What are your solutions to our problems?

I believe a giant leap forward is contained in two words; Personal Responsibility

If we all took responsibility for our own actions and speech, how many problems would simply disappear?

re·spon·si·ble adj.
1. Liable to be required to give account, as of one's actions or of the discharge of a duty or trust.
2. Involving personal accountability or ability to act without guidance or superior authority: a responsible position within the firm.
3. Being a source or cause.
4. Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behavior.
5. Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable.
6. Based on or characterized by good judgment or sound thinking: responsible journalism.
7. Having the means to pay debts or fulfill obligations.
8. Required to render account; answerable:

www.thefreedictionary.com...

reply to post by CmdrZero


First an apology as I intended fully to edit my previous post. I waited to long I see. I was just not acquainted with your style of approaching topics. I looked at some of your posts and I'm glad to see both hemispheres engaged.

Your not far off from my beliefs as a whole. Capitalism is a far more natural state of affairs for us. I think it goes deeper than survival of the fittest. We need the security of being self sufficient to be whole. I could never work for another person after working for myself for a couple of decades.

Leaving the time when a person could have a job to fund their wants and the ability to take care of their needs on their own land stripped us of what is left of our independence. Leaving the time when one parents income was enough and reaching the point the children had to be left with and raised by others is another very bad thing.

Which of course brings me back to education. We now have a couple of generations who have literally been raised by teachers spawned from the myopic viewpoints of socialist leaning leftovers from the Vietnam War protests. Most university students from my time would have never even entered the schools were it not the simplest way to avoid service. Many silver spoon offspring who could have just as easily went into the family business and kept an office chair warm where they could do no harm.

They came to believe themselves to be the fountain from which all knowledge sprang and their own self importance combined with a total lack of life experience, doomed their students to brains full on non-critical mush. Drowned in a sea of mindless political idealism until they had to inhale it all just to survive.

No good teaching at home for multiple generations, combined with allowing political ideologues to indoctrinate them in the schools and we get this downward spiral into ism's of all kinds. Any ism in fact, other than those that history tells us work the best, is now being embraced. The solution for those who are left who still can see through the charade, has now become to rewrite history in their own image. Murderous butchers like Che, and genocidal maniacs like Mao are now quoted as great thinkers. There is no positive ending for this story and the only hope is to start the story over again by purging the halls of academia and sending them home to Mommy's basement where they belonged in the first place.

Those swollen headed, self important ideologues in the White House, need a good old fashioned spanking out behind the barn; as well as a few months on their knees weeding the crops and shoveling out the pig pens as a dose of reality.

reply to post by WTFover


A great addition to the idea's growing here. One I fully agree with also.

Originally posted by CmdrZero

www.youtube.com...

Forgot to thank you for the link to the video. I enjoyed it a lot.

My solutions:

1) Lower taxes on Small Businesses to 10%

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, they should not be taxed out of existence.

2) Increase tariffs on imported goods by American based companies by 200%

This country needs to produce products again, if it's cheaper to produce products overseas than it is in the United States, companies will go overseas to manufacture goods and import them back into the US. I would stop this by increasing tariffs on these goods. If you make it cheaper to produce these products at home than it would be to outsource these jobs overseas than they would move manufacturing back here.

On a side to that, companies that want to move jobs back to the US would receive a 3000.00 tax credit for each job produced, 6000.00 for each non union job produced. Sorry, unions are communist, they crippled the auto industry in America, if the only asset you are to the company is that you have been there 20 years, well, it's time to go. Sorry, but it's nice work if you can get it, but pensions, and perks are for employees working hard for companies that are doing well. If your company isn't doing well, well, you should not expect a bonus, nor should you expect perks.

3) 15% income tax across the board.

It's fair, and it's balanced. Yes the rich have to pay more, but they make more. Don't give me that Atlas Shrugged crap, half of you haven't even read the damn book.

4) No permanent welfare.

At some point in everyones life they might need a helping hand, but this should not be a permanent solution to a temporary problem. 6 months unemployment, or 6 months of welfare. You should be able to find a job in that time. If you are unemployed, your job is to find a job.

5) Disolve the damn Department of Homeland Security.

We have the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency that is supposed to be doing this job. What a huge waste of taxpayer money on a new bureaucracy that is doing the job of bureaucracies that already exist.

6) Cut aid to foreign countries.

What the hell? Billions of dollars to countries that hate our guts? Are you freaking kidding me? Stop that right now. Not one penny more. If Americans want to give to the Red Cross for use when a natural disaster hits, that's fine and good, but we prop up governments all over the world and while it's not a huge amount by our budgetary standards it's still waste.

7) Dissolve and audit the FED.

The Central bank is unconstitutional, the people that own this private company aren't even Americans. Screw that, the Treasury can print the money and that money will be backed by wheat. (sorry, but gold is too limited a resource to use for currency, besides some central bank somewhere would buy up all the damn gold and we would be back in the same situation.)

Not only would I audit the FED but I would seize all their assets under RICO.

8) End all US wars and bring our troops home. Forget our military being based all over the world, we need our troops here. We aren't supposed to be the worlds police force, that's why they made the United Nations and Canada. (sorry, little joke on Canada)

9) There is no such thing as "Too Big To Fail" if all your investments are tied up in companies that can't be trusted with dog crap, well, you know what? That's the way the cookie crumbles, this is supposed to be a free market society right?

That's all I got for right now.

Originally posted by WTFover
I believe a giant leap forward is contained in two words; Personal Responsibility

If we all took responsibility for our own actions and speech, how many problems would simply disappear?

re·spon·si·ble adj.
1. Liable to be required to give account, as of one's actions or of the discharge of a duty or trust.
2. Involving personal accountability or ability to act without guidance or superior authority: a responsible position within the firm.
3. Being a source or cause.
4. Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behavior.
5. Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable.
6. Based on or characterized by good judgment or sound thinking: responsible journalism.
7. Having the means to pay debts or fulfill obligations.
8. Required to render account; answerable:

www.thefreedictionary.com...

You are 100% correct! Someone give this person a cookie.
It's def not the solution to all our problems, but its the first place to start for sure.

Personal responsibility and accountability are key. The times we live in, we look to anyone and everything to blame our faults on. We are so accustomed to this, "It's not my fault" mentality, that we have lowered our expectations to the lowest possible level ever.

Here's the thing, you're not perfect, and neither am I, and you're going to make mistakes. DEAL WITH IT. Instead of trying to find someone, anyone, to blame your shortcomings on, realize we all have them and learn from your mistakes.
Let me say that again, LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. This way, you stop repeating them.

As far as accountability..I'm not saying we go back to the days of the scarlet letter, but that premise of public humiliation sure kept a lot of folks in check. Now our leaders are free to be philandering, prostitute hiring, drug abusing, bribe taking misanthropes who even when called out need only to make a public apology and they lose nothing.
There are no real consequences.
If I let a catastrophic failure occur in my line of work, such as the US Government did on 911, I would expect to at the very least, lose my job.
Do you know not one single individual lost their job, or was even demoted, that was involved in our national security following the events of that day!

If you teach people that they are spiritually accountable and responsible for their thought, word and deed and that its rewarding to love and respect all of mankind and all its belief-systems, you wipe out 50% of the problems right there. The other 50% should stay in place so that planet earth is still a challenge to souls coming here for soul-training.

reply to post by whatukno


Is this an imposter? Did someone hijack this whatukno's account?

I can't remember a single thread, in which you and I agreed on anything. But, you hit the mark here! An absolute to each of your suggestions.

reply to post by whatukno


Being a small business owner myself, there is not much about your post I can argue with. We must get back to a point where people realize that working for yourself should be the goal. Even if you make less than Exec's at a corporate giant, it is far more fulfilling and better for our country and future.

How do we get there in a society where our children are trained to be good little government or corporate employees? Where Unions are allowed to operate as nothing more than organized crime mobs with full support from a political party? A place where the average government employee that does the equivalent of a days work in a week, if that, earns $40,000 more a year than those who create the wealth? A place where Union assembly line workers earn as much as a person with a Masters Degree or a highly skilled Tradesman, destroying any hope of us competing with the rest of the world?

Even countries that formerly embraced what Obama now wants to dump on us are criticizing our government for being so stupid as to repeat the mistakes they are now correcting based on our example.

None of those things will ever happen if we don't fill the elected offices with new people. To do that we need to stop having our leaders selected by the illiterate and the leeches who vote base on bribes from a political party.

In dealing with this thread, I'm coming to realize that the only real solution is to kick the bums out and take back our government. How though, do we get the masses to wake up to how screwed we really are and how evil men like Obama really are.

I actually had one employee running around my office chanting "Obama's going to send me a check, Obama's going to send me a check". How do we overcome the brainwashing in the schools and through the media?

It can be done. I know it can. But how? The problem is not at the top, its at the bottom with those who run to the booths to vote for a D or an R and then return to ignoring what they are doing to us. For the last few decades our schools have been firmly under the control of a tiny minority of radicals who want to control us from the time we are born.

reply to post by Skyfloating


So many facets to what is wrong!

We have lost our way in dealing with our fellow man.

We have lost our way in dealing with earning a fair days pay for a fair days work.

We have lost our way with how we look at ourselves.

We have lost our way with how we raise our children.

We have lost our way with being involved with our own governments and societies.

Love your neighbor and you can do no wrong has been forgotten.

reply to post by WTFover

Is this an imposter? Did someone hijack this whatukno's account?

The truth is the truth, these are what I would do if I were in complete control to fix this country.

reply to post by Blaine91555

I actually had one employee running around my office chanting "Obama's going to send me a check, Obama's going to send me a check". How do we overcome the brainwashing in the schools and through the media?

That employee of yours is an idiot. I voted for Obama too and I had no misconceptions on what he was or wasn't going to do, of course I actually researched all the candidates before voting, I was going to vote for Ron Paul before he left the race. It was a shame that he didn't go for an independent nomination.

This government should do everything that it can to support small businesses in this country, without entrepreneurs this country would not exist. At the same time, I also think that small business owners have to make an investment in this recovery as well. I think that each and every business owner needs to hire one or two more people now. Now before you tell me you can't afford it I will tell you why you can't afford not to.

If each business hires one or two qualified employees, that would nearly eliminate unemployment in this country, those employees now earning a paycheck then will start spending money. This will increase consumer confidence and that will in about 6-8 months start really turning this economy around and small business owners will then start reaping the rewards to their investment through increased business.

The key to ending this recession is not in government bailouts, it's through the small businesses. Government cannot do what the small business can. If each and every small business hired one or two people, that would increase tax revenue to states, that would also increase tax revenue on the federal level.

In return for this, the state and federal government should lower small business taxes. This is also an investment, because if it costs less for small businesses to run, they will be able to sustain having one or two more employees on the payroll.

Now, in order to decrease government operating costs, I suggest cutting all federal and state employee pay to minimum wage, the only people in these jobs that should earn more are those that have an education requirement. If you are a cop, a firefighter, a teacher, etc, you should get paid more, because it cost you to learn those skills therefore you should earn more. But it should depend on how well you do your job and how much education it takes for you to do your job.

Next on the government chopping block, the military.

If we chose to remove our troops from every country other than the United States we could reduce the amount we spend on this military, we also need to cut the spending on this military by at least half. Our military are here to defend this country, not every country around the world.

While we are cutting from the military, it's time that the military cut it's operating budget. We need people in this government working to secure the best prices for the best goods. Not spend the most.

The major American auto companies have got to rid themselves of the Union. In fact, unions should not exist in this country, there was a time when this country needed unions because we did not have labor laws, but that is not the case today. Believe me living in Michigan, people HATE this idea, but it's the absolute truth, union employees get away with murder because they know they cannot be fired easily.









[edit on 1/15/2010 by whatukno]

Originally posted by Skyfloating
If you teach people that they are spiritually accountable and responsible for their thought, word and deed and that its rewarding to love and respect all of mankind and all its belief-systems, you wipe out 50% of the problems right there. The other 50% should stay in place so that planet earth is still a challenge to souls coming here for soul-training.

Thats pretty much a spot on answer, specially the part i have put in bold. Thats one of the most over-looked parts when people are talking about this topic and drawing conclusions imo.

Peace

Interesting, I just posted a thread that presents one solution a couple days after you posted this thread.

It's called participatory economics. Check out my thread in this sub-forum for more info:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by whatukno

The key to ending this recession is not in government bailouts, it's through the small businesses. Government cannot do what the small business can. If each and every small business hired one or two people, that would increase tax revenue to states, that would also increase tax revenue on the federal level.

Then why did you vote for Obama? I'm confused about that. If you believed that, you knew you were voting for a President who did not believe that.

Obama is not hard to figure out. He's a classic Alinsky follower. I was also when I was young and naive. Then I grew up and faced the real world.

Obama never progressed which makes his being a Progressive an irony. Not surprising since he never entered the real world and stayed immersed in people who also have no experience beyond their cadre of like minded people. Never ran anything. Never produced a profit. Never had to make a payroll from profits. IQ means nothing without experience.

Obama was created by his controllers, he did not evolve through experience. He does not give a damn about those he considers servants to his Class. He is a man who could not run a small business himself, who has the audacity to pretend to know whats best for them.


Bush was horrible. Obama is horrible times two. Neither one could even run for office if people were educated and involved.

reply to post by Blaine91555

Then why did you vote for Obama? I'm confused about that. If you believed that, you knew you were voting for a President who did not believe that.

I voted for Obama, simply because out of all the candidates on the ballot he was the best one.

Bush was horrible. Obama is horrible times two. Neither one could even run for office if people were educated and involved.

The problem is, the best and brightest won't ever run for the presidency, simply because it's the most horrible job in the world. Take a look at how the presidency ages people.

George H.W. Bush. Then and now.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1b385e05fdcb.jpg[/atsimg]

Bill Clinton. Then and now.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4e2deeb69ee3.jpg[/atsimg]

George W. Bush. Then and now.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1dccf63c13ff.jpg[/atsimg]

Even Vice President's age terribly

For example, Dick Cheney. Then and now.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/406a389c0b72.jpg[/atsimg]

What is Obama going to look like after his term?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6a3383d12922.jpg[/atsimg]



Just goofing of course, but the reality isn't that far off. If we were to get an honest and intelligent president in the Oval Office, they may go mad.

reply to post by Blaine91555


Blaine is right. If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. We all have ideas about how things should work in a perfect world, but since we are all far from perfect (I will include myself in that classification) all we can do is try to make this world at the very least, a little bit better for our having been in it.
A few of my ideas are:

Economy: We have got to get our country in good shape. One way (and there are many ways) to do that is to cut out all unnecessary spending and waste, including a mandatory cut of 10%-15% on all spending by all federal agencies, and all quasi agencies like the post office. A retired Army general told me last year that in his opinion we need to get out of all the major conflicts we are in worldwide not later than December of this year, as we can no longer afford to be the "good guys" in every part of the world. We also discussed a general report by the Department of Defense's own studies, conducted during the Bush years, that we actually only need 12-15 military bases worldwide to protect the security of the U.S. yet we have hundreds of bases worldwide. Base consolidations, while unpopular, are possible and would save billions of dollars. (Do we really need 23 Army installations in Germany alone?) And before anyone says I am just a anti-military guy, that answer is far from reality.

We need to seriously review all our trade agreements with foreign countries to make sure that they are fair and balanced for both sides.

We need to start rewarding U S companies with higher than
$3,000 tax credits for hiring new employees who are on unemployment, and I definitely favor some sort of volunteer work programs (can be within the private or public sectors) for those unemployed (who are physically or mentally able to do so), even if it is as little as 8-10 hours a week. Some might even learn a new skill to allow them to transition to a new field.

An idea discussed about 5 years ago with an IRS employee was to consider changing our tax system to a 10% flat rate. That idea is not unique obviously, but a twist on same would be to make it an option not mandatory. In other words if you as an individual select
a 10% flat rate on your gross income, that is it for a 5 year period. You get the 10% flat rate, but no deductions of any type will be allowed during the 5 year period. Or if it is beneficial for you as a business owner to have lots of deductions, you can choose the
"as is" method of taxing individuals and companies, but again no changes allowed for a 5 year period. This twist gives those who want a flat rate, their choice, and those who love to keep CPA's and accountants happy things the way they are. I asked for his response to that idea and his comment was: "the idea is too logical; it would never be introduced or passed by Congress". Of course no one really likes paying taxes, but it is a reality which will be with us like it or not, probably for a long time. Another alternative for thought is the so called V.A.T. (value added tax) for the federal govt. solely on purchases made and eliminate the federal income tax. If you buy a lot you pay a lot, if you don't, you pay little, and of course to keep the states happy, you would still have to pay states sales taxes. Not sure at this point if that would be beneficial to all, but again it is an idea and worth consideration.

Another idea to consider is a national lottery. Our country was founded using this idea as one of the ways to raise money for the new republic in the 1700's. Yes, a lottery is a form of taxation, but it is amazing how many people love to pay it, and better yet, to win.

That's it for now. Feel free to comment, criticize, congratulate, or determine if there are any political undertones or motives, (not) or in general just be you. Thanks for listening!

If I was the one to call the shots, some of this would be popular and some would hurt but here goes:
1) I would yank the leash on Social Services and hold parents accountable for the actions of their children, giving them the full right to spank and punish, not abuse, but to actually take the steps to punish a child as they see fit.
2) I would make it a felony for all illegale aliens to be in the country. You get caught, first time it is back to your home country, second time it is not only a prison sentence for a few years and hard labor, but then you are deported back to your homeland. Third time it is life imprisonment.
3) Any company that hires illegale aliens will be immediately shut down, the owners will be imprisoned, fined.
4) Any public official, no matter who they are or in what capacity, (Including union leaders, community organizers, and so on) who committ a crime goes to jail and are forbidden from holding a similar position ever.
5) Stop paying all of the countries around the world who hate us. Don't like the US, well the bank of the US is closed.
6) Bailouts for industry? Nope, not going to happen. If anyone should have gotten a bailout it should have been mainstreet. My idea was pull a credit report, and say we will pay all of your debts, however, you can not have any credit cards, sell your car, sell your house, and have to live with what you make for the next 7 years. It would have bailed out all of the industries and those that still were going to fail it would have been for bad business practices, and the government would not end up owning and controling that large amount of the economy.
7) A serious buy back of the bonds that foriegn countries hold on the US.
8) The educational system would be more on the education of the children, with the idea that good teachers would be rewarded and the bad teachers would be terminated. (Means that the teachers unions would no longer be able to keep a bad teacher on the books.)
9) The adminstration would be small setting an example for those to follow.
10) Be only one term and support all legislsation that limits all elected officials to one term in any office.
11) Limited and equal help for those who need it. A person who has more than 2 children by more than one person does not need it the help.
12) Tax incentives for saving money and not having credit cards.
13) On foriegn affairs would be the following: For countries that we are not getting along with, one time payout of their assetts and then cut off. That means if any business who does business with say Cuba, they will not be allowed to do business in the US. That way we have no ties to and can fully ignore them.

That is part of the solutions that I have.