Replies to post #86177 on Politics and Money

[PegnVA]

#1 - I have no problem cutting the military budget, but there is no way Repub pols would go fot it...As for 30%, I don't know what the correct percentage is and I doubt you do either.
#2 - Telling people how many children they can have like China does will not fly in the U.S.
#3 - Forcing women to take birth control shots will never fly with christian right wingers...not even I would agree to that - nobody wants the gov't in their bedroom.
#4 - Congress can afford to take a haircut. They get many hidden benefits avg people don't know about and don't get on their job, hence most pols make a career of staying in DC, and thanks to gerrymandering they can.
#5 - If laws governing corps who hire illegals was enforced, much of the problem would be solved...I agree a fence the length of the border is dumb talk, but promising it gets pols elected.
#6 - Getting big money out of politics is moving further and further out of reach...Thanks to the conserv majority on SC, Citizens United opened the door for big money in politics; now another decision on money in politics awaits from the SC and I don't hope any hope the outcome will be any diff than CU - the same players are sitting on the SC.
#7 - We already have term limits for pols - it's called the voting booth...to change SC life-time appointments, you would have to change the Constitution - same goes for politicans and since THEY write the laws, guess how far that would go.

Tou didn't mention education. Year by year the U.S. falls further and further behind other industrial nations...I favor a 6-day school week and I am very concerned about for-profit education businesses poping up, including charter schools that can be helpful but too many of them are faith-based and qualified/educated adults are not teaching the children...Which, btw, might help account for why the U.S. continues to fall behind other nations. I would mention the need for every citizen to have health care but as the ACA takes hold, much of that problem will be taken care of - for a nation who went to war at the drop of a hat against a 3rd world country that did nothing to the U.S. and ignored health care for its citizens, is nothing short of irresponsible.

But before we can do anything we first have to do away with gerrymandering, which guarantees pols they will be elected and re-elected...as we're witnessing today, it allows pols to remain in office who have no clue how to govern and are driven by ideology.

[lesgetrich]

The problem is, for the working Americans who already pay about 50% of everything they earn in various taxes, they are sick of being FORCED to support a large percentage of people who are takers in every area of life and feel entitled, just because they live in America

Do you mean those hard working Americans like the Koch brothers and Mitt Romney who already have more money than they can spend in a lifetime. Boo Hoo!! I'll gladly let our government take 50% of their income and rebuild our roads and bridges or even pay the unemployed to dig ditches and fill them up again since this will put that money back into circulation and boost the economy - Basic Keynesian economics which Wall Street has chosen to ignore.

But to not acknowledge that the welfare system in this country is broken, and it needs major checks and balances installed before the whole country goes broke, is most naive.

Call me naïve if you like but check out this link (it's an easy read)...

New lie: The government spends more on welfare than everything else!

There is no government spending problem. The problem is that Republicans over the past 50 years have cut taxes for the rich so much that to cut taxes any more they have to cut into programs like medicare and social security that help average people. The only thing broke are Republican policies that have gotten us into this mess and refuse to consider alternatives to get us out. There is an alternative.

1.) Remove the income cap on social security taxes: Let the Koch brothers pay 6% of all of their income with no allowance for deductions like the rest of us. This would make the program solvent for as far as we can project and probably allow a small decrease in rates for everyone currently paying into it.

2.) Real tax reform: Stop all of the corporate welfare which ends up costing the government more than our actual human welfare program.

3.) Cut defense spending and put the savings into rebuilding our infrastructure.

4.) Pass immigration reform so that all of our undocumented aliens can fully contribute to our economy with their taxes and hard work.