The Tariff Questions?

[Roamers]

rural mail delivery

One of the few things mentioned that is actually federal duty.

 

[Roamers]

elect me as president-first year

I'll run against you, first term:

• Immediate hiring freeze
• Seal the borders, enforce current immigration laws to see if they need modification.
• Cut all subsidies 25% each year.
• Announce first 3 Departments that will be eliminated; there is your pool if you need an eemolyee.
• Look at pieces of Departments that are still needed; reassign to different Department. Over a few years, reduce spending that will be disappearing; gives states time to change their tax structure to meet their responsibilities.
• Encourage Congress to implement flat tax. No deductions, no credits. You earned $XX,XXX salary and $X,XXX realized gains employer/bank gives you what is left after withholding your fair share (YY%)
• Handle other stuff that comes up.
• Start campaigning for 2nd term.

 

[mschwett]

Nice new direction, # of people. Pretty sure we've been talking $. Is it possible for fewer people to spend more money? Swing, miss.

Fact: there is federal gov't spending that is not aligned with what the Constitution indicates they are assigned. Regardless of the number of people involved.

the only way so “few” people spend a lot of money is by simply giving it to other people… which is the vast majority of federal spending. the only way you really significantly cut federal spending is by reducing or eliminating medicare, medicaid, social security, and maybe national defense. everyone who has ever seriously tried to attack this problem knows this, and that’s why nobody has made much progress. remember the newt gingrich era attempt to do the same thing?

the answer to the federal government deficit is not abolishing the IRS or laying off half of everyone who collects taxes or fees or makes rules, it’s delaying the onset of social security, reducing medicare and medicaid spending by transitioning to a national single payer system like pretty much every other developed country (and focusing on actual health and preventive care), and raising taxes on those who can afford it. everything else is smoke and mirrors - there simply isn’t enough discretionary spending to matter.

for the record, i don’t disagree that government can be very “inefficient.” but in part that’s because it’s not a business, it’s a social service. it’s a good idea for a federal government to owe money to its people up to a certain point (it creates a mutual benefit for continued existence and stability) but i do agree that it has gotten out of control and needs to be reined back.

 

[DaveMatthews]

again we need "benign" socialism with the overtures of representative republic( we will never have a true democracy too many special interest groups- elect me as president-first year I will abolish triple a and special battery sizes,make universal USB sizes, bring back glass headlight covers( fun fact when volvo was producing the infamous yellowing opaque head light covers there was a glass replacement available) abolish lobbying,do away with pharma commercials,institute UBI,speed up immigration legality,annex Mexico and BC get a hold on runaway gov't reward for failure programs,abolish the do nothing depts.etc.Of course I realize I would be assassinated within 6wks,ah yes stop starting so many wars,

Annex BC?
You'll never take me alive copper!!!
And, methinks you'd be better off the other way around...

 

[Roamers]

medicare and social security

These two are self funded and shouldn't be considered part of the trimable budget. If the self funding isn't improved, benefits should be cut, not supplemented w/ income tax $.