Disqus - Latest Comments for fionalcooper

Re: Government Soul: Taxing Generosity

fionalcooper — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:28:12 -0000

love your parallel ;)

Re: Government Soul: Taxing Generosity - 2

fionalcooper — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:24:49 -0000

Okay, thanks for this blog, now I understand much better :D So the giver is not getting a tax break at all. It sounds very like a system the UK government has (put in place by good old Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer - those of us being supported through charitable giving have a soft spot for Gordon in this regard!)

Little old socialist me, however, sees no problem in having to pay a bit more in taxes to help the less-well-off. As I see it, this whole tax-free charitable giving is a bonus, not a right. The government has been generous in allowing this, we shouldn't take it for granted... and so, when the time comes for the government to change it, so be it. And I, personally, will definitely be worse off if the UK government revokes this bonus. Yet I think that, if the extra money is needed by government to subsidise those who are struggling financially, then that is a good thing on the whole. And God will provide for me somehow, whether through a change in circumstances or more supporters or some other way.

However, I agree that one of the most horrid things about politics in these times is the "spin" and the lack of authenticity. Tell us the truth for once, not your version of it, not twisted to make the "other side" look bad... I would like to see politicians act and speak with integrity.

And I love your idea of a "human party" :) Forget party politics and let's work together to improve the world, concentrating on what we have in common not what makes us different from each other... hang on, I think there's a name for that already... em... I know, it's the Kingdom of Heaven!!!!!

Re: Government Soul: Taxing Generosity

fionalcooper — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:58:50 -0000

Hmm. I thought I'd already posted a comment, but it seems to have disappeared. I'm not understanding this disqus thing... well, just in case it really didn't post, here it is again (and I'm very sorry if it did already post, but I guess you have the power to delete the supplementary one!) here goes...

If I understand this right (and please correct me if I'm wrong - I'm not American and so am quite likely to have got the wrong end of the stick...) what Obama is proposing is a reduction in the tax break big earners get when giving to charitable causes. So it's not actually a case of "taxing generosity" but more "rich and generous people will not get as much financial payback for being generous anymore." Does that really mean that people will stop giving? Do people really give to charitable causes because of the tax they will get back? Or is the repaid tax simply a bonus for those who would have given anyway?

I totally agree with your aside about prayer in public schools - why force on children a ritual which for them has no meaning?

"It doesn't matter if $200k earners have a large or small family, living in high or low cost-of-living areas, or are already generous with their income to help people on the local level. It doesn't matter if they were responsible during this economic crisis and had practiced saving money rather than consumerism. Either way, the new tax strategy is to move money into the federal level to help with federal needs with the tools the feds have to decipher who needs help and who doesn't (...), shouldered by hard working Americans who found success with their hands."

I think that strategy sounds excellent. Okay, I admit to being a socialist. And I can say that without any fear of being demonised in my own country because I'm not American. Yes, I understand that some Americans have worked hard and found success etc, and that's wonderful for them. But there are also people who have worked hard and not found success, through no fault of their own. Perhaps because there is no longer enough work for them in the factory or maybe they have had to look after ailing family members so have been unable to work... there are hundreds of types of stories of people in dire straits through unexpected circumstances beyond their control. So why not ask those who have been "successful" to help out with those who have not?

Of course, there will be people who will benefit who are not really needy, who are more lazy than hard-done-by, etc. However, is it really my duty to judge who is worthy of receiving state aid and who is not? I would far rather the state helped people who aren't needy along with those who are, than that the state did not help anybody. And if that means that my taxes need to be higher then I am honestly all in favour of that. And if it means that those who earn more than $200K a year get to pay a bit more tax, then quite frankly, I am very happy indeed. Because at the end of the day, do they really need to be earning all that amount of money?????

There you go, my point of view as an unapologetic socialist from the UK! I want to contribute to the debate, with an open mind to learn from those with other viewpoints, so do please correct any misunderstandings I may have and let me know what you think.

Re: Government Soul: Taxing Generosity

fionalcooper — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:46:28 -0000

I totally agree with your aside about prayer in public schools - why force on children a ritual which for them has no meaning?