Socialist takeover of America?

Are we, as certain media personalities would assert (namely Glenn Beck), facing a socialist takeover of America? Or are these merely straw men?

 

You cannot be serious. "Socialism" as a scare word is so over...

Phillip

 

Oh, is it?

YouTube - Glenn Beck - Road to Socialism: Democratic Socialists of America

 

Not living in America, I don't have enough knowledge about the current situation or the experience of living there to say whether "socialism" (however defined?) is likely to "takeover" or not.

But having listened to Glenn Beck, I certainly wouldn't believe it was going to happen just because that nutcase said so ... not that everything he says is ridiculous, but a sufficiently high percentage seems to be so, to the point where I just think "There are plenty of more reputable people I could spend my time listening to."

 

The Constitution only provides for the federal government to provide security for our borders e.g. national defense. All citizens who collect social security are a partaking of the new socialist system -- and the socialism will only grow. Once the people are given something, it can never be taken away without a revolution. The Constitution does not provide for social security, medical benefits, welfare or other handouts. The United States has deviated from the Constitution and has gravitated towards socialism.

 

Some good points, but it's not going to happen.

 

I know liberals are running my state, which liberals I don't have a huge issue with, but bleeding heart liberals annoy the crap out of me.

 

:haha:

The poll needs another response: "Who cares?" I get so tired of debating an invalid topic. There are things that are right, fair, and inclusive; then there are things that are wrong, unfair, and divisive. Do the first set. Don't do the second set. There, everything's fixed.

This just gets so tiresome. MC, where can I buy materials for my escape pod?

Oh, never mind, this one looks fun:

So, you're okay that a group wants to tax you, as long as they don't try to help anyone with the money? :swordfight:

 

There's a reason why wealthy bleeding hearts who cry for higher federal income tax rates do not willingly give extra money to the treasury; they give it to a charity instead. Even they know the U.S. federal government is terrible at helping those who really need it. It's simply more efficient to circumvent the system and give to those on the front lines; skipping the bureaucracy who needs a cut, and diminishing the fraud embedded in current entitlement programs. Not saying I know the answers, but I sure don't trust that paying more federal taxes will actually help anyone who truly needs it other than fund the next round of bank/corporate/union bailouts...

 

Nice point. It is true, if the government is such a great avenue for improving people's lives, why don't people donate to them or give more taxes willingly?

 

We are willingly relocating from California (very low tax state) to Colorado (a higher tax state and higher tuition state). The difference in taxes is not preventing our move.

 

Did you just call California a "very low tax state"? I would enjoy seeing you provide some evidence of that.

 

I suppose... here's some random interweb numbers to chew on:

At 8.25%, California has the highest minimum state sales tax in the United States, which can total up to 10.75% with local sales tax included.

"Taxifornia," the study by Robert P. Murphy and Jason Clemens found that state and local government spending in California is the nation's fourth-highest at 18.4 percent of its economic input. Alaska is highest at 20 percent and South Dakota lowest at 11.6 percent.

THEN we compare to Colorado:

Colorado's State/Local Tax Burden Below National Average
Colorado has dropped 19 places in the state/local tax burden ranking over the last 30 years. It levies every major tax, but the rate on each is among the lowest in the country. Spending discipline in the form of a TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) has helped the state keep tax rates low.

Estimated at 9.0% of income, Colorado's state/local tax burden percentage ranks 34th highest nationally, below the national average of 9.7%. Colorado taxpayers pay $4,359 per capita in state and local taxes.

 

California is not generally regarded as a "low-tax" state. However, it actually *is* a low-tax state for some people, particularly those who are older and retired.

Compared to other states, it's true that California has relatively high sales taxes, and relatively high income taxes. However, it's also true that California has unusually low property taxes, due to the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. The median property tax rate in California is one of the lowest in the country (and lower than Colorado's).

Furthermore, the property tax rate is not the whole story. Proposition 13 pegs the assessed value of your property to the value at the time of purchase. The assessed value can only rise very slowly after that point, even if market real estate values are rising more rapidly. The result is that many older Californians, who have been in the same home for 20-30 years, effectively pay property taxes at rates that are far below the median -- because the officially assessed "value" of their homes is far below the actual market value.

For retirees in California, the high income and sales taxes in California may not be a big deal, because they don't have that much income and don't buy that much stuff. Property taxes are still an issue, but someone who has been living in the same house in California for a long time probably pays very low property taxes by US standards.

So it's not unusual for retirees to find that their tax burden will go up sharply if they sell their homes in California and buy a new home in another state. Property taxes can jump dramatically in this situation. Other states (like Colorado) will have higher property tax rates than California, and (unlike California) will assess those rates on the full market value of the new property.

 

Good points. I think most that struggle in Cali are the "newcomers". I purchased my house under the prop 13 law, and my prop taxes are low. I would rather add on rather than move and have higher prop taxes.

Abner

 

While I understand that what both CalDog and Abner are saying is true, it seems to be a terrible way to run public policy. Why differentiate between longtime homeowners and newcomers? Isn't that replacing the Welcome Mat with a set of brass knuckles? I can see that as a source of friction and a reason for a company not to relocate to California. Hopefully things will change out on the Left Coast now that Arnold Whats-his-name has been shown the door. How did that clown get elected in the first place? Did the Kennedy family use their clout to ensure a weak Democratic opposition in the general election?