[speaker001:] all right uh
[speaker002:] did you uh did you have to wait very long
[speaker001:] excuse me
[speaker002:] did you have to wait very long
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] oh I forgot my I I had to dig through my suitcase and find my personal identification number
[speaker001:] okay all right so uh
[speaker002:] they had  are Americans still paying too much too many taxes that's a that's an easy one are we supposed to spend five minutes on this
[speaker001:] yeah I yeah
[speaker002:] well no I mean yes
[speaker001:] oh you think you that we are paying too much in taxes
[speaker002:] yeah yeah I don't think we're paying a lot too much I uh I think we're paying I I I used to live in Sweden and uh I know that they pay a lot more than we do
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah it's even higher uh tax rate over there on income
[speaker002:] yeah so I guess we should be grateful that it's as low as it is
[speaker001:] right are are you you're a native you're from uh the United States
[speaker002:] yes I I'm from Idaho actually
[speaker001:] but you worked over there for a couple of year
[speaker002:] yeah yeah I was so when I was living in Sweden I got uh an impression kind of an impression of their system which is socialistic
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] and so they everything is subsidized by their government their their taxes are higher than ours so I guess I shouldn't be I shouldn't complain so much I uh I do get concerned that there's that there's a lot of uh government spending on things like um things that that don't really benefit anyone outside of the congressman's district who proposes the measure like restoring some old ship or something like that
[speaker001:] right you talking about special projects in the US in the US you mean now
[speaker002:] it  right
[speaker001:] okay yeah it's true I feel that um you know I don't feel that uh we're paying too much taxes provided we get the right services for what we pay for but I think we've kind of gotten away from that um for what we get we're paying too much I would say
[speaker002:] you wouldn't mind paying that much if you were getting that equivalent value for it
[speaker001:] right or if if things I didn't feel that things were wasted
[speaker002:] I can go
[speaker001:] for uh you know through uh red tape through waste you know uh money a lot of money is lost and how much effect are you getting out of your dollar and how much goes to just waste
[speaker002:] yeah I think I have to agree although I pay an awful lot of taxes because I'm single I'm in a reasonably high tax bracket so um it seems very expensive to me for what I get
[speaker001:] right right typically um you don't get a whole lot
[speaker002:] no although I get some things that I very much appreciate I mean I don't I don't have a dictator I don't I'm not reporting for a dictator I live in a free economy and so I mean in a sense I don't mind spending money on and uh welfare on reasonable amounts of welfare I don't mind spending money on and things like highways and stuff I don't mind spending on
[speaker001:] well right a lot of federal money goes for highways but speaking of um people who are on welfare I know one of the presidents Patrick Buchanan has a idea that says that if he's president if you don't get a job within two years then you're taken off welfare so to eliminate people who continuously uh kind of leech off the system you know you you have you get to spend your time but then you're off
[speaker002:] huh don't know if I agree with that or not I mean because there's people that just plain I don't know what the percentage is but there is some percentage of people out there that just cannot get a job for whatever reason although two years that does sound like quite a while
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] I don't know what do you think of that one
[speaker001:] well I I I guess I'm not I don't like to make hard and fast rules that you have to live by because there's always exceptions but I think something has to be done some type of reform measure
[speaker002:] he certainly seems to be looking at the right issue
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] um one thing that I've kind of been following that I I'd really I'm kind of waiting for it and I maybe after the presidential elections we'll see it and that is for President Bush to uh see if he can see if he can uh give the line item veto a try
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] and uh apparently he's been waiting for a test case he's been waiting for quite a while
[speaker001:] hm
[speaker002:] but I think it'd be fascinating to see him try vetoing some of the one of these rider bills that's that's clearly a waste of money and to see how Congress reacts to that
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] that'd be quite an exciting battle
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum yeah I don't know what's your situation I live uh I'm a property owner in the city limits of Atlanta
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and we get taxed tremendously tremendously on our property taxes and a lot of that money doesn't go for what the original intent of property taxes was um I pay for a a local hospital uh Grady Hospital where a lot of indigent people are go and get free care
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and I pay for schools which you know maybe homeowners should pay for that but I I and a lot of other things