Do you think we'll change at all ??

[tardfarmer]

http://www.accountingweb.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=100330



U.S. Falls out of the Index of Economic Freedom's Top 10


AccountingWEB.com - Jan-6-2005 - For the first time ever, the U.S. does not rank among the world's 10 freest economies in the Index of Economic Freedom, published annually by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S.' score in the 2005 Index did not change from 2004. But improvements in the economies of Chile, Australia and Iceland enabled all three to surpass the U. S., leaving it in a tie for 12th with Switzerland and out of the top 10 for the first time in the 11-year history of the Index.

"The United States is resting on its laurels while innovative countries around the world are changing their approaches and reducing their roadblocks," said Marc Miles, a co-editor of the book, along with Ed Feulner and Mary Anastasia O'Grady. "The U.S. is eating the dust of countries that have thrown off the 20th-century shackles of big government spending and massive federal programs."

[Aught Six]

We'll change if we can find any true fiscal conservatives out there. The left and the right both want to have their cake and eat it, too. Seems to me that Bush spends like a drunken sailor, trying to buy all the love he can get. He's talking about a spending clampdown, but it's difficult to stop once you get the ball rolling.

Having said that, I still wouldn't want to live in any of those other countries. Even with all the cool guns in Switzerland. They speak funny German anyway.

With top scores in property rights, banking/finance and monetary policy, the U.S. is still a vibrant and dynamic economy, the editors note.

Darned straight!

But a 4.0 rating in fiscal burden of government, which ranks worse than all but 30 countries in the survey, held it back. This reflects poor scores in the area of taxation. The U.S. corporate tax rate ranks 112th out of the 155 countries scored, and its top individual tax rate ranks an only somewhat better 82nd. The fiscal burden rating also reflects the fact that federal spending has reached levels not seen since World War II and now costs the average household more than $20,000 per year.

They make it sound like low taxes are a bad thing. If you want to get a look at the real problem, the last sentence in the above paragraph says it all.

[tardfarmer]

We'll change if we can find any true fiscal conservatives out there. The left and the right both want to have their cake and eat it, too. Seems to me that Bush spends like a drunken sailor

Careful Aught, the pseudo conservatives on this board will trounce you.

but i happen to agree with you.

[Aught Six]

Careful Aught, the pseudo conservatives on this board will trounce you.

I thought I was a "pseudo-conservative". Right-leaning libertarian? Who do I think I'm fooling here?

[vc1111]

You have to be concerned with the momentum in the growth of all levels of government in America. The first thing that must be done is to stop the forward momentum.

[tardfarmer]

The first thing that must be done is to stop the forward momentum.

It's just getting worse. I have a few examples. I was on the phone with 2 people last night and this is what I found out... and people wonder why i'm such a cynic.

1) I know a person that works in administration for the state's "head start" program. He tells
me that the average money pulled down by those daycare's all over the city of milwaukee is between $75,000 and
$100,000 per year for the broads that reside in the home. 25% have felony convictions and over
half don't have a high school education -- and the vast majority can't read to even fill out
the forms, they call him and he has to try and instruct them as to how to fill them out (after
being cursed out first of course). The number of these "daycares" is over 1000

Then to add insult to injury, all they have to do is tell the state that they're watching a relative
or neighbors kid - WHO HAS A FULL TIME JOB- and they get money for the kids. The kids don't
even have to show up ie: have a relative lie about watching their kid and you're on the dole again.


2) The place I used to work at hired a PhD to study --- THE RESISTIVITY OF COPPER. Got a call last night, apparently they
have a slew of tech's and this PhD working 12 hour days to see if a 3/8th in thick, 1" wide copper
bus bar can handle 600 Amps. They're actually thermocoupling it and redoing the measurements over
and over and over and over. This PhD did the BASIC high school calculations and told them it's
OK (naturally), but they have so much taxpayer money to burn that they actually have these people
watching a fluke meter for 12 hours at a crack.

Your tax money at work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And of course, here's another story about massive fraud with tax money.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jan05/290872.asp

[badshotbob]

ORIGINAL: tardfarmer


U.S. Falls out of the Index of Economic Freedom's Top 10

You think this is by accident?

[tardfarmer]

You think this is by accident?

Nope,

the slide into global socialism is in full swing.

[badshotbob]

ORIGINAL: Aught Six

We'll change if we can find any true fiscal conservatives out there.

You fellas jaw a seemingly good argument, but fail to realize the bigger picture. Our gov can spend all they want, or spend nothing - this will never change the once gradual, now rapid shift in where our money is going and what is happening to the value of the dollar. Regardless of what our gov spends, we as a nation, we the people are feeding the enemy, and they are getting big and fat, let me tell you.

[tardfarmer]

we as a nation, we the people are feeding the enemy, and they are getting big and fat, let me tell you.

We have seen the enemy, and he is US. We are killing ourselves.