Showing posts with label Better Government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Better Government. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2020
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
What is China Guilty Of ?
By Chuck Marshall
There was a long article from the Associated Press today elaborating on how the President is after China to blame for the Virus outbreak. In my humble opinion, the article was focusing on the wrong offense- regardless of who is accusing who of what. China shut down its entire country to control the spread of the Corona Virus in the manner that any autocratic tyranny would operate with no regard to the logic behind locking up healthy people. The Communist party decided to shut down society and so it happened. As a consequence, Italy, and then Spain and then most of Europe copied the Chinese government. In our country the President and various states were immediately convinced that we must do as the Europeans did and shut down society to protect us from ourselves. The idea is that government has the answers and individuals are incapable of making decisions to protect themselves and their families.
While I agree that large events and groups should have been limited and that 15 days to "flatten the curve" sounded logical at the beginning, the government and fear overwhelmed logic and stretched this exercise into months of government overreach. China is a communist country that does not have free elections and has made things such as going to church illegal. Not because of a virus but because it threatens their power. It's only guilty of behaving as the tyrannical government that it is.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Ideas Worth Sitting In For: Common Sanity
Last blog, I suggested the protest "sit in" on Wall Street lacked logical boundaries. What do they want? As an Independent, I have ideas from the center that work towards resolving the failures of government attacking both the left and the right.
In this blog, I have some suggestions of what I would demand of our government. Demanding anything from Wall Street ignores the fact that corporations are focused on their bottom line only. Just in case anyone misunderstood me in my last blog, this is neither a good thing 'nor a bad thing..... it just IS.
If I was a Wall Street Sit-In protester, here is what I would demand of the government.
1) End all money involved in elections. A play-off system shall be established whereby each state supplies candidates brought up from local officials through local play offs. The candidates shall present their points of view through debate, speeches, and media interviews. There shall be no advertising, no placards, and no phone solicitation.
2) All primary elections shall be "open" elections. Anything else limits some citizens (those that are not members of either major political party) from their constitutional right to a representative government.
3) Corporations are hereby forbidden from hiding profits overseas through bogus headquarter claims.
4) All corporate taxes shall be reduced to a level reflecting the current world-market tax- rate, but all loopholes shall also be plugged.
5) The federal government will balance its budget. Whenever there is an emergency such as a war that calls for more money, then all citizens (except active military) will be taxed at a flat rate to pay for said war or occasion.
6) All subsidies for any specific industry are eliminated. If an industry can no longer sustain itself profitably then it needs to be allowed to fail.
7) All manufactured products sold will show at what rate the labor was paid that produced the product.
8) Income tax will be set at a pre determined flat rate for all citizens because all citizens benefit from federal programs. A national consumption tax and a luxury tax will be added to state sales taxes to make up for any short-fall that the flat tax does not cover.
9) There will be a full assessment of all jobs, projects, roles that all departments of all governments that govern in the United States. Any role or job that is being duplicated will be consolidated to realize efficiencies and save money.
10) All American military presence shall be re-assessed as to its relative need for the protection of American liberties and freedoms. If it is found to be unnecessary to protect these liberties of American citizens then it will be eliminated within a reasonable timeline.
In this blog, I have some suggestions of what I would demand of our government. Demanding anything from Wall Street ignores the fact that corporations are focused on their bottom line only. Just in case anyone misunderstood me in my last blog, this is neither a good thing 'nor a bad thing..... it just IS.
If I was a Wall Street Sit-In protester, here is what I would demand of the government.
1) End all money involved in elections. A play-off system shall be established whereby each state supplies candidates brought up from local officials through local play offs. The candidates shall present their points of view through debate, speeches, and media interviews. There shall be no advertising, no placards, and no phone solicitation.
2) All primary elections shall be "open" elections. Anything else limits some citizens (those that are not members of either major political party) from their constitutional right to a representative government.
3) Corporations are hereby forbidden from hiding profits overseas through bogus headquarter claims.
4) All corporate taxes shall be reduced to a level reflecting the current world-market tax- rate, but all loopholes shall also be plugged.
5) The federal government will balance its budget. Whenever there is an emergency such as a war that calls for more money, then all citizens (except active military) will be taxed at a flat rate to pay for said war or occasion.
6) All subsidies for any specific industry are eliminated. If an industry can no longer sustain itself profitably then it needs to be allowed to fail.
7) All manufactured products sold will show at what rate the labor was paid that produced the product.
8) Income tax will be set at a pre determined flat rate for all citizens because all citizens benefit from federal programs. A national consumption tax and a luxury tax will be added to state sales taxes to make up for any short-fall that the flat tax does not cover.
9) There will be a full assessment of all jobs, projects, roles that all departments of all governments that govern in the United States. Any role or job that is being duplicated will be consolidated to realize efficiencies and save money.
10) All American military presence shall be re-assessed as to its relative need for the protection of American liberties and freedoms. If it is found to be unnecessary to protect these liberties of American citizens then it will be eliminated within a reasonable timeline.
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