[dinopello]

The thing is, the President can't really pass this or that law or remove existing ones. You can veto proposed new ones and move the armed forced around. You can argue for whatever you want but you have to convince a lot of people.

The quickest impact you could have is veto everything and tell the armed forces where to go and what to do. It would be interesting. Congress would have to come up with stuff that a veto majority could agree on. It might work.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'T')hen there's Congress to deal with, the holder of the pursestrings.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('StormBringer', 'A') few things I would do are:

1) pass a flat 15% tax regardless of income.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('StormBringer', '3')) Pass a 20% tax on all imports

[StormBringer]

First of all there is nothing hypocritical about enforcing immigration laws that are already on the books but are not being enforced.

Second as far as the trucking industry it takes trucks to go from the train to the store now don't it SO putting them out of business NO, asking them to change YES.

As far as trade there are things such as mutually advantageous...I'm just tired of the shit end of the stick.

And if you cant see that the status quo which you are defending so much doesn't work I feel sorry for you. Defend your house of cards all you want. You want things fixed yet you don't want things to change DONT WANT TO GIVE UP A FEW GOODIES WELL BOO HOO and YOU CALL ME A HYPOCRITE PLEASE...........

______
Storm

[phaster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Daphne64', 'W')hat would you do?

After balling up and crying, of course.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Thralen', 'I') think Heinlein said it best in several of his books. The problem with Democracy is that eventually the people realize they can vote themselves bread and circuses. After they start doing so, things go downhill rapidly (see California for a prime example). Also to note he mentioned that its upside is that it is the best form of government yet invented, which doesn't really mean it is all that good, just the best of a bad lot.

[RdSnt]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nickel', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RdSnt', 'H')ow's that for starters

[Byron100]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RdSnt', '
')I'd implement a minimum income, say $15,000/year, to everyone over voting age.
Then I'd cancel all other support systems, welfare, UI, etc...
Why?

It's much simpler and would eliminate vast hordes of bureaucrats and complex (expensive to maintain) and overlapping accounting systems.
Businesses could get rid of all the crap they have to keep track of to satisfy the various employment support systems.
There would be no additional government run retirement structures. The basic income would last till the grave.

Businesses would pay less to their employees, those that chose to work ( and there would be plenty).

Part of the reasoning for this is to cope with the need to reduce the workforce. The US overconsumes, and that is rapidly coming to an end. Yet, what do we do with all the workers?

How to pay for this? Tax at the level needed to support it and there would be graduated tax system. Historically the US has done far better when taxes were high. The very best times of productivity and dominance, the top tax rate was 90%.
Each time low taxes has been tried the country attempting it has failed miserably. And you only have to look at the US in its current state to see the proof of that.

[Pops]

http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic34624.html

[Pops]

PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject: Re: Steps to take
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')I’d guess my thoughts are more structural; actually they may be more along the lines of knocking out some of the existing structure:

Institute a gradual increase to maybe a $20/gal petroleum tax and the equivalent on all other energy sources.

Institute a flat federal income tax with NO subsidies/credits/allowances/distinction between income sources except for charitable giving and impose it on all imports/transactions as well, no matter the base of the importer. Eliminate all sales/state/local/special district taxes. Distribute a portion of federal income taxes to states and localities uniformly by population. Any tax money to only be spent in return for meaningful work.

Strictly, and I mean strictly, no, really; strictly regulate whatever financial institutions may be left.

Eliminate all overseas military bases. Institute a mandatory 2 year military or civilian service requirement at 18 years of age paying room and board. Arm and train every male age 18-35.

Make concealed carry mandatory for all able bodied adults. Eliminate all drug laws, make any drug involved crime and any existing fixed-sentence punishment over ten years a death penalty offence – lesser crimes are punishable by old fashioned hard labor.

Make voting mandatory. Make professional lobbying illegal and punishable by death, cap political contributions at $100, re-define political districts to existing municipal or county boundaries and allow no further changes.


Then go to my undisclosed location and watch things unfold on CNN - wait a minute, I would also make owning more than one media outlet illegal too.

It might not have helped but it would sure be interesting to watch…

[RdSnt]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Byron100', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RdSnt', '
')I'd implement a minimum income, say $15,000/year, to everyone over voting age.
Then I'd cancel all other support systems, welfare, UI, etc...
Why?

It's much simpler and would eliminate vast hordes of bureaucrats and complex (expensive to maintain) and overlapping accounting systems.
Businesses could get rid of all the crap they have to keep track of to satisfy the various employment support systems.
There would be no additional government run retirement structures. The basic income would last till the grave.

Businesses would pay less to their employees, those that chose to work ( and there would be plenty).

Part of the reasoning for this is to cope with the need to reduce the workforce. The US overconsumes, and that is rapidly coming to an end. Yet, what do we do with all the workers?

How to pay for this? Tax at the level needed to support it and there would be graduated tax system. Historically the US has done far better when taxes were high. The very best times of productivity and dominance, the top tax rate was 90%.
Each time low taxes has been tried the country attempting it has failed miserably. And you only have to look at the US in its current state to see the proof of that.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RdSnt', 'C')hange your Constitution and I'll run. I would ban all handguns

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'r')e-define political districts to existing municipal or county boundaries and allow no further changes.

[RdSnt]

Actually on that last point Pops, something that I would seriously look at implementing is defining boundaries based on watersheds.

It would be something that I would initiate later in my mandate.

In spite of all the discussion of energy, water is the basis of all life and it is also the underlying element of organization and determiner of responsibility.

[evilgenius]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nickel', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('StormBringer', 'A') few things I would do are:

1) pass a flat 15% tax regardless of income.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RdSnt', 'A')ctually on that last point Pops, something that I would seriously look at implementing is defining boundaries based on watersheds.

[Sixstrings]

Nickel wrote:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')eah, they used to be the holders of the arrow quiver, too, but they signed off on that one pretty fast a couple of terms ago, so why not abdicated it all?

[sicophiliac]

Id change the tax code so that you are penalized severely for having more than two children. Also if somebody keeps popping out babies and continues to drain the system via food stamps, welfare etc they should be sterilized. For those who have two or fewer children things will stay the same tax wise.

Bring back eugenics with mandatory genetic screenings of all citizens, immigrants and newborn children. Those who choose to have children despite their genetic inferiority shall be punished financially through fines etc. Failure to comply would result in mandatory sterilization.

Legalize euthanasia and encourage it for the incurably disabled,elderly, drug addicted, homeless etc.

Increase funding for genetic engineering to more quickly bring about the next stage in human evolution: people who are smarter, stronger,faster and more free of disease.
Increase funding for regenerative medicine so that people can live longer and be more productive happy citizens.

Increase funding for AI and nanotechnology research.

Clone mammoths and sabertooth tigers just because.
I will add more posts when I think of more ideas.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nickel', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('StormBringer', 'A') few things I would do are:

1) pass a flat 15% tax regardless of income.