9 Million Kids Without Health Insurance; War Rages On

Almost half of my family is still in Europe and I do know the facts. I also know how the media in Europe sell fabrications about the American health care system using that to bash the U.S.

Central and Northern Europe to me are not free countries. If you have to pay 55% in taxes to allow others to spend more time in the doctor's office than at work when in reality nothing is wrong with them, then you need to re-evaluate what freedom means.

 

The media in Europe rarely mention the US healthcare system. I cant even recall the last time it was mentioned.

Freedom = The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.

In which country can you do exactly as you please? (think carefully before answering that)

Which country has a 55% tax rate?

 

yeah I was curious about that too

everyone seems to think that socialized medicine is so bad yet , many of the countries with the supposed best health care in the world are socialized

You guys talk about waiting longer, or less health care, or choice

but in the US if you get seriously sick and your insurance runs out, or they deny payment, you will lose everything you own. You can be a 60 year old and homeless and broke because of medical bills in the US, that seems like a problem to me.

 

I don't know about Europe, but in the US most people pay way over 55% of their earning in taxes. After medicine is socialized the number will be probably over 100%. So that someone with few skills and low ambition can get something for free...

I think having a lot of wealthy people is better than destroying middle class with more taxes... No one needs taxpayer's help if he can afford a doctor visit

The 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs' thing really damages people's motivation to work

 

what are you talking about? the average american is in the 15%-25% tax bracket, even if you factor in property taxes(if they own a house) and sales tax I don't see how you are going to get to 55%

 

Say, you make 50k a year,

15 or 20k goes to income tax, SS and medicare
5k to property taxes (if you rent you still pay it, it's priced into your rent)
5k to cover inflation tax, say if you have 100k in a mutual fund/savings account
a few more dollars for sales taxes, etc.

There are hidden taxes too. A slice of pizza comes with about 40 various taxes priced into it

 

although i think inflation is a huge problem lately I don't think there is a "inflation tax"

 

For me it's not a huge problem (I only own a few thousand in US dollars).
But it seems to me that it's very taxing on people who keep money in dollar-valued assets rather than hard assets

 

my parents in Germany pay over 55 percent. Do you think it's good for the economy to reward hard working people by forcing them to support those who don't want to do anything in life? Seriously man, there are people in Europe who get promoted at their job and turn it down, because instead of making more money, they would wind up earning less, because they like to stick it to the "evil rich people" and force them to carry the burdon of others.

 

Really? Despite the fact that the highest tax rate in Germany is 45%!

http://www.worldwide-tax.com/germany/germany_tax.asp

 

Are you forgetting VAT and all the secondary taxes? it's not all about income tax. Total taxation. Some European countries have a top tax rate of 60% or more. There was a revolution against the church when tithing was 10% hundreds of years ago. Now people think its okay that government takes over half their income. All for "free" services that don't even perform very well for everyone.

 

you got any links for that?

 

I don't have much taxable income, I could probably qualify for all the free stuff. Like medical insurance that doesn't cover about the only doctor that I trust. Or foodstamps that neither website nor organic store where I mostly shop accept. Or education grants that they don't accept at the bookstore where I get my education. They'd probably look at me like at a nutcase if I even asked.
Socialism sucks big time. I'll take cash over all these "benefits" any day

 

When will they finally stop the war? This is getting rediculous.

ROb

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world

Sort by PIT. Include VAT. Specifically look at countries with a socialized health system. I fail to see any cost benefit of having the government take it over; do you? If that's the goal, certainly, it has failed.

Failed in terms of better care, we already know about rationing. Fails in terms of choice, fails in term of cost. Where is the improvement?

I agree. Let's remove the burdensome tax system; set up a fair tax system, where people actually get to keep what they earn. Remove burdensome regulation and let the free market back into the medical system. Instead people clamour for more government intervention; when its that intervention that caused the problem originally.

 

Never, unfortunately. There is too much money in it. There is a reason they built
permanent bases there. Look at Halliburton stock price, 700% in 5 years...

 

Absolutely! Once you hit a certain income bracked, you will be confronted with all sorts of taxes you previously didn't even know existed.

 

How has it failed in terms of better care and choice? The cost is much better for at least 50% of people who only earn a regular wage.

And if you look at the highest rates of tax, which you are doing to reach 60%, then in the US the tax can be up to 54.05%.

Highest base rate = 35%
Higest state tax = 9.3%
Highest goods tax = 9.75%

 

What would be rediculous is pulling out now and then live with the consequences a few years down the line. That would be the Clinton thing to do. Do whatever makes the Democrats look good in public and then wait for the next Republican administration to clean things up again.

By the way, I also blame Bush Sr. for not finishing the job years ago.

 

You're approaching the issue from the standpoint of a consumer who sits back and expects the government to take care of everything for you.