A new poll reveals that only 9% of Americans surveyed are in favour of raising taxes. 77% want spending to be cut. The big question is “where” and there appears little consensus on that front.
Related: In the first part of this Ricochet podcast, there’s an interesting discussion with rookie congressman, Chris Gibson, focusing on what it’s like to be in charge of deciding what cutting must be done.
Translating this to a Canadian perspective, what are your thoughts about the general mood of the public in our country on the subject of Cutting Spending vs. Raising Taxes?
Done. Of all the folk who post here you are one of the most intriguing…..”wiping nose haphazardly”…
Lol
NO BODY HAS A RIGHT TO FREE HEALTH CARE !!!!
Posted by: paul in calgary at January 15, 2011 8:22 PM
No one has a right to anything, i.e., any good or service. Only the right to pursue his own happiness as long as it doesn’t infringe upon someone else’s.
How many conservatives here are in favour of ending all agricultural subsidies; all industrial subsidies, even if other nations foolishly provide subsidies to those same industries?
I knew I’d get flack about my comments re: Mike Harris (sasquatch at January 15, 2011 4:48 PM & dave at January 15, 2011 4:58 PM).
But the fact is I probably agree with you more than I disagree (e.g. I think McGuinty is a disaster ten times worse). Still, I refuse to eulogize Harris — the guy did have some hair-brained ideas and in a sense was responsible for the pendulum swinging so far in the other direction: a hair-brained Righty replaced by an even more hair-brained Lefty.
All I was saying is that a free-market system doesn’t mean that absolutely everything should be for sale. We need government (albeit small government) to oversee and regulate at least some things — that’s what we pay them for. We can’t assume that people out to make money can automatically be trusted not to cheat.
Capitalism is neither intrinsically evil, neither is it intrinsically good — it is simply a morally-neutral vehicle in the free market.
While I think the comments might be skewed a bit given the demographic that probably frequents SDA (best. blog. ever.), I had an interesting encounter yesterday that might be cause for optimism in Ontario:
I was at a Chapters in Ancaster (fairly well-to-do town seconds west of socialist Hamilton) buying an e-reader. Unprompted, the teller says to me “…and it comes to $180, and you get to pay almost $20 in HST tax. Isn’t that great?” I said “Don’t get me started.” And she said “I know, eh? What a money grab. You and I will never see that money.”
So I figure, if this lady, working for a leftist bookseller (but really only major one in these parts) in a hard-left part of Ontario, is saying that…maybe there’s hope?