$35M Aid to Disaster Relief

[The Dude]

The U.S. has pledged $35M to help affected areas recover from the tsunami disaster. If my memory serves me correctly, Bush gave several $ billion to hurricaine relief in Florida. Anybody else bothered by this staggering difference?

Personally, I can't think of a single more worthy cause for U.S. dollars to be spent than international relief like this.

[ThaSaltCracka]

Florida is in America, its filled with Americans that pay taxes.

[Hack]

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_b...ates_feed.html

The Tax Foundation has released a fascinating report showing which states benefit from federal tax and spending policies, and which states foot the bill.

US 50 States MapThe report shows that of the 32 states (and the District of Columbia) that are "winners" -- receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes -- 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States. Here are the Top 10 states that feed at the federal trough (with Red States highlighted in bold):

States Receiving Most in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid:

1. D.C. ($6.17)
2. North Dakota ($2.03)
3. New Mexico ($1.89)
4. Mississippi ($1.84)
5. Alaska ($1.82)
6. West Virginia ($1.74)
7. Montana ($1.64)
8. Alabama ($1.61)
9. South Dakota ($1.59)
10. Arkansas ($1.53)

States Receiving Least in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid:

1. New Jersey ($0.62)
2. Connecticut ($0.64)
3. New Hampshire ($0.68)
4. Nevada ($0.73)
5. Illinois ($0.77)
6. Minnesota ($0.77)
7. Colorado ($0.79)
8. Massachusetts ($0.79)
9. California ($0.81)
10. New York ($0.81)

Of the top 10 welfare states, 8 voted for George Bush in 2004.

Of the bottom 10 welfare states, 8 voted for Kerry in 2004.

It seems that Republicans in the South and Midwest do not mind being subsidized by us Northerners.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I really have no idea what your point is. I am sure there are plenty of explanations why certain states get more tax money than others, but whatever, thats a whole different topic entirely.

[Cyrus]

But why confuse people with facts? In the middle of the holiday season too...

[The Dude]

[ QUOTE ]
Florida is in America, its filled with Americans that pay taxes.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't give a sh[/i]it whether or not those people pay taxes into the U.S. coffers. I feel the same brotherhood to those from Sri Lanka and Indonesia as I do those from Florida. Outside of my family and immediate friends, I don't have any stronger affiliation to any one human than another.

[Hack]

That's great that you feel such a connection with your fellow human beings. Can you feed that connection with your own money please, instead of U.S. taxpayer dollars?

I gave $100 myself today, not because I was forced to, but because I WANTED to.

Compulsion is a nasty tool.

[The Dude]

I tend to spend my disposable income rather compulsively, rather than planning it out. One reason I'm not as bothered by this as I should be is because I give very compulsively as well.

If a large enough majority of Americans felt strongly enough that tax dollars shouldn't be spent in international aid, then it wouldn't be spent that way. Obviously enough people think it's a good idea to use tax dollars for this kind of aid, so it gets used.

[Hack]

No, that's bs.

And we don't technically live in a democacy. A large percentage of Americans don't even pay federal income tax, so why should they get to decide where federal income tax dollars get spent?

Sure, they pay payroll taxes, but those are for Social Security and Medicare, where there is at least some expected benefit. People who pay federal income taxes pay those taxes as well.

Under a Democracy, government is directed by the desire of a majority of citizens, inevitably leading to its downfall when, as the British intellectual Alexander Tyler once said, "the majority of voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury."

We are heading in that direction quite quickly. Although in this case, it's not voting themselves money, it's voting for money to be spent on some country that has never done anything for us.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Florida is in America, its filled with Americans that pay taxes.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't give a sh[/i]it whether or not those people pay taxes into the U.S. coffers.

[/ QUOTE ]um, you should. I have no idea if you and GoT are paying taxes on your winnings, but I know I pay a lot of taxes, and it sure as hell better go to things here in America.

You go donate your own money, I am sure half of it will be well spent.