My lord my local rag is running THIS.... unfrigging amazing

[nadinbrzezinski]

and yes I wrote this... you should know I am shocked, I tell you... I am shocked

They are to the right of Atila the Hun and I do know the editor on a first name basis... (not nice names)

Amazing... I am here seating in shock quite brutally honest and it makes me wonder exactly what else they got... I mean this is a front and center attack in a very red town...

---------------------

The philosophy espoused by the Republican Party of lower taxes has led to massive infrastructure failures, starting in New Orleans during Katrina, followed by the steam pipe explosion in New York City, and tonight in Minneapolis St Paul. The mantra of lower taxes has reached its logical conclusion: the nation's infrastructure is failing. We have been here before. In fact, this is 1927 all over again. What will it take for many Americans to finally understand this: Paying taxes is patriotic, and those taxes fund the commons? Perhaps a couple more infrastructure failures will do the trick. Perhaps the ME culture will win out and the country will join many developing world countries were disasters such as tonight's are every day ocurrences.

Sincerely,

[WilliamPitt]

1. "Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes, a good Republican.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Yep, but like him... today he'd be called a communist and

liberal... and Ike, also a good republican, would have run in horror from the current crop

[dflprincess]

5. And it was Ike that came up with this whole interstate system

though it was for national defense - or that's one thing he used to sell it. If he hadn't been a Republican (though they ignore him now) they'd probably be blaming the collapse on him - just like they try to blame FDR for things.

BTW, loved your letter.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. You are right, they ignore him

if they pushed him, well he is a damn liberal in their views.

I've heard some pubbies in private hate his guts too... and at times even Tricky Dick

This only tells us how radicalized these hate america folks have become

[northernsoul]

14. and Ike made sure they were paid for

The top marginal rate during the Eisenhower administration was something like 92%. Ike believed in actually paying for things with cash on the barrel head. Oddly enough, everybody recalls those years as a time of great prosperity.

[Hosnon]

11. Senior or Junior?

I suspect it was the Justice (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.). One of my all time favorite individuals (see sig line).

Edit: Content.

[Gregorian]

3. We're coming out of a thirty year sleep.

If only it were not so slow. Good for you, posting that. Of course it's not all Bush's fault. But the sentiment is dead on. Education and a truthful media are what we must have. I say that because some of us have known about these problems for years. I was fully aware of the massive infrastructure issue in the late 80's. Granted I was taking engineering courses where we were exposed to the people involved in studying the troubles we are now seeing coming to fruition. But this is why some of us had an even deeper sense of dread when Bush was placed in office. We knew he would have war. But we knew that meant the tax moneys would be going to things that denied much needed help to other more important things.

We need Americans to know the important issues. Fear of a dirty bomb in Manhattan is not something we need to think about. It's not impending. But health care, infrastructure are.

China spent $250 billion on their infrastructure last year. Of course that's fairly meaningless. They're building up a modern society from scratch. But still.

I applaud you for taking interest and time to put that in your paper.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I send letters to my paper on a regular basis

but as I said, I KNOW the editor of the opinion page.

We have a shall we say, less than healthy relationship

One day I ruined his day... he was readying Atlas Shruged at the coffee Shop, I started to wistle the International... lets just say if looks could kill.

[Gregorian]

6. That's priceless.

Wow. I had to Google the International. But it didn't take long before I got the gist of your comments. That would make a fantastic movie scene. Bravo.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Yep, it would

Following this in between editing and putting last things on book

[4_TN_TITANS]

9. I like the letter, but...

Throwing more money at the government in the form of taxes is not necessarily the answer. Cutting of privatization, private contracting, and all the corruption that goes with it is needed almost as much as more money.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. The reason we are here is philosophical

it is 1927 all over again

The levels of corruption were impresive during the Harding administration, as well as Grant and now Bush... what is the connection?

Trickle down...

But taxes IS part of the answer

[PATRICK]

12. Good points

and the commitment to infrastructure has to take into account the fraudulent implementation, if any, of government services abused by the GOP. When LBJ launched the Great Society going beyond the FDR programs, that did much good within a vote enabling pork-fest which the GOP decried, envied and imitated without doing a single blessed thing for the nation. We have learned to do and expect better and the anti-corruption, hopefully, will be steered hand in hand with proper government ventures. There are continuing challenges all around to make this so, especially if we get by default, unprepared and not yet as well represented as we need to be, one party rule over the true business of government.

We are in a state now when it is the same qualitative difference of becoming liberated from Britain, yet it will not be acknowledged as the grueling test and the old temptations put us under full accountability and future threat.

[superkia]

13. Everything that I have looked at

shows no law to paying taxes on you trading your physical labor and time in exchange for a ways to make a living? After I heard about the attorney that was facing jail time on 2 counts for not paying taxes and 2 counts for not filing and was then acquitted of all charges because the state could not produce any law that said he had to. The state right before the proceedings began, dropped the 2 counts for not paying taxes and then couldn't convict on not filing because you don't have to file if you have no income to report. From what Ive seen you only pay taxes on money from profit such as investments and interests and such? I don't know all the facts but so far I haven't found anything yet to disprove it?

Now of course we know even if there is no charge the machine can lock you up for fun if they so like, so I wouldn't recommend just doing it but I think all Americans should at least look into it. Aaron Russo's documentary goes into taxes and the bigger picture of what our great government may be up to! I suggest everyone checking it out.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[EFerrari]

15. #10. "Not nice names."

:rofl:

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. glad to make you laugh

:-)

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. poisonously ironic situation - the "commons" DO pay taxes, lots of taxes

the very very rich pay much less, and many corporations manage even more evasion. I heard on the radio that Halliburton headquarters are moving to Dubai.....