What Exactly Do You Mean by "Far-Left" Mr. O'Reilly?
Now I'm not sure what he means by "far left," because that could mean anything. But lets take a couple of ideas that O'Reilly probably would classify as "far left" ideas-how about universal healthcare, opposition to the occupation of Iraq and the possible impeachment of Bush.
What do the polls say about universal, single payer healthcare? An ABC News/Washington Post Poll from 2003 shows that 79% of Americans say that they support "providing health care coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes" over "holding down taxes, even if it means some Americans do not have health care coverage." 62% say they support a universal health care system "run by the government and financed by taxpayers", rather than our existing system. 57% express support for this even "if it limited your own choice of doctors". Although, as David Sirota points out, this doesn't have to be a by-product of a single payer system. 62% say they would still back the program "if it meant there were waiting lists for some non-emergency treatments", which again wouldn't necessarily be a by-product.
Also, a Pew Research poll from 2003 shows similar results-67% of the public favoring the government guaranteeing all Americans healthcare even if it means repealing the Bush tax cuts for the rich. In fact, even 50% of Republicans in the poll expressed support for such a program and 60% even support raising taxes to achieve health care for all. And these are just a few examples of polled support for single-payer healthcare.
How about the occupation of Iraq? In the most recent CBS News poll, when asked "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?", only 33% approved and 61% disapprove. When asked, "Do you think the result of the war with Iraq was worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?", only 33% say it is worth it and 62% say it is not worth it. When asked, "Looking back, do you think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, or should the U.S. have stayed out?", 44% say it was the right thing to do while 51% say it was not the right thing. When asked if US troops should stay as long as necessary until Iraq is "stable" or leave as soon as possible, the public is almost split with 48% saying stay and 46% saying leave as soon as possible. Other polls (AP/Ipsos, USA Today, Quinippiac, etc) show similar results on these Iraq issues. All in this paragraph can be found at http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
On the possible impeachment of Bush a Zogby poll from January show that 52% of Americans agreed wit this statement:
"If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."
43% percent disagreed. Even 23% of Republicans agreed with this.
In an October 2005 Zogby poll 50% of those polled agreed with this statement:
"If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him."
44% disagreed.
Sounds like you might be a moonbat Bill.
Published by paul angelo
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- PBSFrontline "The Dark Side" Offers Up Startling Evidence for Impeachment of Bush/...
- Single-Payer Health Care and the Two Kinds of Liberals
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- 79 percent of Americans... support providing health care coverage for all Americans
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI know this is a bit dated of a response, but...You're right Greg, expecting someone to pay a disproportionate amount in taxes "because they can afford it" or "because it hurts them less" is unjust and flies in the face of Truth. Then again, whoever said the world cared for what was true and just?
And one more comment, while most of America agrees with most so-called "Liberal" policies, it is the hard right that shows up in the high numbers at the polls..we need more voters!
Of course lower incomes would have a higher tax burden on a straight percentage, and the wealthy would derive more benefit from resources and infrastructure...the Bush tax and spending policies are specifically targeted to widen the gap.
Hey Paul! (If I may refer to you by first name)
I just wanted to say thanks for reading my piece and emailing me your wonderful comment. It made may day. I REALLY enjoyed reading your articles as well. "The G-man" says, stick it to them every chance you get, especially if they're screwing people over. Great job, and keep on writing!
I disagree that lower incomes would pay a larger portion of their income towards taxes. Ten percent is ten percent. Every individual pays their fair share of taxes; it's the cost of living in this country. Just because a guy makes less doesn't mean he's entitled to keep more. I respect your position, but we disagree. You'll never get hate comments from me because I respect each person's opinion. I used to get all worked up over liberal policies, but it boils down to a basic difference regarding what's fair. I actually consider myself very independent, although I find I vote with Republican candidates most of the time. However, I disagree with a lot of conservative opinions, including gay marriage (who am I to tell someone they don't have the same right to be happy that I do?). I despise extremists from both parties and am particularly upset with Bush's lack of spending restraint. I know I'm ranting, but just wanted to say that. As for taxes, they are everyone's responsibility
On the other hand Greg, a flat tax would mean that the guy making 30,000 a year would have to make do with anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 dollars less a year, while Bill Gates would have to do with a few million dollars less. Who gets hurt the most that way? Is that fair?
I love the "tax cuts for the rich" line. The top 1% of wage earners pay over 1/3 of all taxes, and the top 50% pay over 80% of all taxes. Just because they can, doesn't mean they should. A progressive tax systems penalizes success. Just because Bill Gates can afford $10 a gallon for milk at the market, doesn't mean he should have to pay it so that somebody else can pay $1 a gallon. How about a flat tax that hits everyone with an equal percentage? By the way, I'm not anywhere near the top 1% of wage earners, so this is not self-serving. It's fair.