Comments on: Duties of the Citizen http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/ your source for all things military Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:29:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: GunnNutt http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-39 GunnNutt Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:09:25 +0000 http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-39 Thank you, Jack! As an eeeeeevil conservative I believe we should ALL pay something in taxes. Even the poorest among us should pay a little bit. Less than 50% of working people pay any federal income tax, and some get more back in refunds than they had withheld (which is a welfare-by-1040 scam). Because I believe that the first priority of the government is to provide security for the nation in the form of a strong and efficient military, I am all for paying taxes to support you guys and would pony up extra to cover you. No representation without taxation! Thank you, Jack!

As an eeeeeevil conservative I believe we should ALL pay something in taxes. Even the poorest among us should pay a little bit. Less than 50% of working people pay any federal income tax, and some get more back in refunds than they had withheld (which is a welfare-by-1040 scam).

Because I believe that the first priority of the government is to provide security for the nation in the form of a strong and efficient military, I am all for paying taxes to support you guys and would pony up extra to cover you.

No representation without taxation!

]]> By: Rys http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-61 Rys Thu, 22 Mar 2007 04:52:15 +0000 http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-61 I agree wholeheartedly! I proudly vote and pay my taxes (even though I get most of them back anyway) knowing I'm exercising my rights and duties as an American citizen. I agree wholeheartedly! I proudly vote and pay my taxes (even though I get most of them back anyway) knowing I’m exercising my rights and duties as an American citizen.

]]> By: Barb http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-63 Barb Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:56:56 +0000 http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-63 I agree with you, Jack - and it gives me great pleasure to think that some of my taxes go to pay you guys your due (and it ain't enough, by far). But it occurs to me that there are some who I would offer a deal ... they don't pay taxes, and they can never vote or contribute to a campaign or comment on public policy. If they can't live up to their side ... then they have to pay ALLllll the back taxes they got to skip before ;-) I agree with you, Jack - and it gives me great pleasure to think that some of my taxes go to pay you guys your due (and it ain’t enough, by far).

But it occurs to me that there are some who I would offer a deal … they don’t pay taxes, and they can never vote or contribute to a campaign or comment on public policy. If they can’t live up to their side … then they have to pay ALLllll the back taxes they got to skip before ;-)

]]> By: Scott http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-107 Scott Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:03:52 +0000 http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/03/21/57/#comment-107 While I see your point, I must respectfully disagree. I've long supported not taxing military pay, for several reasons: 1) It seems like a conflict of some interest that the military has to pay in, when they get no input into government policy, for which the military is the enforcement arm. 2) Military pay is far lower for a given job than the civilian equivalent. This makes a move towards correcting that disparity. 3) Military members get a raise, without having to increase the budget. 4) The gov't already uses the tax system to incentivize certain actions or sectors. The military is at least as deserving (more!) of that consideration. 5) Massive administration cost savings. Rather than having to fiddle with "This pay is taxable, that isn't", you don't have to sweat it. 6) No troop should have to come home and get terrorized by some zealous bureaucrat determined to catch them "cheating" (Meaning he didn't go to the Baghdad H&R Block. Oh, wait...). 7) It's not really that much of a loss to the gov't. The bridges to nowhere and spinach farmers can do without. 8) Risk = Reward. That's the American Way. 9) It would do a lot to make up for those military ballots that get "lost" every election season. 10) Consider it a class-action settlement against every moonbat that makes it their business to do a 1969 redux, while the gov't does nothing. That's not even mentioning Congress. 11) This is The Long War. The military will do the bulk of the heavy lifting. It won't <i>kill</i> the rest of us to do a little sacrificing. Compared to WWII, absurdly little has been asked of the American public. 12) It'll draw in the large numbers needed for the Long War. Incentives. Wouldn't be surprised to see some Dem hack call this an "obscene amenity". While I see your point, I must respectfully disagree. I’ve long supported not taxing military pay, for several reasons:

1) It seems like a conflict of some interest that the military has to pay in, when they get no input into government policy, for which the military is the enforcement arm.

2) Military pay is far lower for a given job than the civilian equivalent. This makes a move towards correcting that disparity.

3) Military members get a raise, without having to increase the budget.

4) The gov’t already uses the tax system to incentivize certain actions or sectors. The military is at least as deserving (more!) of that consideration.

5) Massive administration cost savings. Rather than having to fiddle with “This pay is taxable, that isn’t”, you don’t have to sweat it.

6) No troop should have to come home and get terrorized by some zealous bureaucrat determined to catch them “cheating” (Meaning he didn’t go to the Baghdad H&R Block. Oh, wait…).

7) It’s not really that much of a loss to the gov’t. The bridges to nowhere and spinach farmers can do without.

8) Risk = Reward. That’s the American Way.

9) It would do a lot to make up for those military ballots that get “lost” every election season.

10) Consider it a class-action settlement against every moonbat that makes it their business to do a 1969 redux, while the gov’t does nothing. That’s not even mentioning Congress.

11) This is The Long War. The military will do the bulk of the heavy lifting. It won’t kill the rest of us to do a little sacrificing. Compared to WWII, absurdly little has been asked of the American public.

12) It’ll draw in the large numbers needed for the Long War. Incentives.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see some Dem hack call this an “obscene amenity”.

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