It would take a constitutional amendment, but IMO passage would be likely, given the current climate of unhappiness with illegal immigration. Many of the female illegals come across the border already pregnant so they can have their children in this country, often giving them dual citizenship.
I was wondering the same about you. However, one of us is mathematically challenged. Is there a math-oriented poster out there who can clear up the percentage questions?
When an old conservative like me and a dedicated liberal like you can agree, there is hope for the nation.
Isn't that the entire problem with our nation? People are so dedicated to seeing everybody else who thinks differently as wrong and holds their own beliefs and opinions to be true. Nobody in this country works together, compromises or says "You have some good ideas, I have some good ideas. Let's put these together and make it work!" This rings true from ordinary citizens all the way up to the highest levels of government.
Agree. That is why I was trying to find a middle ground where everybody wins as much as they lose for the general happiness and well-being of everyone.
I think he's saying the $100B is in addition to the interest payments - he's saying to commit $100B to principal reduction. thumbs - I won't comment on all the individual pieces of your post, but I think you did a good job of looking at the various issues and trying to find a comprehensive solution. Piecemeal solutions to major problems never work - one of the major reasons I was supportive of the health care overhaul as opposed to minor adjustments here and there. And everyone has to lose some to make anything work - that was part of the beauty of the debt commission's proposals. That said, the unfortunate reality is that the more comprehensive you make anything, the more enemies you create. So that's why we always end up doing piecemeal changes - you just look at health care and how many opponents there were and how many compromises that had to be made to make the whole thing even get the minimum majority support. Your proposal dwarfs health care. So all that to say, I think it's the right idea from a concept standpoint. Unfortunately, it would have zero chance of making it through any sort of legislature - regardless of any specific details.
yes I assume that a hot topic of tea party listservs is raising top marginal tax rates to pre-Reagan levels.
Reality and hope rarely collide, but every once in a while I like to climb up in the ivory tower and wish upon a star. The items of which I wrote were a blend of the ideas of a lot of different people, synthesized to see whether a consensus was remotely possible.
Probably a lot of dumb people, because this "consensus" results in by far the largest tax increase in US history and by far the highest effective tax rate in US history when all things are considered (top rate, SS cap removal, eliminating deductions). Sounds like a great way to jump start the economy and make it more competitive with the rest of the world. I wish there was a smiley icon with a sarcastic sneer and hand cupped in a simulated jerkoff motion that I could use to memorialize your post.
Agreed - yeah, I think you can definitely come to a reasonable consensus with reasonable people. I don't agree with everything on the list, but I agree with enough that it would be a good starting point to build consensus. And it would be a good thing for the country. Unfortunately, our politicians don't see things that way. Consensus and compromise tends to get you booted out office in primaries filled with crazy people.
So we're against big government yet we want to fine apartments for renting out to those that are undocumented? why include #6 and not include an amnesty program for those that are undocumented first? I do like number ten. "Alliance with no one, commerce with all." But it would be great if we, the people, could fine the Government if they decided to invade another country, say Iraq 13 years from now. God forbid if Big Saddam had an illegitimate child who rises to power and another Bush is in office.
thumbs, Well done. If I were doing it, I would take the opportunity to scrap the income tax altogether in favor of a consumption tax (since this is an "ivory tower" discussion"), but a no loophole graduated income tax would be far better than what we have now. Do you mind if I re-post this on a TEA Party board I frequent to gauge their willingness to compromise?
Not a bad post at all (I admit I'm surprised). I have problems with #6, but that is a complicated issue that probably won't have a really good "solution". For #10, I guess that you are aiming for principle payments of 100B, paid for via the tax increases in #3. I would go further I think and demand some major reductions in subsidies, particularly to agribusiness and DoD. I totally disagree with your premise regarding wars. We should not be a mercenary army for sale. I'd argue, a la my point above, that such wars should be reaffirmed as illegal and counterproductive. Use the monetary savings to...gasp...improve infrastructure and education, or lower debt.
I am all for the U.S. making as much money as we can off of killing people (who suck) and selling weapons and military technology (to people who don't suck) in order to pay off this goddamned debt. Once we're out of the poor house, we can start to think about having morals again.
Jokes aside, we're remarkably lousy at determining who sucks and does not suck. On the other hand, this presents a marvelously Krupp-esque opportunity: We can arm those who "don't suck" at a profit, and then once they (inevitably) turn out to suck rather enormously, we then kill them at a handsome profit! America, **** Yeah!
Of course. Hopefully, you will get replies that you have seen similar thoughts on other tea party boards.
Just remember. I don't like or agree with some of the points, but then this was an exercise in compromise. There is no "winning" completely but there is no "losing" completely. It's like Texas and Texas A&M playing to a tie in the days before "sudden death." Everyone goes home to brag about the great plays their team made and about the bonehead calls for the other side.
See, now you're thinking like a businessman. We gotta get this s**t done, then we can start sprinkling sunshine and rainbows all over the world... instead of missles and napalm.
