AARP Sucks, 60plus.org Rocks

Ya, the old have had 40 years to save their money, give the young a chance to save theirs. Mike

Is there a problem with that? ;)

[snip]

Sounds good to me ;-)

(I'm just being facetious, guys! Don't get on my case ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at

| 1962 | I love to cook with wine Sometimes I even put it in the food

take it to a newsgroup that cares

Well, it involves taking. Remember "thou shalt not steal"?

Thanks, Rich

For whom did you vote?

Thanks, Rich

It's not stealing -- think of it as the "membership dues" for belonging to one of the best clubhouses in the world -- the U.S.A.

If you don't like our clubhouse, there are plenty of others to choose from...

Even some churches today require you to pay up if you want to attend their services on a regular basis.

This church might appeal to you? -->

:-) (Just kidding, no offense intended.)

Yes, it's stealing. If you can't recognize this, then you're being a fool.

You need to read this:

To find the difference between government and The Mafia.

(hint: there's essentially no difference.)

Cheers! Rich

I'd accept that it's not quite the same thing as my "membership dues" analogy, but it's just as ridiculous to suggest taxes are no different than stealing (in the sense that someone holds a gun to you head and tells you to hand over your wallet): With a gun to your head, your option is pretty much "your money or your life," whereas with taxes, not only do you have a say in how much money is taken in the first place (although "having a say" does not mean "Rich gets to decide"), but you also have the option of leaving if you don't want to play anymore. Sure, leaving isn't easy, but it's nowhere near as bad as losing your life.

My grandparents moved to a different state upon retirement to take advantage or more reasonable (they felt) state tax laws; my parents plan to do the same thing. Vote with your feet!

ge

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ld.

hance

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Mike

isn't some countries considering lowering the age required to vote, to avoid the possibility ,that with low birth rate and people living to be older and older, the old and retired could gain the majority and make the young and working pay more and more to them

-Lasse

No, they don't threaten execution, but they do threaten prison. So it's not as mean as the mafia at least, but it's still the same operating principle. And there are few countries which don't charge taxes (and those that don't aren't any nicer than the mafia!), so you can't really escape the system.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

No, they don't literally hold a gun to your head, but they'll empty your bank account.

Just try it some time - you'll find out!

Good Luck! Rich

Yes.

As far as enforcement goes, OK, but again... the mafia doesn't ask its victims whether or not they "approve" of their (the mafia's) deciding to get into the protection racket (or whatever), whereas your government does ask you whether or not you'd support additional taxes, and can't start collecting new taxes without that voter approval. Having to accept the will of the majority (more or less -- I realize this is anything but a direct democracy, some votes need super majorities, slimy politicitcans will do everything they can to create "fees" and otherwise take your money *without* requiring a vote, etc.) even when you disagree with it is pretty standard in most any democratic country today.

If you want to go and start your own sovereign nation somewhere, it's still well within the means of reasonably small-sized groups of people to do so. Get 1000 people to contribute $100k each and you've got $100M -- that's enough to buy yourself an island somewhere and build/buy enough supplies/infrastructure to keep yourself going for at least a few years. With technology these days, many people might be able to "telecommute" and still make a decent living off of the rest of the world and stay in touch with friends and family. Seems like a far smaller sacrifice than what, e.g., the Pilgrims made.

If you don't like islands, I suspect that you might find some eastern European or perhaps African country who'll sell you a few hundred square miles or so for something in the low tens of millions... Heck, Luxembourg is only ~1,000 square miles with half-a-million people, after all.

There are people out there who are dead serious about doing all of this. See, e.g.,

.

Your first act as a new sovereign nation should be to apply for financial aid from other countries, of course. :-)

---Joel

There are actually more of these "micronations" you might like to start out there than I would have guessed. See:

... many of them are just meant to be humorous, certainly, but a surprising number are from folks dead serious on creating a new social and political identity for themselves and their fellow citizens.

---Joel

Hey, I like the idea of paying $3 less for movie tickets now that I'm making more money and have fewer expenses than I ever have had.

I'm not. It's simply payback. ;-)

Ah, words of wisdom..

A good argument in favor of DNR/DNI orders. (Do Not Resuscitate/ Do Not Intubate).

If I ever get so feeble that I can't get out of bed to poop, I'm gonna find a gun and eat the golden bullet.

Cheers! Rich

When, exactly, has the government ever ASKED if the people want their taxes raised? Oh, yeah, "elected" "representatives" and all that yadayada; but if you don't want them raised, tough - "The Majority Rules." Right! Let's all vote on what everybody's favorite color is!

There were _supposed_ to be checks and balances, but we've now got an African communist for president, a majority of "liberals" (read: socialists) in the Congress, and a Supreme Court packed with "Liberals."

And it's going to be A YEAR before the mid-terms - look at the damage the commissar has done in only six months; how much more damage can he and his goons do in a WHOLE YEAR?

Thanks, Rich

Most people find "majority rules" preferable to "the guy with the biggest guns rules."

Also note that many states require a supermajority to raise taxes -- 2/3 in your state of California, and 3/5 here in Oregon.

So vote'em out. Go reproduce and teach your kids your own philosophy of government. Get yourself elected to public office. (I could see voting for you based on my thinking that all political systems need a few good rabble rousers, even if I don't agree with all of your political views. :-) ) You're not powerless here... or even seemingly disenfranchised enough that moving to a different nation sounds like a preferable option.

Passage of the health care reform bill? :-)

---Joel