A long time ago we were having a cockpit discussion about Welfare, taxes, voting, and all that good stuff. The F/O came out with a remark that I have always found to be true:

"You get what you subsidize".

Make it free, and they will come. Why would anyone want to stay in school and/or get a job, when you can just sit at home and get 'paid' by the government for a .... disability.

Reminds me of another time, when I was a Freshman in college. Our Economics Professor comes in on day one and tells us,

"The best thing you can be in life, is an Unwed Mother in the stat of Massachusetts!".

He then went on to list all the benefits they got... at his expense.

This conversation makes me laugh.... Good thing we aren't having it in 2001 or 2009!! I remember an acquaintance and FO of mine who was former military and VERY right wing republican. Talked constantly about crappy social programs, freeloaders, etc... very much like this conversation. And then he got furloughed. No flying jobs to be found. I noticed he didn't turn down the unemployment bennies. I also noticed he didn't object when they extended them.

Hahaha, that reminds me of a friend of mine, hired at AA in 1978, furloughed in 1981 after the ATC strike. He was getting $200/week from the state of Mass and refused to come back to work flying checks at night (with me) for $150/week!

He said, "Why would I take a PAY CUT and have to work my *** off??". :rolleyes:

Well, the company got another check run, and another airplane, so they really needed a couple more pilots, they hired him back as my copilot... at $200/week. I was more than pizzed off, as I was 'the Captain' making $50 less per week!

After a few months of flying checks all night, he left to become a temporary ATC replacement (scab?) worker in the BOS tower, working clearance delivery and ground control, late at night. A few years later he was recalled to American, retired from there not long ago.

Point of this story is, he refused to work for less than he was getting on unemployment.

I turned them down when I got furloughed. Companies pay unemployment insurance, that in recent years had to be subsidized by additional taxpayer debt. However, it doesn't change the fact that the income tax you pay is stolen, and wasted. I find it insulting that the government thinks it knows how to spend my money better than I do.

My favorite is anti venom, they buy it for $900 in Mexico, and bill the government $80,000 for it. This is the waste I'm talking about. Taxes would be very small if it was an honest system.

Negative population growth in this country is about as likely as finding an honest politician that really wants to do something good for the country. I don't think that the growth to the degree that we are seeing it is necessary.

I agree with your statements 2 and 3.

Y'all need to watch Idiocracy.... it explains it all in painful detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8

This is the first two minutes to give you the premise.

While we are at it😗. Besides deductions for children, why do we get deductions for houses or churches? Those are choices too.

And how about all the "Tax Free" institutions, like...

Yale! :eek:

One of the largest private land holders in Connecticut, all tax free!:rolleyes:

I think you mean that those who THINK they are higher educated vote Democrat!

You also know the stat that those who are younger, single or married with no kids, and live in cities tend to be more liberal, whereas those who are in their 30s or older, married with children, and don't live in the big cities tend to vote conservative. So, in other words, those who are still self-centered and trying to live for themselves vote one way, and those who are productive members of society tend to vote the other way ...

You do realize it's Unemployment Insurance, right?
So, if you have a car wreck and file a claim on your insurance, how is that different than filing an unemployment insurance claim?
There IS a difference between welfare and unemployment, but you knew that already, right?

While we're at it, isnt it the NFL or NCAA (or both) that make bazillions of dollars but pay very little taxes?
'Murica