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The Real Issues: What would you like done?

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posted on Jul, 12 2004 @ 11:06 AM
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Health Care
Taxes
Middle Americans
Upper class and Lower class
Social spending
War
Economy


What would you like to see happen in 2005? Let's keep it simple, smart....

I'm curious to know people's views on the real Issues, not just name calling and bitching.. So let's get started... What change would you like to see happen??



posted on Jul, 12 2004 @ 01:05 PM
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Originally posted by TrueLies
Health Care
Taxes
Middle Americans
Upper class and Lower class
Social spending
War
Economy


What would you like to see happen in 2005? Let's keep it simple, smart....


Health Care. Institute a system of government-financed universal health care, to be financed by taxes on employers and payments by individuals. The employer taxes would be such that employers who currently pay for health care for their employees would pay new taxes in approximately the same amount.

The result would be quality healthcare for everyone, including the 40 million currently uninsured. The French currently pay about half per capita what we are paying for health care, and everyone is covered. There is no waiting list for operations and hospitalization. You can go to the doctor of your choice. You don't need a referral to see a specialist.

Taxes. Immediately cancel all Bush tax cuts and make progressive tax increases to bring back budget surpluses of $200+ billion. This will result in paying off the national debt in less than 20 years. Once the debt is paid off, the Federal Government will save the $200+ billion per year in interest payments currently being paid on the national debt. Since the budget surpluses will no longer be necessary, taxes can then be cut a total of $400+ billion per year.

Social Spending. If universal health care is instituted, Medicare and Medicaid can be immediately abolished, saving the Federal Government hundreds of billions a year. These savings can be used to put Social Security on a sound financial footing and permanently abolish poverty and homelessness in this country. There are currently 3 million homeless in this country. If you paid them $10,000 per year each, the homeless problem would be solved. Cost? $30 billion per year. But I would advocate a broader solution, a guaranteed annual income, to make sure everyone can at least afford the basics of shelter, food, and other necessities of life. I haven't done the math, but based on $30 billion to take care of 3 million homeless, I am pretty sure the total cost would be far less than the hundreds of billions currently being spent on Medicare and Medicaid.

War. Immediately withdraw all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. Pass a constitutional amendment forbidding the President from committing U.S. military forces to combat without a Congressional declaration of war, unless the United States, U.S. embassies, or U.S. military forces are under direct attack.

Economy. The guaranteed annual income would produce a large new source of consumer demand and a huge economic boom. Paying off the national debt would take the Federal Government out of the credit markets, tending to lower interest rates, which is good for the economy. The $400 billion tax cut after the debt is paid off would be a tax cut we could afford, unlike the irresponsible Bush tax cuts.



posted on Jul, 12 2004 @ 02:44 PM
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Here's what I hope for the future in the US (and everywhere else on Earth, for that matter):

1. Health Care -- This is one of the few arenas in life where I don't mind a government presence (such as the military, public projects like highways and parks, etc.), as long as it isn't suffocating. Have everyone pay into a national health insurance plan, based on income, with the government chipping in some tax money as well; this will provide health insurance for everyone, but maintain supply and demand to determine the salaries of doctors and nurses. That way, the doctors and nurses can be rewarded for their years of hard work in college and even harder work on the job (Ever see a doctor's work schedule and college transcript? They've earned the big money, no doubt about it!
), and have all hospitals & clinics owned privately whenever possible (but publicly when there's a need for it and no private organization available), but have government regulate it for safety and ethics. (But, as always, be careful not to overregulate, either.)

2. Taxes -- Abolish the insanely complex progressive income tax system in the US and the 41 States that have them. Have a flat 10% federal sales tax on all items purchased, with exemptions for items such as food, hygiene products (that aren't luxury items), and simple clothing (that aren't luxury items). States would have their own sales taxes, since they'd no longer have income taxes either. A sales tax is simple and fair (the exemptions help poor people, and if you're rich, the more you buy, the higher taxes you'll pay), and is easy to collect (the US Dept. of The Treasury can collect the federal sales taxes; no need for the IRS anymore!)

I also hate having lots of taxes come from lots of different places. I get taxes taken out of my paycheck, added to any license or title I purchase a copy of, as well as those I pay from my income in April every year. I'd rather have one large sales tax than a bunch of little hidden taxes everywhere, personally.

3. 'Middle class Americans' & 4. 'Upper class & Lower class Americans' -- Middle class Americans? I don't know, let them live their lives in peace, I suppose? Whether you're rich, middle class, or poor, government should be as simple, transparent, fair, and straightforward as possible (it's none of the these right now!
)

5. Social spending -- Keep it to a bare minimum, but don't eliminate it altogether. The US & State governments should encourage all industries to be as private as possible, with the government only being there to pick up the slack when there is a public demand that the private sector can't handle in specific areas. I have no problem with welfare for those in need, but those who abuse the system (and there are too many!) must be discovered somehow and kicked out of the welfare system. Those who abuse the system are committing fraud against those who work hard and pay taxes into the system.

6. War -- The need for self-defense is a reality for any nation-state in the modern world (or any era of human history, for that matter!
) Therefore, I support the US military and the 'war on terrorism'. However, the US should not stretch its military too thin, and it should consolidate its forces into as few bases as possible, in as few countries as possible, and bring home as much of the US military as possible when it can be done. Self-defense is not as simple as it was back in the days of swords, horses, and boats; the fact that the US had to go to Afghanistan to attack the group that was the ringleader of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the US illustrates this. I also think that Bush and any future US President should choose our battles carefully -- we can't eliminate all the bad guys and rougue countries at once, but we can take them out one at a time...

7. The Economy -- The US should make education -- especially in techonology -- top priority, so that the US can rebuild its manufacturing sector, in case countries like China and India collapse on us. Plants will always be automated and computer-run from now on, so at least we can have Engineers and technicians build and maintain these plants, and even work on improving the technology at the same time. The government's main purposes should be to encourage private sector growth whenever possible, while regulating for safety and the envrionment (again, being careful not to overregulate either).

That's my $0.02, anyway.



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