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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Greetings:<BR>
<BR>
The European countries that make sure that their people's needs are met and raise sufficient revenues to meet those needs are also the countries with sine of the lowest nation debt and AAA credit rating. My column on this topic will be posted soon.<BR>
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The German economy grew 5,7 percent last year and the Swedish economy (also 50 percent taxes/GDP) is now growing at 4.6 percent with a full safety net for those in need.<BR>
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We don't need to take 50 percent of GDP as the Nordics do (that's their choice) but a mere 5 percent increase in taxes would meet our needs without slashing basic programs.<BR>
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Yours for a sensible tax policy,<BR>
<BR>
Nick<BR>
<BR>
Nicholas F. Gier, Professor Emeritus<BR>
Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho<BR>
"The Palouse Pundit" on Radio Free Moscow, 92.5 FM<BR>
President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFT/AFL-CIO www.idaho-aft.org/ift.htm<BR>
208-882-9212, 410 Samaritan Lane, Moscow, ID 83843<BR>
<BR>
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self- imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! ‘Have courage to use your own understand-ing!—that is the motto of enlightenment.<BR>
<BR>
--Immanuel Kant<BR>
<BR>
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.<BR>
<BR>
-Greek proverb<BR>
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<BR>
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-----Original Message-----<BR>
From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com on behalf of keely emerinemix<BR>
Sent: Tue 1/3/2012 2:01 PM<BR>
To: dickow@turbonet.com; vision2020@moscow.com<BR>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Budget cuts could slash $1B from vets health care<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I spent most of the 1970s sporting a pin that said "Wouldn't it be a great day if schools had the money they needed and the Air Force had to hold a bake sale to buy a new bomber?" A woman can dream, can't she?<BR>
<BR>
No, Paul -- The only answer isn't to cut spending. Cutting waste, bloat, and fraud -- yes. But vital human services are just that, vital, and are part of not just a social safety net, but a contract between taxpayers and the government to whom they pay those taxes. To a large extent, infrastructure maintenance and additions are, too. Cutting spending in areas and on projects left wallowing because of the eight years of horror that was the Bush administration -- eight years that took us from surplus to debt by waging two wars while slashing tax revenues -- is penny wise and pound foolish. Ronald Reagan, who raised taxes several times during his administration, also took the richest Americans from a 70 percent income tax to a level half that. No one wants to go to 70 percent again, but today's pledge-signing GOP wants to give away the farm. No reasonable person believes that the debt can be addressed without asking those who most benefit both from the liberties preserved by those wars as well as from the tax policies currently in hand to pay a reasonable percentage of their income. It seems beyond belief that the GOP also believes that overseas profits made by U.S. corporations should be off-limits as well. I'd love to slash welfare programs and actually RAISE revenue -- that is, do away with policies that coddle the superwealthy and spend wisely the revenue that that attracts. But don't penalize veterans, students, the elderly, the sick, the unemployed and the already-struggling. And don't "penalize" the rich -- just respect the needs of the citizenry by asking that they do what the rest of us have to. <BR>
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Let's assume that good Americans ought to face taxation that's fair, proportional, reasonable and brings in revenue that's spent wisely, building our nation and not tearing down others. That would seem to be neither a Democratic nor a Republican position -- just a solid, fair, strong and pro-American one.<BR>
<BR>
Keely<BR>
www.keely-prevailingwinds.com<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
From: dickow@turbonet.com<BR>
To: vision2020@moscow.com<BR>
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 12:27:30 -0800<BR>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Budget cuts could slash $1B from vets health care<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Another solution is the take in more revenue to offset expenses. Since increased taxation seems to be a dirty word, how about car washes and bake sales? We have do it at the community level, in schools, etc, why not the Fed? Shouldn't the government have a PayPal 'Donate Now' button on their website? Bob Dickow, troublemaker From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [<A HREF="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com">mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</A>] On Behalf Of Paul Rumelhart<BR>
<BR>
<snip>The simple fact is that we are spending more than we are taking in. The simplest solution is to stop spending so much. Paul<BR>
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