Here is an interesting email I got this morning

I think my friend has lost her marbles. Although, admittedly, I don't understand, I assume that the taxes were raised only on the wealthy and this is just another Ron Paul, RepuliCON talking point.
The sad part is my friend was my first feminist that I met (when I was 13, she was 25)and she is the one who explained to me about women s rights, now she is a Ron Paul fan???? I don't get it?

Anyway, her it goes.

Ho
sage




Subject: Think About This Seriously


>
> Please read and( for our liberal friends), think it thru.
>
> Current European tax rates:
> United Kingdom
> Income Tax: 50% VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%
> Germany
> Income Tax: 45% VAT: 19% TOTAL: 64%
> France
> Income Tax: 40% VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%
> Greece
> Income Tax: 40% VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%
> Spain
> Income Tax: 45% VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%
> Portugal
> Income Tax: 42% VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%
> Sweden
> Income Tax: 55% VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%
> Norway
> Income Tax: 54.3% VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%
> Netherlands
> Income Tax: 52% VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%
> Denmark
> Income Tax: 58% VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%
> Finland
> Income Tax: 53% VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
>
> If you've started to wonder what the real costs of "socialism" are going to be, once the full program in these United States hits your wallet, take a look at the table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that in spite of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its debt is so huge it is in imminent danger ofdefaulting. That is the reason the European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you're following the financial news, you know Spain and Portugal are right behind Greece.
>
> The United States is now heading right down the same path. The "VAT" tax in the table is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is exactly what you can expect to see the administration proposing after the fall elections. The initial percentage in the United States isn't going to be anywhere near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe. Guess what, the current outrageous numbers in Europe didn't start out as outrageous either. They started out as miniscule-right around the 1% or 2% where they will start out in the United States. Magically however, they ran up over the years to where they are now. Expect the same thing here.
> It's time to rethink the 'American Dream' idea: It is the notion that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get ahead economically here. Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between 60% and 80%? Think again. With the government taking that percentage of your money, your life will be exactly like life in Europe. You will never be able to buy a home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college. Let's not shuffle the battle cry of the socialists under the rug either. It's always the same cry. "Equalize" income. "Spread the wealth" to the "poor" (whoever they are). "Level" the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything will be rosy.
>
> It's time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example. Despite the "socialism" system that has ruled this country for decades, with a 65% tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without hundreds of billions in bailout money, and still. . .20% of their population lives in "poverty." What has all that "socialism" money bought, besides ultimate power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are "free"? They're not. They are slaves to their economic "system."
>
> People, we are at a tipping point in America. We all know it. Turn this around right now or your grandchildren will be massing in the streets of this once-great country, just as the people of Greece now are. Economic slavery is slavery, just the same. Carefully and deeply consider what it takes to throw off the yoke of slavery, once it takes hold and settles over your neck.

It saddens me to see.

the whoever they are in these ( ).

Ho
sage

I think that the "slavery" that this polemic is warning about is already here or close to it. But it's NOT slavery by a "socialistic" US government, it's slavery TO the corporations. Why worry about a potential FUTURE slaveholder when there's one right around the corner and maybe staring you right in the face?

Also, this is the second RW talking point I've heard that's actually taking socialism seriously. That means we're doing something right. And I'm not talking about the bullshit "Obama is a Socialist" crap. I'm talking REAL live socialism. Folks, I'm pretty sure that the idea is gaining ground with the masses.

As to the friend being originally a "liberal", maybe so, maybe not. Then again, it might be somebody who's enamored over Libertarian ideas about PERSONAL freedoms and is just going along with the REST of the Libertarian talking points. What she needs to realize is that the PERSONAL part of the Libertarian agenda will ALWAYS be on the back burner compared to the corporatist economic agenda. I'd go so far as to say that the PERSONAL freedoms promised by the Libertarians wouldn't ever be forthcoming. There's too much economic advantage to the economic penal/enforcement industry to free people from restrictive laws on personal behavior. With Libertarians, economic libertarianism will ALWAYS trump personal libertarianism.

I never said she was a liberal though, I don't know if she was at one time. She was my intro into feminism.
I also asked her where she got the notion that VAT was on the table, I have never read or heard that it was. Like I said, I think she lost her marbles!

Ho
sage

(if you care to get into it, that is) just WHO is going to be able to stand up to the big corporations for you AND her if the Libertarian agenda gets passed and government is neutered. Is there ANYTHING other than government that's powerful enough to keep corporations from raping the planet AND their customers?

Their property tax increased by the state reckoning and she blames it on the Democrats. Go figure.

that have eaten into all the raises they should have gotten over the last three decades into the US tax burden on the average worker--if that worker is lucky enough to have "employer provided" insurance, that is.

Once they do that and start being honest about the sales taxes, phone taxes, property taxes, excise taxes, and amount of OASDI that is robbed and used as taxes, they begin to see that the burden on the US worker is as high or higher than that on any European. In addition, the US worker is getting far less---less vacation time, less retirement security, and health insurance that might not be there when he actually gets sick.

Your friend's illiterate email shows your friend is beginning to twig to the fact that people worldwide have been screwed to make the rich richer. She's just not bright enough to realize the reason isn't that she's taxed too much, it's because the rich have been taxed too little and have increased her burden while decreasing all the benefits she's been paying for.