A car of interest....

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by jayeh

I don't know the answer to that, but here alcohol and cigarettes are taxed to the sky so it kind of evens out.

I'm also shocked by how much people pay for health insurance in the first place. I was reading that somebody my age would pay about what I pay in a year for income tax for their health insurance alone, plus about the same amount of income tax!

I'm fascinated by the social programs in the US. They seem to be somewhat jumbled and inefficient and with a great variance by state.

The difference between states fascinates me. I was getting gas for my Yaris in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 2010 and I asked the attendant why gas is so much cheaper in New Jersey than in New York or Connecticut. He said it is because the gas tax is so much lower and New Jersey makes up for it by having higher cigarette and alcohol taxes than New York and Connecticut. I like the approach New Jersey takes on this because most people have to buy gas, but people don't have to smoke or drink. I just wish the State of New Jersey would let people pump their own gas!

California has been notorious in the past for providing generous social benefits, with some cities going beyond that and providing even more assistance. As a result (at least partially) California has nearly 1/3 of all welfare recipients in the U.S. while having about 1/8 of the population.

A few months ago I was walking into an older Kroger supermarket in Humble, TX (a city that is south of me (in Harris County) and also east of me. This particular Kroger is near a lot of apartments. I noticed what was essentially a government ad promoting food stamps with an eligible income re size of household grid . This same 'promotion' is NOT on the door of my local Kroger (I think because the median income in my area is too high), but I did notice that 'Obamaphones' are available at my local Kroger .

I've also been told there are ads currently running in Mexico instructing people how to get food stamps in the U.S. once they get across the border. Why are government workers doing this (and squandering taxpayer money in the process), and why is it the policy coming from above? Because the more people there are enrolled in the program, the more government workers are needed and both of these groups can, *BINGO*, be relied upon to vote for Democrats....and many people believe that this last reason is why the administration has taken the stances it has in various situations re immigration. I think people seeking out the Food Stamp benefit and getting it if they qualify is one thing, but I think initiating/promoting more (some of it BORROWED) money that the taxpayers are on the hook for is despicable. If a certain amount is 'budgeted' and the managers feel or require that that all has to be distributed, then that process needs to be revised.