Mandate that store receipts are structured the same across the country. I hate that the purchase date is in a different spot on each receipt, from store to store. That really irks me when I'm trying to figure out if I am still within the return window.
@unknown yes I know what I means. What I'm trying to say is however they abuse someone they get the same thing done to them. I know it will never happen, but if there were harsher punishments maybe it would stop.. Or at least decrease. I guess that's kinda ass backwards. Maybe it could be a Dexter type thing? Idk.
Flat tax so that everyone has skin in the game instead of some of us having the burden for others' poor lifestyle choices. Legalize drugs and free all non-violent drug criminals.
Universal Health Care, far beyond ObamaCare. It's a crying shame that we don't have it. And yes, Mr. Romney, I think everybody in the country IS entitled to it.
If we could find a President/congress with the cojones to pass it, I guarantee that two years later, we'd all wonder how we lived without it.
It would do wonders for the economy too. Employers would be able to afford new workers, and workers would be able to change jobs w/o worrying about losing coverage.
Create a national 911-type number for animal neglect/abuse and a national animal abuse registry similar to a sex offenders registry.
(Currently, how and where to report animal abuse varies state to state and even county to county, and it's nearly impossible to track abusers to prevent them from owning pets again.)
IDoTheRobot, ITA. I think in general, if we had harsher punishments, people might think before they act, at least more often than happens now. Eye for an eye for violent criminals is perfect.
end the war on drugs. put the effort back into going after real crime (rape, molestation, murder, assault, sex trafficking, etc), rather then manufactured crime (illegal drugs).
Mandatory 4 weeks of paid vacation time by all large companies. I'm lucky enough to receive paid vacation time, but I think we could all use some more R & R.
@revell yep I don't even smoke or like weed but I think it's so stupid that it's not legal. We could tax the shit out of it, the strains would be regulated so u know exactly what you are buying like with prescription drugs and people tht want to use marijuana for Health purposes (although for health it should be ingested without smoking) and collect oodles of tax dollars!
I'm bumfuzzled at the number of people who think socialized/govt. paid health care would be good. In theory, yes, it would be great! But when was the last time ANYTHING run by the govt. worked as well as touted?
The best thing everyone can do to ensure their health is to take personal care of yourself so the system isn't flooded with colds & flu at the ER.
Then TRUE emergencies/life-threatening illnesses would be able to be covered much more often because $$$$ wouldn't be wasted on minor ailments. My husband is a Dr. and he regularly comps visits to the poor & disadvantaged. Most doctors would willingly do this too, if they could make enough to cover the cost. The medi/caid, care system(which is the very one you would be put on with Universal Coverage, only the name might change), pays the Dr.s about 38 cents on the dollar. Would you run a store and sell all your merchandise for this measly percent/amount? No, or you would go out of business. Young people interested in the medical field are seeing where this is going and as a result, medical schools are seeing a marked shortage of applicants.
The only REAL solution is to outlaw insurance. Everyone should pay for their healthcare out of their own pockets. This is the only way to bring astronomical medical costs back to where they need to be. The Dr would work for the members of his community, not for an insurance co. or the govt. There is SO MUCH WASTE in every govt. program and in the insurance industry that using market forces to rebalance costs would free up billions that in turn could be used to aid the poor & disadvantaged who really need it.
Most doctors aren't greedy bastards, out to screw the poor. The vast majority go into the field because the want to help, not so they can screw the little guy. Our economy is not a zero-sum game. Just because person A makes a profit, that does not mean person B must lose money. So many think if someone has something, that means that they somehow "took" it away from someone else. Not so. EVERYONE has a chance to succeed. It is not guaranteed, however, and this seems to be the sticking point with so many who think that equal opportunity = equal outcome. And our system is not a pie, where if someone gets a bigger piece then someone else has to get a smaller piece. It is open-ended, and everyone has the chance to succeed.
Anyway, I've gone on way too long, & on my iPad (1st gen.)I can't scroll back to proofread my comments. I am certain that people will be very angry with what I've written,and for that, I'm sorry. Not sorry for what I believe, but sorry that you can't see my point of view. But that's life, I guess.
Hear, hear. Who do you folks think the gov't is? An entity that makes money like a business? An entity that receives money falling from the sky? No, the gov't is funded by us, or rather, SOME of us. Do you want to pay for someone else's poor choices or for those who are ripping off the country? No, these people need to pay for their own damn selves. So many people have no idea about basic economics.
Hear, hear. Who do you folks think the gov't is? An entity that makes money like a business? An entity that receives money falling from the sky? No, the gov't is funded by us, or rather, SOME of us. Do you want to pay for someone else's poor choices or for those who are ripping off the country? No, these people need to pay for their own damn selves. So many people have no idea about basic economics.
I personally believe that a one-payer solution for healthcare is immanent and desirable, but I can see people nostalgic for the "golden age of medicine," as the mid 20th century was called. A doctor could open a practice, charge people a small fee, give them antibiotics or whatnot, refer them to hospitals for major illness, and rake in a handy living. By the 70s, the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies got involved majorly, and by the 80s it was 15 minutes with a doctor, followed by twenty expensive tests (with lab fees dwarfing the doctor's fees), then expensive medications.For a variety of reasons, we'll never get back to the Golden Age of Medicine, though.
I would urge the states to hold a constitutional convention for the sole purpose of drafting a constiutional amendment on federal campaign finance reform that they then could go back and ratify, bypassing Congress altogether. Because the federalist system is severely out of whack, there needs to be a rebalancing of the federal-state powers, and Congress will never pass real campaign finance reform that applies to its own members. (But Congress never has any trouble introducing constitutional amendments galore that restrict state powers.)
I would like the food stamp program modeled closer to the WIC program. Making people choose from healthy categories of food groups allows for more nutritious food and the program isn't solely based on a dollar amount. WIC is one of the more successful food programs IMO. It forces better choices. Every family that I have encountered runs out of food sometime during the third week of the month with the current dollar based program.
Outlaw the gerrymandering of congressional districts. Currently less than 1 in 10 congressional seats are even competitive in each election. Meaning 90% of the country has no option when they want to change congressmen. Make a constitutional amendment that all congressional districts must be rectangular with 4 straight lines as as borders except where they meet the state border. Computers could do this with the latest census data easily. This will make the makeup of every district completely random. That eliminates the idea of Safe Seats & puts all districts in play every two years. Then maybe we can elect a representative body that reflects the mood of the electorate at any given time, like democracy is supposed to work.
Legalize, regulate & tax marjuana, and possibly other illegal drugs. The war on drugs is a failure & a waste of money. Plus we'd make money from the taxes, provide real jobs, and end the problems of border violence & take the power out of the hands of criminal drug cartels. It would really help solve so many of our problems if we just got realistic & pragmatic on drug policy in this country!
@The: There already is a flat tax. It's called sales tax (depending on your state) and FICA/Medicaid payroll tax. FICA is actually a tax-the-poor program, since the more you earn, the lower your rate once you exceed the cap.
If you want to talk about leveling tax rates, I'd suggest taxing all income (earned and investment) at the same rates. It is ridiculous that hedge fund managers and the Romneys of this world get taxed at a max rate of 15%. And don't use the "job-creator" myth. Hedge fund managers trade stocks. That does not create a lot of jobs.
Publicly funded elections. No private money allowed - all political candidates given the exact same amount of cash and air time and print space to get their ideas across. And no third party political ads, either.
Repeal the electoral college and make all elections popular vote so that a handful of states don't decide elections. Include in the new amendment the provision that ALL federal elections can only be publicly funded, no outside or personal money. (telesma!)
And if not that then pass the long languishing Equal Rights Amendment so that we can quit having these bullshit political games over whether woman are worthy and equal citizens in all ways(in 2012!?). SMH.
@jaariel: I support universal health care, but I have total sympathy for doctors. They are not the villains here. The reimbursement rate under Medicare is ridiculously low.
The NYT had a series a couple of years ago on the new reality of being a GP and showed how a GP trying to run a private practice might clear $175k a year, IF he saw four patients an hour every hour every day of the week. No doctor can do that - there are cancellations, emergencies, etc. And $175k/yr is not that much when you consider the debt that most med students have by the time they are allowed to hang their own shingle out.
I changed GP (Primary care doctor) 3 years ago, because she had switched to 15-minute appointments. She had her phone set to buzz after twelve, at which point she would stand and start to walk you out of the room, whether or not you had discussed all the issues.
My new doc works for a teaching hospital here and earns a flat salary of $300k, with absolutely no quota of patients she has to see. That's how I imagine a universal health care plan working.
I sympathize with you and your husband, but totally disagree with your suggestion that the solution is to ban insurance altogether. You're effectively saying that anyone who's in a major car accident or who develops, say, breast cancer, should be just written off. At least that's the way I read it.
Additionally, middle-income paycheck-to-paycheck folks who currently have insurance would avoid routine annual screening if they had to pay out-of-pocket. That's not an outcome most doctors would recommend.
@Pogue Mahone: Póg mo thóin. Don't have an abortion if you don't approve of it, but please understand that if RvW is repealed, women will continue to attempt to have abortions anyway, as they have done for centuries. It's just that a lot more will die having them.
But I guess you are not pro-their-lives.
I am ambivalent about abortion and I respect the opinion of someone who, personally, decides it is an immoral act and will never have one. But I am categorically against the repeal of RvW and a return to the dark ages for women.
That every parent would be able to get off of work in time to pick their child up from school and let them have paid leave during summer/winter/spring break. Daycare SUCKS!
You guys have really great ones here already, but I agree with healthcare, fix the tax system, equal rights for EVERYONE, legalize pot, and fix the infrastructure
I also liked the suggestion that we should have mandatory financial classes before applying for loans and credit cards
For those that oppose abortion: good for you, it's your right but don't push your beliefs on others, women would still do it but in unsafe ways and I'm sure as pro life advocates you are concerned about that.
I have two, and since I am Australian and would be Prime Minister I will be cheeky and write them. 1) If children are in a neglectful situation, remove them. There are plenty of loving people who long to be parents. Parenthood is a privilege and should be treated as such. 2) Change education to reflect the skill set needed in real life. For example, if you are studying to be a builder, make sure they can build. I don't care if they can write an essay in how to build. In order to get training, have people come in and build a kennel. The kennel is judged by two different builders. If there is a large discrepancy between the judges a third judge is brought in. Anyone with 85% or over goes through.
@All about Eve Actually, I am not for the dark ages. The fact that Test-tube babies can be made indicates that the baby is not "a part of the mother" like it's a tumour or something that can be removed anytime it's inconvenient.
Those who are in the Dark ages, are those who can't see that it is snuffing out a potential life.
@cece: I love your brand new definition of compassionate conservatism. The government is funded by just about all of us.
The social security taxes deducted from every person who earns a taxed paycheck go to fund Social Security.
The medicare tax deducted from everybody who earns a taxed paycheck goes to fund Medicare.
States charge taxes. In FL, they don't have state income taxes, but they have a 7% sales tax and a hefty property tax rate, which trickles down to renters.
But I applaud you for looking beyond that and vehemently insisting that hedge fund managers with their max 15% capital gains tax rate stop ripping off the economy. These people need to pay their fair share instead of getting rich on the back of working Americans like you.
Unfortunately, while we may have funded Social Security out of our paychecks, what we put in is nowhere near what it will take to support us when we need it. So the shortfall has to be made up somewhere, and that's you and me and the other taxpayers. Where I live, not everybody pays taxes; lots of folks get thousands back at tax time. I guess my point is that what we pay in is but a tiny amount and the test has to come from somewhere. And it's usually you and me.
For everyone saying child molesters should be sexually assaulted (or more) I just wanted to point out most of them already were - as children themselves. Not saying that excuses it by ANY means, just pointing out that there are a lot of simplistic answers to some very complicated problems being thrown around here.
As for my law - I would ban any statute that exempts or entitles a member of Congress to special status simply by the virtue of thier office. No immunity, no special health care program, not even reserved parking spaces. You get what we get.
@Mother Campfire: I support gay rights, and I think Obama is cool with that. I assume you are gay, and therefore 2%-10% of the population. If I vote for every gay rights bill I'm eligible to, which I do, could you please stop thinking it's the biggest issue facing the country?
Because it is not. I want you and your partner to be able to marry and have the spousal benefits that accrue to that. No objection here.
I would require that English be the only language that was used in any government sponsored activity such as school, signage, etc. Learn the language of the country or leave.
@Tuxedo Cat: I am not in favor of abortion. I don't know anyone who is. I am in favor of sex ed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and I am in favor of legalized abortion solely because women will always try to abort unwanted pregnancies.
Take away their legitimate right to control their bodies, and many women will die in botched illegal abortions. I am in favor of their right to live, and to control their bodies.
@cece: The "rest" could easily come from taxing hedge fund managers and their ilk at the same rate as regular tax-payers. There is no reason why Warren Buffet should pay a lower tax rate than his secretary, but at least he admits that.
Do you have a problem with raising the taxes on investment income (dividends, capital gains, and the so-called "carried interest") to the same level as the rates employed tax-payers pay?
Is there some reason you can think of that the billionaire Walton (of WalMart fame) heirs should have a lower over-all tax rate than most of their employees, who struggle to get by?
I totally agree with you on this point. Sadly, they always find a loophole to get out of paying their share. Seems they're always one step ahead of the tax man...
There were several great ideas here! Problem is that the president really doesn't have the power, as we all know, so this is more of our wish list and is exactly why Enty wrote this post.
As an animal lover and designer for a lot of health/welfare buildings for animals, I've always said (half jokingly): If I were president, we wouldn't test animals, but humans who have committed (been found guilty) more than 2 sexually related crimes (i.e. pedophiles, rapists, etc.) They are repeat offenders and then we don't test the innocent. :)
Anyway, in all reality, a better (and more streamlined) checks and balances system would be idea. For many areas of the government. My friend who is one of the top hand therapy specialists in 200 miles (or beyond) is billed out at the same rate as a kid right out of school. Why? Insurance companies have determined this. She said the same as the best hand surgeon in the Midwest (billed at the same rate as another with much less experience and no patents or industry credentials to their name. I'm not well versed in this, but it does make you wonder where the incentive is. Bottom line, I'm not convinced many insurance companies are doing the right thing...
No more Lobbyists in Washington DC...close down K Street! And repeal the Citizens's United decision by putting legislation into the Constitution to PROHIBIT outside money in our elections.
NO MORE buying politicians...they are there to serve the PEOPLE!
Someone read AskReddit in the past 5 hours.
ReplyDeleteForgive all student loans....screw u sallie Mae!!!!
ReplyDeletehealth care for all
ReplyDeleteEuropean-Style single payer health care.
ReplyDeleteGun Control
ReplyDeleteMandate that store receipts are structured the same across the country. I hate that the purchase date is in a different spot on each receipt, from store to store. That really irks me when I'm trying to figure out if I am still within the return window.
ReplyDeleteRepeal Citizens United OR reinstate Glass-Steagall
ReplyDeleteLegalize marijuana or eye for an eye punishment for sex crimes/child abuse.
ReplyDeleteHealth care for all
ReplyDeleteMedical bills can't go against your credit and bill collectors cannot collect on them. Make it mandatory for hospitals or providers to take payments
ReplyDeleteLower the Medicare age from 65 to zero. Problem solved :)
ReplyDeleteMandatory driving tests every year once you turn 65.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! All I can think of from this comment is the South Park episode!!
DeleteI would require everyone to take and pass a basic finance class! no credit card or loan issued without it.
ReplyDelete@IDoTheRobot, not sure if you know what "eye for an eye" means. Or else, you have a rather unique view of punishment for sex offenders.
ReplyDelete@unknown yes I know what I means. What I'm trying to say is however they abuse someone they get the same thing done to them. I know it will never happen, but if there were harsher punishments maybe it would stop.. Or at least decrease. I guess that's kinda ass backwards. Maybe it could be a Dexter type thing? Idk.
DeleteHealth Care for EVERYONE!
ReplyDeleteFlat tax so that everyone has skin in the game instead of some of us having the burden for others' poor lifestyle choices. Legalize drugs and free all non-violent drug criminals.
ReplyDeleteMandate gas price control. Make it so that it caps at $3.79 per gallon. Anything over is against the price gauging law.
ReplyDelete"Service guarantees Citizenship! Do you want to know more?" (Starship Troopers)
ReplyDelete;)
Universal Health Care, far beyond ObamaCare. It's a crying shame that we don't have it. And yes, Mr. Romney, I think everybody in the country IS entitled to it.
ReplyDeleteIf we could find a President/congress with the cojones to pass it, I guarantee that two years later, we'd all wonder how we lived without it.
It would do wonders for the economy too. Employers would be able to afford new workers, and workers would be able to change jobs w/o worrying about losing coverage.
Take away tax exempt status from religions.
ReplyDeleteCreate a national 911-type number for animal neglect/abuse and a national animal abuse registry similar to a sex offenders registry.
ReplyDelete(Currently, how and where to report animal abuse varies state to state and even county to county, and it's nearly impossible to track abusers to prevent them from owning pets again.)
GAY RIGHTS.
ReplyDeleteIDoTheRobot, ITA. I think in general, if we had harsher punishments, people might think before they act, at least more often than happens now. Eye for an eye for violent criminals is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks @TV. :)
DeleteUniversal Healthcare
ReplyDeleteUniversal single payer healthcare.
ReplyDeleteend the war on drugs. put the effort back into going after real crime (rape, molestation, murder, assault, sex trafficking, etc), rather then manufactured crime (illegal drugs).
ReplyDeleteg.strathmore-I like it, you get my vote!
ReplyDeleteMandatory 4 weeks of paid vacation time by all large companies. I'm lucky enough to receive paid vacation time, but I think we could all use some more R & R.
Fair Tax!! fairtax dot org
ReplyDeleteCampaign finance reform. REAL campaign finance reform.
ReplyDeleteClose tax loopholes for large companies.
ReplyDeleteuniversal health care for all, just like the Congress and Senate gets.
ReplyDeleteLegalize and tax marijuana.
ReplyDeleteLegalize it!!!
ReplyDeleteFix the student loan mess
ReplyDeleteSocialized healthcare.
ReplyDeleteActually cut the welfare system completely and use that money for socialized healthcare
DeleteTurn the day after Super Bowl Sunday into a holiday.
ReplyDelete@revell yep I don't even smoke or like weed but I think it's so stupid that it's not legal. We could tax the shit out of it, the strains would be regulated so u know exactly what you are buying like with prescription drugs and people tht want to use marijuana for Health purposes (although for health it should be ingested without smoking) and collect oodles of tax dollars!
ReplyDeleteGood Health Care for All
ReplyDeleteTie score:
ReplyDeleteUniversal single-payer healthcare, including government-imposed price controls
or
Elimination of all drug laws. Drugs are a health problem. You can no more solve it with laws than legislate a cure for the common cold.
I would decree that everyone gets the day off on their birthdays and a free Dairy Queen Blizzard of their choosing! And so it shall be!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Fair Tax but I could live with the Flat tax. And get rid of the designated hitter in baseball. That's my platform.
ReplyDeleteGather the 1% in Texas, and then give Texas back to the Mexicans, so the 99% CAN HAVE OUR COUNTRY BACK.
ReplyDeleteOverrule the Citizens United case. get private interest $$ and astroturfing out of general elections.
ReplyDeleteNational health care AND gun control. That's two things, but I'd do it in one bill.
ReplyDeleteI'm bumfuzzled at the number of people who think socialized/govt. paid health care would be good. In theory, yes, it would be great! But when was the last time ANYTHING run by the govt. worked as well as touted?
ReplyDeleteThe best thing everyone can do to ensure their health is to take personal care of yourself so the system isn't flooded with colds & flu at the ER.
Then TRUE emergencies/life-threatening illnesses would be able to be covered much more often because $$$$ wouldn't be wasted on minor ailments. My husband is a Dr. and he regularly comps visits to the poor & disadvantaged. Most doctors would willingly do this too, if they could make enough to cover the cost. The medi/caid, care system(which is the very one you would be put on with Universal Coverage, only the name might change), pays the Dr.s about 38 cents on the dollar. Would you run a store and sell all your merchandise for this measly percent/amount? No, or you would go out of business. Young people interested in the medical field are seeing where this is going and as a result, medical schools are seeing a marked shortage of applicants.
The only REAL solution is to outlaw insurance. Everyone should pay for their healthcare out of their own pockets. This is the only way to bring astronomical medical costs back to where they need to be. The Dr would work for the members of his community, not for an insurance co. or the govt. There is SO MUCH WASTE in every govt. program and in the insurance industry that using market forces to rebalance costs would free up billions that in turn could be used to aid the poor & disadvantaged who really need it.
Most doctors aren't greedy bastards, out to screw the poor. The vast majority go into the field because the want to help, not so they can screw the little guy. Our economy is not a zero-sum game. Just because person A makes a profit, that does not mean person B must lose money. So many think if someone has something, that means that they somehow "took" it away from someone else. Not so. EVERYONE has a chance to succeed. It is not guaranteed, however, and this seems to be the sticking point with so many who think that equal opportunity = equal outcome. And our system is not a pie, where if someone gets a bigger piece then someone else has to get a smaller piece. It is open-ended, and everyone has the chance to succeed.
Anyway, I've gone on way too long, & on my iPad (1st gen.)I can't scroll back to proofread my comments. I am certain that people will be very angry with what I've written,and for that, I'm sorry. Not sorry for what I believe, but sorry that you can't see my point of view. But that's life, I guess.
I wish you all good health!
Very well said.
DeleteThank you.
Hear, hear. Who do you folks think the gov't is? An entity that makes money like a business? An entity that receives money falling from the sky? No, the gov't is funded by us, or rather, SOME of us. Do you want to pay for someone else's poor choices or for those who are ripping off the country? No, these people need to pay for their own damn selves. So many people have no idea about basic economics.
DeleteHear, hear. Who do you folks think the gov't is? An entity that makes money like a business? An entity that receives money falling from the sky? No, the gov't is funded by us, or rather, SOME of us. Do you want to pay for someone else's poor choices or for those who are ripping off the country? No, these people need to pay for their own damn selves. So many people have no idea about basic economics.
DeleteAgreed and well stated!
DeleteEnd corporate personhood.
ReplyDelete@Mary Jones, so you want the original people of North America to have their land back..gee that is mighty kind of you. ;P
ReplyDeleteI would pass immigration reform and allow guest workers into the United States
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that a one-payer solution for healthcare is immanent and desirable, but I can see people nostalgic for the "golden age of medicine," as the mid 20th century was called. A doctor could open a practice, charge people a small fee, give them antibiotics or whatnot, refer them to hospitals for major illness, and rake in a handy living. By the 70s, the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies got involved majorly, and by the 80s it was 15 minutes with a doctor, followed by twenty expensive tests (with lab fees dwarfing the doctor's fees), then expensive medications.For a variety of reasons, we'll never get back to the Golden Age of Medicine, though.
ReplyDeleteWell put Barton
Delete@jaariel - BRAVO!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDo away with Hate Crimes...ALL crimes are hate crimes. Eye for an eye.
ReplyDeleteI would urge the states to hold a constitutional convention for the sole purpose of drafting a constiutional amendment on federal campaign finance reform that they then could go back and ratify, bypassing Congress altogether. Because the federalist system is severely out of whack, there needs to be a rebalancing of the federal-state powers, and Congress will never pass real campaign finance reform that applies to its own members. (But Congress never has any trouble introducing constitutional amendments galore that restrict state powers.)
ReplyDeleteWhat? No balance in the checks and balances system? (I jest). :) Good recommendation!
DeleteTaxes, healthcare, blah blah blah....most powerful in the country? NO MORE KARDASHIANS!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteRepeal health insurance for life for senators and congressmen.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw abortion.
ReplyDeleteMy previous comment was for jaariel.
ReplyDeleteVery well said.
I would like the food stamp program modeled closer to the WIC program. Making people choose from healthy categories of food groups allows for more nutritious food and the program isn't solely based on a dollar amount. WIC is one of the more successful food programs IMO. It forces better choices. Every family that I have encountered runs out of food sometime during the third week of the month with the current dollar based program.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw the gerrymandering of congressional districts. Currently less than 1 in 10 congressional seats are even competitive in each election. Meaning 90% of the country has no option when they want to change congressmen. Make a constitutional amendment that all congressional districts must be rectangular with 4 straight lines as as borders except where they meet the state border. Computers could do this with the latest census data easily. This will make the makeup of every district completely random. That eliminates the idea of Safe Seats & puts all districts in play every two years. Then maybe we can elect a representative body that reflects the mood of the electorate at any given time, like democracy is supposed to work.
ReplyDeleteLegalize, regulate & tax marjuana, and possibly other illegal drugs. The war on drugs is a failure & a waste of money. Plus we'd make money from the taxes, provide real jobs, and end the problems of border violence & take the power out of the hands of criminal drug cartels. It would really help solve so many of our problems if we just got realistic & pragmatic on drug policy in this country!
ReplyDelete@The: There already is a flat tax. It's called sales tax (depending on your state) and FICA/Medicaid payroll tax. FICA is actually a tax-the-poor program, since the more you earn, the lower your rate once you exceed the cap.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to talk about leveling tax rates, I'd suggest taxing all income (earned and investment) at the same rates. It is ridiculous that hedge fund managers and the Romneys of this world get taxed at a max rate of 15%. And don't use the "job-creator" myth. Hedge fund managers trade stocks. That does not create a lot of jobs.
Publicly funded elections. No private money allowed - all political candidates given the exact same amount of cash and air time and print space to get their ideas across. And no third party political ads, either.
ReplyDeleteRepeal the electoral college and make all elections popular vote so that a handful of states don't decide elections. Include in the new amendment the provision that ALL federal elections can only be publicly funded, no outside or personal money. (telesma!)
ReplyDelete@ g.strathmore :
ReplyDeleteyou have my vote as well, wonderful idea.
And if not that then pass the long languishing Equal Rights Amendment so that we can quit having these bullshit political games over whether woman are worthy and equal citizens in all ways(in 2012!?). SMH.
ReplyDelete@jaariel: I support universal health care, but I have total sympathy for doctors. They are not the villains here. The reimbursement rate under Medicare is ridiculously low.
ReplyDeleteThe NYT had a series a couple of years ago on the new reality of being a GP and showed how a GP trying to run a private practice might clear $175k a year, IF he saw four patients an hour every hour every day of the week. No doctor can do that - there are cancellations, emergencies, etc. And $175k/yr is not that much when you consider the debt that most med students have by the time they are allowed to hang their own shingle out.
I changed GP (Primary care doctor) 3 years ago, because she had switched to 15-minute appointments. She had her phone set to buzz after twelve, at which point she would stand and start to walk you out of the room, whether or not you had discussed all the issues.
My new doc works for a teaching hospital here and earns a flat salary of $300k, with absolutely no quota of patients she has to see. That's how I imagine a universal health care plan working.
I sympathize with you and your husband, but totally disagree with your suggestion that the solution is to ban insurance altogether. You're effectively saying that anyone who's in a major car accident or who develops, say, breast cancer, should be just written off. At least that's the way I read it.
Additionally, middle-income paycheck-to-paycheck folks who currently have insurance would avoid routine annual screening if they had to pay out-of-pocket. That's not an outcome most doctors would recommend.
@Pogue Mahone:
ReplyDeletePóg mo thóin. Don't have an abortion if you don't approve of it, but please understand that if RvW is repealed, women will continue to attempt to have abortions anyway, as they have done for centuries. It's just that a lot more will die having them.
But I guess you are not pro-their-lives.
I am ambivalent about abortion and I respect the opinion of someone who, personally, decides it is an immoral act and will never have one. But I am categorically against the repeal of RvW and a return to the dark ages for women.
jaariel:
ReplyDeleteThe United States ranks twenty-eighth in the world in quality of health care.
All twenty-seven nations ahead of us have socialized universal health care.
And, of I'm not mistaken, most are nearly bankrupt.
DeleteRevoke corporations are people bullshit. Ni superpacs.
ReplyDeleteUniversal health care
ReplyDeleteHealthcare, healthcare, healthcare...For all!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to assume healthcare is already in place, so I would outlaw abortion.
ReplyDelete@TuxedoCat:
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are not president then.
That every parent would be able to get off of work in time to pick their child up from school and let them have paid leave during summer/winter/spring break. Daycare SUCKS!
ReplyDeleteBah - I want to pass a few laws. Legalize Gay Marriage, Pot, implement Universal Healthcare, and get rid of Citizens United.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I kept reading about health care and scratched my head 'shouldn't we first work on equal rights?' I'm flummoxed.
DeleteYou guys have really great ones here already, but I agree with healthcare, fix the tax system, equal rights for EVERYONE, legalize pot, and fix the infrastructure
ReplyDeleteI also liked the suggestion that we should have mandatory financial classes before applying for loans and credit cards
For those that oppose abortion: good for you, it's your right but don't push your beliefs on others, women would still do it but in unsafe ways and I'm sure as pro life advocates you are concerned about that.
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA! Never used it, but meh, who cares...hasn't hurt Amsterdamn.
ReplyDeleteSome of you are just crazy with certain things.
I have two, and since I am Australian and would be Prime Minister I will be cheeky and write them.
ReplyDelete1) If children are in a neglectful situation, remove them. There are plenty of loving people who long to be parents. Parenthood is a privilege and should be treated as such.
2) Change education to reflect the skill set needed in real life. For example, if you are studying to be a builder, make sure they can build. I don't care if they can write an essay in how to build. In order to get training, have people come in and build a kennel. The kennel is judged by two different builders. If there is a large discrepancy between the judges a third judge is brought in. Anyone with 85% or over goes through.
8 year term limits for members of congress & no secret political donors for ANY type of pac. Then I'd go to work on corporations are NOT people.
ReplyDeleteI could do all this in 1 sentence & 1 breath, so that should count as 1 thing. ;o}
Abolish Obamacare and all socialist healthcare plans forever.
ReplyDelete@Jamie 2 So you are in favour of killing unborn children?
ReplyDelete@Reese Well, only the rich in your country could afford private healthcare, Nice of you to think of the less fortunate.
ReplyDelete@All about Eve Actually, I am not for the dark ages. The fact that Test-tube babies can be made indicates that the baby is not "a part of the mother" like it's a tumour or something that can be removed anytime it's inconvenient.
ReplyDeleteThose who are in the Dark ages, are those who can't see that it is snuffing out a potential life.
@cece: I love your brand new definition of compassionate conservatism. The government is funded by just about all of us.
ReplyDeleteThe social security taxes deducted from every person who earns a taxed paycheck go to fund Social Security.
The medicare tax deducted from everybody who earns a taxed paycheck goes to fund Medicare.
States charge taxes. In FL, they don't have state income taxes, but they have a 7% sales tax and a hefty property tax rate, which trickles down to renters.
But I applaud you for looking beyond that and vehemently insisting that hedge fund managers with their max 15% capital gains tax rate stop ripping off the economy. These people need to pay their fair share instead of getting rich on the back of working Americans like you.
ITA with you on this.
Unfortunately, while we may have funded Social Security out of our paychecks, what we put in is nowhere near what it will take to support us when we need it. So the shortfall has to be made up somewhere, and that's you and me and the other taxpayers. Where I live, not everybody pays taxes; lots of folks get thousands back at tax time. I guess my point is that what we pay in is but a tiny amount and the test has to come from somewhere. And it's usually you and me.
Deletechild rape would be a death penalty crime.
ReplyDeleteFor everyone saying child molesters should be sexually assaulted (or more) I just wanted to point out most of them already were - as children themselves. Not saying that excuses it by ANY means, just pointing out that there are a lot of simplistic answers to some very complicated problems being thrown around here.
ReplyDeleteAs for my law - I would ban any statute that exempts or entitles a member of Congress to special status simply by the virtue of thier office. No immunity, no special health care program, not even reserved parking spaces. You get what we get.
@Mother Campfire: I support gay rights, and I think Obama is cool with that. I assume you are gay, and therefore 2%-10% of the population. If I vote for every gay rights bill I'm eligible to, which I do, could you please stop thinking it's the biggest issue facing the country?
ReplyDeleteBecause it is not. I want you and your partner to be able to marry and have the spousal benefits that accrue to that. No objection here.
I just think we need health care for all first.
I would require that English be the only language that was used in any government sponsored activity such as school, signage, etc. Learn the language of the country or leave.
ReplyDelete@Tuxedo Cat: I am not in favor of abortion. I don't know anyone who is. I am in favor of sex ed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and I am in favor of legalized abortion solely because women will always try to abort unwanted pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteTake away their legitimate right to control their bodies, and many women will die in botched illegal abortions. I am in favor of their right to live, and to control their bodies.
@cece: The "rest" could easily come from taxing hedge fund managers and their ilk at the same rate as regular tax-payers. There is no reason why Warren Buffet should pay a lower tax rate than his secretary, but at least he admits that.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a problem with raising the taxes on investment income (dividends, capital gains, and the so-called "carried interest") to the same level as the rates employed tax-payers pay?
Is there some reason you can think of that the billionaire Walton (of WalMart fame) heirs should have a lower over-all tax rate than most of their employees, who struggle to get by?
I totally agree with you on this point. Sadly, they always find a loophole to get out of paying their share. Seems they're always one step ahead of the tax man...
DeleteThere were several great ideas here! Problem is that the president really doesn't have the power, as we all know, so this is more of our wish list and is exactly why Enty wrote this post.
ReplyDeleteAs an animal lover and designer for a lot of health/welfare buildings for animals, I've always said (half jokingly): If I were president, we wouldn't test animals, but humans who have committed (been found guilty) more than 2 sexually related crimes (i.e. pedophiles, rapists, etc.) They are repeat offenders and then we don't test the innocent. :)
Anyway, in all reality, a better (and more streamlined) checks and balances system would be idea. For many areas of the government. My friend who is one of the top hand therapy specialists in 200 miles (or beyond) is billed out at the same rate as a kid right out of school. Why? Insurance companies have determined this. She said the same as the best hand surgeon in the Midwest (billed at the same rate as another with much less experience and no patents or industry credentials to their name. I'm not well versed in this, but it does make you wonder where the incentive is. Bottom line, I'm not convinced many insurance companies are doing the right thing...
Dismantle the Federal Reserve system.
ReplyDeleteNo more Lobbyists in Washington DC...close down K Street! And repeal the Citizens's United decision by putting legislation into the Constitution to PROHIBIT outside money in our elections.
ReplyDeleteNO MORE buying politicians...they are there to serve the PEOPLE!
6 month Welfare cap. Lawmakers have a cap on their salary and term limits. No stupid funding crazy bills and projects don't really exist.
ReplyDeleteStudent Loan Debt wiped away. That would really get the economy up and running.
ReplyDelete@cowbulls, the US doesn't have an official language.
ReplyDelete