How would you restore America?

[losttrail]

Couple of questions:

1. Any of you guy Christians?
2. Any of you study macroeconomics?

1. Yes
2. Some

[centrarchidae]

Eliminate the departments of Education, Agriculture, and HUD entirely. Along with all of HHS except for CDC. (Who would sort of exist, but just to deal with pandemics and not to do bullshit sociological research.)

Eliminate DHS, Fold Customs back into Treasury, FPS back into GSA, INS/BP back into Justice, USCG back into Transportation. BATFE, TSA, and DEA would go away entirely.

Every other department will take sharp cuts. In the end, the Federal government will have a balanced budget requirement and will not be allowed to have multi-year debt. I'm not an isolationist, and I like defense, but fixing our fiscal house will require cuts from DoD as well.

Privatize the USPS (or declare it to be private and independent whether it wants to be, or not)

SS taxpayers would be given the option to opt out: waive all claim to money already paid, and never pay again. Ditto Medicare.

All individual income and capital gains taxes flattened. I'm thinking 15% but I'm not in love with any number that isn't a sharp decrease. Most if not all deductions and credits would be eliminated.

Get the Federal government out of the prohibition business. If some state wants to punch holes in the Fourth Amendment and give a what's basically a price-support subsidy to MS13, that's their problem. They shouldn't be able to drag other states down with them. Federal gun control would also go away.

Pull the plug on the NLRB: labor relations are something for labor and management to work out for themselves. If an employer does not wish to deal with a union, that employer will not be forced by law. I would also end collective bargaining in the Federal government.

An end to every Federal subsidy: TARP, auto bailouts, Section 8, food stamps, etc. And as for banking, it would remain illegal to commit fraud in interstate commerce, but banks could make the loans that they want to make, refuse the loans that they don't, and go broke and out of business if they insist on making negative-equity interest-only mortgages on stated income only.

Oh, and the death penalty for taking the last ice cube out of the freezer and not refilling the ice tray.

[Clint45]

Income Tax: Flat tax of 15%, zero deductions or write offs, 10% to federal, 5% to state.

Health Care: All emergency care and preventative care provided free of charge. If you require medication or long term care, you're responsible for seeking insurance or charity.

Social Services/Food Stamps: No cash assistance. No phone assistance. No cable TV or internet assistance. You get public housing or low income rent assistance, heat assistance, and a nutritional protein loaf made from soybeans and vitamins. Food stamps can be used only for milk, eggs, pasta, rice, beans, soap, and toilet paper.

Eliminate unions for all public service employees.

Make all elected political positions unpaid.

Prosecute and imprison politicians who abuse their authority or commit fraud, graft, or corruption.

Repeal all unnecessary laws based upon opinion or religious beliefs.

Make the process for repealing unjust, ill thought, or unworkable laws far easier.

Repeal the GCA of 68.

[MED]

Show proof of citizenship/photo ID, some form of receipt from the IRS proving you paid taxes the previous year, and proof that you aren't currently receiving any form of government welfare to vote. Everything else stays as-is. There I fixed it.

A person should not be able to vote if they are on government assistance; it is a conflict of interest.

[Rucker61]

A person should not be able to vote if they are on government assistance; it is a conflict of interest.

Does this same rule apply to employees of companies with government contracts, or farmers receiving government subsidies?

[losttrail]

Does this same rule apply to employees of companies with government contracts, or farmers receiving government subsidies?

In my opinion, no on 1.

Employees of companies with government contracts are working to provide a product or service, not receiving welfare or other hand out.

In my scenario, there would be no farm subsidies. Free market. Government stays out of it and is not allowed to manipulate markets.

[HBARleatherneck]

what about service connected disabled Veterans? I get money... I feel i earned it. for a non military application think about someone going to work, texting on their iphone and falling in their cubicle hitting their head on their cappacino machine. Resulting in them being permanently disabled and getting workmans comp. it is part of the contract. you get hurt, we take care of you.

so, do I get to vote? not that it ever helps anyway...it seems.

[TS12000]

Loving the 24 hour executions and disbandment of union stuff. So Reichesque. :screwy:

[HBARleatherneck]

Loving the 24 hour executions and disbandment of union stuff. So Reichesque. :screwy:

i said the politicians would get a trial, then a party.

[Ronin13]

what about service connected disabled Veterans? I get money... I feel i earned it. for a non military application think about someone going to work, texting on their iphone and falling in their cubicle hitting their head on their cappacino machine. Resulting in them being permanently disabled and getting workmans comp. it is part of the contract. you get hurt, we take care of you.

so, do I get to vote? not that it ever helps anyway...it seems.

I'd say yes- you served your country (as did many of us SCDV folks) and during that term where you were technically "The property of the Department of Defense" on orders, you were injured- you're not a lazy you-know-what that just wants to sit around and not get a job. In a manner of speaking you had no choice in the matter... jobless idiots who refuse to better their lives by choice are a completely different category of "receiving checks from the .gov."