I want to pay more taxes
I want to pay more taxes. Call me a Democrat, a liberal, a tax and spend liberal Democrat, whatever. I want to pay more taxes.
The Washington Post has been doing a series on the lousy care veterans are getting for PTSD. In some cases the care is shockingly bad, and the VA is woefully understaffed. What's most galling is that there is a program at Walter Reed that truly seems to be successful at helping these men and women, but it can't even come close to meeting the demand.
So I'd like to pay an extra $50 a year in taxes. Say 100,000,000 Americans are of tax-paying age and income. That's $5,000,000,000 a year for better mental health care for veterans. I imagine 5 billion dollars a year could just about lick the problem, or make one heck of a dent in it. Get good people hired and trained, and get veterans back on their feet.
You know, I would have so much more respect for George Bush if he came on TV tonight and told people that America's fighting men and women needed help, and that we are all going to have to tighten our belts a bit. Has he done that once since this whole war started? I think the chance of that happening, though, is about zero.
So what do you say? Would you kick another $50 a year into the pot to help veterans?
The Washington Post has been doing a series on the lousy care veterans are getting for PTSD. In some cases the care is shockingly bad, and the VA is woefully understaffed. What's most galling is that there is a program at Walter Reed that truly seems to be successful at helping these men and women, but it can't even come close to meeting the demand.
So I'd like to pay an extra $50 a year in taxes. Say 100,000,000 Americans are of tax-paying age and income. That's $5,000,000,000 a year for better mental health care for veterans. I imagine 5 billion dollars a year could just about lick the problem, or make one heck of a dent in it. Get good people hired and trained, and get veterans back on their feet.
You know, I would have so much more respect for George Bush if he came on TV tonight and told people that America's fighting men and women needed help, and that we are all going to have to tighten our belts a bit. Has he done that once since this whole war started? I think the chance of that happening, though, is about zero.
So what do you say? Would you kick another $50 a year into the pot to help veterans?
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why would it have to be a tax?
can't we just donate to a fund?
I believe they have the money if they would kick the majority off welfare and make them earn a living.
Why when there is a storm like hurricane Katrina there was plenty of relief funds and some of the refugees are still living off the storm funds.
There are plenty of funds, it is the allocation of funds that sucks.0 -
I've been at the bottom of the tax brackets for most of my life.
And for most of that time, I've maintained that I am not taxed beyond what I can afford.0 -
More taxes? I`m ready for a tea party. 0 -
You sound like a liberal - no offense. Just throw money at the problem (tax and spend). The problem is not money, it is the fact the the government cannot run a pair of panty-hose much less any type of health care system.
Privatize the whole thing (with competitors) and the care will improve - fact.0 -
As long as the government is running things, kicking in an extra $50 a
year isn't going to help. Those in charge will only spend more with the
same results.0 -
Feel free to pay all the taxes you want to. The Treasury Department take donations. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by MVP
why would it have to be a tax?
can't we just donate to a fund?
I believe they have the money if they would kick the majority off welfare and make them earn a living.
Why when there is a storm like hurricane Katrina there was plenty of relief funds and some of the refugees are still living off the storm funds.
There are plenty of funds, it is the allocation of funds that sucks.
Bullseye!!0 -
You're missing the point. Yes, people can always donate money. The problem is that even in times of tremendous giving, after 9-11, for example, the amount of money raised is not that much. What was raised for 9-11 victims, about 1.5 billion? If you're talking about providing mental health care to Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, 1.5 billion isn't going to go that far.
Yet another point is that only so many people will actually donate money. 9-11 was a tremendously galvanizing moment, and people donated about 1.5 billion. The veterans are going to need a lot more than that, for a lot longer. If people rely on donations alone, not enough money will come in.
And yes, one can always make the argument that money that goes to support this or that should actually go to support something else. The problem is that when you talk about cutting one program to fund another, people howl and complain and things bog down and nothing ever happens. Having a designated stream of revune, on the other hand, gets around that.
Slipgate suggests the best solution is just to privatize the veterans mental health care. An interesting idea, I suppose, and probably in two or three years the Veterans Administration could be abolished and in another two or three years privatized health care could be up and running and--assuming that it all worked just the way he hopes--in four to six years the veterans would start getting mental health care. Four to six years. And again, that's assuming that it all works out just the way he's planned.
Quite honestly, I really am shocked at you guys. I guess it's the way people are now, not giving a damn about the country. As long as you've got yours. . .0 -
The only way I'd support an increase in funding is to make a cut elsewhere...and the Lord knows there are plenty of places we could make cuts! No new taxes!!...and I am a disabled veteran. 0 -
thats cause about 50% hardly pay taxes
quote:Originally posted by spurgemastur
I've been at the bottom of the tax brackets for most of my life.
And for most of that time, I've maintained that I am not taxed beyond what I can afford.0 -
My step daughter has four kids with three different dads. Rather than working when her brood is at the other parents home she sits and watches TV and sleeps. She gets food stamps, free medical for all of them, went to college on your dime and gets housing cash assistance. She is NOT seeking employment, She is LAZY.
THAT IS YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK! I sure as hell don't want to pay any more of it.
If our troops need help we should start a fund to help them well clear of the Government. If Government is involved it will take $20,000 in administrative costs for every dollar actually helping them. The US Government is a nightmare for our troops and a cash cow for our elected masters in Washington DC.0 -
quote:Originally posted by mlincoln
You're missing the point.... Quite honestly, I really am shocked at you guys. I guess it's the way people are now, not giving a damn about the country. As long as you've got yours. . .
I would say you totally missed my point.
I never claimed the Returning Soldier shouldn't have the funding to pay for Best of everything they have comeing to them. you read that into it, so I'll say it a little different.
I think it is a shame that the USA always has the money to fund peoples livelyhood with the welfare system, but say there is not enough funding to help the returning soldier.
That to me is shocking. No New Taxes are needed. The allocation of the Tax Funds need to be prioritized in a way that the Money gets to those who first worked for it. Not some lazy couch potatoe who refuses to get a job.
The Government does this "Not enough funding" for the things that matter because they know people will vote for a tax increase if they say the funds will be for the Returning Soldier. Do you think if the government came out and said there is a shortage of funds for welfare and we need to raise taxes that it will pass? No they will say that the New Tax is for the mental health of the returning Soldier.
They do the same thing in my local government. They use Medic One all the time to gain an increase in taxes because no one wants to see Medic one go away due to a lack of funding.
So all I said was Get the non productive leaches working and being productive then give the check that they used to receive every month from Welfare to the returning soldiers medical bill.0 -
you can pay as much as you want... 0 -
i am a disabled Viet Nam Marine Vet. I was wounded by a 122MM rocket that exploaded approx 20 feet from me i recieved a schrapnal head wound with brain damage, scrapnal in my left arm, and upper left back. i was diagnosed with cronic severe PTSD. rated both by the VA and the department of labor as being unemployable. i have to go to doctors at the VA 2 times a year. once each 6 months. only to refill meds. during these appointments i am not allowed to ask questions,or comment on treatment. The QUACK Doctors are to busy for anything except to refill medications. I get a 5-6 minute exam and then it's out the door. that is how the VA works around here. if i have any problems i have to go through my Congressman's office. Thank God there is a woman in the congressman's office who cares. the VA will not talk to me, but when she gets on they're heads they listen to her. 0 -
That's the problem w private companys...
They just want to recieve...your money.
When you start to cost them money ,they dont want to play along anymore.
Anyway do you agree with that all have equal rights rich or poor !
We all have a stomach and get hungry and we therefore as human beings would deserve the same rights to medical treatments ?
Well the answere to that is to fund healtcare throught taxes i think.
One other reason being that the code of conduct (etics)is higher of the state than any private greedy company ever would be.
And if the state can run a country ,ofcourse they would be very able i think to take care of healtcare.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Talented
That's the problem w private companys...
They just want to recieve...your money.
When you start to cost them money ,they dont want to play along anymore.
Anyway do you agree with that all have equal rights rich or poor !
We all have a stomach and get hungry and we therefore as human beings would deserve the same rights to medical treatments ?
Well the answere to that is to fund healtcare throught taxes i think.
One other reason being that the code of conduct (etics)is higher of the state than any private greedy company ever would be.
And if the state can run a country ,ofcourse they would be very able i think to take care of healtcare.
That's the problem. They can't run a country except into the ground. Any other endeavor results in the same thing0 -
The issue over here being that private healtcarecompanys is to greedy
so the quality of the given heltcare becomes really poor.And that profitminded healtcarecompanys seemes to not give a "F" about common decensy and proper ethical bascials.
So some things is maybe bether left to the goverment to take care of ?
Kindly0 -
By federal law, in order to be employed by the VA in social services a Master's Degree is required.
I suppose the idea is to maintain a highly trained workforce, only the best for our troops, but it sure seems like we could provide more services by utilizing folks with BSW degrees.0 -
You see [:)] Same thinggy over there.
The gov or the federals then ,want to maintain a minimum level of skilllevels.
While the pesky privatecompanys gladely would import cheap polish or chinese labour if just legal.
Over there maybe the elderly get cared for by mexican nurses already ?
But that's the path things are on now [V]
However we're slightly fortunate in Sweden coz it's not so easy to replace swedish workers coz of our language.But the present gov run by fundamentals i almost wrote [:)] I mean conservatives allowing masimmigration and basically open borders for refugees from that war in Iraq.Jupp and all those muslims prefer to go to Sweden coz of our still free educationplans and generous wellfaresystems...Then they move to England or even to the states after getting their education payed by us Swedes taxmoney [V]0 -
quote:Originally posted by mlincoln
You're missing the point. Yes, people can always donate money. The problem is that even in times of tremendous giving, after 9-11, for example, the amount of money raised is not that much. What was raised for 9-11 victims, about 1.5 billion? If you're talking about providing mental health care to Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, 1.5 billion isn't going to go that far.
Yet another point is that only so many people will actually donate money. 9-11 was a tremendously galvanizing moment, and people donated about 1.5 billion. The veterans are going to need a lot more than that, for a lot longer. If people rely on donations alone, not enough money will come in.
And yes, one can always make the argument that money that goes to support this or that should actually go to support something else. The problem is that when you talk about cutting one program to fund another, people howl and complain and things bog down and nothing ever happens. Having a designated stream of revune, on the other hand, gets around that.
Slipgate suggests the best solution is just to privatize the veterans mental health care. An interesting idea, I suppose, and probably in two or three years the Veterans Administration could be abolished and in another two or three years privatized health care could be up and running and--assuming that it all worked just the way he hopes--in four to six years the veterans would start getting mental health care. Four to six years. And again, that's assuming that it all works out just the way he's planned.
Quite honestly, I really am shocked at you guys. I guess it's the way people are now, not giving a damn about the country. As long as you've got yours. . .
No offense again, but this is also a fairly liberal response. The needs of the few outway the needs of the many and thinking only short-term. You are suggesteing the vets in the short-term suffer during the ramp-up phase to privatization. Accept I disagree, the vets will receive the same care now that they have been getting (yes perhaps they are suffering), and better after the gov't gets its inept paws out of the mix. To think that we can "fix" the current system with anything - money, reorganizing, etc, is folly. Privatization is the only way to fix the problem, so that is the end that should be the goal.
As far as having mine and not giving a damn, I pay more in taxes every year than most people make. So I do think that I give my fair share and then some. To say that I should give even more just because I have it, is also really liberal. Most, if not all liberal ideals and arguments look good on paper (like communism) but few can stand up to any close scrutiny.0 -
Probably the problem is not different systems,created for the wellbeing of mankind.
Most likely the problem,is that there is always some greedy punks on the right (wrong) positions that enrichen themselfe.0 -
The VA has money..they just pee it away.
More money won't fix the problem.
The local VA office here is such a joke they should just close it down. It don't matter when you call, nobody will ever answer there phones.
You have to walk in to make an appointment. I filled out the form 3 weeks ago and still haven't heard when my appointment is going to be.
They WANT me to scream to Congress and demand more money to fix it......I'll get them.
I demand they get no more money. Matter of fact...close the VA. They have done nothing for me.
40% Disabled by DOD / 40% Disabled by the VA.
I hate the VA.0
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