Morning Rant

Deficit Reduction Plan Is Realistic - Economic View - NYTimes.com

Spending vs. Taxes is about choices. The problem is the Americans want everything from their government, social security, medical care, good roads, good public schools, top quality higher education, a stable financial system, a fair legal and business system, and the largest military the world has ever seen but they want it all without paying for it. It's not taxes or spending that's screwed up it's the connection in the American public's mind between the two, along with the inability to choose what we really want. Our broken, captured-by-the-money government and crappy media/propaganda networks don't help either.

Personally I want a government that does things that help Americans like, medical care, a secure but not necessarily wealthy retirement, good schools for my kids, roads, fair and stable but not oppressive financial, legal and business systems. Fuck the rich, the big corporations and let's leave the rest of the world alone.

Cut the military pending. We don't need to spend trillions of dollars on wars on the other side of the world whether they're for oil, markets, religion or racist reasons. Bring'em home and put the money and people to work building a better America.

Increase taxes on the rich. Wealth and income inequality in the US has increased to banana-republic proportions. The rich can pay more. An income of $250,000 is five times what an average American makes. We need to take the balance of wealth back to the 1960's range.

To do this we'll need to scrap the tax system as it exists. Start with rates similar to the current rates, eliminate all current deductions and see where we stand. Adjust as necessary.

End corporate favoritism, it's "We the People" not "We the Corporations". Stop treating corporations as a person. Hold CEOs and Directors personally responsible for illegal corporate actions. Put them in jail instead of allowing the company to pay a fine. If Michael Dell's company does something illegal, Michael Dell and the directors should go to jail. That's corporate responsibility.

Cut foreign aid to the bone, especially in the Middle East. We need to get our own house in order before we give billions to other countries.

Extend Medicare to all and regulate the healthcare system like we regulate utilities. Take the insurance companies out of health care. They are parasites in the system.

Change the campaign laws so the current parties don't have such a stranglehold on the political process. The two parties have both been captured by big money to the point that they are really just different factions of one party, the "corporate elite". We have room for three or four viable parties at this time. Viable choices like an Anti-war, Green, and The Tea Party may help keep our leaders in check. A "none of the above" choice on every ballot could help force the parties to put up better candidates.

The "all campaign, all the time" nature of our system needs fixed too. Maybe longer and limited terms for every office would give the public a chance to see how their choice panned-out and end the flip-flop elections we've seen recently. Oh, and if your spouse, parents, grandparents or siblings are in the current government, you can’t be. We don’t need royal families in this country. Fuck the Kennedy’s, Bush’s, Clinton’s, Gore’s, Bayh’s, Cheney’s, Quail’s, etc.

There you have it TNBs answer to all our problems. When I’m elected supreme being I’ll put these in place.

Maybe I’ve had too much coffee this morning?

tnb