I kno what ur sayin...im exactly with ya on this subject! Thats what that professor was sayin tho there no actual proof that the relatively small amount of carbon humans and our machines make is causing the earth to warm. I think its a cycle...like did cave men cause the ice age with there breath and then there survivors caused the warming that melted it! Well im very skeptical if you wanna call it that. The left wing has succeeded in convincing the very naive American public.

 

It's hard to make the whole tax system "FAIR"! PPl that make over 250k pay for 90% of the total tax revenue. Flat tax sounds like good idea but then there would have to be allot of exemptions which would make it not fair and very complicated like it isn't already complicated tho i guess lol (say the single mother that makes same as single woman with no child) Not fair to the rich because most arent born rich and htey have worked hard...and im sure as all of you kno it always seems like the more you make the more bills you got! just sum of my opinion tho...

 

Whether it causes global warming aside, if we have the chance to have cleaner air and water, isn't it worth it?

Do you want companies dumping toxic chemicals into your drinking water...we have instances where "cancer clusters" have been proven to be caused by the reckless efforts of companies.

We all saw the pictures of gray smog lingering over Beijing before the Olympics...can't tell me that is real healthy.

Now I will say this too...it can't be America's problem only. If we are the only ones to clean up and everyone else is dumping crap into the air and water then it doesn't really matter. This has to be a world wide thing.

 

I just don't kno how many AMERICAN companies dump trash or whatev...but if that and the littering i guess goes on thats what needs to be focused on...just saying co2 stuff is just a bunch of bull crap imo! THEY'RE just removing sum more of our freedoms!

 

If we have the chance?

We have always had the chance. You apparently believe that now we have the chance because we have a government that is not adverse to legislating behavior.

If the governmet forces us, throught new laws, to drive more fuel efficient vehicles, can you guarantee that everyone driving will drive in such a way that that more fuel efficient vehicle will yield the greatest fuel economy? No, you can't. So, our elected representatives have to make more laws to regulate our behavior, by adjusting speed limits and forcing industry to build in behaviorial modification into our products.

Government is not the answer. It never has been and it never will. It can be the encouragement that individuals need to do the right things for our country. You seem to be ok with just handing over all of our individual responsibility to the government in return for so called security.

The problem with Obama is, he is heading an administration that seems to believe the people, the individuals, aren't smart enough to take care of themselves. I could not diassagree more. I'm not in favor of requiring our entire population to suffer to lift up a reletively small portion of it. The people of this country have always helped the people who really need help. There are too many people today with their hands out. They've got a majority of people fooled into believing that they are the needy. They take from us at the peril of thoes who really need it.

If you want to ride on the back of the government, or you think that it's ok for others to do so, that's your right. Just know though, the government isn't a singular entity. It's made up of all of the working people of this country. If the weight becomes to great, we'll all fall down.

 

Hey DINGO! (I'm gonna start calling you Dingo BTW cuz it's the nicest word I can come up with) DUH! How many Billions of Dollars have been spent fighting poverty to have it still exist? We've been spending money since the 30's on poverty! Guess what though, if there is a flat tax, companies will spend less on taxes meaning they could pay employees more. Do you know how much it costs to add 1 employee? Is it fair for me to work hard to get my degree so I can pay for someone else's way? Hell no! and I got enough on my plate anyway.

Oh and if you want clean air and water, why dont you quit driving a 99 expy around Chicago? Move to the country. You can grow your own food and plow your field witha Prius cuz the Oxen poops on the ground which runs into the water. Can't have that can we? Or do you want the rest of us to pick up the slack for you?

Your becoming more rediculous the longer this thread gets

 

thats good stuff wittom!

 

Sometimes we have to fight on their homeland to defend our homeland. Isn't it nice that we have never been invaded by an opposing force since we have become a nation... Iraq was a serious threat to Israel and other allies, Iraq was also attacking all the countries around them as well.

I think you are sucking up all the media bias coming out of MSN, CNN, and ABC's news networks. If you had the slightest idea of what is actually going on in Iraq, you would change your mind about what is going on over there.

You have any close friends that are in military that have served there? Why don't you go to some military forums like ar15.com snipershide.com militarystangs.com ect. ask them what they see happening in Iraq.

Iraq no longer has a dictatorship. Kids are going to school, they have their own stock markets now, business is building there, wealth is growing, violence is down, I can go all day...

 

i mostly agree with ya man but the flat tax does have sum problems that i don't kno what the solutions would be. this is difficult subject sumone will be left out in the cold so to speak. But heres and email i got before the election..........

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.
However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physicallyarrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers
> compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?
It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed,
Your boss

To me thats hard to argue with!!

 

My father's story is very similar to this one, he is a business owner. I hope someday I will be able to run it. It's a lot harder than it looks to your average american.

 

lol, I'm not touching this one. You have to form your own opinion instead of coming to a pick-up truck website.

 

Eerrrr.......It's the general discussion section.....of a website where some people occasionally think about things other than......trucks !!

 

yeah i think most ppl just see "the bosses" as being a guy who just sits in the office while erryone else takes care of everything...he just reeps all the benefits...which couldn't be farther from the truth 99.9999% of the time. My father has no money because of decisions he's made my step father on the other hand has a very successful business...and i kno he pays redicules taxes...but he has worked hard and our family lived on "beans and rice" for a few years until things started taking off. so i can also relate to this story and i have seen that whole scenario play out in my families lives....im 20...i drive a 97' f150 totally stock adn i payed for it. ppl don't have this mentality erryone expects errything bought for them for nothing...My parents live in a $very pricy house and drive lexus's and acura's. But they don't buy errything for me...they support me(food&shelter)...they could buy me pretty much everything i want adn i would be one of the lil punk rich kids who wants errything but pays for nothing...THIS.....IMO IS WHY SUM PPL ARE MORE ACCEPTING AND THINK SPREADING THE WEALTH(socialism) IS A GOOD IDEA...CAUSE HTEY HAVE NEVER WORKED TO MAKE THERE OWN WAY...THEY HAVE NO WORK ETHIC!!!

 

The majority of truck owners are conservatives.

I'll leave this thread with a famous saying

"republican says 'hey, I've got a really ****ty idea.' democrat says 'hey, I bet I can make it ****tier'" Lewis Black

 

You have no opinion? I think this is general discussion which is not truck realated subjects maybe. whats the point of posting the above?