Posted by Tina
As members of the newly acquired Democrat controlled House, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have plans to “help” lower income taxpayers:
In October, Booker proposed taxpayer-funded savings accounts that would give a federal “opportunity account” containing $1,000 to every child born in the US, Fox News reported. That presumably includes illegal immigrants. The child would not be able to touch the account until he turns 18. By that time, the US Treasury-managed accounts would collect interest that could top $46,000 per child by their 18th birthday. … Booker’s plan would cost American taxpayers about $60 billion a year, Watchdog.org estimated.
Booker doesn’t give a rip if the recipients will actually end up better prepared for adult life. He’s looking for votes. think about it…what would the average, poor kid do at age 18 when $45K was suddenly dropped in his lap? A few would be smart with the money. They would use it to get training or otherwise invest it for their futures. But the majority would blow it on a lavish trip to Cabo with friends, drug and alcohol blow out parties, a slick new car with all the bells and whistles…you know that they would. At the same time the US would take on another program to administer causing overhead costs that add to the deficit and debt.
Kamala Harris proposes tax credits, a more sensible idea, but the devil is in the details. The bottom 50% of taxpayers are only paying 3% of tax revenues now. Another low income tax credit at this point amounts to just another redistribution of wealth scheme. How wonderful. Another expense that does little lasting good.
What keeps Democrats married to these redistribution ideas? It appears to be a desire to reach equality of outcomes. They will never be happy until every citizens has the same amount of money to live on each month, live in the same style (small) cubicle, and acquire only the things that everyone can have.
Programs to uplift the poor in America should first do no harm. Free stuff has been toxic for the communities receiving redistribution assistance. We’ve created generational poverty and overseen the destruction of families and communities. Free stuff also places unnecessary pressures on an already very expensive federal budget.
These ideas have been tested over decades and they fail to produce a widespread positive result. We need ideas and programs that have a more lasting and measurably uplifting result. We need ideas and plans that actually improve people’s lives and create opportunity for better futures both for themselves and for future generations. We should be preparing people for self sufficiency and a better life instead of crippling them and future generations with freebies!
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship”
– Alexander Tytler 1787
“These ideas have been tested over decades and they fail to produce a widespread positive result.”
Bull. Social Security has been a huge success. Medicare? … huger. The only problem is the idiot citizens sending idiots to Congress who refuse to properly fund the programs, which problem dates to these programs’ very inception.
Pie does have a point about the wobbly nature of democracy. It’s only as strong as the citizens that make it up … that we’ve lasted this long is bloody marvelous. For all the glorious-ness of the last election, that fact is that the 65 million turnout is less than half the voting-aged populace.
Not good.
Social Security has been a huge success. Medicare? … huger.
Both Ponzi schemes going broke fast.
Spoken like an idiot citizen. Didn’t I tell you that was the problem?
Like all progressives Lippy lives in a unicorn and fairy dreamland, Joe. Social Security and Medicare still threaten to completely collapse and CFongress does nothing. That these programs need a complete revision or a new solution completely escapes Lippy.
Such blind, foolish faith from the left is frustrating and just plain moronic. How do you argue with a moron?
Social Security has been a huge success. Medicare? … huger. The only problem is the idiot citizens sending idiots to Congress who refuse to properly fund the programs, which problem dates to these programs’ very inception.”
Lordy, you must think the money to fund these programs fully every year will fall from the sky.
Every state that has considered or tried this idea of medicare for all has abandoned it, citing the price tag.
The Kaiser Family Foundations reports Medicare spending was 15 percent of total federal spending in 2017, and is projected to rise to 18 percent by 2028. Currently the program serves a portion of the citizens. Coverage for all via Bernie’s plan was projected to cost trillions over ten years. We know how government projections run…short…usually, incredibly short.
Just how big a burden do you suppose the average earner can muster without ending up homeless and hungry like the good citizens of Venezuela?
Denmark and Sweden had to reform their generous government assistance systems because the economic prosperity they once had enjoyed began to dry up. Dan Bongino why it’s still very costly for working folks:
consider the state and local taxes that would still apply and a person with even modest income would be required to pay more than 85% of his earning in taxes.
Try living in the real world, Libby. Be responsible for the real costs involved, including the individual budgets of citizens, instead of just looking only at the feel good aspects of an idea. It’s the adult thing to do.
The best possible model for any society is individual citizen self-reliance. A nation that educates and nurtures for self-reliance will be strong with few who are in need of assistance. That condition would be easily managed by those who can and do work and cost each citizen much less. If we got government OUT of programs the cost for services would come down….just like the flat screen TV.
We tried your social experiment of reliance on government handouts and look at the mess we’re in. In 2012 a third of citizens were on Welfare. Add SS and MC and it climbed to almost half. (49.5 percent) Tax the average working person at 60% or more and pretty soon there won;t be anyone working.
You just don’t think these things through.