quote:

ORIGINAL: subfever

I honestly think the list would be a whole lot shorter stating what the Federal Government should do.

Here's my "New Deal" plan for good government:

1) Abolish the privately-owned Federal Reserve, and it's debt-based currency. Issue government's own, US Treasury Notes, interest-free currency that it carefully spends into the economy on federal infrastructure and defense; and also lent to commercial banks at nominal interest rates, as needed to keep inflation and deflation at 0%.  

2) Abolish the 16th Amendment. Individual earnings of citizens made within our borders no longer subject to Federal Taxes. 

3) Abolish the IRS, and all it's prior tax-codes. Set up new tax agency, taxing citizens' earnings outside our borders, or non-citizen's earnings within our borders.

Tax domestic corporations and citizens conducting business domestically nothing for the first 3 years. (No deductions, forward tax breaks, or other corporate welfare either.) Then tax 1.5% of earnings for each additional year in business up to a max of 15%. Limit tax deductions to documented and audited expenses only. Non-dividend compensation paid to top 10% of all employees not deductable to corporation as an expense. Stock options eliminated. Corporations earning profits or using labor/service outside our borders will be taxed at a higher rate. Severe penalties for non-compliance to all of the above. 

4) Apologize to the world for the vast meddling and various economic wars we have burdened them with, and withdraw all such programs immediately. Yes, the prices of scarce commodities may increase, but you will have more money to pay for them.

5) Abolish the United Nations, or at least withdraw from them and have them headquarter elsewhere.

6) Phase-out Social Security. New workers in the work-force are out of SS. Prior 30 years of workers can option out or stay in on graduated scale. Older workers are still in.

7) Indoctrinate citizens to save and fend for themselves, which will be a lot easier for them to do with no fed taxes or inflation!

7) Build a world-class military with top pay and benefits, and use them to help strengthen our borders during peacetime.

8) The medical community has an option to be be taxed as salaried individuals, and not as a business or corporation, if they adhere to charging all medical fees based on all patients' verified income, and all patients have option to pay "catastrophic" fees over time, interest-free. Schedule set by government. Lump-sum mal-practice suits eliminated. Liable only for medical expenses occurred as a result of mal-practice, plus loss of income at 85%, paid on a monthly basis. Since inflation no longer exists, some doctors may opt out of purchasing mal-practice insurance... keeping down costs even further.

9) Reduce the size of government by at least 2% each year for the next 10 years, then review this plan.

10) Abolish all lobbyists. Congress is no longer for sale!

Okay, now I just whipped this all together in a flash, so don't be too hard on me... [;)] 

quote:

ORIGINAL: UtopianRanger

quote:

ORIGINAL: subfever

I honestly think the list would be a whole lot shorter stating what the Federal Government should do.

Here's my "New Deal" plan for good government:

1) Abolish the privately-owned Federal Reserve, and it's debt-based currency. Issue government's own, US Treasury Notes, interest-free currency that it carefully spends into the economy on federal infrastructure and defense; and also lent to commercial banks at nominal interest rates, as needed to keep inflation and deflation at 0%.  

2) Abolish the 16th Amendment. Individual earnings of citizens made within our borders no longer subject to Federal Taxes. 

3) Abolish the IRS, and all it's prior tax-codes. Set up new tax agency, taxing citizens' earnings outside our borders, or non-citizen's earnings within our borders.

Tax domestic corporations and citizens conducting business domestically nothing for the first 3 years. (No deductions, forward tax breaks, or other corporate welfare either.) Then tax 1.5% of earnings for each additional year in business up to a max of 15%. Limit tax deductions to documented and audited expenses only. Non-dividend compensation paid to top 10% of all employees not deductable to corporation as an expense. Stock options eliminated. Corporations earning profits or using labor/service outside our borders will be taxed at a higher rate. Severe penalties for non-compliance to all of the above. 

4) Apologize to the world for the vast meddling and various economic wars we have burdened them with, and withdraw all such programs immediately. Yes, the prices of scarce commodities may increase, but you will have more money to pay for them.

5) Abolish the United Nations, or at least withdraw from them and have them headquarter elsewhere.

6) Phase-out Social Security. New workers in the work-force are out of SS. Prior 30 years of workers can option out or stay in on graduated scale. Older workers are still in.

7) Indoctrinate citizens to save and fend for themselves, which will be a lot easier for them to do with no fed taxes or inflation!

7) Build a world-class military with top pay and benefits, and use them to help strengthen our borders during peacetime.

8) The medical community has an option to be be taxed as salaried individuals, and not as a business or corporation, if they adhere to charging all medical fees based on all patients' verified income, and all patients have option to pay "catastrophic" fees over time, interest-free. Schedule set by government. Lump-sum mal-practice suits eliminated. Liable only for medical expenses occurred as a result of mal-practice, plus loss of income at 85%, paid on a monthly basis. Since inflation no longer exists, some doctors may opt out of purchasing mal-practice insurance... keeping down costs even further.

9) Reduce the size of government by at least 2% each year for the next 10 years, then review this plan.

10) Abolish all lobbyists. Congress is no longer for sale!

Okay, now I just whipped this all together in a flash, so don't be too hard on me... [;)] 

Subfever :   Your ideas /concepts are awesome. I especially like your idea about dumping the Federal Reserve{immediately} and moving to a non-interest / debt free monetary system.

With regard to our current monetary system.......if the majority truly understood how evil and greedy a ''debt money'' system is, I believe millions would come out into streets and march on the Whitehouse. - R

quote:

ORIGINAL: Chaingang

I don't think big government is wrong in all cases. Something's going to have to give, do you really suppose there are great jobs for the approaching 7 billion people that are out there? I think overpopulation is going to see the end of many things; or people will have to become ruthless beyond our ability to conceive of it today.

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ORIGINAL: Sinergy

The problem I have with Big Government is that I personally think we set up a government to do things for the citizens of the country. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: Chaingang

quote:

ORIGINAL: subfever
Universal healthcare is big government, and works directly against what I'm trying to accomplish.

I don't think big government is wrong in all cases. Something's going to have to give, do you really suppose there are great jobs for the approaching 7 billion people that are out there?

quote:

I've said it differently elsewhere, but as we change the rules of the labor market some people find they cannot compete based on those new rules. What then?

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ORIGINAL: subfever

Do you feel that it is the obligation/responsibility of the American people/government to solve the problems of the entire world?

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ORIGINAL: subfever

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ORIGINAL: Sinergy

The problem I have with Big Government is that I personally think we set up a government to do things for the citizens of the country. 

Unfortunately, it's the exact opposite. The people we're "set up" to want Big Government! This started with the Great Depression.

The solution to the Depression was to simply infuse more cash into the monetary system. The elite power at that time knew that. After all, the monetary system they wanted to install here had originated in 1600's England.

But they didn't infuse more cash into the monetary system. Instead, they used the crisis to force the people to turn in all their gold for paper currency... a huge victory for the shareholders of the Federal Reserve, as it was a big step towards a pure fiat currency.   

People grew progressively desperate and hungry. The government eventually stepped in with a "new deal."

Social programs were born, and Social Security was soon spawned. The masses became indoctrinated to look to the government for help. That was the beginning of a new era.

How many people think in terms of entitlements today as compared to prior to the Great Depression?

Remember, crisises are often created by the powers-that-be so that they can come in with a "solution" which expands their power base and furthers their agenda.

We don't need big government. What we need is a level playing field. Until the masses finally realize this, things are only going to get worse.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sinergy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Chaingang

I don't think big government is wrong in all cases. Something's going to have to give, do you really suppose there are great jobs for the approaching 7 billion people that are out there? I think overpopulation is going to see the end of many things; or people will have to become ruthless beyond our ability to conceive of it today.

Hello A/all,

The problem I have with Big Government is that I personally think we set up a government to do things for the citizens of the country.  I want to roads kept up.  I want police and fire to keep order.  I want our borders secure.  I want people who are homeless to have homes.  I want people who are sick to have access to health care.

I am willing to pay a bit extra to shop at Costco instead of Sam's Club because Costco gives their employees a living wage.  The motto of my union is "An injury to one is an injury to all."  I elect people to our government with the idea that they will make everybodies life better, not just mine.

What we seem to have ended up with is a government that is only interested in itself, and not in the body politic.  And that, I feel, is just wrong.

Just me, could be wrong, but there you go.

Sinergy

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ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Subfever, no, of course it's not up to the govt or the people of the U.S. to solve the world's problems.
We now have Troops in more than 130 countries, for 53 years now in S. Korea alone.
Maintaining a military like ours is TREMENDOUSLY expensive!

You are not in 150 countries for the benefit of those countries but for the benefit of the USA. The USA is in Europe as a forward defence and is trying to get its latest generation of missiles placed here that will do nothing for European defence but has a sole purpose of US defence.

Unless we get a handle on it and soon this Imperialism will bankrupt us.

The whole point of US imperialism, like any imperialism before them, is to secure raw materials and markets. No doubt when US politicians see a negative return for the cost of stationing troops, they will withdraw them.
 

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ORIGINAL: Lordandmaster

No one ever suggested anything that absurd.  Why not respond to what people ARE saying instead of pretending that they're saying something stupid and easily dismissed?

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ORIGINAL: subfever

Do you feel that it is the obligation/responsibility of the American people/government to solve the problems of the entire world?

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ORIGINAL: NorthernGent
So, without Government, how do you think the level playing field will be achieved?