Sometimes people miss the best possible chances to put their enemies in their place. A few elections ago in Missouri a Republican was swiped at with the remark, "There will be riots if the Republicans win." That Republican backed down and lost the election. Had he thought about it he could have thrown that one right back into the Democrats face and scored big points with it. If he had just said, "Well as a member of the Republican Party of which Abraham Lincoln was a member. Yes the one who freed the slaves. I have to agree. However there will not be riots because the Republicans won, but because the Democrats are sore losers."
Recent newscasts have stated that, "Raising taxes on the wealthy and big business is class warfare." Instead of backing off President Obama should have said, " Your darn right it is, the poor in American are tired of being pissed on by you rich assholes." Of course a President can not use that language, but he can sure plant it in the system. What is wrong with the rich and business paying their fair share of the taxes. It is money they took from the poor by overcharging for goods and services anyhow. The Republicans are the ones who ran up all the debt to pay for the wars they started buy telling lies to the American people. Had the military been allowed to plan as long and methodically as Al Qaeda did on their attack. The war would have been over in one good raid or at best a few and billions and billions of dollars would not have been wasted not to mention an additional seven thousand lives. The cost in lives on 9/11 was enough. How many thousands of lives have been needlessly wasted in both Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the same stupidty as was done in Vietnam. Those people are so poor and so uninformed that they have nothing better to do than fight. They do not care who it is with. What should have been done is telling the Afghanistan people how they had been used by a group of fanatical thugs who hijacked their religion and their country. Once that was made clear to them and that America does not hate them. That we are the ones who helped them defeat the Russians. Make it clear Al Qaeda does not care about them, but is using them and they will take care of Al Qaeda. They are the type of people who do not like being used by anybody. Which is something they have in common with the American people.
It might seem I am a long ways from where I started, but the point was that no one likes being lied to or used. Whether they are Afghans or Americans. We need a third party to take that message from the American people to the American government. The exploitation of Americans by the wealthy upper class and big business needs to end. Make the rich and big business foot the bill for their frigging war. They have lied to the American people to justify their goals. They have no conscience about it. The American people need to take back their country and if it takes class warfare. So be it. It can be done within the system by creating a third party. If that does not work then the American people need to return to a bartering society and quit paying taxes. Quit supporting big business and big government and see how long it takes them to change their ways. Maybe it is so messed up it is time to tear it down and start over. That is a scary thought. Sometimes the truth is.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Constitutional Duct Tape for a Sinking Ship of State
It seems the ship of state is sinking fast and no one seems to know how to plug the hole and get it sailing again. The steady bleeding of jobs is taking its toll. Everybody knows the problem but nobody seems to have an effective solution. Further proof of the problem showed up on the television this morning. The U.S. Postal Service is in danger of going out of business. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution requires the government to establish and manage a Postal System. It also requires the posting of Roads. Does that mean making roads or just posting signs so people know where they are going. I am not sure on that one, but I am sure that the Founding Fathers meant for the government to meet these obligations in perpetuity. So maybe if we look a little harder at the Constitution we might find some sound answers.
It is my feeling the Constitution address's what I am about to propose. If it does it is a duty the government is not only required to do, it is something the government is required by the Constitution to do. The Constitution requires the government to provide for the welfare of the country and taking care of our home(infrastructure) should be covered. It is a duty the government is not performing. They certainly have tax offices in every state. Considering that the duty to collect taxes and providing for defense and common welfare are all in the first paragraph of Secion 8, Article 1 it would seem they have equal importance. It is my opinion that the founding fathers felt our nation would be very blessed and providing for the few who were not was the responsibity of those of us who are. However providing for the welfare requires more than taxation. When you provide for the welfare of your family you provide a home, food, clothing and the necessities of life. If you have children you provide them a safe and healthy place to play and live. Those are things you do to provide for your families welfare. It is by that understanding and my reading of the Founding Father's writings that I believe they felt those things should be provided to every American. If the government was doing what it is required to do we would not be in the situation we are in. There are a great number of Constitutionally questionable agencies and programs the government runs. One more that is Constitutionally mandated, to take care of infrastructure (necessary to the welfare of the people), should not be a problem.
It is time for all hands to come on deck. The ship is going down if it is not fixed. Their is ample proof that the present politicians do not get the gravity of the problem. They want to put a band aid on the problem and it needs many rolls of duct tape at a minimum. This can be proved by their solution of the debt limit problem after much bickering. They intend to cut a whole $2.4 Trillion dollars out of the budget over a ten year period. It may be admirable that they see there is a problem, but they do not get the magnitude of the problem. This can be seen in the fact that the daily interest on the national debt is $1.2 Billion dollars. Well over ten years that equals $4.38 Trillion. So in ten years they will be over $2 Trillion dollars more in debt than when they started. Another of their brain farts is to give business's a $5,000 tax break for hiring someone, to make something they can not sell because the economy is dead. With all the other problems that is not good at all. However there is a solution. A "New Program" that pays for itself. It is our only hope and I think it is Constitutionally mandated.
The Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 1 requires the government to be in charge of collecting taxes and also for the defense and general welfare of the United States. Taking care of your home(the Nation) is a duty that comes under providing for the welfare. The problems with infrastructure need to be addressed with a tax that creates a permanent program to maintain our home. You do not take care of a home part time or only when you want to. It requires an ongoing and long term commitment to keep things in working order. You do not wait till bridges are falling down or roads are collapsing. You have to be continually at it or the cost of repair is magnified. In my previous blog "Getting Our House In Order" I outlined a plan that would do this. We need a program that is paid for by a continous influx of funds to keep it going. My solution is to put a tax of $1.00 per gallon surcharge on gas. It should be given directly to the states in which it is collected. Nobody wants to pay more tax, but nobody wants to sleep in the streets or risk having Chinese become the national language because of our debt obligations. I like to call it a One for America Program.
We need a balanced budget, but more than that we need jobs and this program creates jobs and creates them in perpetuity. The jobs created generate tax payments that help get the government back on its feet. The heavy machinery required to build and maintain infrastructure is mostly American made and the materials will mostly be American made and supplied. Once this is in order America needs to reign in and down size our military. We need to quit being the world's police force. Yes we need to maintain our defenses, but having troops all over the world is not the answer. Vietnam should have taught us that, if nothing else. America needs to start taking care of America. We need to quit swatting flies with sledgehammers. If we had put as much time and planning into the retaliation for 9/11 as the enemy did getting ready to attack. They(the enemy) would be history. The attackers spent almost seven years getting ready for that attack.
From a program I watched President Bush gave the order that if it was necessary military aircraft should shoot down a commercial jet. A little later in the program they interviewed a pilot who was scrambled on 9/11 to defend America. He stated the only way he could have taken down a commercial jet was to ram into it with his plane. His, hundreds of millions of dollars, jet was not even armed. When we have aircraft the taxpayers pay hundreds of millions of dollars to build and then they are not even armed. This is a problem and a waste. If we are suddenly attacked by whoever for whatever reason. What do we say, "Wait a minute I need to go load my guns." This is not the exception this is the norm. I was in a rear echelon job in Vietnam and when our base was attacked we had to stand in line and sign to get a rifle and one clip of ammunition. I mean the enemy was supposedly coming through the wire, but signatures were more important than our lives. The armorer was just doing his job, but he got over ruled and thumped pretty good for failing to use some common sense. He was over ruled by a knuckle sandwich. Please note this happened in a combat zone that had no fronts. The enemy was everywhere, not just in front of us. If the military can not be trusted to hold armed weapons we have a problem. If soldiers did carry armed weapons maybe so many would not have died in the Fort Hood shooting incident.
The Constitution requires the government, in the same paragraph that provides for taxes and the military, to provide for the welfare of its people. Several of the key writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution advocated for government responsibility for the poor, needy and aged. Paine, Jefferson and Franklin agreed it was a duty of the state. No one in this country should go to bed hungry and no one should be living on the streets unless they choose to do so. No one should die for lack of medical care. It is something that should be furnished to every American and not just 80% as Medicare does. That was a conspiracy with the insurance companies I am sure. As I am just a few months from turning 65 that is being made clear to me by the daily pleas for my money to insure me for the other 20%.
Do we have to have a dole? No we should not, but we should provide a means for those receiving assistance to perform some service in return for what they get. If they refuse to work, fine they can eat in soup kitchens(which by the way create jobs cooking and cleaning) and sleep in a bed in a government flop house that provides nothing more than a bed, bath and a shower. If that is not acceptable to them they can either find a job or go sleep under a bridge. The choice is their's, those in need, to make. There are plenty of things communities need done that those getting assistance can do. If they physically can not work fine, but just handing it out for nothing is an insult to those who are trying to make the system work. Nobody gets a free ride, unfortunately that is not the truth.
When the government starts cutting off people's checks, that they worked all their life to get, the politicians will find out what anarchy is all about. When people no longer believe in the system and return to a bartering society as many did during the Great Depression. The government will feel the impact of their incompetence. In my opinion we are not far from that day. If somebody does not stand up and do something the ship is going down. When our economy collapses it will make the Great Depression look like a cake walk. It does not have to happen, their are solutions. If you agree with me share this with someone, if you do not, then you can tell me why I am wrong. Thanks for reading. They say the pen is mightier than the sword and I believe it. If enough people share this, someone who can make a difference may get a copy.
It is my feeling the Constitution address's what I am about to propose. If it does it is a duty the government is not only required to do, it is something the government is required by the Constitution to do. The Constitution requires the government to provide for the welfare of the country and taking care of our home(infrastructure) should be covered. It is a duty the government is not performing. They certainly have tax offices in every state. Considering that the duty to collect taxes and providing for defense and common welfare are all in the first paragraph of Secion 8, Article 1 it would seem they have equal importance. It is my opinion that the founding fathers felt our nation would be very blessed and providing for the few who were not was the responsibity of those of us who are. However providing for the welfare requires more than taxation. When you provide for the welfare of your family you provide a home, food, clothing and the necessities of life. If you have children you provide them a safe and healthy place to play and live. Those are things you do to provide for your families welfare. It is by that understanding and my reading of the Founding Father's writings that I believe they felt those things should be provided to every American. If the government was doing what it is required to do we would not be in the situation we are in. There are a great number of Constitutionally questionable agencies and programs the government runs. One more that is Constitutionally mandated, to take care of infrastructure (necessary to the welfare of the people), should not be a problem.
It is time for all hands to come on deck. The ship is going down if it is not fixed. Their is ample proof that the present politicians do not get the gravity of the problem. They want to put a band aid on the problem and it needs many rolls of duct tape at a minimum. This can be proved by their solution of the debt limit problem after much bickering. They intend to cut a whole $2.4 Trillion dollars out of the budget over a ten year period. It may be admirable that they see there is a problem, but they do not get the magnitude of the problem. This can be seen in the fact that the daily interest on the national debt is $1.2 Billion dollars. Well over ten years that equals $4.38 Trillion. So in ten years they will be over $2 Trillion dollars more in debt than when they started. Another of their brain farts is to give business's a $5,000 tax break for hiring someone, to make something they can not sell because the economy is dead. With all the other problems that is not good at all. However there is a solution. A "New Program" that pays for itself. It is our only hope and I think it is Constitutionally mandated.
The Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 1 requires the government to be in charge of collecting taxes and also for the defense and general welfare of the United States. Taking care of your home(the Nation) is a duty that comes under providing for the welfare. The problems with infrastructure need to be addressed with a tax that creates a permanent program to maintain our home. You do not take care of a home part time or only when you want to. It requires an ongoing and long term commitment to keep things in working order. You do not wait till bridges are falling down or roads are collapsing. You have to be continually at it or the cost of repair is magnified. In my previous blog "Getting Our House In Order" I outlined a plan that would do this. We need a program that is paid for by a continous influx of funds to keep it going. My solution is to put a tax of $1.00 per gallon surcharge on gas. It should be given directly to the states in which it is collected. Nobody wants to pay more tax, but nobody wants to sleep in the streets or risk having Chinese become the national language because of our debt obligations. I like to call it a One for America Program.
We need a balanced budget, but more than that we need jobs and this program creates jobs and creates them in perpetuity. The jobs created generate tax payments that help get the government back on its feet. The heavy machinery required to build and maintain infrastructure is mostly American made and the materials will mostly be American made and supplied. Once this is in order America needs to reign in and down size our military. We need to quit being the world's police force. Yes we need to maintain our defenses, but having troops all over the world is not the answer. Vietnam should have taught us that, if nothing else. America needs to start taking care of America. We need to quit swatting flies with sledgehammers. If we had put as much time and planning into the retaliation for 9/11 as the enemy did getting ready to attack. They(the enemy) would be history. The attackers spent almost seven years getting ready for that attack.
From a program I watched President Bush gave the order that if it was necessary military aircraft should shoot down a commercial jet. A little later in the program they interviewed a pilot who was scrambled on 9/11 to defend America. He stated the only way he could have taken down a commercial jet was to ram into it with his plane. His, hundreds of millions of dollars, jet was not even armed. When we have aircraft the taxpayers pay hundreds of millions of dollars to build and then they are not even armed. This is a problem and a waste. If we are suddenly attacked by whoever for whatever reason. What do we say, "Wait a minute I need to go load my guns." This is not the exception this is the norm. I was in a rear echelon job in Vietnam and when our base was attacked we had to stand in line and sign to get a rifle and one clip of ammunition. I mean the enemy was supposedly coming through the wire, but signatures were more important than our lives. The armorer was just doing his job, but he got over ruled and thumped pretty good for failing to use some common sense. He was over ruled by a knuckle sandwich. Please note this happened in a combat zone that had no fronts. The enemy was everywhere, not just in front of us. If the military can not be trusted to hold armed weapons we have a problem. If soldiers did carry armed weapons maybe so many would not have died in the Fort Hood shooting incident.
The Constitution requires the government, in the same paragraph that provides for taxes and the military, to provide for the welfare of its people. Several of the key writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution advocated for government responsibility for the poor, needy and aged. Paine, Jefferson and Franklin agreed it was a duty of the state. No one in this country should go to bed hungry and no one should be living on the streets unless they choose to do so. No one should die for lack of medical care. It is something that should be furnished to every American and not just 80% as Medicare does. That was a conspiracy with the insurance companies I am sure. As I am just a few months from turning 65 that is being made clear to me by the daily pleas for my money to insure me for the other 20%.
Do we have to have a dole? No we should not, but we should provide a means for those receiving assistance to perform some service in return for what they get. If they refuse to work, fine they can eat in soup kitchens(which by the way create jobs cooking and cleaning) and sleep in a bed in a government flop house that provides nothing more than a bed, bath and a shower. If that is not acceptable to them they can either find a job or go sleep under a bridge. The choice is their's, those in need, to make. There are plenty of things communities need done that those getting assistance can do. If they physically can not work fine, but just handing it out for nothing is an insult to those who are trying to make the system work. Nobody gets a free ride, unfortunately that is not the truth.
When the government starts cutting off people's checks, that they worked all their life to get, the politicians will find out what anarchy is all about. When people no longer believe in the system and return to a bartering society as many did during the Great Depression. The government will feel the impact of their incompetence. In my opinion we are not far from that day. If somebody does not stand up and do something the ship is going down. When our economy collapses it will make the Great Depression look like a cake walk. It does not have to happen, their are solutions. If you agree with me share this with someone, if you do not, then you can tell me why I am wrong. Thanks for reading. They say the pen is mightier than the sword and I believe it. If enough people share this, someone who can make a difference may get a copy.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Getting Our House in Order
We Have a Problem Houston
America is in deep doo-doo. Is their a way out of it? Yes there is. It requires getting our house in order. The first thing that requires is acknowledging we have a house and with that comes the reponsibility to keep it liveable. If you buy or have a house it is not enough to just make the payment and pay the taxes. You have to maintain it. If you do not, buy the time you pay it off it will not be liveable. That is not a problem if you are hoarding your money and have some other place to go which is better. However when there is no other place to go and you are broke with a falling down house you have a problem. Especially if you are in debt up to your eyeballs. Having creditors creates a problem. You have to make a dollar to pay them, but then you still have to make another dollar to actually live on. You can live on the borrowed money and put off facing the problem, but sooner or later you do not have enough money to make ends meet. That is the predictament America is in today. We are accumulating debt at the rate of 1.2 Billion dollars a day.
Debt is something I definitely know about. Four times in my life I was in a situation where my debts exceeded my income. Only once did it become a problem I could not handle. Bankruptcy really sucks, especially when you are playing the game by the rules. Playing by the rules does not matter when forces you have no control over take away your means of making a living. When that happens it is twice as hard to deal with. The movers and shakers that make things happen screw up. When they do the consequences fall on the average individual. Mr. Joe Average contends he had nothing to do with creating the problem he is facing. However that is not totally true. If he did not vote or did not actively express his views through the political process he is partially at fault. The fact that America is in debt to the tune of around $40, 000 for every man, woman and child in America did not just happen overnight. Mr. Joe Average's indifference allowed the system to get in the condition it is in.
The only way it is going to get better is when all the Joe Averages's get together and realize the status quo is not working. America needs a third party that is focused on solving the problems facing America. A party that demands government runs the same way the Average American has to live. That is within their means. That demands government follows the Constitution. That demands the government does not mess with programs that every American pays into. The first priority is protecting our country and military payroll, including pensions should be the first payroll paid. Next should be those who have already paid their dues by supporting the system till they retired. If we need to fix that system and make it more solvent so be it, but it is not part of the budget money. Third comes the people on disability. After these are taken care of the government can spend the rest of its funds as it sees fit.
The medical system needs repaired also. Every citizen should be entitled to health care. It should not just be 80% of the bill either. It should pay all of the bill. As I approach 65 (I will be 72 this year)and daily recieve junk mail from all the companies who want to insure me for that 20% not paid I realized something. Insurance companies are definitely part of the problem. We need to modify the system so Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals do not need malpractice insurance. Exempt those who are in business to save lives. If they fail to perform safely remove them from the system by pulling their license. Institutions sworn to save lives should not be liable. Is their a risk? Yes just like their is of crooked cops and politicians and bankers. However those just mentioned do not have to have malpractice insurance. It is time to kick the lobbyists off of Capitol Hill and return it to the people. Lobbyists do nothing that is not going to benefit them in some way or another. It is usually at the cost of the taxpayers. It is ime to get back on track.
The recent budget debate solved nothing. It just wants to kick the problem down the road. Of every dollar America spends 40 cents is borrowed. While Congress is making token payments and wants to show their good faith by paying a few billion over ten years. It has not addressed the problem. With fourteen trillion dollars in debt we have to pay off over 5.6 Trillion dollars over ten years, Please note that, that amount only keeps us even. It would take close to 600,000 billion a year to reduce it any at all and that is presuming they make no new debt. Yes it will take almost 6 Trillion in cuts over ten years to make a difference. Cuts of that magnitude are more than America can absorb and remain a viable country. That means a way of generating income has to be created. Having bailed myself out of debt several times I know cuts alone do not do the trick. You need to make more money to defeat the problem. Just like the old business adage, "You have to spend money to make money" The trick is how do you get the money you spend. Certainly not from borrowing more. You can not borrow your way out of debt.
Once you have created a way to get the money you have to keep it out of the hands of those who created the problem in the first place. That requires that the Federal Government can not have access to the money. They have proven their incompetence beyond the shadow of a doubt. The states do not do much better. What is needed is a program where the money goes straight to the states and they manage it. The Feds role would be only to make sure the money is used for what it is designated for. That would be repairing infrastructure. It should not be used to pay state debts and salaries. That would defeat the purpose.
So how does this work? As I said earlier we need to get our house in order. A permanent program to fix America's infrastructure needs to be put in place. How do you pay for that? Why taxes of course, but not one that is handled by the Fed. It needs to come from a measurable source and provide sufficent revenue to do the job. America uses fourteen million barrels of oil a day. That equals roughly five hundred eighty-eight million gallons a day. Over the period of a year that would be over a couple hundred billion gallons. If it was taxed at one dollar a gallon it would create a fund to pay for the infra-structure repairs. The jobs it would create would generate taxes on payroll that would go to the federal government. This solves two problems it creates lots of jobs. In just a couple of years it should get almost everyone of the unemployed Americans back to work. All the jobs would not be construction. Their would have to be steel for bridges and reinforcement, machines to prepare the sites and do the work. This creates factory jobs and as those people spend their wages it pushes things forward. Secondly it creates payroll taxes that generate income for the Fed to pay its debts.
Another source of income could come from decriminaliztion of pot. Hemp is a perfect crop for making bio fuel from, also hundreds of other products that would easily create a couple trillion dollars worth of income and jobs. Removing the incarcerated potheads from jail and making them feed and take care of themselves would save billions of tax payer dollars. Most states are getting on that bandwagon whehter the Federal Government likes it or not.
While a balanced budget amendment sounds nice, it does not necessarily solve the problem. What is needed is additional income to pay off the debt. That is not addressed by balancing the budget. You can have a balanced budget and still be broke.
This may be simplistic? Maybe. However it addresses a perpetual problem, with a real solution. Taking care of infrastructure is a long term and on going problem. It is one that needs to be addressed. If you agree with this idea forward it to a friend and do not forget to send a copy to your favorite politician. Your comments and opinions are apprecitated. Both positive and negative. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
One for America...A Job Plan
Now that the debt ceiling is behind us. Hopefully things will get better. All the news was bad news the last few days. Now China has lowered our Financial Rating. It does not mean they can raise interest. At least I do not think so, but they can stop lending to America and that would be just as bad. America depends on loans for the 5.6 Trillion dollars we spend above what we take in. Just the daily interest on that amount is over 1.2 Billion dollars. That amount could create 30,000 jobs that pay $40,000 a year. Over a year that would be around 10,900,000 jobs. Just two years of that money would create more than the 14,000,000 jobs that need to be made just to get the unemployed working. That is why we need a balanced budget. We need the money spent here. Not paid out in interest and foreign trade deficits. Especially to oil countries that not only hate us, but that support the terrorist that attack us. We use 14,000,000 barrels of oil per day. That works out to about 588,000,000 gallons of oil. If oil was taxed at $1.00 a gallon it would be enough money if spent on infrastructure to create 14,700 jobs at $40,000 a year every day. Over a year it would create 5,365,500 jobs which would creat tax revenue to help the government balance the budget.
I know these are rough figures but this program would be moving America toward a solution. This program does two other things. It creates a permanent infrastructure fund and a permanent job program. It does not require government funding as it is self supporting from the fuel tax. The tax would be paid by those who use the oil. Those who use little, pay little. Those who use more, pay more. That is a fair way to do it. The ones who drive gas guzzlers would pay more. A person driving a vehicle that gets twelve miles per gallon and drives 50,000 miles per year would pay $4166 dollars. A person driving a forty mile per gallon car for the same 50,000 miles would only pay only $1250 dollars. That equals about a $100 dollars a month and it puts America back on its feet. Raising the minimum wage 62 cents and hour would make the cost neutral for a person driving a forty mile per gallon car. A small price to pay. That is quite a savings. As America changes to the high mileage cars our dependence on foreign oil would fall tremendously. That money staying here, could create jobs here. Anyone driving a 60 mile per gallon car could be made exempt from the tax. Of course the people driving alternative fuel vehicles would be exempt till a method of making a fair tax on renewable energy can be developed.
The trick is making sure the money goes to the states for infrastructure repairs and salaries to do the work. Keeping Federal and State fingers out of the money in the important part. Rules have to be put in place that the money can not be used to pay for other state and federal programs. At leat I am thinking on the issue. I have a half dozen or so other energy saving ideas that can work and are proven to work. As for me I prefer and air powered car. They already make them in France. Just put in air powered cars in France and a site will come up. You got ideas I would love to hear them....
I know these are rough figures but this program would be moving America toward a solution. This program does two other things. It creates a permanent infrastructure fund and a permanent job program. It does not require government funding as it is self supporting from the fuel tax. The tax would be paid by those who use the oil. Those who use little, pay little. Those who use more, pay more. That is a fair way to do it. The ones who drive gas guzzlers would pay more. A person driving a vehicle that gets twelve miles per gallon and drives 50,000 miles per year would pay $4166 dollars. A person driving a forty mile per gallon car for the same 50,000 miles would only pay only $1250 dollars. That equals about a $100 dollars a month and it puts America back on its feet. Raising the minimum wage 62 cents and hour would make the cost neutral for a person driving a forty mile per gallon car. A small price to pay. That is quite a savings. As America changes to the high mileage cars our dependence on foreign oil would fall tremendously. That money staying here, could create jobs here. Anyone driving a 60 mile per gallon car could be made exempt from the tax. Of course the people driving alternative fuel vehicles would be exempt till a method of making a fair tax on renewable energy can be developed.
The trick is making sure the money goes to the states for infrastructure repairs and salaries to do the work. Keeping Federal and State fingers out of the money in the important part. Rules have to be put in place that the money can not be used to pay for other state and federal programs. At leat I am thinking on the issue. I have a half dozen or so other energy saving ideas that can work and are proven to work. As for me I prefer and air powered car. They already make them in France. Just put in air powered cars in France and a site will come up. You got ideas I would love to hear them....
Monday, July 25, 2011
Debt Ceiling....Republi-can'ts Don't Get It.
With the market in a slow slide it is anybody's guess at what point the thin ice will break and take down the whole system. They say it can't and won't happen. If the whole economic collapse in 2008 was triggered by the Lehman Brothers collapse. What does it take for the Republi-can'ts to open their eyes. They certainly are not looking at Republican history. If they are they are not getting it. Ronald Reagan raised the debt ceiling 18 times while in office. He also raised taxes 11 times. His successor did not get re-elected because he raised taxes. He did not get re-elected because he lied to the American people. "Read my Lips" will probably be on his headstone. Quoting Mr. Reagan, " Congress consistently brings the government to the edge of default before facing its resposibility. This brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans benefits. Interest rates would skyrocket, instability would occur in financial markets, and the federal deficit would soar. The United States has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations." That quote I got form the Vincennes Sun-Commercial editorial page and was used by Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. Reagan was the Republicans, Republican and he understood the dangers involved. The Tea Party advocates better do some more research and figure out a better way to balance the budget than default. In 1932 at the bottom of the depression in Chicago unemployment was over 40% for white males, minorities, the elderly and youth was at even higher rates. Think about this while pondering this big problem. Back then it was banks and business that were failing. The government was solvent. This time it is the government that is insolvent and there will be no one to bail it out. If the economy is pushed over the edge, the fall will be farther, longer and deeper than the Great Depression. Saying government can not fail is comparabable to the Titanic, which is about where the bottom will be if the Republi-can'ts let this happen. They doubled the national debt in eight years and passed no bills to pay for it. They need to man up and pay for the stupidity they created. If they do not the Republi-can'ts may be no more by the time of the 2012 election. I do not know a lot but I bet President Obama will beat the horse they are riding right into the ground.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Swatting Flies With Sledge Hammers and 9/11
Today President Obama announced plans to draw down the troop strength in Afghanistan. That is nice and it may help the budget process, but the real question is why are we there to start with. My opinion is that it is Bureaucratic Incompetence. Had the leadership of the United States put half the thought, planning and time into retaliating for 9/11, that the hijackers did we would not be in the mess we are in. It also could not have been used as an excuse to attack Iraq. While getting rid of Saddam Hussein was worthwhile it was and is not justified the way they did it. Had they done it as part of the Gulf War it would have been provoked and acceptable. The only goal of government was to show that they could react to a situation. The outcome was not as important as the impression "something" was being done. Swatting at pesky flies with sledge hammers is the standard practice of the government. A little sugar will concentrate the flies so you can get several with one smack of a fly swatter, with much less collateral damage.
Had the government planned, imbedded spies and taken the time to learn the habits and weaknesses of the enemy one good clean strike could have taken care of the problem. The recent killing of Bin Laden proves that it could have happened. Knowing who you can trust in an area where no one trusts a foreigner can be a painful lesson to learn. If we had waited two, three or even four years and then launched a successful strike it would have been cheaper. Also more effective in the long run. Was the point to send a message? If so be glad I was not in charge.
If I had been in charge. I would have taken one jet and one nuclear bomb and melted the side of a mountain. It was in almost total wilderness. The collateral damage would have been minimal, but it would definitely shown we meant business. The statement would have been clear. It might have encouraged our allies to do some of the cleanup themselves. The message would have been clear, We are going to get even. Deal with it." A side effect of the Bin Laden operation is that it showed us the true sympathies of our supposed "Allies." The question is not when but how long will it be before a nuclear weapon leak happens. The terrorist are not really serious about terrorism. It is to easy to build a bomb. If they were serious they could come here. If they started blowing up shopping malls, high school ball games and any other senseless act of violence they can dream up. Who is going to stop them. Almost any person can go into any store and buy the ingredients for a bomb. All it would take is the will. Who stopped the Columbine Massacre? Nobody but the terrorists by committing suicide. What about Oklahoma City? Was McVeigh a terrorist or a psychopath. Probably a little of both. The point is our government feeds on our fears and tries to increase its control over our lives.
The war on drugs is the perfect example of incompetence in action. I do not do drugs, other than prescription ones, but I would bet I could acquire some if I so desired in almost any city in America without to much effort or risk on my part. The government has not put a dent in the supply of drugs. Prohibition proved you can not legislate morality, but you can tax the heck out of it. If they legalized it tomorrow it would destroy the drug trade, especially if you could grow your own. There would be no money in it. No money equals, no drug dealers. OH!!!But if they legalize it everybody will become junkies. Did everybody become Alcoholics when prohibition ended? No, they did not. I do not smoke, drink or do drugs and I am not about to start because some idiots in the government say I can. That concept is assinine and survives only by feeding on peoples fears. That is the governments biggest weapon.
What proves the incompetence of the government is what is happening around America. Many states have approved medical marijuana laws and allow the sell and growth of certain amounts of drugs. Colorado has even created a system to inspect, set up guidelines and tax pot. All of this in the face of Federal laws that say it is illegal to do so. Cracking down is not the answer. We need to take a new look at the whole drug problem and how America is dealing with it.
President Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." The government has been using it to control the citizens every since that time. It is time for a third party that will take that system apart and give the power back to the people.
Had the government planned, imbedded spies and taken the time to learn the habits and weaknesses of the enemy one good clean strike could have taken care of the problem. The recent killing of Bin Laden proves that it could have happened. Knowing who you can trust in an area where no one trusts a foreigner can be a painful lesson to learn. If we had waited two, three or even four years and then launched a successful strike it would have been cheaper. Also more effective in the long run. Was the point to send a message? If so be glad I was not in charge.
If I had been in charge. I would have taken one jet and one nuclear bomb and melted the side of a mountain. It was in almost total wilderness. The collateral damage would have been minimal, but it would definitely shown we meant business. The statement would have been clear. It might have encouraged our allies to do some of the cleanup themselves. The message would have been clear, We are going to get even. Deal with it." A side effect of the Bin Laden operation is that it showed us the true sympathies of our supposed "Allies." The question is not when but how long will it be before a nuclear weapon leak happens. The terrorist are not really serious about terrorism. It is to easy to build a bomb. If they were serious they could come here. If they started blowing up shopping malls, high school ball games and any other senseless act of violence they can dream up. Who is going to stop them. Almost any person can go into any store and buy the ingredients for a bomb. All it would take is the will. Who stopped the Columbine Massacre? Nobody but the terrorists by committing suicide. What about Oklahoma City? Was McVeigh a terrorist or a psychopath. Probably a little of both. The point is our government feeds on our fears and tries to increase its control over our lives.
The war on drugs is the perfect example of incompetence in action. I do not do drugs, other than prescription ones, but I would bet I could acquire some if I so desired in almost any city in America without to much effort or risk on my part. The government has not put a dent in the supply of drugs. Prohibition proved you can not legislate morality, but you can tax the heck out of it. If they legalized it tomorrow it would destroy the drug trade, especially if you could grow your own. There would be no money in it. No money equals, no drug dealers. OH!!!But if they legalize it everybody will become junkies. Did everybody become Alcoholics when prohibition ended? No, they did not. I do not smoke, drink or do drugs and I am not about to start because some idiots in the government say I can. That concept is assinine and survives only by feeding on peoples fears. That is the governments biggest weapon.
What proves the incompetence of the government is what is happening around America. Many states have approved medical marijuana laws and allow the sell and growth of certain amounts of drugs. Colorado has even created a system to inspect, set up guidelines and tax pot. All of this in the face of Federal laws that say it is illegal to do so. Cracking down is not the answer. We need to take a new look at the whole drug problem and how America is dealing with it.
President Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." The government has been using it to control the citizens every since that time. It is time for a third party that will take that system apart and give the power back to the people.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
America's Coming Economic Collapse, A Possible Solution
Collapse is not probable, it is inevitable. Many people are trying to make a big deal about the economy and trying to make out like it is going to magically recover. The housing markets recent slide tells the true story. It is not rocket science to figure out what is pushing it down. The almost fourteen million people who are on unemployment are quickly becoming 99er's. They are running out of the only resource that helped them keep ends together. Simultaneously gas prices have spiked again just as they did three to four years ago. People living on the edge have to make decisions. When it comes down to eating, keeping the car or paying the house payment it quickly becomes a no brainer. People are going to eat and they are going to keep their mobility. It will not turn around till the government comes up with a job program that puts millions of people to work. It must also help the states to pay their bills. As people go to work they pay taxes, when they get laid off they do not pay taxes. Something has to give.
Unless bold action is taken, and taken immediately America is going to slide into a major depression that makes the Great Depression look like a cakewalk. National Debt, Jobs, Infrastructure, Health Care and Social Security all are related. The recent tax break given to American tax payers was done by borrowing against the future. The government cut Social Security deductions to put more in people's paychecks. What they did not say is this will cause a shortage in Social Security funds down the road. Peter and Paul no longer have anything to take from each other the government has taken it all. With a national debt that equals more than $40,000 dollars for every man woman and child in America, we have a problem. The median income in America is onlyu $34,000. That means if half of everybody gave all they have to the government they would still be $6,000 dollars in debt. Who is this going to fall on. Not this generation, and not the baby boomers, it is going to fall on our children and grandkids.
Right now there is an opportunity for a solution. A year or more down the road it will be to late to make a difference. President Obama supposedly put in place a "Paygo" program that requires all new expenditures to be paid for by budget cuts or tax increases. Yet his present budget package asks for an increase of the national debt limit by 16 % over what it is now. It America is to maintain its credibility it has to be done, but it should be done conditionally. It should reguire the 2013 budget to be no more than the 2012 budget and the 2014 budget should require a reduction of the same 16% that it is being raised this year. That gives time and room to solve some of the budget problems. One condition should be the bringing home of all American forces overseas. All means all, and includes the ones in Germany, Japan and Korea where our troops spend billions of dollars that could be spent in the American economy.
A permanent tax should be assessed on gas. This tax should be strictly for rebuilding America. While it is a tax, it is not going to the federal or state governments who have proved to be to incompetent to do the job. Each state will have to appoint a commission to adminster and manage the funds. My opinion would be around $1.00 per gallon. That money would go to the states it is collected in for infrastructure repair and renewal. Twenty percent of that money should be dedicated to upgrading our energy infrastructure and reducing our dependence on foreign supplies. This system should be ongoing and permanent. Infrastructure is the backbone of America. Without roads, bridges, dams and waterways just to name a few things, America will cease to be able to compete on the world markets. One restriction should be placed on the tax money from the gas tax. The state and federal budgets should not be able to access the funds. The states and feds will benefit as they will no longer be required to budget for infrastructure. The funds will be restricted to taxes collected. This will in the long run help restore soundness to the system. It should be called the America First program and as it creates jobs the economy should turn around. It will buy time to get the rest of the budget in order. If it is not done and quickly the consequences will be dire.
If America defaults on its debt it will lose the faith and trust of the whole world. The saying will not be "Buy American," It will be "Buy Anything, But American." and that will hurt. The first thing that needs to be addressed after the jobs situation which this tax takes care of is the Health Care System. There are solutions but they require tough choices. The problem is Americans do not like tough choices, but if they are not made now. Tougher choices will come later and we will not be living in an America as we know it now.
Unless bold action is taken, and taken immediately America is going to slide into a major depression that makes the Great Depression look like a cakewalk. National Debt, Jobs, Infrastructure, Health Care and Social Security all are related. The recent tax break given to American tax payers was done by borrowing against the future. The government cut Social Security deductions to put more in people's paychecks. What they did not say is this will cause a shortage in Social Security funds down the road. Peter and Paul no longer have anything to take from each other the government has taken it all. With a national debt that equals more than $40,000 dollars for every man woman and child in America, we have a problem. The median income in America is onlyu $34,000. That means if half of everybody gave all they have to the government they would still be $6,000 dollars in debt. Who is this going to fall on. Not this generation, and not the baby boomers, it is going to fall on our children and grandkids.
Right now there is an opportunity for a solution. A year or more down the road it will be to late to make a difference. President Obama supposedly put in place a "Paygo" program that requires all new expenditures to be paid for by budget cuts or tax increases. Yet his present budget package asks for an increase of the national debt limit by 16 % over what it is now. It America is to maintain its credibility it has to be done, but it should be done conditionally. It should reguire the 2013 budget to be no more than the 2012 budget and the 2014 budget should require a reduction of the same 16% that it is being raised this year. That gives time and room to solve some of the budget problems. One condition should be the bringing home of all American forces overseas. All means all, and includes the ones in Germany, Japan and Korea where our troops spend billions of dollars that could be spent in the American economy.
A permanent tax should be assessed on gas. This tax should be strictly for rebuilding America. While it is a tax, it is not going to the federal or state governments who have proved to be to incompetent to do the job. Each state will have to appoint a commission to adminster and manage the funds. My opinion would be around $1.00 per gallon. That money would go to the states it is collected in for infrastructure repair and renewal. Twenty percent of that money should be dedicated to upgrading our energy infrastructure and reducing our dependence on foreign supplies. This system should be ongoing and permanent. Infrastructure is the backbone of America. Without roads, bridges, dams and waterways just to name a few things, America will cease to be able to compete on the world markets. One restriction should be placed on the tax money from the gas tax. The state and federal budgets should not be able to access the funds. The states and feds will benefit as they will no longer be required to budget for infrastructure. The funds will be restricted to taxes collected. This will in the long run help restore soundness to the system. It should be called the America First program and as it creates jobs the economy should turn around. It will buy time to get the rest of the budget in order. If it is not done and quickly the consequences will be dire.
If America defaults on its debt it will lose the faith and trust of the whole world. The saying will not be "Buy American," It will be "Buy Anything, But American." and that will hurt. The first thing that needs to be addressed after the jobs situation which this tax takes care of is the Health Care System. There are solutions but they require tough choices. The problem is Americans do not like tough choices, but if they are not made now. Tougher choices will come later and we will not be living in an America as we know it now.
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