Reply #49: Open your mind

[wadestock]

You're obviously one breath away from sliding into a ditto head funk.

EVERY democracy needs a progressive tax system for self-regulation....to aovid the mess that we're in right now...where too much is going to the top. The middle has not only stagnated in this country...it is losing ground. We are soon to fall to #3 in living standard, and #2 in economic power. We are moving to a society in which only the rich will be capable of owning a house and sending their children to college. ASSETS have shrunk in the middle class over the last 20 or so years with an exception of a few years under Clinton. The system is....BROKEN.

So...the first critical adjustment necessary is to raise the upper rate back to where Clinton had it...at about 40%....and even this is considerably under what other countries have (Canada and several other European nations) which hover around 50%.

You are very gracious in your willingness to feed the poor. In your list of gratuities...are you going to provide health care assistance to people? Would you opt for people to work until they drop in place or would you be gracious enough to invite them to live with you when they become seniors and can't afford housing or food?

Our culture is self-destructing. Look around you. It should be astounding that many people are now accepting the notion of working longer, harder, for less benefits, and with no guarantee of retirement benefits. One's own personal health is even being ignored for some bull crap belief that those who own the store can't afford to give those who work for them benefits. It's reached a point of pure sickness.

The Reaganite model of rich trickling jobs and benefits to those under them has been conclusively proven false....it's just that an insufficient number of Americans are tuned in to this obvious fact. Businesses are not even giving Americans JOBS now....if they can get cheaper labor overseas.

So wake the freak up buddy. We need the government now more than ever. Probably more than any of us would normally be championing for now, but for the shear fact that over 20 years of bull crap in the wrong direction has to be undone.

Will it take another depression to inspire another "new deal"?
You say that's not possible? I say it's potentially within 10 years of happening if we continue on the current course. The middle class is living to a large extent off credit, spending money off of home eq loans, etc. There are signs that the money is already drying up. Our last depression occured to a large extent because money was owned by the upper class and those underneath them didn't have any money to spend. As our public loses jobs, and those jobs become lower in pay, and people have less and less money to spend, we move ever closer to this breaking point.

We are now in sore need of government assistance in these critical areas:

1. Put people to work on projects that aim at improved transportation. It's a win win scenario and an investment in the future that would not happen by private enterprise. Many other logical "solve critical problem" projects have worked in the past to revitalize economies here and many other places around the globe. If you don't understand how these can be beneficial and how they can be "smart investments", you'll have to take a course in history and do a bit of research.

2. Invest in education. Unless you're living under a rock you might notice that kids are coming out of school now with 100K or more loans to pay off...and then suddenly no job. Government regulation and control of education will be necessary because it obviously hasn't succeeded in educating our public. I think something like 40% or less of Americans now have college degrees, and unless we can get control of the rising costs or perhaps inspire training in other trades or vo tech type careers, we will soon be falling to second rate world status. Our education system is broken. Private industry ain't gonna fix the problem.

3. Tax breaks for companies that give Americans jobs and produce products here rather than outsourcing. One of the best "tweaks" our government can accomplish right now to inspire a culture of "made in America". This entire culture which now revolves around buying crap Chinese made stuff has cost us dearly. Not only are we giving away the store, we're getting pure schitt products in return. Private industry ain't gonna solve the problem. Private industry, out of control, has caused the problem.

4. Invest in health care. Our health care costs are high because we don't have effective PREVENTATIVE coverage, and we have people running to emergency rooms to get regular health care. One of the best investments our government can make (once again can't be accomplished by private industry) is to mandate this preventative care and help with tax breaks to those companies that provide better health care options to employees.