What are the top 10 things you want the government to do?

[justbehappy]

7. Remove all the guns, except for those who have legitimate use for them, viz. culling and pest-control.

Why..?

 

[justbehappy]

4) A national single-payer healthcare system to be funded by payroll and corporate taxes.

Their is no way I'm paying for Susie Q down the road's 25 babies from 25 baby daddys!
My best friend's mom and died when she was 10 and 14. From 15-18 she lived with her aunt. Her aunt has 9 children from 5 different fathers and they get more money than my father did having 1 child and making more than her boyfriend. Why? THE GOVERNMENT.
Also, my friend was on Medicaid because of her parent's and her cousin that she lived with was too. Every month, they EACH got $400 acne cream. Who paid for it? THE GOVERNMENT.
I love her and her family to death, but this is the kind of stuff we're paying for people.
People's own addiction problems, people's own pregnancies, and people's non-essential "medical" prodcuts. This is stuff they should be paying for on their own! Not the tax payers!

 

[justbehappy]

5. More Socialism

 

[justbehappy]

Leave it up to the countries of residence, generally. That could get more complicated if the country
is harboring a group currently attacking us, in which I'd err on the side of minimal intereference.

If we have people there, especially people who specialize in intelligence, we can have a better idea of how strongly the threat of terrorism is, and we can plan against it. We do need people over there.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yeah, it always amazes me that people want more socialism.
They saw GW Bush, & thought, "We need to give that guy even more control over us!".

 

[Internecivus Raptus]

No incentive to get rich nowadays is there? The government's just going to take all your hard-earned money away.

The top income tax rate during FDR's second term was 79% and would rise to 91% in the mid-fifties. The economy was thriving then despite the high tax rate. The idea that rich people need major tax incentives to keep the economy going is a myth.

 

[Revoltingest]

The top income tax rate during FDR's second term was 79% and would rise to 91% in the mid-fifties. The economy was thriving then despite the high tax rate. The idea that rich people need major tax incentives to keep the economy going is a myth.

Of course the high tax rate was only possible because of generous deductions, eg accelerated depreciation. I doubt that many actually paid the
highest tax rates. For a given amount of revenue taken, I'd prefer low rates & no tax dodges. It's simpler & encourages productivity. Just imagine
that you were an investor facing the fed taking 90% of what you make....would you take any risks? Bear in mind that if you make money, you give
almost all of it to the fed & the state. If you lose money, the loss often isn't deductable, even when carried forward. Why work hard or take risks?

 

[Danmac]

1) Make Obama switch parties so democrats can blame republicans for his mess.
2) Make Obama tell us everything he knows about Kenya
3) Make themselves stay out of politics.
4) Tax the poor for a change. Stop with the free handouts already.
5) Make all democrats take a drug test
6) Make all politicians take random lie detector tests. Administered by an independent firm
7) Let me claim my dog as a dependent.
8) Tell China were not payin em back, and ask them what their gonna do about it.
9) Tell Hillary were sorry. We lost our minds on election day.
10) Sell leftover food stamps for fifty cents on the dollar

 

[Revoltingest]

6) Make all politicians take random lie detector tests. Administered by an independent firm]/quote]

I like it!

 

[justbehappy]

Yeah, it always amazes me that people want more socialism.
They saw GW Bush, & thought, "We need to give that guy even more control over us!".

Are you forgetting Obama?

 

[justbehappy]

The top income tax rate during FDR's second term was 79% and would rise to 91% in the mid-fifties. The economy was thriving then despite the high tax rate. The idea that rich people need major tax incentives to keep the economy going is a myth.

It's not about the economy - I don't care what 1% tax rates or 99% tax rates do the economy. It is people' OWN income, and the government can't say "Hmm, let's take it all away from them because it's good for the economy!"
What if I put a 99% tax rate on you because it's good for the economy?

 

[justbehappy]

Of course the high tax rate was only possible because of generous deductions, eg accelerated depreciation. I doubt that many actually paid the
highest tax rates. For a given amount of revenue taken, I'd prefer low rates & no tax dodges. It's simpler & encourages productivity. Just imagine
that you were an investor facing the fed taking 90% of what you make....would you take any risks? Bear in mind that if you make money, you give
almost all of it to the fed & the state. If you lose money, the loss often isn't deductable, even when carried forward. Why work hard or take risks?

Amen. Why become an inventor, or an entreneur, or a try to work your way up the corporate ladder when it's all just going to be taken away from you anyways?

 

[Klaufi_Wodensson]

I think the government should eventually get to a point where we don't need it anymore. That's ideally speaking of course, because we as citizens need to be in the correct position to govern ourselves.

 

[Revoltingest]

Are you forgetting Obama?

Naw....my intended audience would react more to the irony that Dubya would would be the head socialist.

 

[Peacewise]

Well for my little country named Australia.
1. Lower personal tax.
2. Raise company tax, most especially the resource and energy industries.
3. Never, not once send our military forces to another country.
4. Make university education free.
5. Improve internet speeds nationwide, but especially where I live.
6. Spend more on more social projects.
7. Reduce the time it takes to assess 'boat people' and their status as refugee or not refugee.
8. Implement a campaign to inform workers of their ohws rights, whilst at the same time as being more strict on those companies that allow ohws to be lax and sweep injury and ill health caused at work under the rug.
9. Implement policy that lessens the corporatisation of sport.
10. Create a system whereby the 19 million less well off have more say than the 1 million very well off.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

The amount of privilege and responsibility I see people expecting of the government, even when they're disapproving of "them" (perhaps especially when so) is astonishing and slightly disconcerting.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Hi Mercy,



Wouldn't this be more in line with your thinking since you want the government censoring 'hate' speech (whatever that means)?

^ Very, very common strawman from the Right.

In other news, Confirmation Bias is today's featured article on wikipedia.

It's not about the economy - I don't care what 1% tax rates or 99% tax rates do the economy. It is people' OWN income, and the government can't say "Hmm, let's take it all away from them because it's good for the economy!"
What if I put a 99% tax rate on you because it's good for the economy?

You mean like the 90-plus percent tax brackets that existed in the middle of the 20th century, including under Republican President Eisenhower?

 

[Peacewise]

The amount of privilege and responsibility I see people expecting of the government, even when they're disapproving of "them" (perhaps especially when so) is astonishing and slightly disconcerting.

for the most part I think the aussie government does a good job. The only serious objection I have is with our commitment to supporting aggressive american military ventures globally. I'm of the opinion that the ADF, or Australian Defence Force should DEFEND our borders within our borders, not attempt to propagandise rationalisations for attacking other peoples.

 

[dust1n]

Yeah, it always amazes me that people want more socialism.
They saw GW Bush, & thought, "We need to give that guy even more control over us!".

Nah. It was more like, "We need to vote out this golddigger and vote in someone who has ('even', heh) more control over the corporations who have more control over us than anything"

Socialism is contingent on the government being indebted to it's peoples, regardless of their monetary status.

 

[dust1n]

It's not about the economy - I don't care what 1% tax rates or 99% tax rates do the economy. It is people' OWN income, and the government can't say "Hmm, let's take it all away from them because it's good for the economy!"
What if I put a 99% tax rate on you because it's good for the economy?

So, you don't believe in paying taxes what-so-ever (at least from income?). And you don't like anarchy? What exactly does a government do when it has no funding?