You can forgive people who take legal tax breaks like the homeowner's mortgage deduction or child care deduction for saying they're not using government social programs -- most people would understand such a program to provide a benefit or payment or service directly to you, not just lower your tax burden. But a surprisingly (!) huge percentage of Medicare users claim to not use government social programs -- overall, about 50% of those who are direct users of such federal programs claim not to use any such thing. This pretty much is exactly the percentage of Republican and Tea Party voters, right?
A few years ago - before I got kicked off for questioning the perceived wisdom - I posted this nugget on "Newsbusters." Soon after one of the numerous right wing nutz demanded a website cite to prove it.
People who lived through the Great Depression are dying off. Most people don't have first hand experience with that kind of economic hopelessness. Seeing it themselves or what it did to their parents.
Social Security was created because the pensions, the savings, the banks themselves were gone. Elderly Americans -- who had planned and prepared financially for retirement -- were forced back into the workforce. Displacing younger workers and aggravating unemployment.
Medicare was created from the same impulse: Elderly Americans forced to stay in the workforce to afford health care or insurance.
Today's conservatives and tea party Repubicans should think carefully about the impact of retirees headed back to work, or moving into their kids basements.
But these programs don't help the economy at all, right? Because they somehow involve tax dollars. You might think that encouraging home ownership would have real economic benefits but no, only tax cuts have those kinds of benefits.
At WalMart, prior to the passing of the health care bill, I witnessed a cashier and an older man passionately decrying any governmental role in health care. The man clearly was old enough for Medicare and the cashier probably was, too, but they never saw the irony. I thought about pointing it out but this is rural Virginia and WalMart, so I might have been shot.
My uncle retired in his early 50's from a job as floor manager for a government printing press that made all those nuclear safety pamphlets. Out of the 20 years he worked there, the last 10 he did almost nothing, the machines were idle for months at a time, yet he was still being promoted.
When he retired in 1980, he was making almost 50k a year and with cost of living increases he is getting almost 100k now. He has been retired for 31 years now, so his pension has now paid him nearly 4x as much as he made in his entire career. Rabid as fuck tea partier, he thinks illegal immigrant children should be aborted, he said this at the last family reunion. So glad I am leaving him behind on Facebook, G+ does not have his kind yet. BTW, if anyone needs an invite, let me know.
God damn you all to Hell.
A few years ago - before I got kicked off for questioning the perceived wisdom - I posted this nugget on "Newsbusters." Soon after one of the numerous right wing nutz demanded a website cite to prove it.
"down to something like a third of 1% of Americans."
Those would be the people calling the shots for the GOP and teabaggers.
is he still a bagger?
My entitlement. His unnecessary social program. Their government subsidy of illegal Mexicans.
Meh ... close enough for government work.
Rural Virginia, eh. You must be doing a field study for your evil psychology day job.
... the <i>tragic</i> irony as our safety net unravels.
I were home skooled. My Mama and Sir taught me Jesus said the poor will always be among us. Especially at family reunions.
People who lived through the Great Depression are dying off. Most people don&#039;t have first hand experience with that kind of economic hopelessness. Seeing it themselves or what it did to their parents.
Social Security was created because the pensions, the savings, the banks themselves were gone. Elderly Americans -- who had planned and prepared financially for retirement -- were forced back into the workforce. Displacing younger workers and aggravating unemployment.
Medicare was created from the same impulse: Elderly Americans forced to stay in the workforce to afford health care or insurance.
Today&#039;s conservatives and tea party Repubicans should think carefully about the impact of retirees headed back to work, or moving into their kids basements.
If it&#039;s brown, vote it down.
All my favorite government programs are on CSPAN.
But these programs don&#039;t help the economy at all, right? Because they somehow involve tax dollars. You might think that encouraging home ownership would have real economic benefits but no, only tax cuts have those kinds of benefits.
At WalMart, prior to the passing of the health care bill, I witnessed a cashier and an older man passionately decrying any governmental role in health care. The man clearly was old enough for Medicare and the cashier probably was, too, but they never saw the irony. I thought about pointing it out but this is rural Virginia and WalMart, so I might have been shot.
My uncle retired in his early 50&#039;s from a job as floor manager for a government printing press that made all those nuclear safety pamphlets. Out of the 20 years he worked there, the last 10 he did almost nothing, the machines were idle for months at a time, yet he was still being promoted.
When he retired in 1980, he was making almost 50k a year and with cost of living increases he is getting almost 100k now. He has been retired for 31 years now, so his pension has now paid him nearly 4x as much as he made in his entire career. Rabid as fuck tea partier, he thinks illegal immigrant children should be aborted, he said this at the last family reunion. So glad I am leaving him behind on Facebook, G+ does not have his kind yet. BTW, if anyone needs an invite, let me know.