Quote Originally Posted by CC_JAR View Post
true but in this circumstance, and this may be going into testy waters again, you have to look at just how they got to where they are, and the choices that they make even now. I'm not going into details, you can look for yourself if you're interested, but one suddenly got sponsored to go to college, the other worked their way through.
I've investigated the matter as much as I felt was necessary, and done my best to separate the slander from the facts. There is a lot of misinformation regarding said topic, and it's impossible to know with absolute certainty what the real truth is. Further, Obama is not the first to have records of this sort sealed off (both the Bush and Clinton White House bids enjoyed a similar lack of transparency). Given that, I made the decision to ignore that which is not verifiable as fact, and not to be swayed by rumor and innuendo.

Quote Originally Posted by jfrazierjr View Post
Oh... I understand your apprehension, but I think the debate/campaign process would ultimately let the people weed out the idiots (of which there may be many) Besides, no matter your political affiliation, can you really look at Washington and say "most" of those bozos up there have your individual best interest at heart above their own? I can't.
Touche. Although I don't know if I trust the collective idiot filters of a nation with a sub-par education, either. It's a catch-22, I guess.

[QUOTE=jfrazierjr;37437]
Quote Originally Posted by Karro View Post
as from what I've read about it I don't think it's really all that fair and will disproportionately tax the poor;/quote]

Note, I can't say I have studied the thing in great detail, but it if you(or anyone), has not looked at it, you might want to get into it more detail. High level, here is what I understand:


  • Anyone below the poverty level would in effect pay zero taxes.
  • Everyone else would only pay(federal) taxes on the things they buy.
  • Drastically reduced complexity. The most involved tax complications would take minutes instead of hours/days.

Granted, i am sure it has it's flaws, but the current system isn't working to well, at least not for me...
I have read a bit about it already. (I was curious about this alternative to paying taxes as I do now.) I don't see how it can possibly remain simple, for us the taxpayers, and meet the criteria you list though. If there are certain people who will not be paying taxes, by virtue of their poverty, then this would entail that there be some system, almost necessarily a complex system, to discern those who have an obligation to pay the tax from those who do not. And as a general rule, I think it undertaxes the vast resources of those very wealthy who conspicuously don't consume (while their consumption may be lavish, as a percentage of their wealth, it their spending is proportionately less than the spending of most middle-class Americans) as opposed to the large middle class who conspicuously consume...