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a couple of thoughts from an immigrant who doesn& #39;t get stuff sometimes(tm): having lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident for a lot of years (because citizenship is expensive to attain and we were POOR starting out), I do get why people think taxation is theft.
Maybe not for quite the same reasons, though there might be some overlap. For me, it& #39;s the pesky taxed, but can& #39;t vote thing. I& #39;m not currently employed but for the many years I was, I did pay my taxes. Anyway, I didn& #39;t understand how taxes worked here--or in Australia really.
I just knew that in Australia we did get something for what we put into the community chest. Growing up, my mum was immune-compromised and often very ill, necessitating hospital visits and on a couple of occasions, emergency surgery. It was incredibly stressful for all of us.
The one stress we didn& #39;t have to worry about was how to pay for it all, or who to negotiate with about services. Granted my experience is limited as I immigrated at 21, but for my mother it was mostly smooth sailing on the user end.
Except one time when I was back there age 26 and broke my wrist. Since I was still an Australian citizen, and my Medicare card was still active, I was able to go to the ER and a couple of follow-up appointments without a lot of worry, just unfamiliarity after even 5 years away.
(It was really weird, when I was done with having my wrist set I asked at the desk "now what?" and the staff member said, "...you go home?" and looked at me like I was an alien. at that point I& #39;d been living here long enough that I did feel like one--in both places, actually.)
I can& #39;t tell you what the exact quality of care was like, and I know that& #39;s a concern when people hear "socialized medicine." All I know is, my mother went through some scary shit and until cancer got her back in 2007, she was well cared for, up to and including an amputation.
Here, I have insurance, but it& #39;s tied to my partner& #39;s job. The deductible is REALLY high. I don& #39;t know what things cost because they can& #39;t tell you up front. And if you don& #39;t have a regular GP, the system is harder to navigate and in the end it seems easier to just not seek care.
And I& #39;m lucky cause I HAVE insurance! My heart breaks for those who can& #39;t get it for any reason, or who can get it through work but now they& #39;re tied to a job they can& #39;t leave, no matter how much it kills them inside, or risk putting themselves/family in health jeopardy.
So I feel that taxation is theft here in the sense that there& #39;s not a lot to show for it on the ground. What does it mean to have the world& #39;s biggest military force if the nation& #39;s most vulnerable citizens can be wiped out by a single hospital stay?
What does it say about the system when a politician can occupy a seat for decades--receiving the kind of medical benefits their constituents will never see--and get a nice pension when they decide to head out, while many of their people can& #39;t even start a savings account?
obviously I don& #39;t have answers, nor am I suggesting you (the kind person who read to the end of this thread) will or should have them, either. I just think sharing personal experience is important to actually building a bridge across the aisle.
