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| Source:CNN- filmmaker and New-Left political activist Michael Moore, on Larry King Live in 2009. |
"Michael Moore On French & American Taxes"
From CNN
What Michael Moore and his followers don't understand is, that there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you pay taxes that is you're paying taxes which most Americans do you are paying for all these public services through taxes, which is money coming out of your wallet.
There's no such thing as free health care, free education, free transportation, free pension or free anything in France, or anywhere else from the Federal or any other government, if you pay taxes. And if you consume services from the private sector, unless someone pays for those services for you you're paying for them out of your wallet as well.
So when Michael Moore said that France only has a 10% Federal tax rate, he failed to mention all the other taxes that the French pay for to their Federal Government. which is what Larry King followed up on with Mr. Moore by asking him about the other payroll taxes that the French pay for. Maybe the only time I've ever been proud of Larry King for anything.
Also if you pay taxes, you're not only paying for the public services that you pay for, but you're paying for the public services that people who don't pay taxes consume. Because they don't make enough money to pay income taxes. So you're working to support yourself and your family and to pay for the public services you receive. But you're also working to pay for the public services that people who don't pay income taxes receive.
The question is not whether we should pay taxes or pay for services that we receive in the public or private sectors or not. That question has already been answered, of course we should pay for the services that we receive.
When me make our points in debates like this and and try to lay out what's the best vision for America and what America should like, we should stay as close to the facts as possible and speak to what we know. And not use terms like: "Europeans get free health care, education and other services". Because like anyone else if they pay taxes, they are not receiving those services for free. They are paying for them through taxation.
If Social Democrats/Democratic Socialists in America and Michael Moore would fit this category, ever want to be taken seriously and have real political power where they are at the very least a dominant faction in one of the major political parties, or have enough political support to run a government which includes both Congress and the White House, they got to stop putting out all these falsehoods and stick to the truth. And not just say: "Well it's really not free, but we call it free, because it comes from government and you're free from having to pay for those services in the private sector. " Because the fact is if you're paying for government services, you're paying for those services!
Government services are not paid for them out-of-pocket with a bill and receipt like you would at a store, or when you sign up for lets private insurance, but you're paying for those services through taxes and generally payroll taxes. So you run a political campaign and layout everything you want to provide to the people and say all these things will be free, you're not telling the truth. And if you know those services aren't free, because they're being financed through taxes, you're even lying to people you say you want to help.
