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Ron Paul realizes whats best for everything on this planet
Spathotan
Member Posts: 3,928
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/07/ron.paul/index.html
/stirshitpot, /watchtearsroll, /laughatsaps
"There's no star system Slave I can't reach, and there's no planet I can't find. There's nowhere in the Galaxy for you to run. Might as well give up now."
Boba Fett
Comments
Lol! but he did bring some true points to the table during debate, but some of it, like the abolish of IRS is just too unrealistic... I truly enjoy looking at the rest of the republican candidate trying to copy what he have said or just give some blar blar answer before he does...
Believe that democratic will win this time round....
RIP Orc Choppa
Im all seriousness, he did have some good ideas. But unfortunately the way things are right now, he just wasnt his time, or anybody else with the same goals. The way this country is right now, only big names and famous faces will make it, which sucks.
"There's no star system Slave I can't reach, and there's no planet I can't find. There's nowhere in the Galaxy for you to run. Might as well give up now."
Boba Fett
I liked Kucinich more. . .
Eternally mine,
Keebs
The MMO gaming blog I write for.
Abolishing the IRS isnt unrealists You just have to change you're views on what the role of government should be.
The federal government should have no role in our personal lives. Or at least one of absolute minimalism.Abolishing the IRS isnt unrealists You just have to change you're views on what the role of government should be.
That's all the IRS has become is a way to keep an eye on us. I'm sick of having to check in with the federal government on everything I do.
--------------------------------------
Lay off the ouija board.
"There's no star system Slave I can't reach, and there's no planet I can't find. There's nowhere in the Galaxy for you to run. Might as well give up now."
Boba Fett
The only good idea Ron Paul has had yet, is the idea of quitting the presidential race.
C'mon now? Seriously?
===============================
C'mon now? Seriously?
Thinking the Gov't needs to be scaled back != thinking it needs to be nuked out of existence.It's inefficient, bloated, corrupt, etc. But just running around hacking it all down willy nilly isn't going to help matters in the least. Instead of one bloated bureaucracy, you get 50 bloated bureaucracies, all fighting against each other.
How long do you really think it would remain the United States?
C'mon now? Seriously?
The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
But Kucinich saw a spacecraft before..... you sure he still human?
RIP Orc Choppa
You don't think the federal government has become bloated to the point of inefficiency and being overpowering?C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
By the way are you US citizen? Tired of debateing only to find out I am debateing a socialist europeon. By default, they don't understand the US system.
You don't think the federal government has become bloated to the point of inefficiency and being overpowering?C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
Where to begin on this one....
It costs the IRS about 7 cents for each additional dollar collected, the private contract collection agencies receive 25 cents on the dollar. One of the successful bidders was a Texas law firm that was under investigation for government contract abuse. Remember airport security when the airlines paid screeners, as opposed to government screeners? Four planes were controlled by terrorists. Is it in the airlines interest to hassle their customers, or to give them a fast pass onto the plane? Should the airlines get the contract for replacing the air traffic controllers? For inspecting their aircraft? Cause that's what will happen, they will pay big bucks to the politicians to make sure it comes out that way.
You want the Center for Disease Control contracted to the drug companies? The FDA contracted to the meat packers, and drug industry? You want our port security contracted to a company from Abu Dabi? Cause that is what you'll get. Government contracts are awarded by politicians as political favors to their supporters. Their supporters that give the politicains money. That is why there is such a push for privatization, more pork payoffs. Trust me, when a politician says that this is for the benefit of the people, he is lying like a rug.
You think corruption and government inefficiency is new? Go Wiki Billie Sol Estes, and Teapot Dome. This has gone on for as long as the government has existed, and will always go on. Power breeds corruption, control of public agencies is hard enough, but still subject to public scrutiny/Freedom of Information Act. Go file a Freedom of Information Act request on Haliburton and see what you get back.
C'mon now? Seriously?
Thinking the Gov't needs to be scaled back != thinking it needs to be nuked out of existence.It's inefficient, bloated, corrupt, etc. But just running around hacking it all down willy nilly isn't going to help matters in the least. Instead of one bloated bureaucracy, you get 50 bloated bureaucracies, all fighting against each other.
How long do you really think it would remain the United States?
You're forgetting that there was a large part of American history where this country grew incredibly well and didn't have a huge national government. We weren't intended to function with all the power in the nations capitol. It was supposed to be delegated out to the states. But now we have a huge federal bureaucracy and the states are picking up the scraps. That's not America.Think about it, the federal government is the largest employer in America. I don't like that. I want the states to have the power and compete with one another.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
All Rights Reversed
C'mon now? Seriously?
What you said doesn't make any sense.The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
Who cares about privatization? If I don't like what a private corporation does, I don't buy their products. End of story.
However, if I don't like what my government puts upon me and I protest, chances are I will end up in prison. Don't believe that? Then stop paying your taxes and see what happens. In essence, I am being forced to pay for a system I don't agree with. I have had my options (and my freedom) taken away from me. That's not the case with privatization. I can walk away from a business and they can't do a damn thing about it!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
All Rights Reversed
C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
By the way are you US citizen? Tired of debateing only to find out I am debateing a socialist europeon. By default, they don't understand the US system.
I think that's part of the problem, Vemoi. American's don't understand the foundations of this country.Just look at how quickly they call America a democracy. I hear that all the time. And when you tell people it's not, they look at you like you're crazy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
All Rights Reversed
C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
Where to begin on this one....
It costs the IRS about 7 cents for each additional dollar collected, the private contract collection agencies receive 25 cents on the dollar. One of the successful bidders was a Texas law firm that was under investigation for government contract abuse. Remember airport security when the airlines paid screeners, as opposed to government screeners? Four planes were controlled by terrorists. Is it in the airlines interest to hassle their customers, or to give them a fast pass onto the plane? Should the airlines get the contract for replacing the air traffic controllers? For inspecting their aircraft? Cause that's what will happen, they will pay big bucks to the politicians to make sure it comes out that way.
You want the Center for Disease Control contracted to the drug companies? The FDA contracted to the meat packers, and drug industry? You want our port security contracted to a company from Abu Dabi? Cause that is what you'll get. Government contracts are awarded by politicians as political favors to their supporters. Their supporters that give the politicains money. That is why there is such a push for privatization, more pork payoffs. Trust me, when a politician says that this is for the benefit of the people, he is lying like a rug.
You think corruption and government inefficiency is new? Go Wiki Billie Sol Estes, and Teapot Dome. This has gone on for as long as the government has existed, and will always go on. Power breeds corruption, control of public agencies is hard enough, but still subject to public scrutiny/Freedom of Information Act. Go file a Freedom of Information Act request on Haliburton and see what you get back.
OK, the IRS is the IRS! There is no private IRS! If you are talking some collection agency, you are talking apples and oranges. The IRS doesn't need any resourses to collect because if you don't pay, you go to jail. Does this collection agency have it's own police force, courts, and prisons. Have you added all these other items to the cost of IRS enforcement.Airpost security!? huh. OK, get the government out of the picture and let the private company take care of it and you will have another Blackwater with a perfect record. There would be no hassleing old ladies while the prime suspects are boarding.
We are truly becomming lost when so many people think the government has the answer to all thier problems.
Oh, some guy told me Bush lied.
C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
Where to begin on this one....
It costs the IRS about 7 cents for each additional dollar collected, the private contract collection agencies receive 25 cents on the dollar. One of the successful bidders was a Texas law firm that was under investigation for government contract abuse. Remember airport security when the airlines paid screeners, as opposed to government screeners? Four planes were controlled by terrorists. Is it in the airlines interest to hassle their customers, or to give them a fast pass onto the plane? Should the airlines get the contract for replacing the air traffic controllers? For inspecting their aircraft? Cause that's what will happen, they will pay big bucks to the politicians to make sure it comes out that way.
You want the Center for Disease Control contracted to the drug companies? The FDA contracted to the meat packers, and drug industry? You want our port security contracted to a company from Abu Dabi? Cause that is what you'll get. Government contracts are awarded by politicians as political favors to their supporters. Their supporters that give the politicains money. That is why there is such a push for privatization, more pork payoffs. Trust me, when a politician says that this is for the benefit of the people, he is lying like a rug.
You think corruption and government inefficiency is new? Go Wiki Billie Sol Estes, and Teapot Dome. This has gone on for as long as the government has existed, and will always go on. Power breeds corruption, control of public agencies is hard enough, but still subject to public scrutiny/Freedom of Information Act. Go file a Freedom of Information Act request on Haliburton and see what you get back.
OK, the IRS is the IRS! There is no private IRS! If you are talking some collection agency, you are talking apples and oranges. The IRS doesn't need any resourses to collect because if you don't pay, you go to jail. Does this collection agency have it's own police force, courts, and prisons. Have you added all these other items to the cost of IRS enforcement.Airpost security!? huh. OK, get the government out of the picture and let the private company take care of it and you will have another Blackwater with a perfect record. There would be no hassleing old ladies while the prime suspects are boarding.
We are truly becomming lost when so many people think the government has the answer to all thier problems.
Oh, some guy told me Bush lied.
Actually the IRS is slowly being privatized. Collection services are being contracted out, they get to keep 25 cents on the dollar that they collect. As to not needing resources to collect, who do you think makes sure that people are complying with the tax law, the Bureau of Prisons?
Prior to 9/11 private security firms, paid for by the airlines, were exactly the ones that were in charge of airport security. Perfect record, right. They didn't hassle anyone, even the prime suspects, because it was in the airlines interest to move everyone through as quickly as possible.
The purpose of government is to act as a check and balance to private interests. That means regulation. Regulation of food, drug, toy, environmental safety. Want to see a couple of countries where the government doesn't regulate, visit India and China, smell the fresh air there, drink the fresh water there.
You talk of the history of this country, yet you know nothing of it. You do not know that, of the original 13 colonies, New England was federalist, and the south was for States Rights (Antifederalist). They knew when the Declaration of Independance was signed that this issue was not resolved, but New England needed the South's support, so first it was independance, then they dealt with States Rights. The conflict over States Rights is called the American Civil War, the North won, and we became a Federalist government, not a Confederacy of States.
In the closing years of the 1800s, and up until the Great Depression, the government bureaucracy was minimal, there was little checks and balances on the rail barons and industrialists. These people grew rich by exploiting workers. There was no health care, if you couldn't work you lost your job. You lived in company housing, shopped at the company store. That is where the saying, "You load 16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. I'll be back tomorrow, you know what for? I owe my soul to the company store".
Companies did not pay for the tools/equipment the employees used, the employees did. And the employees bought those tools off the company at the company's prices. You couldn't quit because you owed them so much money, they owned your soul. And the government threw you in jail if you didn't continue to work and pay for it. Working conditions, there was no OSHA, no safety regulations. You got black lung, lost an arm in a machine, whatever, you were fired and thrown out onto the street to beg.
So next time you bitch about the government, think of working 16 hours a day, with no health care, no pension, no safety inspections, no clean air, no clean water, buying off the company store at the company prices. Ever since the 1980s the American public has been sold a pile of crap about getting rid of government. That is not for your benefit, unless you happen to be one of the political donor class. That is propaganda to get the average working Joe to support a return to the days when the robber barons were king.
C'mon now? Seriously?
You have got to be kidding! Your statement is the exact opposite of anything in the real world. What privatization are you talking about?! Which government function runs better then private?The federal goverment's inefficiency has been amplified by privatization, which invariably results in corrpution on massive scales.
Where to begin on this one....
It costs the IRS about 7 cents for each additional dollar collected, the private contract collection agencies receive 25 cents on the dollar. One of the successful bidders was a Texas law firm that was under investigation for government contract abuse. Remember airport security when the airlines paid screeners, as opposed to government screeners? Four planes were controlled by terrorists. Is it in the airlines interest to hassle their customers, or to give them a fast pass onto the plane? Should the airlines get the contract for replacing the air traffic controllers? For inspecting their aircraft? Cause that's what will happen, they will pay big bucks to the politicians to make sure it comes out that way.
You want the Center for Disease Control contracted to the drug companies? The FDA contracted to the meat packers, and drug industry? You want our port security contracted to a company from Abu Dabi? Cause that is what you'll get. Government contracts are awarded by politicians as political favors to their supporters. Their supporters that give the politicains money. That is why there is such a push for privatization, more pork payoffs. Trust me, when a politician says that this is for the benefit of the people, he is lying like a rug.
You think corruption and government inefficiency is new? Go Wiki Billie Sol Estes, and Teapot Dome. This has gone on for as long as the government has existed, and will always go on. Power breeds corruption, control of public agencies is hard enough, but still subject to public scrutiny/Freedom of Information Act. Go file a Freedom of Information Act request on Haliburton and see what you get back.
I'm afraid the GOP drones who infest this board have not bothered to study so much as a page of history. They are totally blinded by the ideology of selfishness and not looking past the tip of their noses. They have no notion of what infrastructure is, they think the market is a force of nature, not a social construct, and they do not have the slightest notion of cost analysis.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
OK, the IRS is the IRS! There is no private IRS! If you are talking some collection agency, you are talking apples and oranges. The IRS doesn't need any resourses to collect because if you don't pay, you go to jail. Does this collection agency have it's own police force, courts, and prisons. Have you added all these other items to the cost of IRS enforcement.Airpost security!? huh. OK, get the government out of the picture and let the private company take care of it and you will have another Blackwater with a perfect record. There would be no hassleing old ladies while the prime suspects are boarding.
We are truly becomming lost when so many people think the government has the answer to all thier problems.
Oh, some guy told me Bush lied.
Actually the IRS is slowly being privatized. Collection services are being contracted out, they get to keep 25 cents on the dollar that they collect. As to not needing resources to collect, who do you think makes sure that people are complying with the tax law, the Bureau of Prisons?
Prior to 9/11 private security firms, paid for by the airlines, were exactly the ones that were in charge of airport security. Perfect record, right. They didn't hassle anyone, even the prime suspects, because it was in the airlines interest to move everyone through as quickly as possible.
The purpose of government is to act as a check and balance to private interests. That means regulation. Regulation of food, drug, toy, environmental safety. Want to see a couple of countries where the government doesn't regulate, visit India and China, smell the fresh air there, drink the fresh water there.
You talk of the history of this country, yet you know nothing of it. You do not know that, of the original 13 colonies, New England was federalist, and the south was for States Rights (Antifederalist). They knew when the Declaration of Independance was signed that this issue was not resolved, but New England needed the South's support, so first it was independance, then they dealt with States Rights. The conflict over States Rights is called the American Civil War, the North won, and we became a Federalist government, not a Confederacy of States.
In the closing years of the 1800s, and up until the Great Depression, the government bureaucracy was minimal, there was little checks and balances on the rail barons and industrialists. These people grew rich by exploiting workers. There was no health care, if you couldn't work you lost your job. You lived in company housing, shopped at the company store. That is where the saying, "You load 16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. I'll be back tomorrow, you know what for? I owe my soul to the company store".
Companies did not pay for the tools/equipment the employees used, the employees did. And the employees bought those tools off the company at the company's prices. You couldn't quit because you owed them so much money, they owned your soul. And the government threw you in jail if you didn't continue to work and pay for it. Working conditions, there was no OSHA, no safety regulations. You got black lung, lost an arm in a machine, whatever, you were fired and thrown out onto the street to beg.
So next time you bitch about the government, think of working 16 hours a day, with no health care, no pension, no safety inspections, no clean air, no clean water, buying off the company store at the company prices. Ever since the 1980s the American public has been sold a pile of crap about getting rid of government. That is not for your benefit, unless you happen to be one of the political donor class. That is propaganda to get the average working Joe to support a return to the days when the robber barons were king.
It seems like you are trying to prove my point for me. Government is just wonderful at protecting every aspect of our life right? We are doing what is good for you weather you like it or not! You too may want to check out some other countries whos governments control all aspects of life.
I am a bit confused on the IRS thing. You saying the IRS is contracting out or the government is pulling in so much the IRS can't keep up? And is 7 cents IRS cost finguring in enforcement. If you don't pay, does the IRS come to your door or the police? Is the money the collection agencies are getting on top of what the IRS collects and if so, could the IRS do it at 7 cents? Are benifits included in the IRS cost? Can you expect the government to protect you if you don't pay the IRS? This all sounds like a government boondoggle with politics involved, not a simple privitization. I think the IRS has much more hidden cost over the 7 cents. Lets try it this way....completly get rid of IRS and privatize...then see how much it cost. No, I am not gonna research all this stuff for you. Did that on the impeachment thread just to have the Bush haters reply with more recycled garbage and no proof.
Nice history lesson....guess the new deal saved us all. I am suprised we survived that long wth the conditions we had to endure.
I'm going to shorten up all the attachments, otherwise we will be a page all in ourselves.
Your point is government control, mine is government regulation. there is a difference, which I will agree with you has been blurred/crossed. Regulation means that, for example, business is free to operate under the laws of supply and demand as long as it stays within a reasonable framework. So, if one business, say Microsoft, uses preditory practices to exclude the competition from, say, placing it's operating systems on new computers, then the government has the obligation to step in and level the playing field through anti trust action to stimulate competition. The government should not be "controlling" and tell operating system developement companies what to develope. That is what I mean by the difference between regulation and control. We are losing sight of this distinction, and, quite frankly, both the left and the right are showing signs of control. That is why we are fracturing in this country, because there is no middle ground, between the looney left and the looney right, telling them to sit down and shut up.
In the late 1990s there was a Congressional witch hunt against the IRS to gain votes. As a result, the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1998 was passed, the IRS was gutted, as was the budget. The fact of the matter is that IRS enforcement dropped radically since 1998, as did it's staffing. Frankly, it was, and still is, unable to effectively police the tax laws. Ever since then they pick a couple of high profile cases and publicize the hell out of them to scare people. Those that are smart keep their mouth shut and fly low under the radar. That is why tax compliance is dropping, especially by business.
The W-2 wage earner extremely rarely comes in contact with anyone from the IRS. Your taxes are withheld by the employer, may or may not actually be paid over (many small businessman don't), you file your return every year, and either send in a check, or receive one. There is no "Gestapo" kicking down your door, searching through your house, spying on your activities, or following you around. That is all just alarmist propaganda. Your employer is effectively used as a collection tool to keep you paying into the tax system.
Most of the IRS activities are directed at large and small business, and the wealthy. The IRS follows the money, and, as a W-2 wage earner, you don't have enough (sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not really that well off). Large corporations engage in tax shelter activity, and moving profits offshore into tax havens. Thus, someone like Exxon Mobil can make record profits, and pay little taxes, by having the drilling subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and having the US refining subsidiary pay over $100 per barrel for oil that only costs $27 per barrel to bring out of the ground. The Cayman Islands has no income taxes. Then, magically, Congress will pass a special one year provision that allows these corporations to repatriate the earnings back into the US for 10 cents on the dollar so the corporations can use the money to shut down US facilities and send production work overseas (pharmecutical companies are big in this). Keep in mind, the IRS is simply doing what the politicians tell it to do. The politicians like to paint the IRS as the bad guys, but the IRS is not out there winging it, and writing laws all by itself.
Small business either doesn't report all the income, doesn't pay over withholding taxes (I never said they get away with this, but they try), or deducts personal expenses.
And the wealthy do it all. By the way, the wealthy are the ones that write the paychecks of the rich.
The 7 cents is the cost of the IRS collection/enforcement. The IRS really does operate efficiently when it comes to enforcement. This is constantly the arguement being presented to Congress, that the IRS can process, collect, and enforce the tax laws more economically then the outside. About 10 years ago Mellon Bank in Philadelphia received a contract to process tax returns and payments. They couldn't keep up with the volume, and pled guilty and paid a fine because they shredded return and payments to meet production. The IRS Service Centers are really a sight to behold, they do keep up. They have been doing this for so long they really do have it down to an art. However the politicians see a way to contract out services to their campiagn supporters. Did you know that the president of Blackwater is the son in law to Michigan Republican Dick Devoss, who not only ran for governor, but who's wife heads up the Michigan GOP? Guess who owns Blackwater, and if you say Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, or any other liberal democrat I will personally reach through your screen and smack you
It's all political favoritism/cronyism games. The Republicans do it, the Democrats do it. Then they turn on the propaganda machine to rile the sheeple up, point to the other side, and say, "Look what those crooks did!". this is why independant candidates such as Ron Paul, Jerry Brown, and H Ross Perot gain a following. There are people out there that are sick and tired of the same old political games. Hillary, Obama, Edwards, Romney, Huckabee, Paul, all are/were running as candidates of change. The problem is not the government, not "big government in your pocket", the problem is politicians, and politicians in your pocket.
The costs of the Federal Courts, US Marshalls, and Bureau of Prisons are not included in the IRS budget, those are services shared by multiple Federal agencies and each of those has it's own budget. The 7 cents per dollar is just IRS costs.
I don't have any opinion on this topic (for a change).
I don't care either way.
But I found this video is kinda funny and rubbing at it. May it put a smile on your face as it did for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDSkjWmTy5M
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
He hasn't dropped out.
I'm going to shorten up all the attachments, otherwise we will be a page all in ourselves.
Your point is government control, mine is government regulation. there is a difference, which I will agree with you has been blurred/crossed. Regulation means that, for example, business is free to operate under the laws of supply and demand as long as it stays within a reasonable framework. So, if one business, say Microsoft, uses preditory practices to exclude the competition from, say, placing it's operating systems on new computers, then the government has the obligation to step in and level the playing field through anti trust action to stimulate competition. The government should not be "controlling" and tell operating system developement companies what to develope. That is what I mean by the difference between regulation and control. We are losing sight of this distinction, and, quite frankly, both the left and the right are showing signs of control. That is why we are fracturing in this country, because there is no middle ground, between the looney left and the looney right, telling them to sit down and shut up.
In the late 1990s there was a Congressional witch hunt against the IRS to gain votes. As a result, the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1998 was passed, the IRS was gutted, as was the budget. The fact of the matter is that IRS enforcement dropped radically since 1998, as did it's staffing. Frankly, it was, and still is, unable to effectively police the tax laws. Ever since then they pick a couple of high profile cases and publicize the hell out of them to scare people. Those that are smart keep their mouth shut and fly low under the radar. That is why tax compliance is dropping, especially by business.
The W-2 wage earner extremely rarely comes in contact with anyone from the IRS. Your taxes are withheld by the employer, may or may not actually be paid over (many small businessman don't), you file your return every year, and either send in a check, or receive one. There is no "Gestapo" kicking down your door, searching through your house, spying on your activities, or following you around. That is all just alarmist propaganda. Your employer is effectively used as a collection tool to keep you paying into the tax system.
Most of the IRS activities are directed at large and small business, and the wealthy. The IRS follows the money, and, as a W-2 wage earner, you don't have enough (sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not really that well off). Large corporations engage in tax shelter activity, and moving profits offshore into tax havens. Thus, someone like Exxon Mobil can make record profits, and pay little taxes, by having the drilling subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and having the US refining subsidiary pay over $100 per barrel for oil that only costs $27 per barrel to bring out of the ground. The Cayman Islands has no income taxes. Then, magically, Congress will pass a special one year provision that allows these corporations to repatriate the earnings back into the US for 10 cents on the dollar so the corporations can use the money to shut down US facilities and send production work overseas (pharmecutical companies are big in this). Keep in mind, the IRS is simply doing what the politicians tell it to do. The politicians like to paint the IRS as the bad guys, but the IRS is not out there winging it, and writing laws all by itself.
Small business either doesn't report all the income, doesn't pay over withholding taxes (I never said they get away with this, but they try), or deducts personal expenses.
And the wealthy do it all. By the way, the wealthy are the ones that write the paychecks of the rich.
The 7 cents is the cost of the IRS collection/enforcement. The IRS really does operate efficiently when it comes to enforcement. This is constantly the arguement being presented to Congress, that the IRS can process, collect, and enforce the tax laws more economically then the outside. About 10 years ago Mellon Bank in Philadelphia received a contract to process tax returns and payments. They couldn't keep up with the volume, and pled guilty and paid a fine because they shredded return and payments to meet production. The IRS Service Centers are really a sight to behold, they do keep up. They have been doing this for so long they really do have it down to an art. However the politicians see a way to contract out services to their campiagn supporters. Did you know that the president of Blackwater is the son in law to Michigan Republican Dick Devoss, who not only ran for governor, but who's wife heads up the Michigan GOP? Guess who owns Blackwater, and if you say Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, or any other liberal democrat I will personally reach through your screen and smack you
It's all political favoritism/cronyism games. The Republicans do it, the Democrats do it. Then they turn on the propaganda machine to rile the sheeple up, point to the other side, and say, "Look what those crooks did!". this is why independant candidates such as Ron Paul, Jerry Brown, and H Ross Perot gain a following. There are people out there that are sick and tired of the same old political games. Hillary, Obama, Edwards, Romney, Huckabee, Paul, all are/were running as candidates of change. The problem is not the government, not "big government in your pocket", the problem is politicians, and politicians in your pocket.
The costs of the Federal Courts, US Marshalls, and Bureau of Prisons are not included in the IRS budget, those are services shared by multiple Federal agencies and each of those has it's own budget. The 7 cents per dollar is just IRS costs.
Thanks for a well written retort. I personally suck at getting my thoughts accross sometimes but it looks like you understood what I was getting at. The IRS is probably efficient I am sure. I couldn't tell you weather 7 cents is a good deal or not. 7 cents sounds like a small amount but, with what is taken in, it must be a very large number. My problem is with congress changeing behavior useing tax law. Example..The very act of taxing cigerettes the hugh amouts they do, causes congress to rely on a steady income from the exact thing they say they are aginst. They would have been better off leaving it alone and let the people decide.
It doesn't help my views on tax when I am reminided 4 times a year when I pay my estimated taxes. And then find out people I work with, with the same pay scale, arn't paying tax but getting some back even. Because I make wise decisions, I get penalized.
I personally like the Fairtax Idea.