Ok, I know almost none of you would vote for me, but you should...
I'd split right down the middle...
If we can afford our current military, then we can afford to provide basic services to our people. Americans should not be going hungry, or lack for medical care.
Single payer universal health care, free at the point of service. It should be a basic human right. The NHS in the UK isn't perfect, but it spends FAR less than the US does per person and provides at least basic universal care, free at the point of service. It is a crime against humanity that the US does not do this.
As for companies, I'd end the corporate income tax, it is stupid. Companies don't pay tax, people do. Instead I'd adjust the tax rates, no exemptions.
$0-$100K - 10% $100K-$1M - 20% $1M+ - 30%
All income from any source, capital gains, labor, etc. is taxed at the same rate. No deductions.
National Sales Tax of 10%, all state sales taxes abolished. No exceptions whatsoever. 7% of sales tax goes to the states, 3% to the federal government.
Monthly food benefits, all US Citizens (must prove citizenship) will get $300 a month for food, this compensates for food sales being taxed.
No more child tax credit, no earned income credit, nothing. Instead, every US Citizen (again, must prove citizenship) will get $500 a month for basic living expenses, this is a citizens dividend for being an American.
I would end birthright citizenship for foreigners, one of the parents must already be a US Citizen to enable the child to be one.
I would cut the military in half, the world does not need a US Policeman. I would probably however, nuke the middle east, because those people are savages living in the 12th century and we'd all be better off without them. (ok, maybe not, but I'd want to!)
---
There are many more things that I'd do, but that would be the start of it. I would never get any votes with that plan I don't think, but it strikes me as quite reasonable. If we can afford 11 nuclear aircraft carriers, then we can afford to take care of our people.
And I'm a right-wing Republican who strongly believes in capitalism... but regulated capitalism, because you need strong rules or people will abuse it.
You do not have mandatory service anymore in Germany but, when they did, you didn't go to prison for refusing to participate. Instead, you became ineligible for a variety of services including "free" continued education and things like that.
One one hand, I'm actually ok with that... sort of...
However, does this also mean your taxes are reduced? That is the flip side.:) If my taxes are paying for such things, then you can't rightly take them away, or then I'm back to slavery (working for something that I can't have).
The US can require mandatory service in times of war - that's the draft.
Yes, the laws are still on the books, but not only do I think they need to go away, I doubt they'd be used again. A volunteer service is much better anyway.
---
I have a better solution... How about humans stop killing each other?:)
If we took half the money we spend on military stuff and spend it on society, we'd ALL be better off.
Why do I have to state such most obvious things, I don't know.
You have to because most people really have no idea how the world works, how stuff shows up in the stores, and how the economy turns...
It is similar to many problems, where everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, even when they don't know what they are talking about.
Take flying, for example... I likely know more about flying than 99.9% of everyone here, yet post a story about the airlines, or airplanes, I'll post something about it, and then 10 people will tell me I'm wrong.
Watching the news report on aviation can be really painful.:)
Which was put there before they started collecting taxes. I'm betting if they have a do over on positioning their warehouses they would put them in low population states (aka just move it across the border to OK or NM).
Not quite...
It was here, then removed when TX wanted taxes collected... then a deal was made with the Comptroller of Texas and all back taxes were forgiven in return for bringing the warehouse back.
The South Dakota law, passed by the Legislature there in March, requires many out-of-state online and catalog retailers to collect the state's sales tax from customers.
Good for them, but I live in Texas and have no business presence in South Dakota.
I'm not subject to the laws of South Dakota, so they are free to pass any law they like and I'm free to ignore it. I'm no more subject to South Dakota's laws than I am to China's laws.
I sell online, I collect sales tax for Texas, no other states. I have no business presence in any other state.
Most other countries have a mandatory "National Service" type program where the moment you graduate from high school, you're in boot camp. Or other service, depending on physical ability.
Then they still have slavery...
Unless of course not showing up has no penalty attached to it...
Any nation that tells me that I *HAVE* to defend it isn't worth defending.
If you want someone to pay for your college education you damn well should expect some sort of obligation to be attached to all that money, you candy-ass entitled baby.
I don't expect anyone to pay for my college education but me.
If memory serves, they can do 10 months of military service, although some--typically conscientious objectors--apply for 12 months of civil service (e.g., working in a nursing home). Kind of a nice way of encouraging the next generation to constructively give back to their country.
Mandatory military service (or civil service) is just slavery by another name...
If you're telling me I must go "here" or "there" and do what you say, or you'll put me in prison, then I'm just a slave.
Firefox could clean up its UI act and market itself as the anti-corporate choice. People might care about it again. Tap into the vibrant Bernie Sanders crowd.
Fair enough... but how do you make money with that plan?
A poorly run business will eventually fail regardless of a broken window. The broken window will just cause it to happen earlier.
Well now you just aren't living in reality, using slogans and black and whites to try and make the point.
No business can survive anything and everything, they all have a breaking point. This might be the straw that breaks the camels back.
And at the end of the day, you ignored the point that the business owner didn't ask to have his window broken.
Frankly, your attitude is a really crappy one, you don't care about anyone but yourself, which is ironic because you color yourself with the "but help the poor people" nonsense, but you really wish to hurt others to make yourself feel better.
I see through it and so do a lot of other people, which is why you get the pushback that you do.
Only 42 percent said they support capitalism -- there was a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points. When asked what alternative system they would prefer, there wasn't a clear winner. Just 33 percent said they supported socialism.
Of course there wasn't a clear winner, they are rejecting what the schools and media have told them to reject, but frankly most of them have no bloody idea what they are talking about.
It's ok, they'll grow up and learn.
In my experience dealing with anyone under 30 years old, most of them have absolutely no idea how the economy works, how money works, what the difference between capital investment and expenses are, and so on. What it takes to turn raw materials into a $2 cheeseburger is completely lost on anyone who hasn't actually studied it.
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, I know almost none of you would vote for me, but you should...
I'd split right down the middle...
If we can afford our current military, then we can afford to provide basic services to our people. Americans should not be going hungry, or lack for medical care.
Single payer universal health care, free at the point of service. It should be a basic human right. The NHS in the UK isn't perfect, but it spends FAR less than the US does per person and provides at least basic universal care, free at the point of service. It is a crime against humanity that the US does not do this.
As for companies, I'd end the corporate income tax, it is stupid. Companies don't pay tax, people do. Instead I'd adjust the tax rates, no exemptions.
$0-$100K - 10%
$100K-$1M - 20%
$1M+ - 30%
All income from any source, capital gains, labor, etc. is taxed at the same rate. No deductions.
National Sales Tax of 10%, all state sales taxes abolished. No exceptions whatsoever. 7% of sales tax goes to the states, 3% to the federal government.
Monthly food benefits, all US Citizens (must prove citizenship) will get $300 a month for food, this compensates for food sales being taxed.
No more child tax credit, no earned income credit, nothing. Instead, every US Citizen (again, must prove citizenship) will get $500 a month for basic living expenses, this is a citizens dividend for being an American.
I would end birthright citizenship for foreigners, one of the parents must already be a US Citizen to enable the child to be one.
I would cut the military in half, the world does not need a US Policeman. I would probably however, nuke the middle east, because those people are savages living in the 12th century and we'd all be better off without them. (ok, maybe not, but I'd want to!)
---
There are many more things that I'd do, but that would be the start of it. I would never get any votes with that plan I don't think, but it strikes me as quite reasonable. If we can afford 11 nuclear aircraft carriers, then we can afford to take care of our people.
And I'm a right-wing Republican who strongly believes in capitalism... but regulated capitalism, because you need strong rules or people will abuse it.
Clinton just got handed the White House. Game over.
Not yet, Clinton hasn't sung yet...
Or did you think we were crowning a queen?
What do we do now?
Prepare for civil war... not tomorrow, not next year... but in the next 20-40 years I expect one...
This nation is deeply divided between two very different points of view. Neither side is interested in the middle.
It won't end well.
The only way to make this work is to rip it all out and replace sales tax with a Federal standard (see Europe and VAT), and that's not gonna happen.
Quoted for truth...
In the long run, this may have to happen since eCommerce is growing, not shrinking...
2,000 different tax rates and rules across the nation worked 30 years ago, but today, not so much.
No, but it means his money makes the plane fly. Without it, the plane just sits on the ground.
Is that no one wants to be self driven. 99% of people want to drive themselves.
Actually, you're projecting... I suspect the majority of people will love self-driving cars...
YOU might not, and that's ok, but I want one...
You do not have mandatory service anymore in Germany but, when they did, you didn't go to prison for refusing to participate. Instead, you became ineligible for a variety of services including "free" continued education and things like that.
One one hand, I'm actually ok with that... sort of...
However, does this also mean your taxes are reduced? That is the flip side. :) If my taxes are paying for such things, then you can't rightly take them away, or then I'm back to slavery (working for something that I can't have).
The US can require mandatory service in times of war - that's the draft.
Yes, the laws are still on the books, but not only do I think they need to go away, I doubt they'd be used again. A volunteer service is much better anyway.
---
I have a better solution... How about humans stop killing each other? :)
If we took half the money we spend on military stuff and spend it on society, we'd ALL be better off.
Why do we need self-driving cars?
Tens of thousands of people die just in the US each year in cars, and millions are injured...
That's why, because it will reduce those numbers by a lot...
Why do I have to state such most obvious things, I don't know.
You have to because most people really have no idea how the world works, how stuff shows up in the stores, and how the economy turns...
It is similar to many problems, where everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, even when they don't know what they are talking about.
Take flying, for example... I likely know more about flying than 99.9% of everyone here, yet post a story about the airlines, or airplanes, I'll post something about it, and then 10 people will tell me I'm wrong.
Watching the news report on aviation can be really painful. :)
Indeed, the shipping speed is amazing...
There have been times I've ordered stuff at 7pm on Wednesday and it shows up at 10am Thursday morning, free Prime shipping...
Prime Now is also nice... that gets REALLY addictive... need some olive oil? No worries, at your home in an hour or so...
Which was put there before they started collecting taxes. I'm betting if they have a do over on positioning their warehouses they would put them in low population states (aka just move it across the border to OK or NM).
Not quite...
It was here, then removed when TX wanted taxes collected... then a deal was made with the Comptroller of Texas and all back taxes were forgiven in return for bringing the warehouse back.
The South Dakota law, passed by the Legislature there in March, requires many out-of-state online and catalog retailers to collect the state's sales tax from customers.
Good for them, but I live in Texas and have no business presence in South Dakota.
I'm not subject to the laws of South Dakota, so they are free to pass any law they like and I'm free to ignore it. I'm no more subject to South Dakota's laws than I am to China's laws.
I sell online, I collect sales tax for Texas, no other states. I have no business presence in any other state.
Most other countries have a mandatory "National Service" type program where the moment you graduate from high school, you're in boot camp. Or other service, depending on physical ability.
Then they still have slavery...
Unless of course not showing up has no penalty attached to it...
Any nation that tells me that I *HAVE* to defend it isn't worth defending.
In Texas, Amazon is certainly collecting a state sales tax.
That is because Amazon has warehouses in Texas...
If you want someone to pay for your college education you damn well should expect some sort of obligation to be attached to all that money, you candy-ass entitled baby.
I don't expect anyone to pay for my college education but me.
If memory serves, they can do 10 months of military service, although some--typically conscientious objectors--apply for 12 months of civil service (e.g., working in a nursing home). Kind of a nice way of encouraging the next generation to constructively give back to their country.
Mandatory military service (or civil service) is just slavery by another name...
If you're telling me I must go "here" or "there" and do what you say, or you'll put me in prison, then I'm just a slave.
Didn't we abolish that a long time ago?
It is amazing how some windows fans consider 'installing drivers' as a bad thing for all OS's except for their own.
Other than modern GPUs used for gaming, what drivers would those be?
I've installed Windows 10 on dozens of machines, I haven't had to download a single driver or install one yet.
He was in shock and said "That would have taken me 4 or 5 hours with windows!"
If that is true, then he really doesn't know what he is doing...
Firefox could clean up its UI act and market itself as the anti-corporate choice. People might care about it again. Tap into the vibrant Bernie Sanders crowd.
Fair enough... but how do you make money with that plan?
I do find oddball problems in Linux, but I've been able to solve nearly all of them.
Great... but I don't find any problems in Windows... so?
linux on the desktop is imminent
I'm assuming that was sarcasm, so little to go on... :)
If anything gained, it was Mac usershare, which makes no sense, since Apple isn't selling tons of Macs.
Solar is about $1/watt
For the raw panels, sure...
What about actually installing them, paying for the land, maintaining them, etc?
Solar is a lot more than $1/watt when you account for the costs beyond the panels.
Also, solar doesn't make power 24/7, nuclear does.
A poorly run business will eventually fail regardless of a broken window. The broken window will just cause it to happen earlier.
Well now you just aren't living in reality, using slogans and black and whites to try and make the point.
No business can survive anything and everything, they all have a breaking point. This might be the straw that breaks the camels back.
And at the end of the day, you ignored the point that the business owner didn't ask to have his window broken.
Frankly, your attitude is a really crappy one, you don't care about anyone but yourself, which is ironic because you color yourself with the "but help the poor people" nonsense, but you really wish to hurt others to make yourself feel better.
I see through it and so do a lot of other people, which is why you get the pushback that you do.
You are leaping to conclusions without a shred of supporting evidence.
I have decades of supporting evidence... sadly, it gets reinforced all the time.
I hope you realise how destructive that is.
I hope you realize that just because it doesn't fit in your worldview, doesn't make it wrong.
Your prior posting history tells me that you have your own set of prejudices and blind spots.
Something about stones, and not throwing them comes to mind.
I have fiber from AT&T, and while they DO have terms in the contract that lets them limit me, they never have.
And yes, I've downloaded 1TB in the period of a few days, which is way beyond the "cap", but I've never been bothered about it.
Perhaps because I don't torrent?
Only 42 percent said they support capitalism -- there was a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points. When asked what alternative system they would prefer, there wasn't a clear winner. Just 33 percent said they supported socialism.
Of course there wasn't a clear winner, they are rejecting what the schools and media have told them to reject, but frankly most of them have no bloody idea what they are talking about.
It's ok, they'll grow up and learn.
In my experience dealing with anyone under 30 years old, most of them have absolutely no idea how the economy works, how money works, what the difference between capital investment and expenses are, and so on. What it takes to turn raw materials into a $2 cheeseburger is completely lost on anyone who hasn't actually studied it.