Solution for America

Here we pose a question to a crotchety classic lib for solving our economic woes:

So do you think we should be spending buckets? i mean to prevent the recession/stagnation ala Japan for the last fifteen years? Its a possibility..... But couldn't you get out of that another way? Although Japan seems to be stuck. I mean if your take on the economy is that its stuck in slow growth. But your wrong characterizing the service sector as burger and fries. But what should we do? Socialize manufacturing? Thats very inefficient. But some manufacturing may be a security issue...... I don't know. Obviously you don't move Electric Boat to Singapore. But what about Caterpillar? Or Boeing? We subsidize farming already. But I don't know....


The Liberal's Solution

Changes:
1. Reform tax structure...count all income, close loopholes, small number of progressive steps. Tax forms should be single page affairs anybody can fill out.

2. Cut military spending, mainly by stopping weapons systems procurements. Big cuts in number of generals and admirals. Cut overseas bases by at least 3/4. Remove troops from Europe. Restructure army as light mobile strike forces....not to fight WWIII on plains of Europe.

3. Tax corporate foreign profits...create pressure to retain/return tech jobs to us.

4. Change Social Security--no more raiding of trust fund...make congress pay it back from prior years raids. Raise retirement age in six month steps. Increase % individual contrib and employer contrib, it will only take a small change.

5. Big changes in Medicare Medicaid. National health insurance program for all Americans...insurance companies allowed to run it at fixed return rates. Big reductions in payment rates to doctors. Fed malpractice insurance coverage to lower cost to doctors.

6. Tax breaks for hiring older workers in job share or less than full time....incentives to keep older people employed.

7. Energy independence--incentives to get rid of fuel inefficient cars. No more highways. Tax engine displacement and vehicle weight, but phased in to give time to get rid of gas hogs. Develop alternative energy sources. Push power generation for business and homes into solar and nuclear sources...get away from oil/gas/coal.

8. Enter into specific industrial relationships with specific countries (mainly Africa) to develop industries with us on most-favored-nation relationship.

9. Much tighter and restrictive land use policy. Reduce urban sprawl, more concentration of population into compact areas where costs can be contained and neighborhoods developed....not jam-packed cities, but satellite communities with fast transit to urban core.....the urban village.

10. Educational reform--national standards/goals, but not tests in current form. Test for abilities, not content. Want to make sure teachers CANNOT teach to test. Multi-track education. At high school level students opt for technical vs. academic vs. I don't know what tracks....but NOT rigid, and it don't mean that plumbers should not learn Beethoven! Corporate internship/apprenticeships bring tax breaks and future jobs for students.... teaches good work habits.... ensures ready stream of trained workers. Teachers must major in areas in which they teach. Shoot all professors of education and burn down the colleges of education. Max of 15 minutes per day dealing with government regs by teachers. Beginning salary of ANY school teacher ANYWHERE is 30,000 Yankee dollars. (ya, and classes should stand when teacher enters the room, too)


So what do we think?
1. Everybody wants this! Why wont any politician do it? y
2. National Security, need more not less n
3. Raise taxes? Again? n
4. More Taxes? (surprise surprise) n
5. Nationalized Health Care? (paid for by -- more taxes) n
6. Tax breaks now? Ok, but you sound like WalMart...... y
7. Naive view of energy, and expensive, but close...... n
8. Huh? I think we do this, but not with dictators..... ?
9. Are you Walt Disney? This is poppycock. n
10. You sound like Bush! y

Score:

yeah 3
nyet 6
with one abstention.