Ways the US gov is working against it's citzens

OnDborder

Please edit,, "citizens"
Well, I'll start it off..
Illegal immigration(occupation)
The lack of control of the borders, which is one of the duties of the federal goverment if not the only one, is one in my book. The Congress sat on their hands while some of us were writing, emailing, and talking to them about this problem years ago.
Another, the suspension of habeaus corpus..

OnDborder

A super highway through the middle of the country, from Mexico, to transport goods from the ports of Mexico, bypassing, excluding the coastal workers of this country. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15497

Dowaco

So "by the people, for the people" is no longer in effect?
Is it us against "them" whoever them is?

Elected officials are supposed to represent the majority. The minority has a voice but certainly does not always get what it wants. I am not endorsing or rejecting the actions you pointed out, just saying you get what you vote for if you are in the majority. You complain and campaign for change if you are in the minority. In that sense, the govt is always working against at least some of the people some of the time.

Falstaff

That majority you might be referring to is more than happy to hire those illegal immigrants for substantially less.

Dowaco

Exactly, which is why nothing is being done about it.

The major way the government is working against its citizens is to take over 1/3 of our earnings in taxes to maintain their power base via pork, handouts, welfare, etc.

OnDborder

Rush hour tax for folks that are stuck in a jam going/coming back from work. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0207/p...omv.html?s=itm

cozumel

I stopped driving about six years 'cos I got pissed at the congestion at parking problems. I spend somewhere between $75-$150 in a typical week on cabs (don't like or feel comfortable in public transport system). I'm all for increased taxation of motorists and gas!!!

Does that make me popular with you guys???? No....Well tough!!

Dowaco

If they raise taxes at bridges and tunnels then it will encourage people to drive the long way around and use even more gas. Spend an extra $5 for gas to save $15 on tolls. It will encourage working from home which means productivity will fall, tourism will fall, small businesses will fail.
Higher taxes are rarely good for anyone.

Zelig

That's why gas taxation would be increased too...

cozumel

Something like $7.50 / gallon would be perfect.

Dowaco

And people would pay it. Oil companies would not be hurt, only the poor and lower middle class would suffer due to increased transportation costs.
Politicians would use the windfall to line their own pockets, or to ensure their re-election.

That's how a government punishes its own citizens, tax the crap out of them. The harder they work and the more they earn, the more the govt takes to give to those who do not contribute.

cozumel

People would have the option of driving cars on biofuel or electric / hybrid on zero tax or getting VW beetles with small engines / high mpg. Alternatively everyone could ride nice big yamahas which go miles quicker than most cars and are loads more economical.

As for politicians lining their pockets....that's how we truly do get shafted and is the way all governments / politicians work against their citizens.

OnDborder

Tax breaks for companies "out-sourcing" jobs to other countries. Bush Supports New Tax Breaks for Companies that Ship Jobs Overseas

Yousaif

And just what do you think that your cab rides would cost you per week if this happened?

Just because you don't personally drive a car doesn't mean that an increased gas tax wouldn't affect you.

OnDborder

Mexican trucks "ok'd" to transport freight in the continental U.S... Critics bash Mexican truck decision - Yahoo! News

Oh boy..
What do you think these truckers are going to use for currency?? The dollar or peso?
In order to ease the confusion, that's what goverment/congress does best, the amero will be instituted..

Thank you Clinton and the Congress for nafta.. "What's that sucking sound??"

SFOSOK

Yay, now California can be 90% hispanic and I can be the minority! I'm guessin they won't be shipping just freight in those things (especially with mexican pay wages). That is of course if you don't don't consider illegal immigrants freight.

We should change the sign on the statue of liberty to "Closed for Renovations"

Actually, I think a sudden increase in gas prices will force prices for everything else down (or at least less inflation in other parts of the economy). Joe blue collar wont be buying that new big screen TV if he can barely afford gas and rent.

The_Neon_Cowboy

Yep, that move costs 100,000's of US job's. These where high paying high benefit jobs too....
as large mfg's like RCA (Thompson) moved their operations from us soil to down there. Not
only that they saved so much money on labor and screwing their life employees out of millions
in retirement benefits. Now add to that supplying the US. with inferior quailty products, with a
high return / fail rate. night and day difference compaired to before the move.

now after the fire storm over mexico, the RCA boxes now say "made in china" vs the made
in mexico thats beccomeing unpopular.

hust to think that used to say made in america, and used to be a quailty product,
now the brand is sh**

Thanks nafta, thanks bill clintion, thanks democrats


correct the price of all store bought goods would increase as well.

not to mention drugs etc...

cozumel

Fuel prices for mass transportation and vehicles over 7.5 tonnes that transport freight could be kept at current prices. This would keep retail prices down, increase the use of buses/trains while decreasing the number of small private vehicles polluting the atmosphere. The associated slump in car sales would force massive investment by manufacturers into clean, non-polluting alternatives to the combustion engine. With the political will this could be done.

The_Neon_Cowboy

1) the people wouldn't stand for it / everybody pays the same amount for gas
with variations from station to station...
2) the poor aka the mass public would suffer
3) mfg's may do that but again unless your rolling in cash, to be able to afford
a $60,000 + car... again you'd be sol

Yousaif

While that sort of thing may work in our larger more dense cities, it most certainly wouldn't work throughout the rest of the country. People need transportation to get to work, and if I could ride some kind of mass transit system to get to where I work I would, but I work 2 counties over, and late at night on top of it, so it would actually end up being LESS economical for me to be the only person (or one of 2 or 3 people) on the transport for the 26 miles from my home to my job than it would be for me to drive myself.

I'm all for alternatives, and they are coming. They may not be right around the corner, but they are being worked on. I think that people need to not be so short sighted in the way they look at the world. Not everyone has mass transit right outside their door. Not all places have mass transit that get anywhere near them. This doesn't even figure into it the massive "investment" that the local municipalities and states and the federal "investment" that would have to be instituted to initially fund this kind of massive change. That money would come from the taxpayers in the form of EXTREME taxation. If you think that it would come from corporate taxes, then it still in the long run would come from the end-user (taxpayers).

What you are suggesting here would lead the US, and possibly the entire world, to economic ruin faster than you can say "confiscatory tax policy." The US is way to big, geographically, to institute any kind of country-wide mass transit system.

cozumel

1. Why? Only freight and mass transportation companies have reduced prices. Every individual pays the same price.
2. Average fuel price in UK equates to $7.544118/gallon. The rich v poor population divide is the same in the US as in the UK.
3. Buses & train fares loads cheaper. As conventional car sales go down, alternatively powered car sales would increase. Once sales reach a certain level (mass production) new car prices would drop significantly. Just look at what happened to calulators, PCs, DVD players. Compare the price of a new DVD player when it first hit the shelves all those years ago with the retail price now.

Financial incentives & tax breaks given to companies who develop and invest in commercially viable vehicles that are environmentally clean could be introduced on a Federal level. The American motor industry would return to the top of global league. The US and its citizens would reap the financial & environmental rewards. The impact on US manufacturing created by instability in the Middle East and fluctuating oil prices would be nullified thus allowing the necessary conditions for sustainable growth. Exports would increase reducing the negative balance of payments created by the current Bush administration.

This is an example of Bush's short-sightedness and overall lack of vision and is a prime example of how he and his administration are working against US citizens.

I understand that this is a policy for the long haul and that there would be pain in short-medium term. To plan only for the next 4-8 years is no longer acceptable IMHO.

Edit: @Yousaif - Anyone who doesn't live in the cities will be amongst those who will be hit hardest and face the starkest choices. I was born and bought up in a city and maybe a solution (that is far from perfect) would be counties to introduce new regional bus services to interconnect towns. Those who truly live miles from anywhere may be required to make many adjustments to their lives during the years of transition.

Yousaif

There are already a large number of these breaks already in place. Please see Department of Energy - Tax Breaks for that information.

The point here is that in order to avoid financial ruin for everyone, this can't be a quick fix. The alternative fuels and vehicles that use them must be allowed to develop more organically- with the fertilizer of tax breaks thrown in.

The problem is that tax breaks need to be replaced by other funds- its not like there is this endless pool of money, no matter what our politicians and the more liberal set of our constituents may believe.

cozumel

Im talking about incentives for research, investment & development costs for a commercially viable clean alternative to the combustion engine. What's on offer currently is next to nothing for the manufacturer.