[lit-ideas] Re: Paying taxes for months on end
- From: Paul Stone <pas@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 17:00:16 -0400
>U.S.:some such program) because of her income level. But what of the
>working poor? My sister (in Indiana) has often foregone quite essential
>doctor visits because she could not afford it. That just doesn't happen
>here ...
I guess that all depends on what you consider essential ;-)
>U.S.:You're right, certainly, that beauracracies take on a life of their own,
>but I'm not sure that that kind of bloating is worse than the
>robber-baron mentality of much of the private sector. Capitalism is
>good for the consumer at the beginning, but soon works its way towards
>monopoly (see the 1890s) and then milks the system worse than any
>bloated bureaucracy (all the while touting the blessings of private
>enterprise).
Okay, okay, I can propose, as per Phil Enns' request, a solution. What
about privately run, governmentally regulated -- and I'm talking for real
here -- services. We need real oversight committees: not like the CRTC
being in bed with Cable TV and the Phone Company; not like the national
energy commission de-centralizing the hydro and then sticking us [the
involuntary consumers] with a 15 dollar-a-month 'debt retirement' bullshit
charge ad infinitum. I'm talking about real watchdogs who put REAL caps and
real limitations on the bilking of the consumers. Could that ever possibly
work? If we had some politicians with some brass maybe. We're never going
to solve these problems in this soup forum, but it sure is fun bitching
ain't it?
>U.S.: Bureaucracies operate to perpetuate and aggrandize themselves, but
>not from a profit motive. I think the difference in our
>disappointment and anger comes from our expectations of them. Government
>should serve our interests. We have no such expectation of private companies.
I've been trying to say that for months. Well said Ursula.
shutting up, for now.
p
##########
Paul Stone
pas@xxxxxxxx
FantasyLand, ON
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
