Citizens Party2024-03-29T13:21:39ZThatcher Jameshttp://www.votecitizens.org/profile/ThatcherrJameshttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3147706665?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.votecitizens.org/group/returntofiscalresponsibility/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=107mzm2v1fdkd&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWe start here.tag:www.votecitizens.org,2011-02-24:6348963:Topic:35472011-02-24T19:03:10.032ZThatcher Jameshttp://www.votecitizens.org/profile/ThatcherrJames
Buy stoping most foreign aid and spend the money here. But we need to still supply food and medical aid when we can. Buy rethinking how are Army protects us. Buy rethinking how we get are energy for are country. Thanks KJF.
Buy stoping most foreign aid and spend the money here. But we need to still supply food and medical aid when we can. Buy rethinking how are Army protects us. Buy rethinking how we get are energy for are country. Thanks KJF. WHERE DO WE STARTtag:www.votecitizens.org,2011-02-24:6348963:Topic:35452011-02-24T18:21:02.101ZThatcher Jameshttp://www.votecitizens.org/profile/ThatcherrJames
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<p>Over the past 30 years income inequality has grown to levels not seen since before the great depression. This has been due to a number of factors but if those not in the top 10% of income cannot earn enough to pay taxes it will lead to the US becoming a third world nation.</p>
<p>Step 1reinstate a progressive tax structure and cut loop holes. Repeal laws that lead to the income inequality.</p>
<p>It seems we have got our selves into a mess. Since the 1980's the conservative wing of…</p>
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<p>Over the past 30 years income inequality has grown to levels not seen since before the great depression. This has been due to a number of factors but if those not in the top 10% of income cannot earn enough to pay taxes it will lead to the US becoming a third world nation.</p>
<p>Step 1reinstate a progressive tax structure and cut loop holes. Repeal laws that lead to the income inequality.</p>
<p>It seems we have got our selves into a mess. Since the 1980's the conservative wing of the Republican party has used a strategy called "Starve the Beast" in an effort to cut the size of government. It hasn't worked, in fact just the opposite, government has grown considerably.</p>
<p>Step 2 should be to abandon the starve the beast strategy.</p>
<p>Revenues are down because we have a jobs crisis in this country. Many jobs have been outsourced to cheap labor countries. Many jobs have been lost to technological improvements. Many jobs have been lost to corporate restructuring . We need to create well paying jobs in the construction and manufacturing sectors.</p>
<p>Step 3 should be to spend the money to finance large scale infrastructure projects.. and to educate our workforce.</p>
<p>Throughout the history of this country we have found ourselves at war. Every time we went to war taxes were raised to fund the war effort. Every time until the turn of this century that is. To fund the war in Iraq and Afghanistan we borrowed and spent as well as lowered taxes. What kind of fiscal responsibility is that.</p>
<p>Step 4 should be to create a tax that is used specifically to pay off the war debt.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons we are in debt is due to entitlements. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Both the employer and the employee contribute evenly to SS at roughly 12% of wages. The same goes for Medicare /Medicaid, only the total is 2.9% of wages. There is a ceiling of just over $100,000 for SS. Monies collected from these wage deductions goes into the general fund. Medicare was expanded during the Bush administration and as part of the expansion the government gave up the ability to negotiate with Pharmaceutical companies on drug prices.</p>
Step 5 should be to get entitlements in order. I propose the following<br />
<p>1. get SS out of the general fund.</p>
<p>2. Raise medicare rates. They have not been raised in years, have they? Health care costs have skyrocketed. Get our best deals on drugs, repeal the provision in the law that does not allow for negotiated drug prices.</p>
<p>The defense budget has skyrocketed the past decade. We are the policemen to the world at no charge. Why do we need to protect Europe from Russia? Why do we need to be in Iraq. Do we have to send forces to Libya . Where does it end?</p>
<p>Step 6 should be to cut the military budget in half.</p>
<p>The discretionary portion of the federal budget has also skyrocketed in the past decade. Many programs are overlapping and redundant. All departments need to tighten the belt until the deficit is zeroed out and the debt is substantially reduced.</p>
<p>Step 7 should be to reduce the department budgets to the 2008 level unless it affects job creation or education.</p>
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