We Have Three Choices
Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2011
by Michael Ramzy
delusionthread.com
Another beautiful day sweeps over America, and I am thrilled to be off for a week so I can catch up on SearchWarp and sleep (although not in that order!). I have noticed our government employees are still entrenched in the Blame Game in Washington, which leads me to think thinks are pretty much the same: in fact, I haven't missed anything at all in the past few weeks.
So. We need to fix our budget, and although the NEA and Planned Parenthood are a tremendous drain on our economic resources (they aren't, but bear with me here), we need another solution. Here, then, for your pleasure, are the three choices:
1) Raise Taxes
No one admits this is a sound idea, yet if you understand we are spending more than we are earning, you have to know this is plausable, at least. Sure, raising taxes is death to any campaign, yet the money has to come from somewhere. And I'm not talking only about taxing the rich (although I wonder how someone making 10 million can pay 8% tax), Im talking about taxing everyone: Big companies (GE, for starters, who apparently was off the radar), will pay what they should. Do away with all tax loopholes, all 'shelters', and have everyone pay something. The poor who don't pay now won't pay in the future (unless their income rises, of course), yet they also won't get a refund. Call it a flat tax, call it a fair tax, call it whatever you wish: the point is the government must raise more revenue and obviously the place to start is where you can, and where the money is. Someone making five million a year should not pay less taxes than you or I.
Of course, no one in government has the stones to call for raising taxes, so the government will have to consider another option:
2) Cut Spending
Cutting spending on the NEA or Planned Parenthood is more ideological than economic, of course. The Republicans thought this was a good place to stand and fight on the budget, and as it turned out is wasn't. When you are talking about saving trillions of dollars, a couple of hundred million aren't really worth the effort. If the government is going to cut spending, one of the big three has to be revamped completely: Defense, Social Security, Medicare.
Defense can take the biggest hit, probably, since we are in 2 wars now (where, honestly, we should be out by now) and our push-button military can save trillions alone by scaling back. Social Security is not the government's money, it's ours, so that's pretty much off the table. That leaves Medicare (and Medicaid). Good luck to those who suggest getting rid of (or revamping) that, as Rep. Ryan has found.
Then again, there is the third option:
3) Keep Dreaming
Our president, along with pretty much all of the Democrats and Republicans, believe by 'cutting entitlements' we can eliminate the debt. This is not only factually wrong, it is dreaming of the worst sort: that is akin to me saying if I put one less gallon of gas in my truck, pretty soon I will be awash in millions and living life in Fiji with the native women fighting over me. It just will not happen.
There are not enough 'entitlements' to really matter. You can take away all of the funding to all of the organizations you wish, and it won't make a dent.
There are three choices: Raise taxes, cut one of the big three, continue dreaming. Of course, the compromise will be a combination of the first two, yet our elected employees must stop the third option. We, as concerned citizens, should as well.
This Article has been viewed 1,279 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Why does this make sense to so many regular people but we can't seem to get anyone in government to try something this simple???Probably because those in government either forget why they are there, or they can't comprehend something that simple. Thanks for the comment.
Yeah Mike, if the rich would do their part and pay their fair share of taxes we could get ourselves out of this depth we're in today.I agree completely. Their 'fair share' is up to debate, of course, yet all of the tax shelters (which are different from incentives) and write-offs have to go. They won't, of course, and at the same time we can tax them to death and we still will need to cut spending. We can't (nor should we) rely on the rich (or actually, the super-rich) to paya proportionate amount of tax since they have too many legal reasons not to. Our elected employees must do something other than whine and complain and blame the other party. They write the laws, I really wonder what the problem is . . .
Taxing and what is a tax a complicated matter. Yet, by fact from an IRS standpoint alone, more then 50% of all Americans did not pay taxes and 50% of what was collected in taxes came from the very rich. The entire issue of taxes, entitlements, etc, are clouded in the lack of real knowledge many Americans don't seem to have. Like Social Security which does not contribute to the debt. The real question that by opinion many just don't grasp is what has happened to America? When one has they evidently do not see? Lose it and then "eyes wide open." No, this Global Society many yearn for, where we are all one, has destroyed and decemated our nation, fact that just won't ever sink in because it is just that, truth. Thanks for the input. Best wishes.I don't know anyone who yearns for a Global Society, yet for this nation you have to understand 2 things: 50% of Americans (let's say the number is correct) didn't pay tax because they didn't make enough money to pay tax. And the 50% who did - the 'very rich' - were they taxed proportionally? I don't care how much money one makes - the more the better, of course - yet if you make 10 million a year, should you pay a lesser percentage in tax that you or I? That is the real question.
Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it.
Excellent Michael - good to have your ideas and perspective - You have my vote! Blessings to you! And don't let those ladies mob you to death!I would really mind being mobbed in Fiji. Really.
Thanks as always.LOL - Okay, I'll call on my Fiji girlfriends in my dreams and send them your way!!
Something like that. What's the difference between a corporate paid lobbyist to lobby the government, and a corporate paid elected official to lobby the people? Always remember they have $millions of good reasons not to come up with answers to problems that are making some of us healthy, wealthy, and I can't quite go with wise.:-) Oh well, two out of three ain't bad.Absolutely correct, sir. I forget the amount of money at stake in Washington.
Thank you very much, as always.
Sounds like a plan. Very well thought out Michael, I'm sure your ideas would get a lot of votes!Thanks. The problem is, the American people don't want to hear these things: they want to eat their cake and have it too. Taxes have to be raised (and the shelters for both companies and individuals done away with), and something's got to give. No one wants to hear it, and politicians know this is not the way to get elected. If Mr. Obama today said 'we are going to have to raise everyone's taxes to pay for things', the Republicans (and many Democrats) would go into a frenzy. When a Republican (Mr. Ryan) calls for 'tweaking' Medicare, the left goes into a frenzy and (wrongly) believes Ryan wants to do away with the whole thing.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I wish people would realize it really is as easy as it seems.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.