Oh, I wasn't endorsing those taxes. But I keep trying to imagine what kind of insane growth we would have had had if the tax rate had been even an unreasonable, rather than insane rate. Say 25% and 15%...

If you're not "in color" in the Baja, then you don't deserve to be there ;-)

Ah, but what is the cause of fraud and deceit? I say it is the breakdown of the moral fabric of our society. This has been ushered in by the progressives (and to a lesser degree the anarchists and atheists) in order to "fundamentally change our nation."

We like it here. I'm actually from MN, so that might change your opinion. And you've been gone longer than I've been alive (by 10 years). But if you've been keeping up with the political environment here, you know that Scott Walker has had some terrible battles, but has prevailed thusfar (though the Dems keep challenging things in the courts, and the lefty judges in Madison side with them, but the WI SC has been knocking them down).

I believe that SW's policies would work for the nation, but I'm not sure that he would be capable of getting them enacted. The US congress is a tougher animal than the WI legislature.

And even with the success that SW's policies have had, the current polls show him and the lefty Dem in a tie.

Yes.

Next gubernatorial election is in 6 months, and then he's term limited to 2 terms, so only another 4 yrs. Then he's avail for the nation.

I don't know, hard to give up the Beatles, Styx, The Eagles, etc., etc., etc.

OA: Nailed it, as usual!

Welcome to my world(view).

I'm not sure that it's getting any sicker, but where people used to self censor, today when they have nothing to lose, they just go for it.

I know that the hardcore O's reject religion out of hand, but I posit that the elimination of that cultural force has lead to these sorts of actions. When you have no concern for accountability for your actions - like this teacher at the end of her career - then there's nothing to hold you back from conducting yourself in such a manner. At least religion (most of them, anyway) had a final judgment which served to help people self control.

You can't have my Gov - not for another 4.5 years, that is!

Correct. But today that would be considered "unfair discrimination." As you point out, those who are exercising the ability to determine national policy (which is what you are doing by voting) need to have a stake in the costs as well as the benefits of those policies. We've reached a point where there are more folks receiving benefits than those paying for those benefits. That is unsustainable.

I think that there are other mechanisms to achieve a proper balance. I've advocated a 2 tier type citizenship system. Anyone born here would be a resident, but to achieve Citizen status, you would have to contribute to the nation - my preference would be 2 yrs service, military or medical service corps. You would only earn the right to vote after completing service, which could be done at any age after 18.

In the 1950s, personal taxes for "the rich" were at 90%... corporate taxes were something like 54%...