Time to Fix Government

[KeithE]

I am not so naive as to believe whatever government does is good and healthy.


Some ideas about
I’ll add more ACCOUNTABILITY all monitored with of course DATA to learn what is effective for the common good.

Seriously, this and are very enlightening. It will no doubt anger many - just look at the crudely worded 1-star ratings. Then look at the 5-star ratings. Then look at which ratings had the most helpful reviews. No tweeners on this one.

[William Thornton]

The "fix" list is the usual laundry list of discarded policies many of which we had sense enough not to enact years ago:

Living wage; eureka, a bureaucrat decides what your pay may be

Free higher education; think of it, free college, all those carefree years paid for by chump taxpayers so you can get a degree in some alleged discipline that includes the word "studies" and make yourself a productive citizen so long as you land a job teaching others such "studies."

Give babies a free $1k at birth, and $500 per year until age five...put it in a lockbox and have it there for the kids retirement six decades later. How long before parents and politicians get the key to that lockbox.

Hyper-progressive taxation; capital gains tax at the same rate as income, disincentivization on steroids; soak the rich early and often

Increase union power; and thereby decrease employment, since unions have interest only in maintaining and improving the lot of their members.

Full employment; kinda like the UMC, every pastor has a church, every church as a pastor. Think job creation for everyone by gummit. Just log on to their website and pick your job.

Prevent companies from entering unfair contracts with employees; Keith's fav...the gummit decides what is unfair and punishes the employees accordingly by cutting pay.

Public financing of elections; repeal the first amendment and let gummit decide who gets to speak to elections.

Proportional representation; just rewrite the constitution to try a parliamentary system. Gummit welfare for fringe parties.

_________

But liberals can dream, can't they?

[Dave Roberts]

Nice caricature, William. How about a little dialogue on the merits of ideas, not just jabs at the ones you don't like. I know, your hero is Reagan--"government is the enemy." By that logic, he should never have become the head then of the highest form of evil.

[William Thornton]

Pick one, Dave, your choice. I'll be glad to dialogue.

When I read Keith's title I thought there would be some balanced suggestions. Not so.

[Dave Roberts]

[William Thornton]

[ET]

Quick note. Switzerland has no minimum wage. Nor does Denmark, Finland, Germany, Austria, Norway or Keith's favorite, Sweden. Most folks in many of those countries are covered by collective bargaining agreements, however.

[KeithE]

[Ed Pettibone]

[William Thornton]

Dave asked for dialogue. I said pick one. He picked two - minimum wage and living wage. Discussion apparently ended with my soliloquy on them.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Have a point to make, sandy? Make it.

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

[ET]

[William Thornton]

All this chastisement for non-appreciation of gummit strikes me as being so North Korea-ish.

[KeithE]

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

You bet. I read some of it. Am I now governmentally sanctified?

[Dave Roberts]

[David Flick]