Not just Governments are guilty of this. Private companies are just as guilty of raiding workers pension funds. However, Governments should have made pension pots both Public and Private ring fences and untouchable.

Add to it that pension funds invested in the financial markets and you have a perfect storm.

Do some research. Companies go bust taking the workers pensions with them.

Money for nothing chicks for free

Simpleton response -- medical practitioners make wages of 3 to 5 times in the US what the make in Europe.

Nurses and technicians make 2 to 3 times the wages in the US what the make in Europe.

Americans make a lot more money that most Europeans.
Americans pay a lot less taxes too.

You cannot just say give the government control and cut all wages 40%. That is unconstitutional.

The only way to solve the problem is to make the government a 'bully healthcare' provider. Operate a medical network, pay prevailing wages and forgo any profit. Costs could be reduced 20% this way. The infrastructure cost to do this would create trillions in new debt however.

Well, private business pensions not publicly managed are risky -- the government covers that risk -- they should not.

Most state and municipal pension funds are in tough shape -- better today than in 2008 but that could change rapidly.

You want a guaranty by a vacuum cleaner

The problem is more complex and will get worse.

At the base, none of us pay enough in taxes to cover the cost of running a modern country. If we did our Governments would only have to borrow for very large scale investments, not just to keep the country running.

This is a recent thing and due to the exodus of businesses to the Third World. This has sucked Trillions out from the West and has led to growing borrowing. Cheap stuff in the shops isn't that cheap when it's made in China.

Then there are the issues of mass migration bringing in workers undercutting resident workers and mass automation. Both slash Government revenues in favour of corporate profits and more government expenses.

So Governments are left trying to pay for all the demands without looking like the country is broke. Which it is in the real world. Earning $100k a year, spending $110k per year while being over $100k in debt with no chance of repaying it, is the definition of being broke.

The problem is no Western Country has ever tried to address the issue and have in fact kept the problem growing. There are no real measures to stop companies producing overseas and nothing to stop the mass migration of low-cost workers. The shit will hit the fan very soon as companies automate and machines don't pay taxes.

http://www.simontaylorsblog.com/wp-c...11-634x409.png

This mirrors most Western Countries debt to GDP ratios, just found US/UK first.

We should have been paying an import tax when I sold my products to countries outside the Czech Republic. The problem is the EU is behind the scheme to take the UK's wealth and share it with the less profitable countries. Both my brother in laws work outside CZ driving vans at a lower rate. Now who made that possible?

Robots are personal property business personal property is taxed by most local governments -- the feds could tax robots too and probably will. Mechanical slaves taxed by government :2 cents:

So stop bitching.

That means Nationalisation. The extra debt would be paid back over the years.

Why so much debt? No big need to build new hospitals once Public Sector ones start taking patients away from the present system. Also doctors, nurse, etc can be offered contracts for less or no job if they don't move to the public sector.

Start by voting out any politician who votes for the Pharm industry.

Edited to make it correct.

The reason pensions looked so good in 2008 is because the markets were making $1 look like $2.

You want a guaranty, buy property. Not 100% but better than a vacuum cleaner. :1orglaugh

that's nonsense, since the beginning of time taxes were trivial, only in recent times mass taxation for everything became the norm... the actual problem is that somehow people got a twisted idea in their heads that government is supposed to take care of them "from the cradle to the grave", but throughout history that was never the role of the government and it shouldn't be now...

WE is the government we are their slaves.
2008 was the heart of the great recession $1 was worth .70 today it is 21000/12000 in DJI terms $1.75 -- try to keep up

$8.57 DJI 1982 to now
$2.52 CPI 1982 to now

Property is only good if your leverage is low LTV

I would rather see the government print money to give to the dumb-shits so I can take it from them, or the people that take it from them, or the people that take it from them, or the people that take it from them -- trickle up works too :2 cents:

There is no real difference whoever ends up with the money won.

Remember I'm fiscally conservative.

The reason people think the government owes them something is because they were raised being told so, by the government:

"We're taking this tax out of your check so if you're injured at work you get it back in disability payment" so you agree

"We're taking this tax out of your check so if you become unemployed we can pay you unemployment until you find work again" so you agree

"We're taking this tax out of your check so when you retire we can pay it back to you in social security." so you agree

"We're taking this tax out of your check so when you're older you'll get it back in Medicaid to take care of your health" so you agree

"We're charging you registration on your car and we're taxing that too so we can pay for roads and bridges" so you agree

"We're charging you a property tax on the home you own so we can have nice schools, a clean neighborhood and parks" so you agree

The city/state/national governments aren't following through on their end of the deal.

Taxes are a shell game as is the IRS but privatizing isn't the answer either we've seen how privatization always ends up in greed and collapse.

95% of American companies fail. Privatizing the government statistically means 95% of America will fail if that happens :2 cents:

So what's the answer?

There is no answer -- I saw that years ago. You just try to game the system the best you can.

The game is always changing. Like this Trumplican Dontcare crap -- I will need to come up with $16K in 2018 if this shit is enacted to stay in the game. In the end it will cost $500- $2,400 more the first year. Fortunately, in 2019 I can roll that money over x2 in the end I can use pretax money to pay for insurance -- for argument's sake 60% is out of my pocket and 40% the government's pocket they will eat fed/state tax revenue reductions. The Net Result is $4,000 tax credit + $6,400 HSA*40% tax revenue (fed/state) loss as the new law will allow premium payments from the HSA so I win -- but it's complicated and you need to have the front money to do it -- that is unfair.

Welcome the the Trumplican world where the rich get richer ...

Exactly. People should be able to look after themselves, have a job they're prepared to work hard at for a decent wage. And if they get ill, fall sick, get injured the family looks after them or they die.

Police, Justice System, Fire, Healthcare, Roads, Street Lighting/Cleaning, and the 100s other things that your taxes provide should be paid for at the point of use. It will be more expensive as more corporations squeeze more profits. Or the country could revert back to what it use to be when taxes were low. :Oh crap

Shit happens when the Armed Forces go private and a country with a better tax funded one decides to invade. Or a bunch of terrorists decide the countries defences are shit and decide to take over.

You'r an idiot, look at all the countries who are run like you want.

odd how the system I described worked for millennia, and somehow rarely the things you described happened... there were some better or worse times along the way, but civilization moved on, and it never required giving away 50% of your hard work to the state...

I'm not advocating completely getting rid of the government, but when deciding issues to favor smaller role for the government over bigger one...