LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE IS THE NEXT PRESIDENT

[KimK]

I'm in the same boat as Sanny when it comes to the tax bracket & it sucks. I have 3 canines in the house but no kids & I can't even deduct our monthly Rimadyl dog arthritis medicine. I just did my taxes yesterday & it's extremely frustrating. I hate that the harder I work the more they take from me.

I am also for eliminating the income tax & collecting money through a sales tax. Has anyone read the "Fair Tax" book or proposal? It's written by Neal Boortz & Congressman John Linder & it's a good read regardless of what side of the political spectrum you fall on.

[Mediavixen]

Shutter, I totally agree with you. Anyone suffering from mental illness, especially something serious like BP, should be treated by a specialist who deals with mood disorders. Far too many family doctors think they are qualified and they simply are not.

As for who to vote for, again, I am a Canadian, so I can't cast a vote. But I sure wish I could this time around cos this one is important and will be very interesting. I look forward to more great threads of debate as next year comes.

[sanman]

kimk said:

I'm in the same boat as Sanny when it comes to the tax bracket & it sucks. I have 3 canines in the house but no kids & I can't even deduct our monthly Rimadyl dog arthritis medicine. I just did my taxes yesterday & it's extremely frustrating. I hate that the harder I work the more they take from me.

I am also for eliminating the income tax & collecting money through a sales tax. Has anyone read the "Fair Tax" book or proposal? It's written by Neal Boortz & Congressman John Linder & it's a good read regardless of what side of the political spectrum you fall on.

The Sales Tax concept works pretty well at the local level.

I need to take a look at that proposal.

And, yes...my Representative for the better part of my life was Bill Archer (Chair of Ways and Means and a BIG supporter of eliminating the IRS).

[La Princess]

kimk said:

I'm in the same boat as Sanny when it comes to the tax bracket & it sucks. I have 3 canines in the house but no kids & I can't even deduct our monthly Rimadyl dog arthritis medicine. I just did my taxes yesterday & it's extremely frustrating. I hate that the harder I work the more they take from me.

I get so mad that animals can't be deductibles. I spend a lot on my animals. People without kids really get stung when it comes to taxes. Then childless people still have to pay taxes for services we can't use. My state is an example. Recently they instituted medical insurance for kids. I have no problem paying for low income kids. What really gets me is that kids of all incomes can get it. Including upper middle class. Now they want to include the parents of the kids. Yet low income working childless people can't. That's wrong. Either have for everyone, or limit it to low income kids.

[Carina]

honeyryder said:

Perhaps you're right. I'm sorry, I get a VERY touchy about this subject, because so many people need anti-depressants and don't take them, and it's often because of this particular misunderstanding. Or, they might not be a sufferer, but just people who spread this misconception, and by doing that they contribute to the social stigma that depression-sufferers are already trying to deal with.

Oh, I have gone off on a couple people on this subject for the exact reason you've described....

[bloodshift]

Hillary for President? I sure as f___ hope so; she's the only one with sufficient intelligence to make up for GWB's lack of same, and to repair the damage caused by said lack on domestic/world affairs.

To anyone who says that "the U.S. just isn't ready for a female president", what will your response be if she wins the Democratic nomination? Will it stop you from giving her your vote? The U.S. will have a female president if its people want one. End of. And it's most likely going to be her, because she wants it and she's got the brains and talent to back it up. Most importantly, she's going to have Bill as her personal advisor; like him or not, he's probably the finest political mind your country's had for a long time.

I can't wait to see the R war machine try to "invent the Internet"/"Swift-boat" her. She's going to feed them their nads.

[artful dodger]

bloodshift!! You made it!! Welcome, my friend!!! it's nice here.

[bloodshift]

Thanks, dodge!

I'm going to add my voice to those of us north of the 49th who are satisfied with our health care system. Biggest room in the world, etc., but I'll take it anytime over what exists in the U.S..

Compare our taxes with the cost of private health insurance to get comparable coverage, and we win hands down; the most frequent statistic I see is that the amount spent per capita for all medical care in the U.S. is 1.5 times what we pay, and 20% of your population still has no coverage at all. Think about that: If you're not covered by Medicare/Medicaid or military benefits (too many people forget that all three of those plans are examples of the dreaded "socialized" medicine), and you have no private plan, you're in that 20%. No wonder that medical bills are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S., eh?

I have no earthly clue where the "you can't choose your own doctor" crap came from, or the "there are droves of people dying because they're on waiting lists" Actually, I do: It's the HMO's realizing their days are numbered.

[somenewromantic]

iami said:

A friendly suggestion from your humble token Republican, i.e., ME.

If you want the Dems to win in 2008 and actually have a successful 4-8 years, please consider supporting Bill Richardson (New Mexico gov) who just announced he is running. The man has experience, including plenty of foreign diplomacy experience, is environmentally conscious, and is probably the most trustworthy of your potential candidates.

If the Repubs screw up their nomination (and there's at least a 50-50 chance they will), I would very seriously consider voting for Richardson. And I believe a lot of other Repubs would too.

iami

Hail, hail Bill Richardson.

This is one Republican whose vote he has...........