Taxes

[TexTushHog]

Slash the defense budget.

Enact single payer health care to gain efficiencies in health care delivery. Paying insurance companies 35% for what Medicare and Medicaid do for 2 - 4% is ridiculous. It would increase government spending, but you would have to raise taxes by less than individuals and businesses spend on insurance. The government's new found ability to negotiate with providers should also help slow the growth of Medicare and Medicaid.

Invest more in training doctors and nurses so that wages in those fields will be lowered in the future.

Raise the cap on SS taxes to $250k. That alone will create a surplus in SS. Use the surplus to increase payments under SS.

Means test half of SS benefits. No sense paying those with more than adequate incomes to collect SS. For those who are truly wealthy -- say income of over $240k/yr. in retirement, no SS benefits in those years when they have that sort of income.

End agricultural subsidies in all cases, or at least for large farmers.

End corporate welfare style programs.

In a graduated, but fairly short time horizon -- say five years -- increase gasoline taxes by $2/gal. Spurs alternative energy development to get us off of Middle Eastern oil, slows global climate change, and creates revenue.

End the two un-winnable wars of choice in the Middle East ASAP.

Eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains and dividends over $5 or $10k per person.

[atlcomedy]

Originally Posted by TexTushHog

Invest more in training doctors and nurses so that wages in those fields will be lowered in the future.

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no mention of doing something similar for ambulance chasers

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by TexTushHog

In a graduated, but fairly short time horizon -- say five years -- increase gasoline taxes by $2/gal. Spurs alternative energy development to get us off of Middle Eastern oil, slows global climate change, and creates revenue.

I understand your reasoning, but this would really impact the poor's ability to pay for transportation (private and commercial) to and from work. The fact is, this revolution in the Arab world is already going to keep people from reaching their jobs.

[heidilynnla]

What a concept. Work hard to get ahead!!!

Originally Posted by atlcomedy

What you worried what the curb feels like

Seriously though, in many cases (I'm not talking about PJ's Fortune 100 CEO's) the difference between being marginal (probably not the best term but the OP used it, substitute "poor performer") and a solid performer is not ability or aptitude but work ethic, giving a damn and a willingness to go the extra mile (I know I used a bunch of tired cliches). If the poor performer knew the consequence of his actions was the curb, he'd modify his behavior.

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by atlcomedy

What you worried what the curb feels like

Seriously though, in many cases (I'm not talking about PJ's Fortune 100 CEO's) the difference between being marginal (probably not the best term but the OP used it, substitute "poor performer") and a solid performer is not ability or aptitude but work ethic, giving a damn and a willingness to go the extra mile (I know I used a bunch of tired cliches). If the poor performer knew the consequence of his actions was the curb, he'd modify his behavior.

I know what the curb feels like.

My problem would be how this "yardstick" is applied to "slow" or people of poor intelligence or like employees.

I don't have any problem holding an employee up to that employee's potential (how do you measure that?). But I had plenty of teachers in boring classes tell me that I wasn't performing to my level, so there must be some sense on how to come to that opinion. I worry about what happens to the people who are already performing at their highest potential, yet are still "marginal" employees.

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

I worry about what happens to the people who are already performing at their highest potential, yet are still "marginal" employees.

Well, you probably don't want them performing brain surgery on you.

[FatBastard]

Eliminate funding for the arts....it's not the mission of the Federal government.

Eliminate foreign aid.....charity starts at home.....we should take care of Americans at home first before we assist those overseas.

Pull completely out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trim congressional staffs and benefits....they should get the same benefits the public gets.

Eliminate most, if not all, research grants that are not aligned with the mission of the government....let the private sector fund the research that it deems necessary.

Just some random ideas...

[atlcomedy]

For the most part I believe in limited government spending....core infrastructure like roads & providing for our collective security...

Where I get more liberal on spending in non-core areas it is education & public transportation. Education and access to it should need no explaination. The problem, as noted above, is in its efficiency. The second is public transportation (I realize this applies mostly to urban areas), not for environmental reasons but because it is what allows lower income individuals to efficiently get to work.

Oh & big no no...taxpayer financed sports stadiums for teams owned by billionaires

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by FatBastard

Eliminate foreign aid.....charity starts at home.....we should take care of Americans at home first before we assist those overseas.

In addition, I would eliminate the funding of foreign governments' militaries. It only gets us in trouble with the new government when (not if, when) there is a revolution. And it would save us billions.

No more financing the Shah of Iran. No more financing Egyptian military. And especially, no more financing Israel. Let every country make it or break it on their own. Same principle as capitalism.

[atlcomedy]

Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

In addition, I would eliminate the funding of foreign governments' militaries. It only gets us in trouble with the new government when (not if, when) there is a revolution. And it would save us billions.

No more financing the Shah of Iran. No more financing Egyptian military. And especially, no more financing Israel. Let every country make it or break it on their own. Same principle as capitalism.

Ok...now you have stirred the pot a bit...

Only, "Hitler wasn't really so bad" & "The Holocaust never really happened" will bring down a message board thread quicker

[charlestudor2005]

Didn't mean to throw fire on gasoline. Just trying to treat all Mideast countries equally.

[roscoe14850]

Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

I know what the curb feels like.

My problem would be how this "yardstick" is applied to "slow" or people of poor intelligence or like employees.

I don't have any problem holding an employee up to that employee's potential (how do you measure that?). But I had plenty of teachers in boring classes tell me that I wasn't performing to my level, so there must be some sense on how to come to that opinion. I worry about what happens to the people who are already performing at their highest potential, yet are still "marginal" employees.

Why should gov't be any different than the private sector? If you can't live up to expectations at your job, it's no raise or even worse your out! Work a job that you are capable of performing, and as harsh as it sounds, that's your place in life. I do well at my job and I'm compensated for that but I would be a miserable doctor. I hope you weren't inferring earlier that a marginal employee should be kept on or given a raise "just because", that's a poison pill the education system has been forced to take over & over.

[DFW5Traveler]

Originally Posted by TexTushHog

Slash the defense budget.

Disagree with part of this, it's not the men and women that are the problem. Cut the outsourcing budget like Obama's private military, Triple Canopy or Bush's Blackwater.

Enact single payer health care to gain efficiencies in health care delivery. Single payer is a socialist program that has no place in a free society.

Paying insurance companies 35% for what Medicare and Medicaid do for 2 - 4% is ridiculous. It would increase government spending, but you would have to raise taxes by less than individuals and businesses spend on insurance. The government's new found ability to negotiate with providers should also help slow the growth of Medicare and Medicaid.

Invest more in training doctors and nurses so that wages in those fields will be lowered in the future. How about we cut attorneys also?

Raise the cap on SS taxes to $250k. That alone will create a surplus in SS. Use the surplus to increase payments under SS. Stop SS programs that give money to non-retirees.

Means test half of SS benefits. No sense paying those with more than adequate incomes to collect SS. For those who are truly wealthy -- say income of over $240k/yr. in retirement, no SS benefits in those years when they have that sort of income.

End agricultural subsidies in all cases, or at least for large farmers. Agree

End corporate welfare style programs. Agree

In a graduated, but fairly short time horizon -- say five years -- increase gasoline taxes by $2/gal. Spurs alternative energy development to get us off of Middle Eastern oil, slows global climate change, and creates revenue. Do this and ensure that the middle class can never save for the future. You must be one of those upper-crust people afraid of the middle class rising up to compete against you. Hmmm!!! Afraid of a capitalist idea like competition and advocating something that would destroy the middle class. Bravo...

End the two un-winnable wars of choice in the Middle East ASAP. Hey, your party is just as responsible for these endless wars as the right.

Eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains and dividends over $5 or $10k per person. Those amounts are relatively small and would hit the middle class the hardest.

.

[discreetgent]

Originally Posted by DFW5Traveler

Enact single payer health care to gain efficiencies in health care delivery. Single payer is a socialist program that has no place in a free society.

Perhaps you in a fully free market society; Canada and many European countries have a single payer system and are still thought of as free societies.

End the two un-winnable wars of choice in the Middle East ASAP. Hey, your party is just as responsible for these endless wars as the right.

I didn't notice any assignation of blame in the original statement.

[DFW5Traveler]

Originally Posted by discreetgent

Perhaps you in a fully free market society; Canada and many European countries have a single payer system and are still thought of as free societies.

And where do some Canadians go when they need medical services they can't get to or have long waits in Canada? Single payer has been found to create backlogs when people go for every sniffle. People tend to maintain healthier lifestyles when they have to pay for their own medical services.

I didn't notice any assignation of blame in the original statement.

No, he didnt'. However that hasn't stopped him from making a political attack any chance his socialist brain gets the opportunity. Besides he has stated several times that the current administration is only cleaning up Bushs' problems.

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