# How far away are Americans from the "breaking point"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 16, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948 "2011-03-16T18:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/101 "2011-03-22T17:39:18Z")
We are nowhere close. The Founding Fathers understood how dire things had to be for revolution to be popular: > [@Declaration of Independence](#): > > Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. The Republicans are headed in this general direction with their dreams of a “permanent majority” and their practice of “vote caging” and the “one dollar/one vote” rule created by _Citizens United_ and so forth, but they have a long way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/102 "2011-03-22T22:00:56Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Take Obama’s Washington-it increasingly resembles Louis XVI’s Versailles-take his trip to Rio De Janeiro: > -22 airplanes to Rio > -15 massive armor plated SUVs > -60 motorcycles > -4 helicopters > -they had the whole Marriott Hotel in Cobacabana-with a battalion of military police outside > -his visit to the Christo Redentor was at night-a battalion of Brazilian Army soldiers were around it > This visit (he brought his MIL, babysitters, and hndreds of hangers-on) probably cost us $10,000,000! > Meanwhile we have a deficit of $235 billion/month. > Life is good! Do you have evidence for these numbers, any official gov. statistics? Did you get upset when conservatives were pushing for the unnecessary war in Iraq that cost $12 billion a month (400 million a day)? Did you get upset when Bush did international trips, why is Obama not allowed to travel internationally? Does the fact that Obama is doing this trip to try to increase trade and improve the US economy mean anything? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/103 "2011-03-23T00:52:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Cite, please? Isn’t this more or less exactly the same lie Faux News used during the last trip? Is their bullshit machine running on empty? What will never run out is the gullibility of those on the right. Anyhow, the total should be $10 billion to be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/104 "2011-03-23T00:59:46Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > Taxes are quite a bit lower in Mexico than in the United States. > [Tax Tea Party Time?](http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/09/tea-party-taxes-opinions-columnists-bartlett.html) > > They are quite a bit higher in countries that have been less effected by the Great Recession, and which are recovering faster. > [http://www.bls.gov/ilc/intl\_unemployment\_rates\_monthly.htm](http://www.bls.gov/ilc/intl_unemployment_rates_monthly.htm) Actually some of those nations have lower corporate taxes than we do. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/105 "2011-03-23T01:06:06Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Actually some of those nations have lower corporate taxes than we do. Which ones? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Jacquelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Le\_Jacquelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Jacquelope)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/106 "2011-03-23T05:54:40Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Do you have evidence for these numbers, any official gov. statistics? > > Did you get upset when conservatives were pushing for the unnecessary war in Iraq that cost $12 billion a month (400 million a day)? > > Did you get upset when Bush did international trips, why is Obama not allowed to travel internationally? > > Does the fact that Obama is doing this trip to try to increase trade and improve the US economy mean anything? Bet we won’t hear an answer to that. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/107 "2011-03-27T13:14:01Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Actually some of those nations have lower corporate taxes than we do. What matters is that the over all tax rate is higher. Americans are stingy tax payers. Then they complain that the government can’t do anything right. Well, you get what you pay for. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/108 "2011-03-27T13:35:57Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Do you have evidence for these numbers, any official gov. statistics? > > Did you get upset when conservatives were pushing for the unnecessary war in Iraq that cost $12 billion a month (400 million a day)? > > Did you get upset when Bush did international trips, why is Obama not allowed to travel internationally? > > Does the fact that Obama is doing this trip to try to increase trade and improve the US economy mean anything? I have a suggestion-view the video clip:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTCJ0Fe00g&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTCJ0Fe00g&feature=related) Then, try to count the vehicles transporting the emperor and his hanger-on. Now, tell me that this is worth it! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948/109 "2011-03-27T13:41:46Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I have a suggestion-view the video clip:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTCJ0Fe00g&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTCJ0Fe00g&feature=related) > Then, try to count the vehicles transporting the emperor and his hanger-on. > Now, tell me that this is worth it! I have a suggestion-come up with a _real_ cite for the “stats” you gave us in post #97. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-away-are-americans-from-the-breaking-point/574948.md?page=5)