“Crazies to the Left of Me and Wimps to the Right of Me”. I would imagine that most (rational) Americans fall in the middle here.

"Here I am, stuck in the middle with you."

~Zoo

I think you said it without really saying it. Government itself is the achilles heel of capitalism. The more government is involved, the less capitalism can thrive because along side working hard is an added hurtle of working hard to keep the government from taking what you have earned and deserve.

Capitalism by itself is an "earn it and it's yours" philosophy, but with the socialist agendas of many politicians, it becomes more "earn it and 10% of it is ours. Earn more and 20% is ours. Earn even more and 30% is ours." I understand the concept, even though I don't think they're really honest about it. The concept is to help the less fortunate with government programs, and those programs must needs be funded by those that have earned more than they need to survive. What's the problem with that? many would ask. Simple.

It's STEALING. Many people are happy to give to charity. No one will ever be happy being stolen from in order to have their charity legislated. Except the guy getting something for nothing, maybe.

It's STEALING.

Taxes are stealing? Yeah, pretty much...but if the government didn't help to regulate the economy then it would probably collapse....someone needs to regulate the value of a dollar and all that.

~Zoo

i am one of those guys getting something for nothing and i am anti tax.

I was reading that book but never finished it. I am not much of a book reader but I like the way Goldberg thinks. He makes total sense to me. This is not about Democrats or Republicans, it about how we the people are sitting here taking it. It's like getting a beat down by a smaller person and not lifting a finger to stop them.

I want my country to be better, I'm willing to pay taxes to maintain roads, buildings and our way of life. I am even willing to help out our fellow Americans who are down and out and need a hand, but what I want is for them to get up again, not stay down and keep taking what I give without giving anything in return.

Taxes are stealing? Yeah, pretty much...but if the government didn't help to regulate the economy then it would probably collapse....someone needs to regulate the value of a dollar and all that.

Uh, no.  Government regulation is what kills the economy.  Some is necessary (oligopolies and Monopolies), but too much is detrimental to a good economy.  This was demonstrated in the old USSR and Warsaw Pact (and indeed all government run economies).

I always say it on these topics, the government is necessary for certain public goods that everyone(mostly everyone) uses and that are for everyone's good, such as a military, roads, parks, etc. A normal individual cannot afford to build these things on their own, only the collective can. So someone had to decide how much people put in.

Then, the people who we put in charge of those little things got bored with their tasks and decided they should control everything.

I personally like money very much. I have a little, but I would like to have more. Money helps keep my lights on, pays for pizza and internet. If I have money left over at the end of the month, and not the other way around, I buy stuff. I like buying stuff. It's fun. I wish I could buy more stuff. That's where the money comes in. If I find money on the ground, it goes into my pocket.

Sometimes my money smells funny and leaves dirt on my fingers. I don't like pennies because they make my hands smell funny, but sometimes I flick them at my friend, Dave. Quarters are particularly nice. Half dollars are nice, but they don't feel right in my pocket.

I worked at a water park two summers in a row, and I decided that money still spends the same when wet. Sometimes women drop their money at the water park and try to quickly pick it all up, and I feel compelled to give them a dollar. I don't really know why.

I hope to have a lot more money as I get older. I would like to buy nice things and put them all in a nice house. I would also like to put up a fence to keep out certain members of my family, sort of like a firewall. You can do that, right? I think I will need a lot of money for that one.

Anyway, I guess that is why I believe in Capitalism.

Some is necessary (oligopolies and Monopolies), but too much is detrimental to a good economy.

There's always a happy medium.

I didn't mean we should have strict government control over the economy...that never turns out well at all.

~Zoo

There's always a happy medium.

Oda Mae Brown?