41–50 of 95 posts
Seems like discussion on homelessness would be slightly easier if we started from first principles or at least some place where there is closer to a consensus.
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It is truly sad that in by far the richest country in the world, and ostensibly the best, millions of people are living this way. Why on earth Americans are not fixing America, I have no idea.
As a Brit and a left leaning type, it baffles me to see America. From talking to friends who live there (I won't pretend I know fully) but it seems between income, state and property taxes you guys pay a lot. Add in health care and it seems you pay in line with or above many European countries. Yet with your society's wealth there seems a resistance to supporting your own people, and almost actively seeking to add to…
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Americans complain about taxes more than perhaps any other people from a rich nation, but we frankly don't pay that much. The OECD average is about 35% of GDP. The UK pays right about that. The US pays ~27% of GDP. And of course even with that relatively small amount of revenue, a lot of it goes to uniquely American spending schemes like defense or NASA, both of which are vastly better funded than their European equi…
Does that include state taxes?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is truly sad that in by far the richest country in the world, and ostensibly the best, millions of people are living this way. Why on earth Americans are not fixing America, I have no idea.
I've found that America makes a lot more sense when you think of it as a country run by rich people, with a whole lot of workers. For the rich, this place is amazing. The rich have all the political power, so this makes sense. You'd think the working class has political power but their opinions are controlled by the wealthy. So for the people running America, there's nothing to fix. The system is designed to produce…
There are a lot of building codes that are incredibly stupid. For things like this (homebuilding) where the competition is heavy and consumers have a choice (within a spending limit), I feel only the most bare of safety requirements should be law. All other standards related to efficiency, "above-and-beyond" safety and design considerations should be met and advertised via certifications. Almost every zoning law prob…
We are already suffocated by regulations.
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Looks like the conservative crowd on HN is downvoting you, but that's probably because the truth makes them uncomfortable. The United States is by far the richest country in the entire history of the world. Every American should be deeply ashamed and embarrassed by the sheer number of people who don't have access to the most basic needs.
I never feel shame and embarrassment over actions other people have taken. Why would I?
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Yes. That's largely why they exist. Zoning codes were often created with an explicit goal of keeping poor/black people out of rich/white neighborhoods. https://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/35889...
Not sure why you're being down-voted, other than that the evidence you provided isn't very compelling. For people who think this is hyperbole, it is not. Zoning codes also exist for a lot of other (good) reasons, but there are large sections of zoning codes (esp. regarding the type of housing allowed within a residentially zoned area) that were absolutely created with explicitly and openly racist intent. Sometimes th…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a Brit and a left leaning type, it baffles me to see America. From talking to friends who live there (I won't pretend I know fully) but it seems between income, state and property taxes you guys pay a lot. Add in health care and it seems you pay in line with or above many European countries. Yet with your society's wealth there seems a resistance to supporting your own people, and almost actively seeking to add to…
We pay almost 50% in taxes which I think is close to what you guys pay in Europe. The lions share goes to Washington where as far as I can tell it either evaporates or gets spent on very expensive jobs programs like the F-35. Our states do a better job generally and provide the bulk of the services. However in many cities and states the budgets are consumed by pensions leaving less for services each year. A person wh…
Total tax burden in the US is about 30%, slightly higher for the top half of the income scale. http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/04/who_pays_taxes_in_america_...
> The lions share goes to Washington where as far as I can tell it either evaporates or gets spent on very expensive jobs programs like the F-35.
About 2/3 of taxes go to the federal government. Half of federal spending is on Social Security and medical spending (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.). About 16% is defense and international security assistance.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/policy-basics-wh...
> At the same time we also have large numbers of people who pay no taxes, 51%.
About 45% of households pay no federal income tax, but most of them still pay federal payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, and so on. The estimated tax burden for the lowest income 20% of the population is 19.2%, less that the overall 30%, but still significant.
Honest question: Do any class or all classes of people (citizens, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, refugees, criminals, teachers, disabled, adults, children, or any other type of people) have a right to a home or some other minimum level of shelter? Seems like discussion on homelessness would be slightly easier if we started from first principles or at least some place where there is closer to a consensus.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Americans complain about taxes more than perhaps any other people from a rich nation, but we frankly don't pay that much. The OECD average is about 35% of GDP. The UK pays right about that. The US pays ~27% of GDP. And of course even with that relatively small amount of revenue, a lot of it goes to uniquely American spending schemes like defense or NASA, both of which are vastly better funded than their European equi…
Does that include state taxes?