Forum Post: Eight Steps to Restore America to Reason.
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 19, 2011, 6:31 p.m. EST by TheCentrist
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As encouraging as the Occupy Wall Street movement has been, for a nation so deeply frustrated with a failing economy and failed leadership, that movement has become simply rage without reason. There are tens of thousands of people who are fed up with the financial and legal systems, but who have no plan to end the crises that have spurred their anger.
The group I represent has been working, for years, on theoretical solutions to these problems but never assumed there would be a popular groundswell of support to make theory become reality. The economy and the government can be fixed with a very simple and elegant solution, but one which will require the determination and fortitude of a nation to implement.
Start over. Eight steps to restore America to profitability and reason.
Restructure the cabinet level of the executive branch: Remove overlapping and duplicate agencies. Require each cabinet level department to create a maximum 100-page charter to outline funding, organization, relevant laws, and policies. Require a five-year balanced budget for the entire government.
Let industries self-regulate: For each industry (such as food service, auto manufacturing, etc) create a “Board of Industrial Regulation” in which membership is mandatory. Boards will create their own laws and policies regarding product quality and safety standards . The actions of the board must be in the best interest of the consumer and public, and the board (as well as its member agencies) may be sued in civil court for negligence. All government regulation (except in education, health care, and public utilities) will be removed from all economic practices, and juries can be the judge of adequate practices.
No more handouts to corporations: If a company of national stature becomes financially unstable, the government has the right to acquire that part or all of that corporation’s shares in exchange for capital investment. No more tax-payer funded subsidies or bailouts.
Establish a flat-tax: All citizens in all income levels will be required to pay an equal percentage of their annual income, with no credits or deductions. All corporations must also pay a separate flat-rate, after deductions for expenses.
Turn welfare programs into work programs: No more free handouts to citizens unless they are willing to work for the money in helping to better this country.
Establish absolutely free bi-lateral free trade: No more tariffs or import taxes. No quotas. Nationalize important industries if necessary to protect viability in a global competitive market.
Simplify the legal system: Reduce the current countless number of laws to a very basic set of 100 pages. Increase the number of jurors required from 12 to 18, select juries at random, and don’t allow jury engineering. Give juries more flexibility in sentencing based on severity of individual crimes. Set the maximum civil contract length at 5 pages, technical specifications not withstanding. Set a similar length on congressional bills and limit them to a single topic.
Re-prioritize: Increase funding for education, free national health care, and improved public transit systems.
Compliments of The Verge... reclaiming our stolen existence since 2008.
What I read above sounds good, something I think comes to mind is what the republicans want, cut taxes, reduce government, and cut regulations.
HeartSpits... if you make 20k, you're using more of the public services than the 1mil person. If you pay 10% in taxes ($2k) then that is MUCH less than the 10% on $1mil ($100k).
With a flat tax, everyone pays their share... tax brackets punish the middle class and don't give them any incentive to work harder or earn more money.
Mcc... I'm frustrated how you posted this giant diatribe in less than 3 minutes after I posted our goals. (Clearly then, yours is cut and paste.) Stop trolling, stop spamming, and start reading. We are the 99%... and we are angry.
I don't think it's fair for someone making 20k to pay the same rate as someone making 1mil. Sorry. If there is a flat tax, the lowest brackets should be exempt.
Don't fall for this psychological crap from any one percent goon. It's an obvious attempt to divert our attention from the obscene, unjust, immoral, and illogical concentration of wealth. Donald Trump went on record the other day telling us to blame the government instead of Wall Street and the richest one percent. His goons are obviously online and on air trying to divert our attention. Don't fall for it. Just keep protesting no matter what the one percent goons say or do. Our message is vital. Below is my two cents:
We have been mislead by Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and nearly every other public figure. Economic growth, job creation, and actual prosperity are not necessarily a package deal. In fact, the first two are horribly misunderstood. Economic growth/loss (GDP) is little more than a measure of wealth changing hands. A transfer of currency from one party to another. The rate at which it is traded. This was up until mid ’07′ however, has never been a measure of actual prosperity. Neither has job creation. The phrase itself has been thrown around so often, and in such a generic political manner, that it has come to mean nothing. Of course, we need to have certain things done for the benefit of society as a whole. We need farmers, builders, manufacturers, transporters, teachers, cops, firefighters, soldiers, mechanics, sanitation workers, doctors, managers, and visionaries. Their work is vital. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that we need politicians, attorneys, bankers, investors, and entertainers. In order to keep them productive, we must provide reasonable incentives. We need to compensate each by a fair measure for their actual contributions to society. We need to provide a reasonable scale of income opportunity for every independent adult, every provider, and share responsibility for those who have a legitimate need for aid. In order to achieve and sustain this, we must also address the cost of living and the distribution of wealth. Here, we have failed miserably. The majority have already lost their home equity, their financial security, and their relative buying power. The middle class have actually lost much of their ability to make ends meet, re-pay loans, pay taxes, and support their own economy. The lower class have gone nearly bankrupt. In all, its a multi-trillion dollar loss taken over about 30 years. Millions are under the impression that we need to create more jobs simply to provide more opportunity. as if that would solve the problem. It won’t. Not by a longshot. Jobs don’t necessarily create wealth. In fact, they almost never do. For the mostpart, they only transfer wealth from one party to another. A gain here. A loss there. Appreciation in one community. Depreciation in another. In order to create net wealth, you must harvest a new resource or make more efficient use of one. Either way you must have a reliable and ethical system in place to distribute that newly created wealth in order to benefit society as a whole and prevent a lagging downside. The ‘free market’ just doesn’t cut it. Its a farce. Many of the jobs created are nothing but filler. The promises empty. Sure, unemployment reached an all-time low under Bush. GDP reached an all-time high. But those are both shallow and misleading indicators. In order to gauge actual prosperity, you must consider the economy in human terms. As of ’08′ the average American was working more hours than the previous generation with far less equity to show for it. Consumer debt, forclosure, and bankruptcy were also at all-time highs. As of ’08′, every major American city was riddled with depressed communities, neglected neighborhoods, failing infrastructures, lost revenue, and gang activity. All of this has coincided with massive economic growth and job creation. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting richer and richer and richer even after taxes. Our nation’s wealth has been concentrated. Again, this represents a multi-trillion dollar loss taken by the majority. Its an absolute deal breaker. Bottom line: With or without economic growth or job creation, you must have a system in place to prevent too much wealth from being concentrated at the top. Unfortunately, we don’t. Our economy has become nothing but a giant game of Monopoly. The richest one percent already own nearly 1/2 of all United States wealth. More than double their share before Reagan took office. Still, they want more. They absolutely will not stop. Now, our society as a whole is in serious jeapordy. Greed kills.
Amen! Greed Kills!