Ok, not football at all, but it matters, eventually.

[WTF11]

I'm not sure how the other US-based posters are set up, but taxation is the one area that totally does my head in.

It takes me a solid week every year to put together and successfully file my US Federal and NH State taxes as well as an F-BAR, which is a detailed document the US government demands that makes me list (in excrutiating detail) all of my non-US financial holdings and interests, no matter how insignificant they might be (seemingly under pain of death).

I fully acknowledge that taxes are an inevitable part of life and, to a certain extent, I have a percentage figure in my head that I simply never consider to be mine to use so that it doesn't come as a total shock when it comes to settle up every April 15 (I pay quarterly estimated bills to the IRS and NH to keep the final sticker shock to a minimum).

As an immediate example, I have a local tax bill in front of me right now. I have to pay $15k a year to my town in order to live in a house that I own outright (no mortgage). Roughly $10k of this goes to a school that serves no useful purpose to me as I don't have kids. The balance gets munched up by the state, emergency services, roads, and other community projects. I guess this is the equivalent of a Council Tax bill in the UK?

NH has no state income tax (unlike most) and no separate city-based income taxes.

I can at least see how my local taxes are spent, even if they seem on the high side.

The federal taxes on the other hand...

I suspect the US is not the Utopia many foreigners believe it to be. It is definitely not a good place to live if you don't have funds, or at least the ability to earn them.

(I probably should've continued to bite my tongue)

Clearly a very different situation re taxes here in the UK (at ;east how/when collected and spent, if not how we all feel about them!).

UK is much smaller, around the same size population/electorate wise as California. Taxes are collected centrally, there are no instances of state (UK county equivalent (just)) taxation, it (income tax, sales tax (closest equivalent is our Value Added Tax) and National Insurance (still tax but hypothecated in that it is supposed to fund health and welfare services), all go to Westminster and central government coffers.

Council tax isn't anywhere near the level of your "local tax" as the local authority isn't responsible for funding things like education, that comes from central government, as does funding for the National Health Service and associated welfare services, I pay around 10% of your costs, although like you I don't take advantage of all the things they provide but I don't use (like library services).

As you say, death and taxes are the only certainty we can deal with, all else is the moveable feast we call life. I suspect most here in the UK would be more accepting of the tax burden if we were able to see what they go to fun on a more granular basis (the only sums even at local level that you might say are hypothecated are those relating to police funding). Pipe dream I'm afraid.

As to the election, genuinely the thought of a Trump victory scares the living daylights out of me (almost as much as the march of AI!). I suppose you could say that one scares me because it is so clever and intelligent it will eventually subvert us and we become not much more than serfs to the new head honcho, the other scares me because he is so dumb as to lead us down the path of oblivion before AI has the opportunity to prevent it. Not sure there is a "preference" to be had!

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Trump seemed to do okay last time and at least seems from what has been reported to have actual ideas compared to the vacuum.

Always found it amusing that the so called liberals can’t see how illiberal and out of tune with their core values it seems to be to attack and insult their opponents.

[WTF11]

Said it earlier in the thread but it really, really, really is hard to believe with over 250,000,000 potential candidates that this is the best we could come up with. Of course, who in their right mind would want the job. You have to sell your soul and lose all sense of self identity.

Almost as hard to believe is the fact when Truman left the job in 1952 he packed up a U haul trailer and pulled it with a Chrysler that was loaned to him to head back to Independence Missouri to live in his 3 bedroom house. No secret service and no books, media or other money grabs. Just went back to normal life. I went through his house on a tour in the early 80's. it was little different than my Grandparents house in Pinckneyville IL. It just boggles the mind that this occurred just a few years before I was born.

Used to be that folks entered politics genuinely in order to "make a difference" (however that might be defined), as opposed to self-aggrandisement and social/political elevation. Sadly all that has been swept away and we have the cult of personality to deal with.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

The idea Trump is stupid doesn’t really stack up. I get why people may not like or what he says but he is a pretty successful developer, hotelier and media persona.

He can also relate to the common man in a way some struggle to do but on the flip side seems very capable of being a tad - I believe the US phrase is honorary

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Orgs/Spaldy

What do you make of JD Vance as he seems quite an interesting character with a real ad hoc mix of views and experiences?

[WTF11]

Trump seemed to do okay last time and at least seems from what has been reported to have actual ideas compared to the vacuum.

Always found it amusing that the so called liberals can’t see how illiberal and out of tune with their core values it seems to be to attack and insult their opponents.

Presumably the fact that Trump attacks and insults his opponents is actually consistent with HIS core values, of hating his opponents, and willingness to use any and all means at his disposal to eradicate them?

[spaldy]

Vance is very sharp and still has some ethics. He's also not "woke".

He has been consistently under rated by all of his interviewers and politicians. He also has a sharp edge to him and does not suffer fools, misrepresentations and lies. He rebuts them when they are being said and is more tactful that Trump. If trump wins they will attack him with a ferocity that will match their attacks on Trump. I expect, like a lot of threats to DC that he'll have some made up charges filed against him and they'll also prosecute him. I believe that attack on him early in the campaign that he pleasured himself with a couch has been proven to be false but truth really doesn't matter anymore.

He is a threat to DC. Life will be very difficult for him.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Not saying I like or agree with him but to be fair he cops an awful lot of flak. The law suits against him seem politically motivated and not sure he will actually go after anyone in return.

His stated aim to change Washington (subject to what change looks like) might for a lot over there be quite appealing

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Not forgetting that when he was a democrat donating to their coffers some that now attack him lauded him - the hypocrisy of politics

[WTF11]

The idea Trump is stupid doesn’t really stack up. I get why people may not like or what he says but he is a pretty successful developer, hotelier and media persona.

He can also relate to the common man in a way some struggle to do but on the flip side seems very capable of being a tad - I believe the US phrase is honorary

He is NOT a "successful developer of anything apart from his own ego!

Trump received around $500 million from his father in gifts and other wealth transfers (in 2024 dollars). Had he invested that money passively in Manhattan real estate, it would have been worth over $80 billion by 2017 instead of the $2.5 billion that Forbes estimate.

"Relate to the common man"?????????? He knows how to MANIPULATE the common man by exploiting an understandable (and totally avoidable) suspicion of politicians (I refer you to Spaldys post relating to Truman) on the part of said common man. HE has about as much time for (and real understanding of) the common man as I have of complex brain surgery.