John Fugelsang gave you a great plug on his Saturday morning podcast. He said the following:
“Let me quote Robert Reich today who wrote, what do these corporations have in common?, Netflix, Ford, Tesla, T-Mobile, Duke Energy, Dish Network, Met Life, Dominion Energy, United States Seal, in recent years these corporations pay their executives more than they pay in taxes! This is what a corporate rigged system looks like.
Dear God, let us use all the science and technology we have to make Robert Reich live forever!”
I have worked hard all of my adult life. I have paid my taxes and followed the rules. I am a good citizen and I've never run a scam or lied in order to enrich myself. That social security is mine. I earned it. These politicians that want to use citizens like chess pieces need to be voted out. We need a Congress that will ALWAYS put the American people first. When my mom was alive, she would tell me not to worry about getting old. She said that was the time that you could relax, enjoy your favorite things, and do the things you couldn't do while you were raising your family and working hard. I'm so glad she isn't here to see what has happened in our country. If my children were not helping me, I would be homeless and living in poverty!! My heart hurts for the older generation that are barely getting by. Some are homeless, some are barely scraping by and to think that the politicians don't give the furry crack of a rat's ass about us makes me so angry!! We are not pawns in your stupid back and forth game of look at us, we can do whatever we want!! The fact is, you can't do whatever you want. We will vote you out! We will demand term limits on every one of you. Vote Blue, America!! At least Democrats believe in helping ALL Americans, not just their fat cat friends!!!
As you'd expect, it shows that income tax rates are far higher in France than the USA. But it goes on to compare what you get in social benefits in France that you'd have to pay for in the US. They conclude, when all is taken into account, the real taxes are LOWER in France.
Taxes in France include;
- Almost free healthcare, eye care and dental care in one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Interesting that American healthcare costs 5 times as much per capita than France.
- heavily subsidised childcare, freeing up more women to work if they choose.
- Very low taxes for families with children, so with 3 kids, almost zero taxes.
- Free good quality State education. University education for $450 per year. Yes, you read that right!
- An index-linked generous State pension, with a guaranteed minimum income for people over 70.
- All kinds of safeguards for the unemployed, including subsidised housing.
- Here in France, if you work half the year in tourism or fishing or agriculture, you can receive up to 80% of your salary from the State through the off-season.
- State owned retirement homes with their own medical facilities.
- A train network that crosses the country at a silent 230mph, and each city has good, subsidised public transport. In my town, 1$ for anywhere in the town.
- in the winters, it is illegal to evict tenants, or for suppliers to shutoff water or electric or gas for unpaid bills.
Etc, etc......
Which are just a few of the reasons I live in France and not America!
But the points I'm making are these:
Firstly it is CHEAPER for a country to provide good services that keep the population healthy, well trained, mobile, and fit for work or retirement, because it improves productivity and tax take.
Secondly people can feel safer when the State provides practical safety nets. Less stress, less crime, less aggro. Fewer guns!
Lastly, France has a number of taxes targeting the rich and famous, including wealth taxes, and yet VERY FEW RICH PEOPLE LEAVE FOR LOWER TAX COUNTRIES! They can afford the taxes and they'd prefer to live in a safe and civilised country.
The USA seems to have a very simplistic view of taxes and benefits. Taxes are bad and should be made lower. Social services, education and retirement are expensive and must be made cheaper.
Perhaps it comes back to that basic philosophy.
- America is run for profits, and people are just workers or customers. If they are neither, then they don't count.
- France is run for people, and the corporations are here to serve their needs with well paid jobs and quality goods.
Retirement is not "biblical". What a vacuous argument. In principle, Christians should not be following the Bible. The Bible supports war, slavery, murder. Christians follow the teachings of Paul and the apostles. They were trying to establish a new religion with political power. The religion grew and in the 4th century became the religion of the Roman empire under Constantine. Since then Christianity has fomented war and occupation in Europe and around the war, destroying civilizations.
Jesus of Nazareth was never trying to establish a new religion. He never claimed to be the Messiah.
He was an immigrant from the Northern Jewish kingdom of Samaria. He only spoke Aramaic. His teachings were all about ethical and moral behavior. "I was a stranger and you took in. I was hungry and you gave me food. I was sick and you cared for me." (Matthew 25) He was a rabbi who tried to help the Jewish population understand the priciples of the laws and writings they "followed". He respected women and accepted them as disciples, worthy of sitting with the male disciples and listening to his teachings. They were his most loyal and devoted followers;
Christian nationalists do not care about America. They care about the mythology of America as a "Christian" nation, which is not supported by the Constitution. They should stop "cherry-picking" the writings of the Hebrew scriptures and the letters of the apostles and commit themselves to the ethical and moral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Why LIFT the cap? Here's an idea!!!!!, eliminate the cap. If the cap serves no purpose, other than to give the wealthy yet another advantage, it should be eliminated altogether. Lifting it not only suggests there is a rational reason for one , but arguably just kicks the can down the road,......albeit a long and winding one.
Social Security and Medicare are NOT entitlements for two reasons:
One is a reflection of the dictum by the great British economist John Maynard Keynes, whose work forms the basis of most reputable economic principles: “expenditures rise to meet income,” meaning that, no matter how much money the average salaried individual makes, he or she will find something on which to spend it — and maybe more (which is how and why so many Americans are in debt. Left to their own devices, and paid one-hundred percent of the value of their labor at the time they earn it, every penny will be gone by the time their earning years are over.
THAT’S why Franklin Roosevelt and the Democratic Congress created Social Security: so that retired or disabled Americans would not spend their last years sleeping on park benches and subway gratings.
So, Americans spend their entire working lives not receiving the full value of their labor: a percentage of it is withheld and then parceled out to them after they retire (granted, if one works one’s entire adult life and then drops dead the day he or she retires, it’s a bad deal, but if one lives past age 77, one then begins to draw income above what one paid in — a very good deal).
In short, SS and Medicare are nothing but DEFERRED SALARY. It’s OUR money, NOT a gift from the government, and we earned EVERY penny of it. A court of law would rule that any attempt to curtail those payments is THEFT, plain and simple.
The second reason SS and Medicare are not entitlements is that, in any other context, the word means an absolute right to something, but in the U.S. the only absolute rights we have are enumerated in the Constitution. Unfortunately, SS are NOT in the Constitution; they are statutes only, created by acts of Congress, meaning that they can be altered or eliminated by a superseding act of Congress. THAT is why they MUST be enshrined in a Constitutional amendment; only then will they truly be Entitlements in ANY context, making that word an inviolable promise rather than the threat its opponents tirelessly wield as a cudgel.
Greed is truly the whore of Babylon. And it is an addiction. Maybe what we need is psychiatric treatment for a guy like Bezos who is terrified of letting a dollar slip out of his hands, or honor, or power.
As a. Brit looking from afar, it seems the only thing that really has got to Trump is Obama's ridicule at the Press dinners. He simply hasn't been able to get over it. He has had to dismantle everything Obama achieved. Even now he cant get Obama out of his head and in his ramblings keeps mistakenly bringing up Obama. Ridicule him! He can't bear being laughed at!
Rather than preaching to the choir maybe today's column is more about activating the foot soldiers. We be them. Sharing information about the ceiling on income available for social security taxation sounds like a great place to start, the facts, just the facts, in a we're all in this together sort of way. Bullet points- "you know, I was reminded of something the other day, no matter how much money you make, only $168,000 is taxed for SS.. Jeff Bezos ...I looked it up. It's real."
No one will ever describe me as an extrovert but it's time for me to get out and mingle. I am soon to be 76 and will be less affected by diminishing SS income in 10 years, but there are a whole lot of people who might be encouraged to look more closely given reliable, well documented info.
None of the three living former Republican vice-presidents will support Trump. At least two out of three have called him unfit and a danger to our republic.
Thank you again Professor Reich. It is reassuring to read your intelligent and fair-minded back story and analysis of the Social Security issue, which without a doubt is of keen importance to retirees who are not millionaires and who are currently facing rising costs for food and rent.
I can’t fathom why with such massive deficit spending on wars in other places the payments to people and the infrastructure etc costs need to be self funding? Seems a bizarre and counter productive double standard.
The solution is as simple as it is powerful: reaching out to strangers. It’s the proven #1 way to win elections. Did you know that 60% of unregistered voters have never been asked to register.
To win in 2024, we will reach out to millions of unregistered likely Democrats using our one-of-a-kind database and every outreach method possible (phone and text, postcard, email and targeted ad, and in-person too), where new Democratic voters will make the most impact – in the most flippable states and districts.
Dear Professor Reich,
John Fugelsang gave you a great plug on his Saturday morning podcast. He said the following:
“Let me quote Robert Reich today who wrote, what do these corporations have in common?, Netflix, Ford, Tesla, T-Mobile, Duke Energy, Dish Network, Met Life, Dominion Energy, United States Seal, in recent years these corporations pay their executives more than they pay in taxes! This is what a corporate rigged system looks like.
Dear God, let us use all the science and technology we have to make Robert Reich live forever!”
I second this statement. Keep your facts coming!
Sincerely
Keith Olson
I have worked hard all of my adult life. I have paid my taxes and followed the rules. I am a good citizen and I've never run a scam or lied in order to enrich myself. That social security is mine. I earned it. These politicians that want to use citizens like chess pieces need to be voted out. We need a Congress that will ALWAYS put the American people first. When my mom was alive, she would tell me not to worry about getting old. She said that was the time that you could relax, enjoy your favorite things, and do the things you couldn't do while you were raising your family and working hard. I'm so glad she isn't here to see what has happened in our country. If my children were not helping me, I would be homeless and living in poverty!! My heart hurts for the older generation that are barely getting by. Some are homeless, some are barely scraping by and to think that the politicians don't give the furry crack of a rat's ass about us makes me so angry!! We are not pawns in your stupid back and forth game of look at us, we can do whatever we want!! The fact is, you can't do whatever you want. We will vote you out! We will demand term limits on every one of you. Vote Blue, America!! At least Democrats believe in helping ALL Americans, not just their fat cat friends!!!
Here is a link to an American tax website that compares taxes in the US to taxes in socialist France:
https://www.companow.com/us-vs-france-where-do-you-pay-the-most-taxes/
As you'd expect, it shows that income tax rates are far higher in France than the USA. But it goes on to compare what you get in social benefits in France that you'd have to pay for in the US. They conclude, when all is taken into account, the real taxes are LOWER in France.
Taxes in France include;
- Almost free healthcare, eye care and dental care in one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Interesting that American healthcare costs 5 times as much per capita than France.
- heavily subsidised childcare, freeing up more women to work if they choose.
- Very low taxes for families with children, so with 3 kids, almost zero taxes.
- Free good quality State education. University education for $450 per year. Yes, you read that right!
- An index-linked generous State pension, with a guaranteed minimum income for people over 70.
- All kinds of safeguards for the unemployed, including subsidised housing.
- Here in France, if you work half the year in tourism or fishing or agriculture, you can receive up to 80% of your salary from the State through the off-season.
- State owned retirement homes with their own medical facilities.
- A train network that crosses the country at a silent 230mph, and each city has good, subsidised public transport. In my town, 1$ for anywhere in the town.
- in the winters, it is illegal to evict tenants, or for suppliers to shutoff water or electric or gas for unpaid bills.
Etc, etc......
Which are just a few of the reasons I live in France and not America!
But the points I'm making are these:
Firstly it is CHEAPER for a country to provide good services that keep the population healthy, well trained, mobile, and fit for work or retirement, because it improves productivity and tax take.
Secondly people can feel safer when the State provides practical safety nets. Less stress, less crime, less aggro. Fewer guns!
Lastly, France has a number of taxes targeting the rich and famous, including wealth taxes, and yet VERY FEW RICH PEOPLE LEAVE FOR LOWER TAX COUNTRIES! They can afford the taxes and they'd prefer to live in a safe and civilised country.
The USA seems to have a very simplistic view of taxes and benefits. Taxes are bad and should be made lower. Social services, education and retirement are expensive and must be made cheaper.
Perhaps it comes back to that basic philosophy.
- America is run for profits, and people are just workers or customers. If they are neither, then they don't count.
- France is run for people, and the corporations are here to serve their needs with well paid jobs and quality goods.
Where would you rather live?
-
Great analysis but you need to get this message to the idiots who are voting for that moron TRUMP
Retirement is not "biblical". What a vacuous argument. In principle, Christians should not be following the Bible. The Bible supports war, slavery, murder. Christians follow the teachings of Paul and the apostles. They were trying to establish a new religion with political power. The religion grew and in the 4th century became the religion of the Roman empire under Constantine. Since then Christianity has fomented war and occupation in Europe and around the war, destroying civilizations.
Jesus of Nazareth was never trying to establish a new religion. He never claimed to be the Messiah.
He was an immigrant from the Northern Jewish kingdom of Samaria. He only spoke Aramaic. His teachings were all about ethical and moral behavior. "I was a stranger and you took in. I was hungry and you gave me food. I was sick and you cared for me." (Matthew 25) He was a rabbi who tried to help the Jewish population understand the priciples of the laws and writings they "followed". He respected women and accepted them as disciples, worthy of sitting with the male disciples and listening to his teachings. They were his most loyal and devoted followers;
Christian nationalists do not care about America. They care about the mythology of America as a "Christian" nation, which is not supported by the Constitution. They should stop "cherry-picking" the writings of the Hebrew scriptures and the letters of the apostles and commit themselves to the ethical and moral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Peace to all.
Why LIFT the cap? Here's an idea!!!!!, eliminate the cap. If the cap serves no purpose, other than to give the wealthy yet another advantage, it should be eliminated altogether. Lifting it not only suggests there is a rational reason for one , but arguably just kicks the can down the road,......albeit a long and winding one.
Social Security and Medicare are NOT entitlements for two reasons:
One is a reflection of the dictum by the great British economist John Maynard Keynes, whose work forms the basis of most reputable economic principles: “expenditures rise to meet income,” meaning that, no matter how much money the average salaried individual makes, he or she will find something on which to spend it — and maybe more (which is how and why so many Americans are in debt. Left to their own devices, and paid one-hundred percent of the value of their labor at the time they earn it, every penny will be gone by the time their earning years are over.
THAT’S why Franklin Roosevelt and the Democratic Congress created Social Security: so that retired or disabled Americans would not spend their last years sleeping on park benches and subway gratings.
So, Americans spend their entire working lives not receiving the full value of their labor: a percentage of it is withheld and then parceled out to them after they retire (granted, if one works one’s entire adult life and then drops dead the day he or she retires, it’s a bad deal, but if one lives past age 77, one then begins to draw income above what one paid in — a very good deal).
In short, SS and Medicare are nothing but DEFERRED SALARY. It’s OUR money, NOT a gift from the government, and we earned EVERY penny of it. A court of law would rule that any attempt to curtail those payments is THEFT, plain and simple.
The second reason SS and Medicare are not entitlements is that, in any other context, the word means an absolute right to something, but in the U.S. the only absolute rights we have are enumerated in the Constitution. Unfortunately, SS are NOT in the Constitution; they are statutes only, created by acts of Congress, meaning that they can be altered or eliminated by a superseding act of Congress. THAT is why they MUST be enshrined in a Constitutional amendment; only then will they truly be Entitlements in ANY context, making that word an inviolable promise rather than the threat its opponents tirelessly wield as a cudgel.
t some point, whoever is in charge, you’re going to have to reduce the deficit. Democrats need to win Congress as well as the presidency
Greed is truly the whore of Babylon. And it is an addiction. Maybe what we need is psychiatric treatment for a guy like Bezos who is terrified of letting a dollar slip out of his hands, or honor, or power.
As a. Brit looking from afar, it seems the only thing that really has got to Trump is Obama's ridicule at the Press dinners. He simply hasn't been able to get over it. He has had to dismantle everything Obama achieved. Even now he cant get Obama out of his head and in his ramblings keeps mistakenly bringing up Obama. Ridicule him! He can't bear being laughed at!
Rather than preaching to the choir maybe today's column is more about activating the foot soldiers. We be them. Sharing information about the ceiling on income available for social security taxation sounds like a great place to start, the facts, just the facts, in a we're all in this together sort of way. Bullet points- "you know, I was reminded of something the other day, no matter how much money you make, only $168,000 is taxed for SS.. Jeff Bezos ...I looked it up. It's real."
No one will ever describe me as an extrovert but it's time for me to get out and mingle. I am soon to be 76 and will be less affected by diminishing SS income in 10 years, but there are a whole lot of people who might be encouraged to look more closely given reliable, well documented info.
Val Proffitt
.
None of the three living former Republican vice-presidents will support Trump. At least two out of three have called him unfit and a danger to our republic.
Thank you again Professor Reich. It is reassuring to read your intelligent and fair-minded back story and analysis of the Social Security issue, which without a doubt is of keen importance to retirees who are not millionaires and who are currently facing rising costs for food and rent.
I can’t fathom why with such massive deficit spending on wars in other places the payments to people and the infrastructure etc costs need to be self funding? Seems a bizarre and counter productive double standard.
Ben Shapiro is 40; let's see if he feels the same way about retirement when he's 80.
Robert:
What can we do?
SOLUTION
The solution is as simple as it is powerful: reaching out to strangers. It’s the proven #1 way to win elections. Did you know that 60% of unregistered voters have never been asked to register.
To win in 2024, we will reach out to millions of unregistered likely Democrats using our one-of-a-kind database and every outreach method possible (phone and text, postcard, email and targeted ad, and in-person too), where new Democratic voters will make the most impact – in the most flippable states and districts.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/partner-with-us