntary.

2. If its compulsory, then it's hardly consented.

That being said, I don't see why voluntary taxes would not work. Scrap the IRS and simply let people send money to fund the government. Then all the people who truly believe in sharing and caring can pony up.

[The Mad Monk]

Most state and localities are bounded by balanced budget laws. The bulk of our public debt is federal.

Then what are all those municipal and state bond issues I keep voting down on Election Day?

[Ben Kenobi]

And Australia (like everyone else in the developed world) has somewhat higher government revenues/GDP than we do.

America is far wealthier then Australia. You shouldn't need an equal amount of taxation to acheive the same result.

[Ramo]

Then what are all those municipal and state bond issues I keep voting down on Election Day?

Less than what the feds are borrowing, normalized by the size of your state/city.

[The Mad Monk]

That being said, I don't see why voluntary taxes would not work. Scrap the IRS and simply let people send money to fund the government. Then all the people who truly believe in sharing and caring can pony up.

No, I'm sorry but it wouldn't. Humans are just too greedy. We actually tried that first, with the original Confederation. The result was an insolvent central government.

[Ramo]

America is far wealthier then Australia. You shouldn't need an equal amount of taxation to acheive the same result.

It's not the "same result." They get more in government services. Like universal health care, as Arrian said.

And more prosperous societies need more upkeep. You don't need to build infrastructure to maintain the prosperity of a **** hole.

[Ben Kenobi]

No, I'm sorry but it wouldn't. Humans are just too greedy. We actually tried that first, with the original Confederation. The result was an insolvent central government.

How can that be when 54 percent voted for Obama? Surely if they could raise enough money for his campaign, why can't they pay the freight? After all, don't they believe in hope and change, caring and sharing?

[KrazyHorse]

Most state and localities are bounded by balanced budget laws. The bulk of our public debt is federal.

The bulk of ours is as well, but it is the difference between 39% of gdp and 62% of gdp

And by the way, there is more than 2 trillion in state & local debt outstanding. Adds 15+% to your public debt figures.

[Ben Kenobi]

It's not the "same result." They get more in government services. Like universal health care, as Arrian said.

And more prosperous societies need more upkeep. You don't need to build infrastructure to maintain the prosperity of a **** hole.

You miss the point.

1. America is wealthier then Australia.

2. Australia has sufficient taxation to cover their bills.

Therefore, America would need a lower taxation rate then Australia to acheive the same result as Australia.

Simple logic. If the people are wealthier, you can tax them at a lower rate to acheive the same amount of money oer capita necessary for upkeep. That's all I'm saying. In fact, you'd need less even if you were as wealthy as Australia because of economies of scale.

If the left sincerely believes in creating social programs which are sustainable, then they need to argue in favour of fiscal prudence which is hardly the sole province of hard core liberarians. They won't last if they aren't done in an efficient manner.