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davidwseattle
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davidwseattle
Member since : May-28-2009 (Verified)
4 Ideas, 1 Comments, 34 Votes
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Ideas Posted
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Social Security payments are the most regressive taxes we have, costing poorer people more money than other taxes (and were increased and made worse by Reagan to subsidize his tax breaks for the wealthy).
While these taxes have so far always been equally shared by employers and employees, even FDR (President Roosevelt) had wanted Social Security to be less burdensome for employees.
There are a variety of methods for making these taxes more equitable and we should examine what European and other OECD countries do to ensure a livable pension for those reach retirement age.
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In 1946 Congress drew up the Full Employment Act. Business interests gutted it and it no longer had any teeth ("Full" was even dropped from the name), but if we are to continue to be the strong country we have always been, we need Congressional action, and a public movement to back it up, to ensure that everyone who wants a job is employed and at livable wages.
There's plenty that needs doing and we have plenty of money to do it (if we increase taxes on the top 2%, ensure corporations pay both the federal and state taxes they should pay, and take significant amounts out the money spent on the military).
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Bloomberg News and the New York Times have documented nearly $13 trillion dollars given or promised by the Federal Reserve and the government since the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in September 2008.
While this $13 trillion includes TARP money and some recovery money, there is much more in a variety of Federal Reserve programs where we don't know which banks and corporations have gotten money and how much.
Because it is public money being spent, the public has a right to understand the specific details of where that money has been spent.
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Most financing for federal political campaigns comes from the top 2% of individuals and corporations and elected officials nearly always reflect those who have given them big money. Public financing would take that element out of the public process and make officials more accountable to the public at large. Maine and Arizona already have public financing and it has worked very well.
All corporate lobbying should be prohibited on a similar principle of financing by the wealthiest coroporations and industries. Politcal votes then represent those corporate interests rather than the broader public.
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