California Budget

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Originally Posted by fousto

Another thing most don't realize is that when you combine all the taxes we pay it is pretty f----- high.

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How f----- high?!

Anywhere near 60-70%?!

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Originally Posted by chuck34

That is actually the way it works here in the States. We have medicare/medicaid that take care of those that don't have their own healthcare. I don't know too many people that think those programs work very well. In fact they are going broke.

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Ofcourse they are going broke. Because there isn't enough money to run them in a proper way.

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Originally Posted by ioan

I'm not sure who to trust, you or those who claim there are big problems, but I know that there are big problems from people whom I talked to in person this summer.

What I find appalling is how people who do have more money than they need, and can afford to pay for private health care, can say that there is no need for a change while there are millions who can't even afford to go see a doctor.

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That's just it Ioan. We have systems in place that make sure people CAN see a doctor when they NEED to. That system is government run, and B-R-O-K-E. So tell me again why we would impose the same BROKEN system on the majority of Americans?

This is the problem with the healthcare debate in this country. If you oppose nationalization, you are made out to be some heartless b@stard that doesn't care about people's health. It's just the opposite. I see how the system we have in place for about 15% of our population works, or doesn't in this case. And I DO NOT want to impose that same system on the other 85% of Americans.

I'm not saying that something shouldn't be done, I'm just saying that what has been proposed won't work. The system that should be adopted is something like what McCain proposed. Give everyone a $5000 tax break to buy their own healthcare. Get the choices out of our employeers hands, and give that power to the people. I know that my healthcare through my employeer is not what is right for me. But I can not afford to not use it because of the tax breaks I get for buying into that system. If more INDIVIDUALS have the power to make their healthcare decisions then competition will drive costs down, and care up.

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Originally Posted by ioan

How f----- high?!

Anywhere near 60-70%?!

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Actually yes. When you add income tax, social security tax, property tax, state tax, city tax, school tax, sales tax, and anything else I'm forgetting it does get up to about 70% in some cases.

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Originally Posted by ioan

Ofcourse they are going broke. Because there isn't enough money to run them in a proper way.

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We are ALL already paying into those systems. How will adding people into that system work? Especially if Obama is going to keep his promise of no new taxes on those making less than $250,000?

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Originally Posted by Easy Drifter

....
Nuclear Power projects with cost overruns of triple estimates. The latest is something like 5 years overdue and billions over budget and the bloody thing won't even work. Now cancelled.....

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Which plant is that?

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Originally Posted by ioan

How ... can you have a minority government?

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In Canada a "minority" government is elected when the party wins less than half of the 308 electoral seats in the house of commons.

The Conservative (Tory) party currently maintains a minority government because in the last federal election they won only 143 seats.

Schemnke. Thanks I was going to explain to ioan but you beat me to it. Chalk River the 'new' "Beaver" reactors to produce medical isotopes replacing the 50 year old reactor that is now out of service.
The Govt. recently cancelled it after the boffins decided it would never work.

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Originally Posted by ioan

A majority is a majority no matter how big the population is.
For all the population you've got in the US you only have 2 parties, both of them with right (conservative) views, which is giving you little choice.

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It goes beyond population. Land mass also plays a huge factor when you have a tremendous diversity of terrain.

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Originally Posted by schmenke

In Canada a "minority" government is elected when the party wins less than half of the 308 electoral seats in the house of commons.

The Conservative (Tory) party currently maintains a minority government because in the last federal election they won only 143 seats.

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That's pretty stupid.
And how are they supposed to pass laws in the parliament?

In Europe, AFAIK after the elections are done and if none of the parties managed more than 50%, which is very rare, they have to form an alliance, and the government, with the help and contribution of other parties in such way that they have the support of the majority of the parliament.

Even in Romania the prime minister (and his/her ministers), proposed by the president, has to be accepted by the majority of the parliament. If they fail this 2 times than the president has to declare the parliamentary elections void and new elections will be scheduled until a party or a group of parties will manage to have a majority support in the parliament.

If during their tenure the government isn't supported anymore by the majority of the parliament, because their coalition broke up they will try under the mediation of the president to form a new majority government, if that fails and the parliament votes out the prime minister than there will be new parliamentary elections in order to have a majority parliamentary support for the future government.

Theoretically a minority government shouldn't be able to resist without at least the tacit support of 50% of the parliament.