[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

It's not. As I pointed out, poor people pay less in taxes than necessities. You need to bring more discriminating awareness to your reading. This article is about he average family. A family that grosses 75k isn't poor.

Once again, your focus is off. The article says "basic necessities" but you only focus on the latter "necessities".

[andyt]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

I forgot, you don't care about about any other groups other than poor people. In your eyes, if you have a cent more than you absolutely need, you don't "need" it.

I'd be interested to see what the taxation numbers are like on the groups you support, because I'm betting it's all relative and would have similar results.

Just weaseling away, huh? First you say I should worry about poor people, now you're whining that I don't care about anybody else. Your second sentence is just bullshit - the point is that we have lots of extra money to spend on non-necessities, which is good. And those non-necessities are pretty necessary for our way of living.

Your last paragraph, I don't get what you're driving at. Relative to what, similar results to what?

[Zipperfish]

On the plus side, basic necessities seemed to have significantly dropped in price. Health care is going through the roof though.

[DanSC]

You have to remember Bart, "Better than America" is the only requirement for "Good Enough."

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

It's not. As I pointed out, poor people pay less in taxes than necessities. You need to bring more discriminating awareness to your reading. This article is about he average family. A family that grosses 75k isn't poor.

Once again, your focus is off. The article says "basic necessities" but you only focus on the latter "necessities".

Not sure what you mean. Poor people pay way more on basic necessities than on taxes. One definition of poverty is if you have to pay more than a certain percentage of your income on rent. Somebody making $10.25/hr = $1800 per month. Their rent might be $800. They might pay about $100 in federal income tax, nothing in BC tax, plus HST but not on food. How is their tax bill anywhere near their basic necessities bill?

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

It's not. As I pointed out, poor people pay less in taxes than necessities. You need to bring more discriminating awareness to your reading. This article is about he average family. A family that grosses 75k isn't poor.

Once again, your focus is off. The article says "basic necessities" but you only focus on the latter "necessities".

Not sure what you mean. Poor people pay way more on basic necessities than on taxes. One definition of poverty is if you have to pay more than a certain percentage of your income on rent. Somebody making $10.25/hr = $1800 per month. Their rent might be $800. They might pay about $100 in federal income tax, nothing in BC tax, plus HST but not on food. How is their tax bill anywhere near their basic necessities bill?

Who said anything about poor people? (besides you)

Focus! I know you can!

[andyt]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

On the plus side, basic necessities seemed to have significantly dropped in price. Health care is going through the roof though.

Housing hasn't. Food has risen, then dropped a bit and is now rising again. If oil shoots up, so will food.

[DrCaleb]

Are you saying that oil is food and we should eat Oil?

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Once again, your focus is off. The article says "basic necessities" but you only focus on the latter "necessities".

Not sure what you mean. Poor people pay way more on basic necessities than on taxes. One definition of poverty is if you have to pay more than a certain percentage of your income on rent. Somebody making $10.25/hr = $1800 per month. Their rent might be $800. They might pay about $100 in federal income tax, nothing in BC tax, plus HST but not on food. How is their tax bill anywhere near their basic necessities bill?

Who said anything about poor people? (besides you)



Focus! I know you can!

What, you're weaseling now too. I replied about poor people to OTI. You then took my quote about poor people to reply to me - giving the impression that is what you're talking about.

What I've pointed out, is that the non-necessities are also very necessary for an advanced society. We should be glad we have money to spend on more than food and housing - we'b be living in mud huts if we didn't.

It's you that needs to focus on what I've said. Engage with that if you want.

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Are you saying that oil is food and we should eat Oil?

Are you being a moron on purpose here?

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Are you saying that oil is food and we should eat Oil?

Are you being a moron on purpose here?

Yes, I'm trying to show you what it's like for the rest of us to try to debate with you.

[Bodah]

I try not to look at my pay stub and see what's been taken from me, it's pretty gross and gets me all stabby. Then they want a little more at the end of the year.

Living in Alberta is a little better I hear, hmmmm.

[Gunnair]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Are you saying that oil is food and we should eat Oil?

Are you being a moron on purpose here?

Yes, I'm trying to show you what it's like for the rest of us to try to debate with you.

Good luck with that.

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Are you saying that oil is food and we should eat Oil?

Are you being a moron on purpose here?

Yes, I'm trying to show you what it's like for the rest of us to try to debate with you.

Very nice, but you're creating the problem here. You don't recognize the effect of oil price on food - come on, you're just arguing for arguing's sake.

WTF is your point? The simple one that the Fraser Institute is making? So what? It's a good thing, as I've pointed out. You've made no further argument except to wander all over the map in reply to mine. I didn't onlyfocus on the latter necessities, I pointed out that the basic ones don't exist in a vacuum, and that it's good we have money for the lattter necessities because otherwise we wouldn't have even the basic ones. It costs to live in a modern, complex, society.

[andyt]

@Caleb - I see what you did here. I think you were trying to resurrect the discussion we were having at the beginning of the thread. But, for some reason you chose to use a quote where I was replying to OTI - don't know why you would do that? Makes the discussion go in a totally different direction.

But if you were trying to respond to our initial discussion - again, so what? We don't spend much on basic necessities (try telling that to someone paying for housing in Vancouver) so we have lots to spend on other things - like a complex social system. That's a good thing.

And the discussion in Vancouver is all about how people are house rich but cash poor. How restaurants etc are closing because people just don't have the money anymore, it's all going to the mortgage. Ie a basic necessity.