What happened to American optimism?

[Gumbo4x4]

I get that. But, taxes have to be paid on the increase in value from the time the decedent acquired it till the time the item is passed on. Often this can be quite large. I recently paid taxes on what I inherited from my father, and his total estate was no where near the size to be considered taxable TO THE ESTATE. it was, however, taxable to me. My father inherited land from his father more than 50 years ago, and later purchased some adjacent land from some of his siblings. Cost was under $100 an acre. We sold it for close to $7000 an acre. This increase was taxed to me....the value when it hit my bank account.



The other side of it is that we, as a country, need the revenue to pay for things. I don't want to argue about those "things" because I'm 100% certain you and I don't agree on which expenses are ok, and which are excessive. But, the US has bills...roads, bridges, defense, etc....and those have to be paid. So, if we give a tax "break" to some, others have to see their taxes go up. Just the way it is. What's "fair" often depends on whose ox is being gored. I'm tired of deficit spending in the name of tax cuts. And, you don't cut the "revenue" side until AFTER you cut the spending side.

Taxes are already paid on the increase in value. When the value of the land goes up, so does your property tax. When the value of the products produced by that land go up, so does the income tax.

I used the example of my grandfather's land increasing in value from $10 to $1,000+ per acre during his time of ownership. I guarantee the tax revenue generated by that land in the final year was exponentially higher than it was in year 1. It's not like the land appreciates and everything else stays the same.

And yes, I agree deficit spending is a bad idea. I just feel this particular revenue stream is a bad path.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I'm normally an optimist, but people like this man drive me crazy insisting everything is so easy while being in denial about how many people have things stacked against them. As a nurse, I constantly see people held back by health issues. Many of these health issues are the result of lack of insurance, lack of education, and lack of access to healthcare/prevention. When a patient has to discontinue an insulin pump because she can no longer afford, that's a problem.

It also drives me crazy when I hear people of my grandparent's generation say "well, my dad had a factory job. It didn't pay much but we still did ok". Hello? Those factory jobs hardly exist and if they do, they certainly don't pay enough for that factory worker to own a home, and feed a family with a stay at home wife like they once did. I honestly believe greed is what hurt(s) this country, but people are quick to blame millennials and the poor. It doesn't help that people usually fall for manipulative media either rather that plays off people's fears and prejudices. For God's sake, this past month we saw coal miner's getting excited about the repeal of the estate tax? Explain that, Mr. Optimist.

Interesting. As a fellow nurse, I feel most of the health issues that hold people back are a result of poor choices. Not all, but most. A choice to inhale packs upon packs of cigarettes per day. A choice to drink your liver onto oblivion day after day, year after year, for decades. A choice to inject god knows what into your vein, then try to convince us that your abscess is a "spider bite" or that your UDS is positive because your friends injected you after you passed out. A choice to eat thousands of calories a day, rarely move, and wash it down with Ale-8 (or mountain dew, or Dr. Pepper, anything but water because "water makes me sick". *eyeroll*). A choice to drive without a seatbelt. A choice to shoot bottle rockets out of your heiney. A choice to spend your money on new cars, coach bags, and vacations instead of health insurance.

Yes, there are some devastating health conditions that are of no fault. Most cancers, genetic conditions, and plain bad luck sometimes happen. But usually people have made poor choices with little regard for the consequnces, which leads to their demise.

I personally think lack of mental health care and the proliferation of drugs have caused diminished optimism. It is hard to feel optimistic when your brain chemistry is off or when you are living for the next fix. We don't get people the mental health care they need, so tbey have poor coping mechanisms, and turn to drugs. It is a viscious cycle.

I also think we never truly recovered from the recession. The hard hit areas have not bounced back, people just gave up. I think the "recovery" we are in is artificial and we are on the verge of another correction.

I also think "reality" T.V. has been awful for society. We saw the jersey shore trash act like absolute morons, and a lot of people thought that was cool, so they acted that way too. We saw the "Real Housewives" live like billionaires, and thought that was cool, so we all bought McMansions and Lexuses, despite making moderate incomes. We see house hunters, with their ever picky basket weavers buying million dollar homes, and suddenly our homes aren't good enough either. If the reality tv trend ever dies, our society will be better off.

 

[LSUmiss]

Interesting. As a fellow nurse, I feel most of the health issues that hold people back are a result of poor choices. Not all, but most. A choice to inhale packs upon packs of cigarettes per day. A choice to drink your liver onto oblivion day after day, year after year, for decades. A choice to inject god knows what into your vein, then try to convince us that your abscess is a "spider bite" or that your UDS is positive because your friends injected you after you passed out. A choice to eat thousands of calories a day, rarely move, and wash it down with Ale-8 (or mountain dew, or Dr. Pepper, anything but water because "water makes me sick". *eyeroll*). A choice to drive without a seatbelt. A choice to shoot bottle rockets out of your heiney. A choice to spend your money on new cars, coach bags, and vacations instead of health insurance.

Yes, there are some devastating health conditions that are of no fault. Most cancers, genetic conditions, and plain bad luck sometimes happen. But usually people have made poor choices with little regard for the consequnces, which leads to their demise.

I personally think lack of mental health care and the proliferation of drugs have caused diminished optimism. It is hard to feel optimistic when your brain chemistry is off or when you are living for the next fix. We don't get people the mental health care they need, so tbey have poor coping mechanisms, and turn to drugs. It is a viscious cycle.

I also think we never truly recovered from the recession. The hard hit areas have not bounced back, people just gave up. I think the "recovery" we are in is artificial and we are on the verge of another correction.

I also think "reality" T.V. has been awful for society. We saw the jersey shore trash act like absolute morons, and a lot of people thought that was cool, so they acted that way too. We saw the "Real Housewives" live like billionaires, and thought that was cool, so we all bought McMansions and Lexuses, despite making moderate incomes. We see house hunters, with their ever picky basket weavers buying million dollar homes, and suddenly our homes aren't good enough either. If the reality tv trend ever dies, our society will be better off.

But the bolded you highlighted includes “lack of education” & that is what contributes to those poor choices.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

But the bolded you highlighted includes “lack of education” & that is what contributes to those poor choices.

It is 2017, there is no "lack of education" about these things. Nobody needs an education to know that injecting elephant tranquilizer into your veins is a bad idea. We all know that cigarettes, obesity, drugs, alcohol, etc will end badly. I think these days people are just so hedonistic that they don't want to take personal responibility. It'a a lot easier/more enjoyable to indulge, indulge, indulge then cry "poor me" when the consequences evtenually happen.

 

[LSUmiss]

It is 2017, there is no "lack of education" about these things. Nobody needs an education to know that injecting elephant tranquilizer into your veins is a bad idea. We all know that cigarettes, obesity, drugs, alcohol, etc will end badly. I think these days people are just so hedonistic that they don't want to take personal responibility. It'a a lot easier/more enjoyable to indulge, indulge, indulge then cry "poor me" when the consequences evtenually happen.

Sorry as a social worker, I disagree. Poverty is a huge hindrance to knowing & understanding things that some of us take for granted that seem like “common knowledge”.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Interesting. As a fellow nurse, I feel most of the health issues that hold people back are a result of poor choices. Not all, but most. A choice to inhale packs upon packs of cigarettes per day. A choice to drink your liver onto oblivion day after day, year after year, for decades. A choice to inject god knows what into your vein, then try to convince us that your abscess is a "spider bite" or that your UDS is positive because your friends injected you after you passed out. A choice to eat thousands of calories a day, rarely move, and wash it down with Ale-8 (or mountain dew, or Dr. Pepper, anything but water because "water makes me sick". *eyeroll*). A choice to drive without a seatbelt. A choice to shoot bottle rockets out of your heiney. A choice to spend your money on new cars, coach bags, and vacations instead of health insurance.

I'm afraid to google the bolded however I am perplexed.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm afraid to google the bolded however I am perplexed.

A coworker's 20-something son went to the hospital for this.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Sorry as a social worker, I disagree. Poverty is a huge hindrance to knowing & understanding things that some of us take for granted that seem like “common knowledge”.

While I agree such issues are more prevalent among the poor, there's no shortage of well educated Americans who've made terrible health choices. My PCP is morbidly obese, and I used to date a nurse who smoked - just as examples.

 

[soccerdad72]

I blame Canada

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

A coworker's 20-something son went to the hospital for this.

How do you know? Was this on Facebook?

Please tell me so it's not in my Google history.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

I blame Canada

Self righteous bunch who don't know a gun from a bottle rocket.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

While I agree such issues are more prevalent among the poor, there's no shortage of well educated Americans who've made terrible health choices. My PCP is morbidly obese, and I used to date a nurse who smoked - just as examples.

I agree.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

How do you know? Was this on Facebook?

Please tell me so it's not in my Google history.

My coworker told me. "Guess what my idiot son did? He & his idiot friends decided it would be a great idea to launch bottle rockets out of their butts! His got pinched between the cheeks, and he went to the hospital with severe burns on his ***".

 

[punkin]

Sorry as a social worker, I disagree. Poverty is a huge hindrance to knowing & understanding things that some of us take for granted that seem like “common knowledge”.

Poor people aren't necessarily stupid.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

It is 2017, there is no "lack of education" about these things. Nobody needs an education to know that injecting elephant tranquilizer into your veins is a bad idea. We all know that cigarettes, obesity, drugs, alcohol, etc will end badly. I think these days people are just so hedonistic that they don't want to take personal responibility. It'a a lot easier/more enjoyable to indulge, indulge, indulge then cry "poor me" when the consequences evtenually happen.

And in my expreience, those that complain about others showing a lack of personal responsibility the most, exercise it themselves the least.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

And in my expreience, those that complain about others showing a lack of personal responsibility the most, exercise it themselves the least.

Nah.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Poor people aren't necessarily stupid.

And rich people aren't necessarily smart. There are many morbidly obese, well off people riding scooters and eating turkey legs around Disney. Not poor.

 

[punkin]

And rich people aren't necessarily smart. There are many morbidly obese, well off people riding scooters and eating turkey legs around Disney. Not poor.

You'll get no argument from me.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

My coworker told me. "Guess what my idiot son did? He & his idiot friends decided it would be a great idea to launch bottle rockets out of their butts! His got pinched between the cheeks, and he went to the hospital with severe burns on his ***".

Sigh, I guess I have to google bottle rockets since no one will tell me what they are.

Thank goodness for our crazy co workers stories. They make the rest of us look like we brought up perfectly sane kids.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Sigh, I guess I have to google bottle rockets since no one will tell me what they are.

Thank goodness for our crazy co workers stories. They make the rest of us look like we brought up perfectly sane kids.

Bottle rockets are a very simple style of firework. They are especially dangerous because they are notoriously difficult to aim - usually they spin off course and cause property destruction and bodily harm. Pretty obvious why they are illegal in Canada and many US states... but!!! if you paid attention in chemistry/science classes, our teachers likely all had us set up a water bottle rocket... so everyone knows how to make a bottle rocket, you just need the powder...

Of course... I don't think you need to use Google to find out what happens when you try to ignite and shoot off a firework using an orifice of your body.... no need to desecrate your search history for THAT!