More about healthcare...

[Rookie120 0]

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Well, this would be a valid reason for vetoing it. Aside from any question of fairness in taxing smokers to pay for unrelated children's care,

The cigarette tax was the cheap one. They are wanting to put a $5.00 a stick tax on cigars. What a load of shit.

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Cigarette taxes should be used for directly related matters, and preferably for one time project spending. A lot of states are addicted to this revenue source and need to change their ways.

It's a bunch of shit! What did the Govt do with all the money they got from the tobacco co's? They pissed it all away already on BS pet projects. Michigan and Indiana I have read gave bonds on all the money and it is gone already. All that money they said would be "For the Children" is gone.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[Rookie120 0]

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Well, when ya talk should be, that opens up a whole new world of opinion. We use our lottery proceeds for schools. I understand you defending Bush and the Republican machine,

I'm not defending anyone! When they come saying they need to take a higher % of my money I say "Fuck Off!" Cut spending somewhere else. Stop all the waste and pet projects and I bet you could afford some of this stuff.

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but when it comes to kid's healthcare, let's find a way.

Oh god here we go with "It's for the children" speech. Heres an idea,-------------------How about the parents take care of them. Or is that to much responsibility?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[Lucky... 0]

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Well, when ya talk should be, that opens up a whole new world of opinion. We use our lottery proceeds for schools. I understand you defending Bush and the Republican machine,

I'm not defending anyone! When they come saying they need to take a higher % of my money I say "Fuck Off!" Cut spending somewhere else. Stop all the waste and pet projects and I bet you could afford some of this stuff.

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but when it comes to kid's healthcare, let's find a way.

Oh god here we go with "It's for the children" speech. Heres an idea,-------------------How about the parents take care of them. Or is that to much responsibility?

>>>>>>>>I'm not defending anyone! When they come saying they need to take a higher % of my money I say "Fuck Off!"

Unless it's to build killing machines for your boy's war-hobby. I don't seem to read any protests for the 1/2 trillion $ war, or the 550B per year military budget, just that some welfare mom is trying to raise 4 kids on nothing. Of course you want those kids to die for your war when they grow up, but raise themselves, right? Do you still wonder why the left refers to the right as Nazis?

>>>>>Cut spending somewhere else.

Like the 1/2 trillion $ we have spent on your boy's war? Never hear / read ya slamming that. HMMMM>

>>>>>>>>Stop all the waste and pet projects and I bet you could afford some of this stuff.

You mean the humanitarian pet projects, but how about your hero's pet project in Iraq, that 1/2T would have helped a lot of poor kids.

>>>>Oh god here we go with "It's for the children" speech.

I agree, fuck off to the kids, right?

>>>>>>Heres an idea,-------------------How about the parents take care of them. Or is that to much responsibility?

Here's a thought, what if the parents are piss-poor, do we punish the kids or should they have the proverbial fair chance that the right seems to profess we all do?

[Rookie120 0]

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I don't seem to read any protests for the 1/2 trillion $ war, or the 550B per year military budget,

So are you against the military budget now? Do you think we should abolish it? How much do you think they should get?

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just that some welfare mom is trying to raise 4 kids on nothing.

They already have medicare-or aid. Thats what thats for already. Why do they need another system? Why is the single mom of 4 my problem? Sounds like birth control wouldhave been cheaper.

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Here's a thought, what if the parents are piss-poor,

Here's a thought, maybe they shoudlnt have kids if they are piss poor.

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do we punish the kids or should they have the proverbial fair chance that the right seems to profess we all do?

Kids already get health care! What else do you want the govt to give them?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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How much do you think they should get?

Under $18B is enough to defend Canada which is a bit bigger than the United States. Some where between that and $36B would be reasonable, since we have land borders with two countries and the Mexican/US border is shorter than the US/Canadian border.

With that out of the way we could do away with the deficit or keepi it and kick a $4000 tax credit back to each tax payer.

[Rookie120 0]

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Under $18B is enough to defend Canada which is a bit bigger than the United States. Some where between that and $36B would be reasonable, since we have land borders with two countries and the Mexican/US border is shorter than the US/Canadian border.

With that out of the way we could do away with the deficit or keepi it and kick a $4000 tax credit back to each tax payer.

And how did you come up with those numbers or did you just pull them out of a hat? Do you really think that is enough for everything?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[Richards 0]

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Some republicans believe a child's life ends when it is born. Before that it is a new life; something to be protected at all costs. After it's born it's just someone's "fuck trophy" (to use a phrase a recent poster here coined) - why should anyone care about protecting it?

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Under $18B is enough to defend Canada which is a bit bigger than the United States. Some where between that and $36B would be reasonable, since we have land borders with two countries and the Mexican/US border is shorter than the US/Canadian border.

With that out of the way we could do away with the deficit or keepi it and kick a $4000 tax credit back to each tax payer.

And how did you come up with those numbers or did you just pull them out of a hat?


The Canadians spent 14.3B in 2004-2005, 14.6B in 2005-2006, and were expecting to spend 16.5B in 2007-2008. Off Google. I took the liberty of rounding up to $18B and doubling since we have a second smaller border to our south.

Start with our $532.8B military budget, add in the $120B we've spent in the middle east off-budget, ignore the pieces of military spending which have been shifted elsewhere (nuclear, veteransprograms, etc), and you have over $650B.

650B - 36B = 614B.

The IRS reports about 136 million tax returns filed.

Divide and you get $4514 per tax return which is close enough to my $4000 back-of-the envelope figure,.

Canada is a bit bigger than the United States and is located in the same part of the world. It shares our largest border. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to defend ourselves with twice what they're spending.








Do you really think that is enough for everything?

[Rookie120 0]

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The Canadians spent 14.3B in 2004-2005, 14.6B in 2005-2006, and were expecting to spend 16.5B in 2007-2008.

First off, who cares what the Canadians spend on there military. Do they get called to go all over the world for everything. When was the last time shit was going down and they said "Boy you better call Canada"? We spend more because the world wants more from them. Whenever I see the Canadian Airforce I think I am in a museum. Tell them to develop some new fighters. Guess 16.5b just dont get you far these days.

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There's no reason we shouldn't be able to defend ourselves with twice what they're spending.

Ourselves maybe. But like I said before whenever shit goes down in some part of the world they always call the US.

Ok enough with the military. Back to the OP!

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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The Canadians spent 14.3B in 2004-2005, 14.6B in 2005-2006, and were expecting to spend 16.5B in 2007-2008.

First off, who cares what the Canadians spend on there military.

While I don't care per se what the Canadians spend on their military, I do care about how much I'm spending on taxes and what I'm getting in exchange.

Canada's a great example of a country similar to ours which is spending 1/10th of what we are.

Their currency is up 60% relative to ours arguably due to military spending. With 85% of their exports destined for the US this affects us even if we don't vacation north of the border.

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Do they get called to go all over the world for everything.

They send troops to places where people are suffering like Rwanda in the 1990s. Canada contributes forces to joint actions against real threats to world security like Afghanistan was. They do not shoulder the entire high cost in human lives and cash for questionable unilateral actions.

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When was the last time shit was going down and they said "Boy you better call Canada"?

When you're a nation of brown people with limited oil resources, calling the UN is more likely to get you a military response than calling the US. That response will include soldiers from over 100 countries with Canada ranked right in the middle, perhaps along with a small contingent from the US.

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We spend more because the world wants more from them.

Until the world starts paying tribute to the US they can have a response where a pile (NATO, UN peace keeping, etc) of countries each share in the costs.

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Whenever I see the Canadian Airforce I think I am in a museum. Tell them to develop some new fighters. Guess 16.5b just dont get you far these days.

It doesn't take much to stay ahead of the third world countries we'll be fighting now that we won the Cold War by spending as only a capitalist country can.

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There's no reason we shouldn't be able to defend ourselves with twice what they're spending.

Ourselves maybe. But like I said before whenever shit goes down in some part of the world they always call the US.

We're not solely responsible for the rest of the world. When they call we're unlikely to listen unless our companies have financial interests there in commodities like oil. Or bananas.

There are lots of things which would benefit America more for $600B a year. I can come up with lots of things I could do with a $4.5K tax credit if that was split evenly between tax payers. I can come up with a lot more things to do with a 20% tax break.

The time we needed to spend that much ended with the Soviet Union.

[NCclimber 0]

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Simple. Some republicans believe a child's life ends when it is born.

Here. Let me offer some counter-examples.

Some liberals believe we should be able to euthanize babies up to a month after they are born.

Some liberals think all drugs should be legalized.

Some liberals think there is nothing inappropriate about sexual relations between grown men and minors.

Of course, these beliefs only apply to a very percentage of liberals... kind of like that dumbass post (quoted above) only applies to a very small portion of Republicans.

[pirana 0]

You forgot to mention that kids don't vote. And they can not bid on all the contracts that will be available because of the war allocations. (Of the ones where competitive bidding is actually allowed versus the ones that just go directly to your friends, party stalwarts, and campaign contributors).

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley