- Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:49 am
#39787
Alright Brandon, but you're not going to like some of them.
1. Urgent! Fix our infrastructure. We could start an infrastructure bank funded by a modest increase in the gas tax. Make this fund off limits to Congress except fpr use for infrastructure improvements and repair. With the interest rates effectively about zero we might even borrow the money to start the fund until taxes could be raised to make the fund sustainable. a 1% surcharge on taxes could also be a solution. It must be remembered that there is no free lunch. This is urgent as business loses tons of money sitting in traffic tieups and damage to trucks due to potholrd, etc. An ombudsman, withpower to prosecute, should bve appointed to protect against cost overruns, theft, make-work projects, fraud and to make sure that work is done properly and to specifications. This would create many thousands of construction jobs and the wages would have a ripple effect on the economy and the increased money pumped into the economy would help to "raise all boats."
2. Taxes. This is complicated. The solution must include all countries in the United Nations. All nations must agree to turn over any taxes that would be due to the country that is owed the taxes, An international court would be enpowered to adjudicate disputed cases. Although I doubt that I will ever see it; an international taxation code should be enacted to deter companies from seeking out tax havens. Let me illustrate how some coumtris act. Nevis is a small Caribbean island country that has become a tax haven. To find out ANY information about a Nevis corporation or corporation that banks in Nevis you have to file a petition with the courts, post a $25,000 bond and hire a Nevis attorney to act on your behalf with the courts. No non-Nevis attorney can have any action with a Nevis court. Nevis courts usually side with the corporations and the judge might keep uour bond if he considers the petition the be frivilous.
3. Taxes continued. Our tax code should be revised to make it simple. Taxes would be removed from all taxable income before you get it at the rate set by law. You would not have the option of claiming more dependents than you actually have. In some countries it is not necessary to file at the end of the year unless you have overpaid that year. This would greatly decrease the necessity to have a huge IRS and much of the work now done by the IRS could be done by computers. This would also allow taxpayers to keep the money they have to spend each year to prpare their taxes. This would be a huge saving to corporations.
4. Health care. The government must have the ability to negociate drug prices for any governemnt program that pays for and/or prescribes drugs. Under the Prescription drug plan it is a crime for government to even attempt to negociate drug prices for the VA, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Medical costs should have some mechianism to regulate what doctors can charge. Example. I recently had a minor surgical procedure. I was given a sedative to keep me calm during the procedure. The entire procedure took about 20 minutes. I got a bill from the anesthesiologist for $3,000. I didn't even know that he was involved. I thought the surgeon admsinstered the drug. Every one of us has wondered why a hospital charges $16 for an aspirin. There is a master list of everything that a hospital uses or does that every hospital ues. The master list has no basis on reality but each hospital uses it anyway. Charges from doctors and hospitals must be based on actual costs not the master idex.
5.. Pensions. Pensions should be inviolate. Pensions have become the cash cow of corporate raiders and, in a bankruptcy, the Federal government is left holding the bag for the pensions. Pension are a part of the salary that is paid to workers. Workers should not lose their pensions due to a company's banruptcy or because a company wants to use the pension fund to balance their P/L statement. Military and government pensions are weighing down state and federal governments. In some locals it is possible to retire after 20 years with 50% to 75% of your base salary. A change that would brings howls from many would be that the pension would be paid at the age the pensioner is eligible for Social Security. This would relieve much of the burden on the states and federal government. Disability pensions would not be affected.
6. Education. Each of us would probably admit that we are not getting the most bang for our education dollar. Many, many other countries are doinfg much better than us with less investment. We could ask for help (shudder, shudder.) We could possibly ask for an international committee of the best anf most efficient countries to study our school systems and issue recommendations. We must set our pride aside for a minute; only a fool would turn down help from an expert.
Note: The above might seem like I am favoring corporations and the federal governmnet but think about it. I am trying to decrease the need for big government, create fairness for all and bring more revenue into the state and federal government wiithout raising taxes. This in itself would go far to help the middle class. Number 6-if we could increase the effectiveness of our educational system it would go far to create a new middle class.
I'll continue with more later.