To save the Republic.
1) Spending in the United States. Spending must be reduced. Since 2006 spending by the Federal Government has increase 40%. For those that are governmnet educated that's 5 years. What has occurred in the past 5 years, that has necessitated 40% increase in spending? Housing crisis? Banking crisis? Whatever the case may be, there is a very good possibility that we could save the Republic if we could simply undo the spending increases of the last 5 years. All this talk of "spending cuts" is all smoke and mirrors. Cutting 1.2 Trillion dolllars from the next 10 years projected spending excesses of 10 Trillion is like saying, I was planning on gaining 100 pounds over the next 10 years, but instead I will only gain 90 pounds. YAY! We lost 10 pounds!!! Can you see the lunacy in that? if not you are definitely a liberal or an idiot. You pick which one. So when the "debt ceiling" debate was going on, I said, "Call their bluff". There was no default going to happen, but the R's decided it was in their best PR interest to "compromise" and pass the Boehner Plan. A few reps and Senators, tried to hold out, but they were vilified by many on the right, just as they were vilified on the left. From the right, we were told that these people were extremist, hardliners, hobbits, etc. On Facebook, I was told that I supported Obama and Pelosi because I didn't support Boehner's cave. And remember what that "deal" was? It was we will increase the debt ceiling 3 trillion dollars, for 1.2 Trillion in cuts, to be determined by the Super Committee. So what exactly did Boehner gain? Meanwhile the left media decided to act as if just those cuts of 1.2 Trillion were disastrous and it was the Tea Party members of congress, that "held hostage" the deal, and they were to "blame" for the 1.2 Trillion in cuts. Does anyone else see the irony of all of that? The Tea Party members of congress, tried to stop this disastrous bill because it didn't cut enough, and unlike Cut Cap and Balance, which passed through the house with bi-partisan support, had no way of controlling the spending in the future, yet were blamed for the draconian cuts, which were minuscule.
So in conclusion: Reducing spending is the number one thing that could be done to save the Republic, but it will not be cut. Simply cutting 12% of the projected increases over the next 10 years couldn't get done. Republican leaders caved instead of fighting. They had overwhelming support from their constituents to stand firm, yet even with all that support behind them, they negotiated themselves into being blamed for no gains at all. So what makes one believe that they would EVER stand for real cuts? they wont, and eventually the spending will be so high that it is unsustainable, and the economy will collapse under it's own weight.
2) Tax Code- The tax code of the US is currently over 88,000 pages long. Why is it 88K pages long? Because this is where political favors are granted. Laws are written, and in those bills, an exemption for this company (now of course it doesn't say "GE is exempt" it will be a long description of a many different attributes that a certain company would have, or a certain municipality would have), a subsidy for that company, a special exemption for this type of person living in a certain area, or that buy a certain type of product. the list goes on and on. Just as the above spending is out of control, the tax code is another place where power is brokered. This is why in order to save the Republic the current tax code MUST be abolished. It can be replaced with a flat tax (a no exemptions across the board from making 1 dollar a year to making 10 billion dollars per year.), or a consumption tax. (again with no exemptions). I am a proponent of the FairTax, which repeals the 16th Amendment, and replaces ALL taxes with a national retail sales tax. I wont get into it here, but read the FairTax Book by Neal Boortz. Over 30 Million dollars of research has been put into this plan. All nooks and crannies of the pros and cons have been analyzed at length. It is indisputable, although many try to overcome that 30 Million dollars worth of research and 8 years of putting together it together, with a blog post with such esteemed opinions of Hugh Hewitt, who could't grasp that losing a mortgage deduction, when there are NO deductions, would not effect people's individual finances. Anyway. Fair or Flat, 88K pages must go.
So in conclusion: the current tax code is the number 2 issue facing the Republic, yet it stays convoluted because it allows Congress to retain power over the people. Any serious attempt to change it is met with opposition from both sides. It will not be changed. Even Newt 's plan, and Perry's plan for a flat tax is coupled with allowing the current tax plan in place. Why do you think that is? It's to lessen the opposition from the Congress, who can still pick winners and losers based on their backer's needs and wants. Therefore, since the current tax code will remain, the Republic will not be saved.
3) Entitlements- Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are the real bankrupters of the Republic. None of them are sustainable, and any attempt to reform them is met with fierce opposition, and even the Republicans that would like to reform them, cowl in fear from doing anything. Notice the opposition to Obamacare. Almost to a person, Republicans will say how Obamacare is the slippery slope to socialism, and is a socialist program. Yet if Obamacare is socialist, why is Medicare not socialist? Oh yeah, because it is so entrenched in American society now, that it is not seen as it really is. It is socialized medicine for old people. What people pay in does not equal what they take out. This is socialism, in that the extra that comes out, comes from the general funds (which we then borrow from China), which is also coming from a progressive income tax. I am not for letting old people die, but people should get what they pay for. If there is going to be a program to provide medical care for old people it needs to pay for itself. What one puts in should equal what they take out. A VA type of hospital system could be set up with the funds that have been put in. It would suck as much as the VA system sucks, but it should be available for old folks. You want a socialized type of medical care? That is it. Paying for that, but receiving an A+ best in the world, all measures taken to save and prolong life is not sustainable. Sorry. One's health is their responsibility. Taking the government OUT of the system, would force healthcare providers to compete for business, and the free market would prevail.
Social Security is broke. It has been broke for about 30 years now. It is a Ponzi scheme, and should be ended completely, but it will not be ended. the folks that have paid all of their life into the system, should get their money back, and it should be ended immediately. I like Herman Cain's plan of the Chilean Model, and also the Galveston Plan. Both of these plans allow private accounts that are owned by the individual. that's better than what we have now, but frankly NONE should be mandatory. Now if the govt, wanted to offer up some sort of long term retirement plan that PAYS FOR ITSELF!!!, then people who are idiots can choose to allow the government to manage it for them. Otherwise, people should be responsible for themselves and their own retirements. There are hundreds of companies that will set up a variety of retirement plans for anyone doing any job, making any amount of money, and if people decide that they will do nothing to take care of their future selves, then frankly they would get exactly what they deserve. Do I want old people to be poor and dead? Well yes, if that was their choice. Medicaid? Also Socialism, and welfare. Should be done away with completely. Does that mean that I want people who are poor to die, because they cant afford medical care? Nope. But they should get their care from a charity, not the government.
In conclusion: The 3rd biggest problem that could be fixed to save the republic, is the reform/elimination of entitlements. Even the word "entitlements" is ridiculous. What makes anyone "entitled" to anything? At most all they should be "entitled" to is their money back from Social Security, whatever their contributions would buy them at a government VA style hospital, and in the case of Medicaid NOTHING. BUT, as you have seen in this presidential election season, all of them oppose doing away with Medicare, and Medicaid, and hold them up as "great programs" (Okay Ron Paul probably wants to get rid of them, but even he said that Medicare part D wouldn't be high on his list to cut.) that shouldn't be hurt. Social Security reform (lead by Herman Cain, and later picked up by first Perry and then Newt) is at best still a government managed program, and nobody says get rid of all of it and let the people actually be responsible for themselves. So if these are the biggest costs for the next 30 years, why are we not going to do anything to fix/eliminate them? Because it is politically unpopular, because even Tea Party darling Michelle Bachman, uses lines like, "obamacare stole 500Billion from Medicare" as if medicare was any different than Obamacare. Nothing will be done to reform the entitlements, they will continue to grow, will continue in it's aiding of healthcare skyrocketing in the US, and will eventually bankrupt the entire country.
4) Immigration- Any country should be able to control who comes in, and who resides in it. We have now come to the point where even Republicans say that we need to forgive their previous illegal actions, and let bygones be bygones, and POOF* 14 million democratic voters. Oh I know, you think that they will support the kindler gentler more diversity loving GOP. Well you are ridiculously stupid itf you think this. These are not political refugees escaping a Communist country like Cuba, but people leaving a poor country looking for opportunity. That's great but most of these folks (at least the ones I have met and have talked to) are not the people trying to escape a communist country, they are those that would LIKE to live in a communist country. Just because they are socially conservative, does not mean they are fiscally conservative. What has caused California to go dark blue? Too much weed by the surfers? Look at the demographics of California, and the change from the 60's and early 70's Moderately Red state to the bluest of blues. Hmm. I'm not saying I dont want them to immigrate to the US. I want ANYONE, and EVERYONE who wants to come to the US to be able to. Make the system efficient and effective. Make the applicant pay for a full background check and health test. After passing them, they are allowed into the country. After being in the country for 3 years, with no issues, they can become citizens after showing a thorough knowledge of the constitution, a proficiency in the English language, and show gainful employment.
So in conclusion- A huge problem with this country is that in order to pander to certain groups, simple things like "what is legal, and what is illegal" is mushed to conform to political correctness. When such simple issues as this is bent, and caressed into meaning other things, what are we to do?
These are just 4 things that seem to be common sense, and not all that difficult to figure out, yet none of them will be done. If the first 2 were done, than the Republic could survive, but can you HONESTLY say that any one of the 4 will be done? Any of them that the Republicans could fight for? Any sign that the Republicans would ever take a stand on ANYTHING? Could you point to any example where they did? I mean stand for something significant. I can not. And therefore, I do not have any hope that they will. If we keep sending to Washington what we have ALWAYS sent to Washington, we will keep getting what we have always gotten from Washington.
Posts
