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I have watched many on this board talk about our country. What is wrong with it, liberals and conservatives and everything in between.
But groups of people no matter what their lable believe more should be done with government. Some want to regulate morality some want to regulate incomes and prices. Some just complain about a problem and think the problem is because the government did step in and stop the injustice.
I have a new plan for America. I will list the common complaints and give you my reasoning and solution. Of which you won't hear the from the leadership in washington and you wont hear from our current dem and repub canidates.
1. Taxes.. to high to low.. tax cuts for the rich, tax cuts for corporations.
In America we want fairness when in comes to taxes. Right now we have all kinds of taxes on everything. To support the government programs designed to fix the problems of the world and at home. First we must remember the role of government is not to become more harmful then helpful. In a nutshell most of Americans believe government is broken. But what does that mean. Does that mean we distrust them. Or the programs just don't work to fix the problems or is it both.
Solution. To be fair to pay taxes on our labor and working makes no sense. We should look to repeal the 16th amendment. If we can't do that a fair tax system should be in place. Income brackets and percents and the IRS make life hell for most Americans come April 15th. The tax needs to be low so not to effect lower income familes. I would think a 10% federal income tax would be best for everyone, it is low and no write offs for the rich, middle or low income. Everyone is paying the same percent. Also the less money government has the better to keep them from abusing our tax dollars. All Corporations should pay 15% and also do not get decudutions.
2. HealthCare
Healthcare is a concern for most Americans. Some believe since we are rich and have money for bombs want not healthcare. Some see the costs of insurance companies and our government involved with pharm companies.
Solution. First we must look at the cost. In every other industry technology lowers the cost of bills and services. New Technology break thrus allow for less time and less tests to cure and find problems with patients. In the medical industry prices have gone up. Insurance companies over charge and some doctors abuse that system to get higher pay. But we forget the governments role in this process. Government has regulations, pharm companies have written laws to benefit them and competing insurance companies and meds have been keep out of the market to keep prices high. National health care doesnt mean government will stop prices from increasing in fact with more laws and restrictions this will increase and so would your taxes. Preventive healthcare programs would be created to monitor what you eat and some foods would be banned or heavily taxed. Lets look to remove restrictions on doctors and allow different types of insurance. Let doctors offer lower rates and payment plans over insurance. Regular doctor visits could be offered by nurse and serviced by them. The more options on the table gives the market and consumers more choices and prices will drop.
3. Manufacturing
Outsourcing jobs, and trade agreements. NAFTA, CAFTA and WTO all are managed trade deals from the federal government. This agreements are never reviewed and or modified if we are getting the short end of the stick.
Solution. Remove all trade deals managed by the federal government. All imports will be taxed... solution for the tax later. Free and fair trade will all nations. HB1 visas will be on hold. Our Manufacturing base must be a place of trade and skill. I want engineers and people good with their hands working on new inventions not working the line at burger king and walmart. We are wasting good critical thinkers to service jobs with no place for techincal advancement and higher education. Tarrifs on imports put pressure to build at home and for investors to build on our soil and new factors.
4. Terrorism
This is a tough one. Terrorism happened before sept 11 and many believe this to be a wake up call. Some believe it is a government cover up and we did 9-11. No matter what you believe government or terrorists. We must remember what our country stands for and who we must remain. FREE.
Solution. Homeland security has the power to view citizens via cameras, ID's and tap phones. While this idea of secuirty is nice it also can be disturbing. If my government watches every move I make when do we no longer feel safe from our government. This much power is not advised by our constitution and the bill of rights are eroded to protect us. Who will protect us from our government. They have no oversight, they are secretive and in the hands of a few bad apples and do terrible things.
I think we must review the patriot act and find a common ground and use the constitution for the base of it's power. If it abuses peoples rights it must be removed. Never in America should be asked for our papers and have our every move watched. That sets up dangerous abusive of power.
Terrorism is a tactic no matter the reasoning. Some people or one person wants a outcome or uses it to strike back. We must understand your enemny and it's motivation. If we are able to prevent attacks by being in regions of the world we have no reason to be, let us move out of the region America and the constitution will survive without being in the middle east.
5. Abortion
Moral or a persons choice. America is not ready to deal with life and death. Some are so afraid of understanding or labeling life. Others have decided with out any reasoning our discussing when life begins or even if life even matters. My personal belief is not my reasoning for abortion in the view of the government.
Solution.
From a federal government view abortion should be state choice. Row vs Waide should be removed. But I would like life to be defined as science as defined it Life beings at conception. While others believe otherwise I believe the states should regulate it's abortion laws. Only time and education on life and abortion will change the view of America and from state to state either way I only hope sooner then later. States will come up with better solutions and options other then ruling abortions legal or illegal. Educational discussions in schools for both sides should be discussed and not be a part of sex ed.
6. National Debt.
Our country should never be borrowing money from foreign nations and from the Federal Reserve Bank System.
Thomas Jefferson had some ideas on this problem and I fear corporations have grown around our government and abused that system. 9 trillion debt is not expectable.
Solultion.
Allow gold and silver to competite with the federal reserve dollar. Or back the dollar with gold again.
Amend to the constitution a balance budget must be passed every year.
7. Gay Marriage
Moral or whatever your belief let states decide if you live in that state and dont like change the law dont make it federal rule. Exception to ones choices on marriage should not be forced via laws at the federal level.
8. Nation Building, Wars, and our place in the world.
We are the greatest nation no matter what some may say. But we must set an example for the world not force the world.
Soltuion.
We should pull out miltary bases and troops in nations and bring them home. We can hit any target we need to at anytime with out troops and bases on the ground. If we go to war the goal is to win not build nations. Men and Women serve to protect our country not be UN peacekeepers.
9. United Nations.
A place of peaceful dialogue is always good.
Solution.
To be peaceful with nations and talk to them we do not need the UN to do this. We also do not need obey UN laws or rules. We obey one rule of the law and that is the constitution.
10. Illegal Immgration
The key word is illegal and for to long the government has ignore the problem. Just they do with most problems.
They shoud enforce the laws and deport those who break the law.
Last edited by LibertyandJusticeforAll; 07-11-2008 at 09:28 AM..
1. Flat taxes are stupid. Disposable income isn't the same as absolute income. A poorer family could be paying 80% on food, rent, clothing while a rich one could be paying 10%. Tax the rich family more. If you want to, take a look at utility functions (comparing wealth and happiness). I agree to lower and simplify corporate taxes.
2. Agree to loosen restrictions/increase privatization of healthcare.
3. Increased protectionism will only hurt in the long run as it limits the amount, quality, and variety of goods and services in the economy. It also raises prices, generally not a good thing. Agreements need to be reworked so they're more applicable to the current state of the world, but raising barriers to trade will do us no good.
4. Agree. Ron Paul counter-terrorism strategy has a lot of merit. Dipomacy on peer-to-peer terms is the best option.
5. It doesn't really make sense for abortion to be a state decision. A fetus is a fetus whether in Massachusetts or Alabama. It all comes down to when we consider the "thing" to be human. Until complete agreement across the nation happens, there will be dischord over abortion.
A modest national sales tax, not a flat tax, is what we need. It is ultimately the most fair across income groups, as it taxes ONLY what is consumed! Taxing income at any level only serves to put the brakes on work and innovation.
All privatizing influences in healthcare must be supported, including efforts to stop government meddling that ties employees to their employer's health plans. Severing the link between employer and healthcare is absolutely essential.
Agree, protectionism is the last thing we need. Free trade, open borders, no red tape is what we need.
Agree on Ron Paul diplomacy. The War on Terrorism, just like the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty and the War on Fill in the Blank Abstract Concept, is destined to FAIL.
Abortion - I would like the government to stay out of the issue at all levels - federal, state and local. I would support Roe v Wade being overturned, as it grants the federal government power to regulate something it wasn't meant to regulate. Ensuring fairness and equal access to any product or service across the U.S. is not a legitimate purpose of the federal government in my view. If so, then we need a Supreme Court decision that guarantees my right to buy fireworks in every state in the union.
It's nice on paper, but it assumes that government is or can be filled with people who are interested in the common good. I'm too cynical to think that this can happen. I'm completely the opposite of cynical in my belief that market forces can solve a lot of these problems if government does less rather than more.
6. The gold standard would never work because of international commerce. Instead of strictly balancing the budget, give it some "wiggle room" to allow, say, a 2% deficit or something, in case something unexpected comes up.
7. Government shouldn't have a say in marriage at all. The marriage is between two people, and the governement should just call every "coupling" a civil union, and leave the "coupling's" definition to the pair's community.
8. Agree. But we should still be able to go abroad as part of an international force (ex. NATO).
9. The role of the UN is to standardize international interactions. The idea was first embodied in the League of Nations because of the secret alliances that helped start WWI. There has to be some supernational code that limits/prevents sketchy relations between countries. Increased nationalism is not a good thing. Cooperation is.
10. Deportation is a bad idea because it will cost more to deport the illegals than to force them to integrate into society. Heightened border security is definitely crucial, but an earned path to citizenship is also the best answer -- learning English being one of the criteria. This is the one thing I agreed with Bush on.
It's nice on paper, but it assumes that government is or can be filled with people who are interested in the common good. I'm too cynical to think that this can happen. I'm completely the opposite of cynical in my belief that market forces can solve a lot of these problems if government does less rather than more.
You appear to believe the government believes in the common good. I believe the government this big believes in the common good for themselves and the few.
Habsburg Wrote
1. Flat taxes are stupid. Disposable income isn't the same as absolute income. A poorer family could be paying 80% on food, rent, clothing while a rich one could be paying 10%. Tax the rich family more. If you want to, take a look at utility functions (comparing wealth and happiness). I agree to lower and simplify corporate taxes.
Again you view fairness between the rich and poor what about the people in the middle. Again the 2 extremes want the benefits when in reality they are the few. 10% of ones income is less then they take now and what is the difference. Wealth is not happiness that depends on the individual's view of their situtation.
2. Agree to loosen restrictions/increase privatization of healthcare.
3. Increased protectionism will only hurt in the long run as it limits the amount, quality, and variety of goods and services in the economy. It also raises prices, generally not a good thing. Agreements need to be reworked so they're more applicable to the current state of the world, but raising barriers to trade will do us no good.
Removing trade deals is not protectionism. I also think those who think that have been brainwashed by the media and corporations who benefit from this idealogy. Goods and services come a balance if your can't protect or have fair trade deals you only protect the corporations not the countries access to goods. Again I go back to taxes on imports and every other country does it we don't. If these countries want access to the greatest market in the world we need to offset some differences with all foreign imports.
4. Agree. Ron Paul counter-terrorism strategy has a lot of merit. Dipomacy on peer-to-peer terms is the best option.
5. It doesn't really make sense for abortion to be a state decision. A fetus is a fetus whether in Massachusetts or Alabama. It all comes down to when we consider the "thing" to be human. Until complete agreement across the nation happens, there will be dischord over abortion.
Abortion is about life, you believe one verison of a fetus others view different I believe states should decide fetus or life and you can lobby and change the laws in your state and not have to run to washington and christian groups in congress.
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