From: gld@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Gary L Dare)
Subject: Re: Death of America
Followup-To: talk.politics.misc,alt.conspiracy
Reply-To: gld@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Gary L Dare)
Organization: The Bates Motel
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 04:33:19 GMT

mk@athena.mit.edu (Charles M Kozierok) writes:
>gld@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Gary L Dare) writes:
>>an030@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Broward Horne) writes:
>>
>>>   They receive no interest deduction for house payments.
>>
>>That's an aberration of the U.S. tax system.  Everything's relative.
>>Does the U.S. give you a deduction for expenses in running a power
>>saw?  Order a federal tax form from a Canadian consulate or embassy.
>>It's in there.  It has it's own little outlined section ...
>
>you have made some good points in other areas of this discussion, but
>the above is absolutely ludicrous. you're comparing home interest
>deductions to running a power saw? what percentage of candians buy
>homes and what percentage buy power saws?
>
>call it an "aberration" or whatever you want -- you sound like you
>work for the government. for a home-owner with a $200,000 mortgage
>at 10%, that "aberration" saves somewhere around $30,000 in taxes
>over the first five years of the mortgage. more than enough to buy
>all the power saws a guy could want.

The point that I was trying to make was: Why should non-homeowners get
to subsidize homeowners?  The power saw deduction (which is real, by the
way; second or third page of the tax form guide last time that I looked)
was an example of how this is so arbitrary.  By the same token, why have
a deduction for renters at the provincial level?  It's arbitrary.  Why
not for car payments?  I hope that clarifies matters ...

>>>      The gas tax ALONE is a killer.  It effectively DOUBLES the cost
>>>      per gallon.
>>
>>We do not have toll booths up north.  
>
>more power saws. what kind of argument is that?

Not an argument, but a partial explanation.  Sure, I'd rather have
neither taxes nor tolls but roads are nice if you have a car ...

>gasoline costs about $1/gallon more in canada than here. the average
>car drives about 12,000 miles or so at about 25 mpg. that is an additional
>cost of around $500 a year. you think people spend $500 a year on tolls?
>some do, but most don't. and there are many people who *never* pay a toll.
>it is only on a small number of roads.

In metro New York, the Bay Area, L.A. and most other well-developed areas
you can ring up US$200-300 in tolls a year; I rang up $5 over two days of
interviews between NYC and Westchester County just outside city limits.

>>Canada hasn't been like that, as you've exaggerated; I'm not denying
>>the warts (check the companion article to this one; I'm a free trader)
>>but we are reconfiguring.  It's not necessarily a matter of socialism,
>>as I realize that Canada and Western Europe are now a favourite target
>>of McCarthyists in the new world order, but note that we suffered the
>>scourge of Victorianism, which has not had very good effects on our
>>efforts in commerce.
>
>please tell me how Bob Rae is not socialistic.

Ontario and Canada were around long before Bob Rae.  He's looking to
be a one-term premier anyways, just like Mike Harcourt in B.C.

>please tell me how canada, even compared to the US now, is not socialistic.

We have private businesses, all our doctors are private, we have major
corporations, we have major league sports franchises, people work hard
and struggle to make a living, and try to get ahead.  What bothers
your ideology?  There's too much to point out how Canada is a
capitalist country.

gld
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Je me souviens ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary L. Dare
> gld@cunixd.cc.columbia.EDU 		Support NAFTA
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