The Coke Tax

Firecat said:
Minimum wage keeps going up, as well as the costs associated with employees.
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Right, now explain why 3c on a can of Coke means the minimum wage goes up.

argatoga said:
You are either an idiot or a troll.
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You know, that is the second time I've been called a troll in this thread, rather than have someone actually answer my point.

But then, I realise that being able to drive isn't a right, like clean air or clean water. Therefore I don't bitch when that non-essential privilege gets taxed. Sure, I bitch when it gets taxed too much - and believe me, you Americans have it real bloody easy - but I don't see clocking up the miles on my drive to work as part of my right to exist as a human being.

Don't want to pay tax for driving? Walk, bike, catch a bus, arrange a lift with a friend, get a different job closer to home, start your own business closer to or at home. These are all options that actually do something rather than whining on about that pesky Government taxing you for doing something that you are fortunate enough to be in a position to be able to do.

But the rub comes when you need to start transporting spawn, groceries, and the like. A bicycle won't be enough and taxis will cost too much.
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That'll be the taxes making the taxis cost too much, right? Or is it that the tax the Government puts on, isn't actually worth complaining about after all?
 
Plissken said:
Right, now explain why 3c on a can of Coke means the minimum wage goes up.
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I never said that. I simply remarked on the fact that all the expenses are going up and it effects the bottom line. This proposed tax being one of many increasing costs.

Your attitude is all wrong. Your answer to the government overtaxing the population is to simply let it be and find an alternative way to live ones life, much to their own inconvenience. Maybe complaining and fighting won't result in any changes, but that doesn't mean you simply have to take it. Eventually a breaking-point will be reached. But if you've been taxed in such a manner your whole life, I don't expect you to understand this line of thinking.
 
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Firecat said:
I never said that.
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Yes you did.

The cigarette tax is passed direct onto the consumer, but it still impacts my store because people are buying less. Same thing will occur with a beverage tax, my sales will go down. [...] Less sales + higher wages + higher taxes = me going out of business..
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See?

Your attitude is all wrong.
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I know it is. Because I have a very annoying habit of bringing up facts and backing up my sources. When someone claims $2.88 in tax on a 24 pack of Coke, I check, and find it is 72c. When someone claims cigarette tax is prejudice, I call them on it. When someone claims a beverage tax leads to higher wages, I call them on it.

For having the habit of not believing bollocks when I read it, I am an idiot and a troll.

Your answer to the government overtaxing the population is to simply let it be and find an alternative way to live ones life, much to their own inconvenience.
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So tax is about inconvienience is it? Tax pays for your police, your roads, your schools, your defence. It affects everything you do, and whining that it inconveniences you is to ignore the reality of life. The infrastructure of the US that keeps everything flowing is mostly built on taxes.

But if you've been taxed in such a manner your whole life, I don't expect you to understand this line of thinking.
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I've paid British taxes all my working life. I own a small business. Don't patronise me, because you haven't the foggiest on how taxes work in the context of society.
 
Plissken said:
You know, that is the second time I've been called a troll in this thread, rather than have someone actually answer my point.
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There are many people in rural America who live 15+ miles from work/town/school etc. Telling them to walk is idiocy. Simple as that. Not everyone can commit the time or have the energy to do that.

Plissken said:
Don't want to pay tax for driving? Walk, bike, catch a bus, arrange a lift with a friend, get a different job closer to home, start your own business closer to or at home. These are all options that actually do something rather than whining on about that pesky Government taxing you for doing something that you are fortunate enough to be in a position to be able to do.
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Can't walk with groceries and children. Buses are not that prevalent, arranging a lift everyday may not be an option when your nearest neighbor s too far or has a conflicting schedule.

Plissken said:
That'll be the taxes making the taxis cost too much, right? Or is it that the tax the Government puts on, isn't actually worth complaining about after all?
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Taxes on cars do make taxis cost more. A higher gas tax is passed on to the consumer.

Plissken said:
For having the habit of not believing bollocks when I read it, I am an idiot and a troll.
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I'll repeat myself. There are many people in rural America who live 15+ miles from work/town/school etc. Telling them to walk is idiocy. Simple as that. Not everyone can commit the time or have the energy to do that.

Plissken said:
So tax is about inconvienience is it? Tax pays for your police, your roads, your schools, your defence. It affects everything you do, and whining that it inconveniences you is to ignore the reality of life. The infrastructure of the US that keeps everything flowing is mostly built on taxes.
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We pay a lot of taxes and our roads are still shit, schools under funded (FYI I work for a public school district I know) and many of our soldiers are paid with food stamps. Bureaucracy, pork, and corruption takes that money away to fund money loosing trains, bailing out banks, and other crap. I don't like blindly giving money to the government because I know it isn't perfect and easily corruptible. The government should be accountable not trusted to always do the right thing as you suggest.
 
You read things and draw conclusions which make no sense.

Plissken said:
Yes you did.
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This is what I said (which you already quoted)
Less sales + higher wages + higher taxes = me going out of business..
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Where in that statement does it say that a beverage tax results in an increase in wages? Can you not see that I cited higher wages as a distinctly different part of the equation? Higher wages AND higher taxes....2 different things. Get it? If you didn't the first 2 times, you probably won't the third.


Plissken said:
So tax is about inconvienience is it? Tax pays for your police, your roads, your schools, your defence. It affects everything you do, and whining that it inconveniences you is to ignore the reality of life. The infrastructure of the US that keeps everything flowing is mostly built on taxes.
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This is another example how you misunderstand things. You previously said people should walk, ride a bike, take the bus, open their own business, or get a job closer to work. THAT is the inconvenience I mentioned, not the taxes. It was actually plain to see, but you just read into things whatever the heck you want to.


Plissken said:
I've paid British taxes all my working life. I own a small business. Don't patronise me, because you haven't the foggiest on how taxes work in the context of society
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This is just you being an asshole. I haven't even mentioned anywhere in this thread about how taxes are used or how I think they work. Your government will start taxing you for breathing, and you will accept. Why? Because you don't know any better.
 
Hey, you know what would be a great idea? If we stopped telling people how we think they should live our lives and just better our own instead.

This goes for the government, "Richard Simmons" Plissken, soda drinkers, cigarette companies, your mom, etc.
 
Why are you guys even arguing about the principle?

This fucking idea they have is ridiculous... read up on HFCS. The first thing the US government needs to do is ban the shit out of that horrible crap and force companies to start using sugar in their sodas.

I'm the only one who sees the stupidity in this whole plan? They want to tax soda so less people drink it so the population becomes healthier, when they could just make soda safer to drink... and you guys are arguing about whether drinking pop is a God given right or a privilege. :lol:
 
This fucking idea they have is ridiculous... read up on HFCS.
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There are many differing opinions on the effects of HFCS. But that is not really the point of this discussion. Many in this thread do not want to government to be taxing behavior.
 
jetsetter said:
Many in this thread do not want to government to be taxing behavior.
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Neither do I, but the idea seemed so farcical to me that I didn't think anyone would even bother discussing the principle of it.

Seriously though, even if HFCS was actually good for you, they shouldn't use it because it tastes like ass.
 
jetsetter said:
There are many differing opinions on the effects of HFCS. But that is not really the point of this discussion. Many in this thread do not want to government to be taxing behavior.
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But a more interesting thing to discuss is taxing sugar VS taxing (or not taxing) HFCS.
 
The reason HFCS is so prevalent has to do with the government in the first place.
 
Firecat said:
The reason HFCS is so prevalent has to do with the government in the first place.
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As I recall, Bush called for more of the specific type of corn used to make HFCS.

What pisses me off more than the health affects, are the environmental ones. That type of corn ruins the soil wherever it's grown.
 
BlaRo said:
"Richard Simmons" Plissken
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*wikis for Richard Simmons*


If you're going to go for ad hominem, I think I prefer "asshole".
 
Thats double decker baloney sandwichs
 
Twerp128 said:
<snip>Personally, I'm all for socialized health care. I think it's been proven to work brilliantly elsewhere and at this moment with so many unemployed and lacking benefits it seems appropriate. The new plan though, it's just a soggy band-aid. Maybe you can brand it a stepping stone to a new shiny healthcare system, but it's really not is it? Of course something has to give to make way for all this new spending, that's assumed, glad to know congress isn't stupid enough to get another IOU for this one.<snip>
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Wait... you support it? We can barely patrol our borders to keep illegals out. Yes it works in SMALLER countries. Show me a country that has a socialized health care system our size and is democratic (note: I'm not in to politics so there very well may be a country out there like this). There are so many fucked up things in the our country's system that SHOULD be working just fine when looking at other countries, yet they don't.

Instead of passing legislation to protect people's fat+lazy asses how about educating them first? There was something on the radio I heard last week about something we eat that is obviously bad for us and the state is considering banning it for "the greater good." Uhm, fuck no. All this "we're passing laws to protect you from hurting yourself!" is getting tiring and annoying. There are better things to be concerned about than keeping us from harming each other.

I'm all for idiots dying when they float a surge protector in a above ground pool so they can watch the TV that they put in the innertube.

Note to self, do not make posts when already pissed off, it creates spelling errors and confusion when rereading it
 
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