How to end all taxation

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Craig234
1. Government-Issued Money. There is urgent need for government action to create living wage jobs, rebuild public infrastructure, and restore domestic productive capacity. It is folly, however, for government to finance those projects by borrowing money created by the same private banks that created the financial mess.

The government can and should instead issue debt-free money to finance the stimulus and meet other public needs. Properly administered, this money will flow to community-based enterprises and help revitalize Main Street market economies engaged in the production of real wealth.

Does this guy live in fantasy land??

How do you issue more money without ruining the value of the money currently out there??
The stupidity of this idea is astounding. Why not just send everyone in the country a check for a million dollars and declare that all Americans are now rich?!

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Craig234
Another commentary along the lines a bit of the OP, if the US did run GM.

It's an example of how democracy can work in theory for the public interest, not entirely unlike the way public libraries offer more services than bookstores.

It does provide an alternative to how private companies killed off public transit.

If We Only Had a Leader with Guts: What a State-Run GM Could Do
by Dave Lindorff

If the government were to actually take charge of GM, instead of playing the pathetic role of passive owner, the bankrupt and seriously troubled auto giant could move beyond just making more cars and more problems to become a forward-thinking pioneer in acrually solving problems.

Instead of just cranking out more and more steel dinosaurs and contributing more to the greenhouse gas crisis and the country's reliance on imported oil, a state-owned GM could start making and selling a line of electric vehicles, maybe marketing them as a package deal to car-buyers together with installed solar panels or wind generators, so that each car buyer would have his or her own source of off-the-grid electric power.

By selling solar and wind units in the millions, GM could bring down the cost of personal power generation to reasonable levels, making a huge dent in the nation's carbon footprint.

GM, by becoming a major alternative power producer, would also have a whole new source of revenue and domestic jobs, as well. It might even become an exporter again.

A state-owned and run GM could also become a major promoter and producer of mass transit alternatives, from subways and high-speed rail systems to computerized street-level light rail and people mover systems, further protecting the future jobs of GM workers.

Instead of shutting down "surplus" car plants and letting these huge investments in industrial infrastructure decay and collapse, or be razed, these huge facilities (nine to 12 are slated for shutdown at this point) could be geared up for alternative uses, saving jobs and whole regional economies.

These are the kinds of things no quarter-to-quarter-obsessed managerial team slathering for that next annual executive bonus check would ever consider, but they are certainly directions a state-run GM could go.

If, that is, leaders in Congress and the White House could somehow be deprogrammed out of their blind faith in the mumbo-jumbo cult of America's state religion of "Free Enterprisism."

Dave Lindorff is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. He is author of Marketplace Medicine: The Rise of the For-Profit Hospital Chains (BantamBooks, 1992), and his latest book "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net

Great ideas!!!

BTW who is going to pay for all this great stuff?

 

[rchiu]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: rchiu

Sounds alot like what socialist and communists have been saying, trying to do and failed.

Why do I doubt you could define any of the three, socialist, communist, or Communist, let alone spell the words, a lot?

Hmm...attack grammar and spelling....what else can you offer other than that and kiss your butt...

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: Craig234
Another commentary along the lines a bit of the OP, if the US did run GM.

It's an example of how democracy can work in theory for the public interest, not entirely unlike the way public libraries offer more services than bookstores.

It does provide an alternative to how private companies killed off public transit.

If We Only Had a Leader with Guts: What a State-Run GM Could Do
by Dave Lindorff

If the government were to actually take charge of GM, instead of playing the pathetic role of passive owner, the bankrupt and seriously troubled auto giant could move beyond just making more cars and more problems to become a forward-thinking pioneer in acrually solving problems.

Instead of just cranking out more and more steel dinosaurs and contributing more to the greenhouse gas crisis and the country's reliance on imported oil, a state-owned GM could start making and selling a line of electric vehicles, maybe marketing them as a package deal to car-buyers together with installed solar panels or wind generators, so that each car buyer would have his or her own source of off-the-grid electric power.

By selling solar and wind units in the millions, GM could bring down the cost of personal power generation to reasonable levels, making a huge dent in the nation's carbon footprint.

GM, by becoming a major alternative power producer, would also have a whole new source of revenue and domestic jobs, as well. It might even become an exporter again.

A state-owned and run GM could also become a major promoter and producer of mass transit alternatives, from subways and high-speed rail systems to computerized street-level light rail and people mover systems, further protecting the future jobs of GM workers.

Instead of shutting down "surplus" car plants and letting these huge investments in industrial infrastructure decay and collapse, or be razed, these huge facilities (nine to 12 are slated for shutdown at this point) could be geared up for alternative uses, saving jobs and whole regional economies.

These are the kinds of things no quarter-to-quarter-obsessed managerial team slathering for that next annual executive bonus check would ever consider, but they are certainly directions a state-run GM could go.

If, that is, leaders in Congress and the White House could somehow be deprogrammed out of their blind faith in the mumbo-jumbo cult of America's state religion of "Free Enterprisism."

Dave Lindorff is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. He is author of Marketplace Medicine: The Rise of the For-Profit Hospital Chains (BantamBooks, 1992), and his latest book "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net

Great ideas!!!

BTW who is going to pay for all this great stuff?

1. Government-Issued Money

Why, duh, monopoly money!

OP, what a great idea, have the government, who has access to unlimited money and does not care about profitability, compete with the private sector.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DixyCrat
The first point is nothing but an ayn rand solution to the political economy.

When did Rand propose government running for-profit companies?

who cares, ayn rand is an imbecile.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: jpeyton
People have been complaining about taxes since long before any of us were born. Since the inception of this nation. Since the beginnings of human civilization.

Complaining about taxes is like political white noise.

How dare people want to keep the money they earn!

And not fund the society that makes it possible!

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Andrew1990
If it were up to me, I would dissolve all government and make this country into a Darwinism based country.

Have you really thought this one all the way through? Unless you are rich or stronger than everyone else you will be one of the first to hit the wall. Think in terms of slavery or concentration camps.

 

[Atreus21]

Originally posted by: DixyCrat
Given our present situation we could have the government start a series of for-profit companies and fund itself with that.

The company could raise capital and go into debt against banks, just like any other company, and if the company went under then the government would not be liable.

The government could also reduce the debt that it holds by inflating the currency ten fold so that our 10 trillion becomes 1 trillion and we can pay the debt off quickly.

Just a quick thought, I figured I would throw it out there.

My opinion is that a government-run for-profit company is a sure recipe for extreme corruption.

 

[yllus]

That doesn't make sense at any level. One of the most important advantages of taxation is that it provides a steady, reliable stream of income to the government so that it can allow its agencies to do long-term planning and know that the money will be there. What happens when you abolish taxation and go with a company that may or may not fail (ie. sell well)? Do you tell agencies to never plan beyond the next fiscal year? Fire employees and close down government agencies when sale targets are missed?

You're mixing two fundamentally opposed ideas: The free market is about demand, which can increase or slacken off - there is no reliability. Government agencies are founded on the assumption of reliable, always-present service.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: DixyCrat
Given our present situation we could have the government start a series of for-profit companies and fund itself with that.

The company could raise capital and go into debt against banks, just like any other company, and if the company went under then the government would not be liable.

The government could also reduce the debt that it holds by inflating the currency ten fold so that our 10 trillion becomes 1 trillion and we can pay the debt off quickly.

Just a quick thought, I figured I would throw it out there.

What companies do you think the Federal government should take over?

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: Andrew1990
If it were up to me, I would dissolve all government and make this country into a Darwinism based country.

I'll just file this one under "be careful what you wish for" because as evidenced by the amount of thought (or to be more specific, the lack thereof) that apparently went into your post, you'd be among the first to perish under your own regime. Be grateful for your own sake that it is in fact NOT up to you.

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: Atreus21

Originally posted by: DixyCrat
Given our present situation we could have the government start a series of for-profit companies and fund itself with that.

The company could raise capital and go into debt against banks, just like any other company, and if the company went under then the government would not be liable.

The government could also reduce the debt that it holds by inflating the currency ten fold so that our 10 trillion becomes 1 trillion and we can pay the debt off quickly.

Just a quick thought, I figured I would throw it out there.

My opinion is that a government-run for-profit company is a sure recipe for extreme corruption.

And that would be different from what we have now in what way exactly. . .?

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: Andrew1990

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: DixyCrat
The government could also reduce the debt that it holds by inflating the currency ten fold so that our 10 trillion becomes 1 trillion and we can pay the debt off quickly.

Oh hey, thanks for making my life savings more or less worthless. :roll:

Well, we could kind of fake out China. Inflate the currency 10 fold and then pay china off at once, then deflate the money to normal levels.

After all, who cares about Chinese?

Won't work, they will just peg their currency to the dollar again.