[speaker001:] start first
[speaker002:] sure I guess I'm trying to think do we pay too much taxes uh uh well I it it certainly seems like it I don't know you know I I I'm not up in the uh in in the high end brackets myself and so
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I can just imagine how bad that would hurt I remember at one point when my dad was paying uh nearly nearly sixty percent tax tax bracket and that was just you know
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] it was killing him
[speaker001:] yeah and I think that's that's basically my standpoint too is my dad and I've talked about this a lot and I just personally I think it's kind of I don't know we pay a lot um sometimes I I know that it's not used very wisely and I think the big thing for me and what my dad has said is we pay a lot but it's worth it to live in America I guess for our freedom
[speaker002:] yeah uh I mean other places pay more and you know so you can look at some place like Sweden and you know they they almost all give like seventy percent of their income to the government
[speaker001:] uh-huh right
[speaker002:] um they get some different things out of it though uh I don't know I I'm not I'm not terribly pleased with the distribution of of of it and I think we we spend entirely too much on defense
[speaker001:] uh-huh right
[speaker002:] um although I work in in sort of hi tech industry type thing and and and which in large part survives on on uh on defense contracting you know so
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] so I mean I kind of biting the hand that feeds you if you really wanna sorry cutting it hard but um I don't know you know it seems like it seems like we ought to be able to get a little bit uh things ought to be a little bit more efficiently run and I I I and I think that we could get by without continually raising taxes
[speaker001:] yeah absolutely
[speaker002:] you know I mean I think I think we're at a point where you know it's it's taxes are a burden but their you know um services come out of it and and things are important but on the other hand
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] you know they just can't continue to rise forever and the deficit can't continue to grow
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you know there's there's got to be some point where people sit down and say okay you know this is enough income to give government services at and we need to make sure we give good government service at this point and you know and
[speaker001:] um-hum and the sad thing I think personally you know I don't mind paying so much taxes if I'm getting what's due
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] but I think a lot of times what happens is you get into the government system and my dad works for the government in some ways and he works a lot with people who are paid by the government and there are so many things to quote unquote protect the employee
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah
[speaker001:] that you know you're you're you're not getting what you're paying for a lot of times whereas in any other business situation it'd be see you you know
[speaker002:] right right you know there there there isn't there isn't the business cycle where where where government gets uh gets chopped down you know I mean and they they don't go through a restructuring you you know even IBM going through a cutbacks right and and you know government just doesn't do it
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you know and and and and it's because of in part you know necessary protections for the worker
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] but but on the other hand there's you know you you you've got to plan them in the real world also you know
[speaker001:] yeah and you got to walk that fine line I think one of the things that the government really could could save a lot of money on is is you know when it's for example in defense spending when it's something that you can use like an ashtray you know
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] just go buy it at a store my gosh and or buy it from a manufacturer instead of having it made and have to form the mold and everything you know
[speaker002:] yeah yeah right
[speaker001:] and granted there's other things for example that you know a microwave or something if you're underwater you'd have to have some specific specifications but
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] but just to work out with our tax money you know watch where is it going to be best used and how is it going to be most effective cost wise
[speaker002:] yeah right yeah I mean I think I think you you know in general I'm I'm pretty pleased with the government with you know with America and and a lot of the things that work here I mean
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] it there there's lots of things that don't quite work right and um but if you've ever spent any time in other countries you realize
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] that that its all a relative issue issue you know everywhere everywhere things don't work right and some places they really don't work right and here they they pretty much work right you know
[speaker001:] yep  yeah
[speaker002:] um but I think you know I mean if if things are gonna things that need to change are things that that need to be sort of restructuring you know maybe market orientation a little bit more and and things like what you're talking about um
[speaker001:] right um-hum
[speaker002:] you know putting a little bit more of the pressures of the of the business pressures that are normal that are on everybody else on the government and uh so that we get a little bit more out of the tax dollars and a little bit
[speaker001:] right yeah and I agree with you there I think you know there there's nothing in my opinion from what I've seen and the people I've worked with some other countries and from our own country that that would ever take the place of the freedoms and the the the things that we have here for me I you know I I guess when it comes right down to it if it was living in a place
[speaker002:] um
[speaker001:] like Mexico or Russia that are really struggling both with the government and with economics I would prefer to pay my extra tax money here and
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah
[speaker001:] and have things the way they are
[speaker002:] yeah I I think my my wife's from Brazil and I've spent a fair amount of time there and and you wanna see a government system that just doesn't work you know I mean it's just its incredible its just entirely corrupt they have uh you know something like uh seventy five percent or sixty five percent of the able bodied workers are employed by the government
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] you know and so that leaves everybody else you know this other small