Southwest are like the WALMARTS of airlines. i flew with them once RT and never again. ill pay extra $100 to fly Continental/UA and enjoy my individual monitor and free tequila
Brewster, does that mean you are willing to pay our taxes? After all, aren't all Canadians rich?:icon_wink: My joke about the "tax the rich" is that rich is defined as anyone who makes more than I do. In other words, let someone else pay for it. It's the core of Obamanomics!
Oh no problem, we're used to paying taxes...lol. It would be interesting to see an accurate comparison between Canada and the US average tax rates for "the rich", middle class and the poor. In fairness, I think private health care expenses would have to be added to the US tax costs since they are included in Canadian taxes. Cain's comments the other day, "Stop whining and go get rich!" strikes me as ridiculous. That would be like saying to a golfer, "Stop whining about your slice and go win the PGA". Only a small percentage of people are endowed with all the abilities required to be a major success in business. It takes a lot more than a dream and hard work. The trick is to define what is "fair" taxes for the wealthy. Not so high that they leave the country, like what happened in Britain, but no so low that the countries infrastructure and middle class decay around them.
Not meaning to hijack Bart's thread, but I think many of the higher income people wouldn't object so much to higher taxes if there weren't such huge giveaways on the other end. As to a comparison of taxes between the two countries, most people look only to rates of taxation as the index of taxation when in reality one should look at how much in taxes do most people actually pay. Even factoring in our health care costs would distort the comparison as almost 50% of all health care costs in the US are incurred by 5% of the population. You know we could completely cure our health care problem in the US if we shipped that 5% to Canada. Just a thought.:azzangel:
No problem, give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses... I know what you mean. It's frustrating paying taxes and then to see the money spent foolishly or passed on to others that are not deserving. I would point out that it doesn't seem right that the middle class pay a disproportionate amount to the wealthy, even with the current "entitlement" problems. The attitude towards entitlements needs to be addressed as well. Bottom line is you have a huge debt load that needs to be dealt with, decaying infrastructure and a disappearing middle class. You are going to need to increase taxes, where you can, and reduce spending to get out of the hole. I noticed at after WWII your debt vs. GDP was around 120%, much higher than today. You went on to have the most prosperous period your nation has had. It can be done again.
You're right it can be done again, but it is going to take a lot of doing and I really don't see anyone on the horizon who is a leader who could actually get things done. Too many payoffs from too many people. It was supposed to be government by the people and for the people and it has become government by the purchased for the purchaser. We had a Congressional election near us a few months ago in a district that will no longer exist after the changes from the 2010 census. The cost of that electiion was over $3 million.....for a job that pays $174,000. The math doesn't work out very well, does it? That's the election process in the US today. If you spend enough you can win almost any election.
Sorry Bart. We didn't mean to go off in another direction. We don't like the airlines either. I have to agree with Jamie that there was a time when flying was fun. Getting off the plane and having loving reunions at the gates and the thrill of travel. Now it is the drudgery of travel. Times have changed and not for the better.
I agree with Jamie too, in that if price becomes the only deciding factor then you get what you pay for. Perhaps airlines could add a ticket class "Full service". Then you could have, First or Business Class, Full Service, Coach with all the implications they suggest.
