To hope that Donald Trump doesn’t win the election

[RosaMoline]

….it’s getting closer.
I was hoping that Kamala would be a shoo-in for the presidency, but looking at the betting odds, I’m feeling quite pessimistic.
It’s incomprehensible to me that a convicted felon, racist, rapist, liar and misogynist who spurred on an insurrection - after everything that’s happened - is running for office again and may very well win.
It’s comforting to read though that fellow Brits DON’T support him.
Apart from Reform. Obviously.
yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50752-who-did-britons-want-to-win-the-2024-us-presidential-election

Jeesus, really NOT a reason to want him to win.
America is so horrific.

thepariscrimefiles · Yesterday 10:41

These are mostly people who say that they are Christians

I know, have you seen the "God, Guns & Trump" hats and Y-Shirts? It's as if not one of them has read, or understood the Bible - I'm an atheist, but it was drummed into me as a child.

It's not his project 25 at all and he has said he wants nothing to do with it. There's plenty of valid reasons to dislike trump but you shouldn't just make stuff up

Normal people worry about a demented fascist being elected in the largest superpower in the western world.

You just worry about possibly having to pay a bit more tax.

So do you think that Kamala and the Democrats will do what Trump and the Republicans did in 2020, i.e. refuse to accept the result, tell electors to 'find' a few thousand more votes in key states, initiate a load of (failed) legal challenges and then incite an angry mob to storm the Capitol?

Nah, they're doing good stuff. Unless you're a disgruntled Tory. You said 'you' - are you not in the UK?

How odd you don't understand views and opinion.

You don't have to agree with my opinion and views. Likewise vice versa

No idea what you mean by 'accepting'

Good stuff if you are a taker from the system. Not so good if you are one of the minority who subsidises the majority. Some people are going to get a huge wake up call when they see the minority won’t stand for being treated as cash cows.

This poster is all over the private school VAT threads. She calls Bridget Phillipson a 'horrible evil woman' and a 'dumbass' and refers to 'evil' Keir Starmer. She is an immigrant to the UK herself but she also agrees with Kemi Badenoch that not all cultures are equal. So 'disgruntled Tory' is probably an accurate description.

Are you going to leave the UK then? That's a shame!

Tbf outside some mn posts there is criticism here too

So why have they put up with being "cash cows" until now? Don't you remember what Osborne said way back in 2010 and 2015?

Trump yesterday talking about hydrogen cars. And people vote for him? 😮🙄😮
And insist Harris can't string a sentence together 🤔

Trump: There will be no hydrogen. They tend to blow up and once they blow up you are not recognizable anymore. No, they say that's the hottest new thing. Hydrogen does. Anybody in the, they say it's so hot. The problem is when it's not, when it's not hot, it's bad. It's bad. So, I don't want to do that. They say for the most part here is for the most part it's really wonderful. But when it goes bad it's over, you're not recognizable. They call the wife. Please come and inspect to see whether or not this is your husband. He's lying against a tree and the tree has a lot of red on it... Is that ok for everybody

Everyone has a tipping point. I pay eye watering amounts of income tax but once you reach the point where you get very little in return you have to question the value of the transaction.

If we had fully functioning public services, funded childcare for all, a supportive government and everyone trying to do their best then I’d be happy to continue to pay. As it is we have none of those things so it becomes hard to justify putting so much into the pot.

We all want to see functioning health care, education systems etc. But you can't blame the Labour government for the fact that we don't. It has been left with a mess that will cost billions to fix. We will all pay towards that, whether we are low or high earners. I expect tax thresholds will continue to be frozen for a start.

I have heard all the rhetoric about the rich fleeing before. In 1997. Didn't happen.

The problem is the number of net contributors is getting ever smaller. We are now at the stage where over 80% of people pay less tax than the value of the services they use. That’s not sustainable particularly when the ones footing the bill are invariably excluded from the services they are funding.

There are plenty of ways to significantly reduce the tax you pay though if you feel that the equation is distorted. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

60k pa pension allowance is a good start.

Labour hasn't been in power for 14 years and hasn't put up income tax since they came into power 4 months ago. They may increase income tax in next week's budget but I doubt it. So the eye watering amounts of income tax you pay can't be blamed on the current government not can the underfunded public services. Those things are down to the previous Conservative government.

Which services are you funding but are being excluded from? Do you mean benefits such as child benefit? It was a previous Conservative government which changed child benefit from a universal benefit to a means tested one.

That’s not sustainable particularly when the ones footing the bill are invariably excluded from the services they are funding

So they don't use healthcare services? Education services? Use the roads and motorways? Are excluded from the services of the police etc.?

Taxes will go up so I guess we’ll see whether that contributor base gets smaller still

Anyway, this is a derail. Hoping that Trump doesn't win, but I fear he might.

Did I say all services? I’m not including the ones people voluntarily exclude themselves from such as using private healthcare.

They fund a number of services they are excluded from themselves such as funded childcare. Quite easy for a higher earner to have a bill that is 50k per child higher than a lower earner who they have to subsidise. They may also have to pay the costs using income that has been taxed at 62%.

The system has too many disincentives for higher earners. I know plenty who are looking at alternatives such as working fewer hours or retiring younger.

It’s an inconvenient fact for many that the UK taxes low/mid range earners too little and higher earners too much. Tax experts all agree on this but also acknowledge that it is politically difficult to act on this as many believe the opposite to be true.

Many Christians in the U.S. are resisting progressive cultural shifts that they feel conflict with their beliefs.

More conservative Christians prioritise policy goals centered on protecting religious freedom, opposing abortion, promoting traditional family structures, supporting Israel, and enabling educational choice. They also advocate for limited government intervention, support for law enforcement, and conscience protections in healthcare, to uphold their values in public life.

Trump’s willingness to advance their policy goals and confront cultural shifts outweigh their concerns about his personal conduct. While his style and rhetoric might not align with their values, his actions on issues they care about make him a strong ally.

It's a pragmatic approach.

Is the tax rate of 62% due to the removal of the tax free allowance which starts at a salary of £100,000 and the removal of child benefit if you earn more than £60,000? Both measures were introduced by Conservative governments.

Your tax rate maybe much higher than the rate for the low paid, but if you are earning over £100,000 you will have much more disposable income and a much higher standard of living than someone on £20,000 so how is it fair to tax them more and you less?

Trump didn't win last time. He lost. Then he tried to steal the election.

He has no respect for American democracy.