Steps to Fix America

[marinejcksn]

1. Institute a fair or flat tax system. Consumption taxation or a flat tax of 15%. It gives enough to sustain the current system of government (if spending is curbed), elliminates millions of man-hours our current tax system erodes and puts things on an even keel. Progressive taxation is a failed instrument of the past that has driven the system of "separate but equal" representation since the end of Segregation.

2. Pass a Constitutional Amendment to balance the budget. Regardless of what the rest of the World spends, we cannot expect to spend more money every year than we take in. The average American with $5,000 in credit card debt per year would not continue to spend $6,000 per year, and neither can our country. Common sense principles must prevail.

3. Cut all Federal programs by 20%. Department of Defense. Education. Energy. Everything, everywhere. Chop the libtards off at the knees by allowing the DoD cuts. I've served in the Marines, I know that DoD spending can be dramatically cut without degrading the pay of our Vets and Active Duty members.

What are your suggestions? :D

[Gingersnap]

Too heavy for the Lounge. ;)

[Constitutionally Speaking]

1. Institute a fair or flat tax system. Consumption taxation or a flat tax of 15%. It gives enough to sustain the current system of government (if spending is curbed), elliminates millions of man-hours our current tax system erodes and puts things on an even keel. Progressive taxation is a failed instrument of the past that has driven the system of "separate but equal" representation since the end of Segregation.

2. Pass a Constitutional Amendment to balance the budget. Regardless of what the rest of the World spends, we cannot expect to spend more money every year than we take in. The average American with $5,000 in credit card debt per year would not continue to spend $6,000 per year, and neither can our country. Common sense principles must prevail.

3. Cut all Federal programs by 20%. Department of Defense. Education. Energy. Everything, everywhere. Chop the libtards off at the knees by allowing the DoD cuts. I've served in the Marines, I know that DoD spending can be dramatically cut without degrading the pay of our Vets and Active Duty members.

What are your suggestions? :D

I would caution against a "balanced budget" amendment and instead push for a cap on spending measured as a percentage of revenue. By using "balanced budget" you simply get the same (or higher) spending but additional taxes.

[fettpett]

I would caution against a "balanced budget" amendment and instead push for a cap on spending measured as a percentage of revenue. By using "balanced budget" you simply get the same (or higher) spending but additional taxes.

balanced budget that has a cap on spending = % of GDP, 15-20%

pass a fair tax, the IRS can be completely eliminated, sadly for CPA's, they'll have to find another line of work

[Odysseus]

balanced budget that has a cap on spending = % of GDP, 15-20%

pass a fair tax, the IRS can be completely eliminated, sadly for CPA's, they'll have to find another line of work

The budget cap is a good idea, although a wartime exemption would be needed (WWII saw federal spending leap, and it was necessary), but peacetime government shouldn't exceed 15% of GDP, and that includes state and federal.

[wilbur]

The budget cap is a good idea, although a wartime exemption would be needed (WWII saw federal spending leap, and it was necessary), but peacetime government shouldn't exceed 15% of GDP, and that includes state and federal.

Easy workaround - be at war, all the time.

[Apocalypse]

One of the local talk radio guys around here, I like his tax plan.

Go back to the tariff system.

Drop say 15-20% on all foreign made products.

This will see two things happen.

One, a flood of cash for the Gov.

Two, manufacturing returning to the states to avoid the tariffs.

[Constitutionally Speaking]

balanced budget that has a cap on spending = % of GDP, 15-20%

pass a fair tax, the IRS can be completely eliminated, sadly for CPA's, they'll have to find another line of work

I'm just cautioning on how it would be defined. A lot of Democrats don't mind a balanced budget amendment because it is can be construed as a REQUIREMENT to raise taxes. I know that is not what we mean, but the founders did not mean that the right to bear arms was supposed to be limited to police and military members either.

[Odysseus]

Easy workaround - be at war, all the time.

No, because the additional spending would have to be war-related, and it would have to be a declared war, as per the Constitution. Now, it's true that some presidents will happily declare war on poverty or drugs, but unless they actually name an enemy and get congress to issue a declaration, the spending constraints stand. However, in the event of an existential threat to the nation, we need to be able to mobilize resources beyond the peacetime norms.

One of the local talk radio guys around here, I like his tax plan.

Go back to the tariff system.

Drop say 15-20% on all foreign made products.

This will see two things happen.

One, a flood of cash for the Gov.

Two, manufacturing returning to the states to avoid the tariffs.

That's the upside of tariffs, but there's a serious downside:

Three, higher prices for goods and services and less capital available for employment.
The US imports a tremendous amount of goods, and many services are dependent on those goods. Increasing the cost of a single commodity leads to less consumption of that commodity. If you raise the price of coffee, for example, people will cut back, or they will buy less of it prepared, which will impact places like Starbuck's.

Four, reciprocal tariffs by other nations, resulting in decreased US exports.
The countries that export the goods that we import will not take kindly to seeing reduced demand for their products. China is especially vulnerable on this account, but the EU and pretty much every region in the world that has something to offer us would feel the pinch. They also import American goods. A tariff on cars, for example, might boost GM, Ford and Chrysler in the US, but those other nations that export to us might slap a tariff on American autos, which would reduce market share and drive it to other manufacturers. The lost jobs from reduced exports might be offset by the increased jobs coming from domestic consumption, but it's unlikely.

Five, increased traffic in black market goods.
When the cost of a product is artificially inflated by taxes, then the difference between the legal (taxed) price and the illegal (smuggled) price becomes an incentive for smuggling. The best example of this is cigarettes, but we have black markets in all sorts of goods. Bootleg DVDs are another example, as are all of the various illegal drugs. And, it leads to...

Six, increased government oversight of commerce.
If you have to collect tariffs on trade goods, then you have to know the value of the goods, the volume shipped, the prices, etc. That means that you have to examine cargos and inspect them, not just some, but every single one. Customs inspections would become far more pervasive than they are, and the government would have to take more control of the points of entry, as well as increasing surveillance of smuggling routes. Now, this would have some benefits for issues like illegal immigration (otherwise known as black market labor smuggling) and national security, but it's still a massive expansion of government, and not just at the borders. Customs inspectors would have to track smuggled goods throughout the US, and the workout that this would give the Commerce Clause could end up curtailing liberties within the states.

Now, each of these downsides can be mitigated, but they are factors that have to be addressed.

[NJCardFan]

End the War on Drugs-This has been the biggest boondoggle of my lifetime. There simply is no way to stop drugs in this country. This will also have a tremendous affect on the prison system in this country. The main reasons why prisons are so overcrowded is that there are an inordinate amount of people doing time for drug related crimes. Prison, IMO, should be for the most violent in our society. Rapists, murderers, child molesters, etc. Not some kid who sells weed.

Legalize Marijuana-Marijuana is rumored to be the #3 crop in this country. Imagine taxing it. Besides, alcohol has been responsible for more deaths in this country than pot could ever dream to have caused and it's legal. And you really don't have to change any laws. Just phase it into the already existing alcohol laws regarding where it's sold and who it's sold to. And be legalizing it, you take away a huge part of the gang culture. So, by legalizing weed, it will have the same affect on crime that the ending of prohibition did to organized crime. (note: the 2 above will impact both social and economic problems)

Fair Tax-There are a lot of people who don't like the Fair Tax and IMO they don't like it because it will work. No one can hide from a consumption tax and EVERYONE will pay it. I like the idea as it is written by John Linder.

Curb Social Programs-Stop making these things a way of life.

Cap Public Salaries-There are salary caps in football, basketball, and hockey so there should be caps on taxpayer funded salaries(before any smartass says anything, I'm well aware that salary caps in sports is limited on how much a team can spend, not on what an individual player can make but my way would cap on what an individual can make). And any increases must be put up to a public vote.

Just some ideas from my warped mind.