http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/25/pf/taxes/bottom_line.moneymag/index.htm?postversion=2008092909

Quote :

"For some strange reason, the government keeps writing me checks. Every year Uncle Sam hands me cash to help with my family's health insurance. I also get free money as a reward for buying stocks to fund my own retirement. Okay, I don't actually receive any checks. I'm just enjoying some of the many tax breaks aimed at the middle and upper-middle class. The insurance premiums my employer pays are 100% tax-free, a benefit I wouldn't enjoy if I had to buy coverage myself. When I save in my 401(k), I get a valuable tax deferral. "

I find this article straight up ass; with rediculous distorment of facts. All these tax breaks he criticized definitly have altruistic roots but also serves to save the gov't money in the long run. Liberal plans mandate universal health care and income redistribution which includes elderly along with the poor. These tax breaks attempt to create a "free-market" incentive for people to handle life necessary costs instead of Uncle Sam directly getting involved.

The current 401k system is engineered to create the potential of an american elderly population in 40 years who will not nearly be as dependant on S.S. The health care tax incentives are there not only for companies to do the right thing by offering employees health insurance but also to encourage employees to save up for big medical expenses (FSA program).

Without a doubt without these tax advantages in place; a lot more people would be reliant on gov't support. Instead of people deferring pre-tax dollars to health care cost. Uncle Sam will be taking more money from me in income taxes to pay out health care costs. This cost would greatly outweigh the revenue losses from providing these subsidies.

[Edited on September 29, 2008 at 4:08 PM. Reason : a]

9/29/2008 4:07:20 PM

Someone on the internet writes something stupid?

I'll be sure to lose some sleep over this one.

9/29/2008 4:10:48 PM

IM all for doing away with these tax breaks, as soon as they do away with the income tax.

9/29/2008 4:16:45 PM

^ I'd think you'd be in favor of the health care tax breaks the gov't offers. Means more people are insured versus you having to get up with uncle sam for their medicaid checks.

9/29/2008 4:25:01 PM

I think the federal income tax should be 0 percent. It's not fair to tax people's hard-earned money.

But we should have an estate tax of 100 percent. It's not fair for people to get money they didn't work for.

9/29/2008 5:21:52 PM

^ funny joke.

Your idea fails and would have far worse consequences than Lil Johnny getting his dad's $2 million trust fund. Regardless why shouldn't I be allowed to assemble wealth in the hope to afford my children and grandchildren a better live than me.

Oh nvm i forgot you are a bloodsucking liberal who wants to smoke pot all day, eat cheetos, and talk about how the "corporations" are holding you down.

9/29/2008 5:48:23 PM

That's not the worst plan I've ever heard (it's close, but it's not the stupidest idea Bridget has ever had). The big question is, what do we do with all the money and property we take away when someone dies? Do we sell it, redistribute it to other people who didn't work for it, burn it?

9/29/2008 7:21:50 PM

It was a joke. It's completely unfeasable.

But, supposing it was feasible, we'd use that money the way we do now. Roads, schools, military, healthcare, etc...

Why would we burn it?

9/29/2008 11:36:48 PM

ehe, i pray it's a joke. Such a plan would be the death of this nation. There would be absolutely no incentive to work hard at all, as everything you have would be taken from you and your family the moment you died. What a wonderful way to stimulate the economy!

9/30/2008 12:53:56 AM

I dunno man, most of my incentive to work comes from my desire for money and possessions now, while I'm alive and shit.

9/30/2008 4:59:16 AM

yeah i'd be down with 0 income tax and 100% estate tax.

I'd just make damn sure that i died penniless.

9/30/2008 7:13:27 AM

^You'd have to eat a lot of truffles and get a lot of geriatric massages to die penniless. Screw pennies, the government would get your assets. That's how the estate tax works.

I'd be willing to try it in the name of fairness. To enforce it properly, we'd pretty much have to destroy the economy, but what the hell?

There's very little in this world that disgusts me more than people just sitting around on their asses, waiting for their loved ones to die. I know a couple people who have been reduced to abject squalor because they practically stopped working in anticipation of an inheritance. The bulk of their conversations revolve around the things they're going to buy and how well they're going to live once they inherit--they've become completely delusional about how great things are going to be. Anyway, they've been waiting for this person to pass for almost ten years now.

Ugh.

[Edited on September 30, 2008 at 9:06 AM. Reason : sss]

9/30/2008 8:42:38 AM

^ There is one thing that disgusts me more......


people just sitting around on their asses, waiting for their welfare checks to come in the mail living off teh hard work of productive members of America.

9/30/2008 12:35:30 PM

Quote :

"You'd have to eat a lot of truffles and get a lot of geriatric massages to die penniless. Screw pennies, the government would get your assets. That's how the estate tax works."

It never ceases to amaze me how people who bitch about the government so much want to give them more money and power.

That aside, it's quite possible to die penniless without having assets forfeitable to uncle sam. See: Meyer Lansky.

9/30/2008 2:30:57 PM

I don't need to see Meyer Lansky. Tons of people hide money from the government, in life and death.

Strippers and billionaires alike.

9/30/2008 3:27:30 PM