It seems clear after years of trying to tackle our ongoing deficit spending, that Congress has neither the will nor perhaps the desire to truly manage the people's money. While today is NOT the time balance the budget by increasing revenues and cutting services, it IS the time to plan for that day. Politically, the populace is nervous about the debt, the Republicans (disingenuously) rant about "liberal spending," and the world watches us with a nervous eye when we go to market our treasury bills. Therefore the climate is ripe for a bold initiative to mandate a balanced budget based on future circumstances. Republicans would struggle to nay say it, and the pols would all need to at least pay it lip service. The key to success is in drafting an Ammendment to the Constitution that kicks a balanced budget requirement in and out of action automatically on a set of predetermined rules. For example, when the nation has had X number of consecutive quarters of growth and or the unemployement rate has fallen to Y%, the annual deficit would decrease by $N or N% per year until balanced. Conversely, the balancing act could revert on some basis to deficit spending being allowed in the case of economic downturn, a 2/3rds vote of Congress (no less, please!) or a Declaration of War by the Congress (not like that lame bit we did going in to Iraq). So, true fiscal discipline can become law at a future date based on parameters negotiated now by both parties. Hell, let the Republicans set the parameters!
Every year our tax code grows. It's well over a million pages. It's full of loopholes, exceptions and exclusions that pretty much only benefit the wealthy and, most of all, the politicians that wrote the code and stuffed it into another Bill as pork. There should be a flat income tax of 25% for everyone; rich, poor, corporate..everyone/thing with an income. This would give everyone a tax break right off the bat. A huge portion of the IRS could be dismantled. No more income tax form submissions. No more loopholes. Fair. Ain't that what obama wants? Fair?
For the cost of one fighter jet, the US could develop a fusion reactor that would make oil and coal obsolete. The Bussard polywell fusion reactor has great potential (no pun intended), and needs government investment.
Recent college graduates bring new skills and enthusiasm to the workplace. Copious amount of student debt however, force students into debt before they can establish themselves into the workforce and even before graduation. This is particularly problematic in a time where employers often check credit scores and financial records prior to offering jobs. A stimulus package is needed to encourage college graduates at all levels to enter the workforce and further stimulate our economy with their newfound skills, knowledge and willingness to become productive members of society. Perhaps we can establish a system whereby community service in preselected areas can accumulate "credit" towards student loan debt - i.e. one hour of community service equals one dollar toward loan repayment. Please comment and expand. Also, I think this is a great idea and easy to use forum that will make government more accessible and ultimately more efficient.
With the DOD planning to stop the purchase of additional F-22 fighters, it's likely that the production line for the F-22 will close. When a weapons production line closes, there is little likelihood of ever restarting it in the event of a war.
At the same time, we can't afford to keep the production line open ourselves. Unlike previous times we've shutdown fighter programs, there's no replacement programs planned in the immediate future. The 6th generation technology for a purely unmanned fighter is a decade, and, probably more, away from being a practically deployed weapon.
There's no reason why this fighter can't be sold to our closest allies like Australia, Japan, Great Britain, and Germany. These allies are essential to a stable, democratic world and have proven themselves responsible with safeguarding advanced technology in the past. We've even shared ICBM technology and nuclear weapons technology with Great Britain; Great Britain's main nuclear deterrent force consists of US made Trident II-D5 SLBMs with warheads developed through joint nuclear weapons technology partnerships.
Given the risk to the world posed by rogue nations and terrorist groups, it's important to keep those close allies well equipped, militarily. In the event of a war, their help will be essential. The US can't financially afford the costs of being the world's sole policeman.
As far as the fear of the inadvertent release of stealth technologies, I'm sure that every intelligence agency worth their paycheck across the world already has access to the F-22 technology. F-117s with 1st generation stealth technology have already been lost in combat.
From a purely financial perspective, exporting the F-22 would help create jobs in the US and help our trade balance. We can use the revenue generated though exports to help build the 6th generation fighters, which will probably be unmanned.
Tactically speaking, by the time the first planes are exported and crews trained to fly them, we will already have a trained and experienced F-22 fighter pilot pool. We will also probably be very close to production of a 6th generation fleet of planes. The risk of letting this technology go offshore at the end of the US order production run is pretty low. After all, the F-22 is a late 1980's technology.
By allowing the export of the F-22, after US orders are filled, we can keep the production line open, create jobs for US workers, improve our trade balance, and generate much needed revenue for the development of the next generation of fighter aircraft. At the same time, we are strengthening the allies we need to stop rogue nations. Japan, especially, is in need of advanced fighters to counter potential threats from North Korea and China.
We have huge debt. Obama instead is promising to let tax cuts to top 1% rich expire in 2010. It will be 2011 before the money even flows into our treasury.
Movie stars don't need million dollar weddings, numerous homes, etc. Billionaires are very common today while our society can't pay to run our government. Our large, educated middle class made us the great democracy "we were". If you are lucky to prosper in our democracy, you should pay back so others can do the same.
Operating on the same principles as hydroelectric generators we could have almost unlimited free energy if we could harness the trillions of tax dollars disappearing down the DC rathole.
First, my background, I spend 22.5 years in the active duty Air Force, serving my country.
Why is it that the federal govt has to spend every penny that it's given? In the AF I saw the same thing every year. At the beginning of the fiscal year we were given our budget. At the 10th or 11th month of that same fiscal year, we were told to spend all the money we had left over, we HAD to spend it. New chairs, desk, computers, staplers and so on until every cent was spent.
I say that we need to rethink how the Federal Govt. spends it's money. We would not run our households and businesses that way, why is it ok to run the government that way?
I recommend that at the end of the year, any money that's left over in the budget gets turned back in. This return of capital could be used to pay off the deficit, put back into investments or even put back for the next year's budget. What's so hard to figure out?
The government has had a tough time setting a budget. The effects of global warming are evident has time progresses. The deficit continues to grow with overseas affairs. The increase in budget is called upon by the American people, who want to decrease global warming and gain energy independence. I recommend the following to do so.
1.Go/No go increase budget by selling of all federal, and state automobiles to China. 2.Go/No go on decreasing global warming by having all the federal and state automobiles becoming hybrids from General Motors that run off ethanol, or whatever fuel we move forward with.
During the Great Depression in Wörgl Austria a new monetary system was introduced. The economy started to do very well. Money circulated 14 times faster and tax income rose 1,300%. Because the money was backed by Austrian Schilling, this money had the same value. If tax income in the US rises 1,300%, there is room to end the income tax and lower all other kinds of taxes.
You can read more about it here: http://www.naturalmoney.org/introduction.html
Apparently they don't want unemployment to go down yet. They want the sheeple to be dependent on the government. Until the idiots in DC get removed, no one will have any confidence in what is going to happen. I am a small business owner and everyone I talk to says the same thing, it is a lack of confidence in our elected officials. Once they know what is going to happen they will start spending again. I know I will not spend any money I do not need to right now.
If Mr. Obama wants to turn the economy around, here are a few pointers.
1. Release the long form birth certificate and college records. This will return some trust to the people.
2. Talk to some real people in the trenches. Don't rely on just your elitist buddies in DC. They only do what is good for themselves and what they need to do to get reelected. Specter is the perfect example of this.
3. Stop the bailouts. Everyone (with a brain) knows you cant spend more than you take in. This would give people confidence that their taxes are not going to go through the roof. I know that this is contrary to what the current politicians want. The more they tax the more control they get.
4. Pick people for your cabinet that are actually trustworthy. I really don't need to mention the tax cheats do I?
5. Don't burden the people more by passing this CAP and Tax scheme. Why would I spend any money when I am expecting to be paying the little disposable income I have in higher energy prices?
6. Stop government control of health care. Just look to any government run program to see the waste and corruption. The postal service, social security, etc. If you truly want to reduce the cost of healthcare, start with the lawyers that file frivolous lawsuits. We already have a shortage of qualified nurses in this country. Do you really think that young people will go in to the healthcare field if there salaries get limited?
7. Drill, drill, drill. This alone would put thousands of people to work immediately.
8. Remove the illegals and close the border. This would free up (I'm sure you know the number) of jobs for AMERICAN citizens.
9. Even though I am against more government control, legalize and tax marijuana. At the least it should be removed as a schedule 1 narcotic. It makes no sense that cigarettes and alcohol are legal when they do more harm to society than marijuana ever could. The tax revenue alone would be astronomical. The jobs that would be created would be significant. The money we would save in enforcement, courts, etc would also be significant. The war on drugs has failed. It is time to admit the fact.
There are so many common sense ways to help turn this mess around. These are just a start.
It is time to get your head out of your ass and the asses of the unions that got you elected and do the right thing.
Most scientist say Man could not change the climate even if he wanted to. Contrary to most peoples belief there is no evidence that Man is causing Global Warming. The evidence points to the activity of the sun. Check it out. RWCX
No matter what document he displays NOW, no matter what series of heavily-locked vaults he puts it in, no matter how the paper smells (even if you have C. Everett Koop himself sign on his medical honor that the carbon-date tests show that the certificate Obama shows is the self-same one that was printed as he lay in the manger of the Hawaiian stable) ...
SOMEBODY is going to claim that it's "forgery etc."
Why? Because Obama is SO wonderful, anarchists-etc. have NOTHING ELSE to tear him down for!
I think the federal government needs to spend more on technology in the classroom. Technology is THE way not just to a greener future (less paper waste) but efficiency and real accountability. On another note, I think google can help the government and the education sector much more effectively than microsoft has been able to with their Outlook Exchange servers.
No significant health care reform can take place without bringing the trial lawyers to that table and enacting real tort reform. As a physician in rural NY, I see thousands of dollars spent every day in pursuit of "defensive medicine." So much could be saved if doctors were allowed to practice medicine as they were trained in medical school, and not in fear of losing their livelihood with each narcotic prescription they write or mammogram they read. Think about countries where the malpractice risk is less; this is a big reason why their health care costs are less.
The income tax is unconstitutional therefore illegal. The 16th Amendment was never properly ratified. There are MUCH better ways of collecting taxes that are more efficient and more fair. A progressive income tax is another fascist act they pretend is apart of the American way. This also involves getting rid of the Federal Reserve and the IRS.
Under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.7, all large government contractors are "supposed" to do a minimum amount of business with small business. With the SBA's budget being cut in half by the previous administration, there is currently no oversight to insure small business participation in existing very largte covernment contracts.
By following the advice of the House Small Business Committee and its Chair Rep Valazquez (NY) to fully fund the SBA back to the Clinton levels (around an additional billion dollars in funding), it could help generate tens of billions of dollars in small business subcontracting with very large government primes.
The large primes are currently abusing the "good faith" standard in FAR 19.7 by having small business registrations count as a good faith effort, as opposed to actual dollars spent on small business. As the SBA currently stands, they cannot enforce small business plans submitted by the large primes.
Ummmm HEEEEELLLLOOOO......how are we supposed to pay off this outstanding debt???? Hey by the way, have you noticed even American Freedom has a Made In China label on it?
The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers. By the adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity. -Abraham Lincoln
If congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given them to use themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations. -Andrew Jackson
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), founder of the House of Rothschild.
"The few who understand the system will either be so interested in its profits or be so dependent upon its favours that there will be no opposition from that class, while on the other hand, the great body of people, mentally incapable of comprehending the tremendous advantage that capital derives from the system, will bear its burdens without complaint, and perhaps without even suspecting that the system is inimical to their interests." The Rothschild brothers of London writing to associates in New York, 1863.
Despite these warnings, Woodrow Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. A few years later he wrote: I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. -Woodrow Wilson
This is not complicated. Why do we take care of so many around the world before we take care of our own? Let’s stop sending billions to other countries in aid and take care of our own people first! Snap – instant national healthcare!
Now that General Motors is mostly a socialized (nationalized) car company owned by 'we the people' of these United States of America, I propose that we keep Americans busy working building free cars for 'we the people' since we own the car company.
I think Americans should get something out of this deal.
Tim Geitner said Chinese assets in the US are very safe, and got a derisive laugh from STUDENTS!!! STUDENTS! Even the young and untrained can see through this farce! Our economy is being taken over by the government and crashed through over spending. STUDENTS realize it is a farce! You think the rest of the country hasn’t figured this out, too?
The Federal Reserve is supposed to PROTECT the Economy and STABILIZE the dollar. It is complicit in, if not directly responsible for, the economy the way it is.
And so is the Senate. They have passed bills forcing lenders to lend to people who couldn’t qualify and didn’t fiscally deserve loans! Then they blame the lenders for loose lending practices. Isn’t that what politicians always do??? Seems so!
If a law is contemplated to address some issue, then measurement of that law's EFFECT on the issue must be part of the law, as well as thresholds under which the law would be retroactively revoked. For example, if a particular law is envisioned to address crime, then as a part of the law, there must be specific, concrete MEASUREMENTS by which the effectiveness of the law in reducing crime must be measured. If the law is not effective in its goal, then its automatically washed off the books.
This would END the crazy rediculous laws that we have being passed which either have no real effect on their stated purpose or else have some horrible unintended side-effect.
The stimulus package was supposed to stimulate the economy. Did it? Who knows, since no clear measurements were stated in the bill by which the effectiveness of the bill should be measured.
Looks Promising!
I'm Not So Sure...
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