Dear friends,
The three articles below describe major approaches to addressing the deficit — for health care, taxes and the military — that would have a greater impact on America's budget woes than ANYTHING being currently negotiated by Congress and the Obama Administration. Even better, these three things would, if implemented, actually improve the quality of life in the U.S., instead of degrading it, as so many of the current proposals would do. They give a taste of some excellent thinking emerging from the fringes of this “budget crisis” debate.
[After I wrote this I was alerted to another very interesting “People's Budget” recently released with little coverage in the mainstream media, which I recommend to those interested in alternatives.]
When I imagine a Citizens Jury, a Citizens Assembly, or any other randomly selected body of citizens convened to deliberate about the “budget crisis”, this is the kind of information I believe they should be exposed to. We don't need to undermine public health to create affordable health care. We don't need to undermine the wealth of the nation to have a reasonable tax system. We don't need to endanger American security to have a strong, affordable military.
We just need to think a bit outside of the boxes that most mainstream media, pundits, politicians and partisan activists (intentionally) put our minds in, and ask ourselves “What's the REAL problem here — and what would ACTUALLY solve it?”
How to Save a Trillion Dollars
Taxes on the Wealthy: New Top Brackets Needed for the Have Mores
Want to improve US national security? Cut the defense budget.
Phi Beta Iota: All of the above have merit, but our objective should not be to increase revenue for a federal government that is completely out of control. Our objective should be to eliminate income taxes, implement the Automated Transaction Payment (APT) Tax, demand that the Strategic Analytic Model and holistic honest analytics be undertaken across all policy spending categories, and that our focus be on creating a prosperous world at peace with total transparency and zero corruption within the federal government.
US Goverment 2011 Revenue, Costs, & Debt–Two Party Tyranny Lies Straight Up, Media Goes Along
$500 Billion in Cuts is Minimal Mandatory….
Seven Promises to America–Who Will Do This?
Tom's Original Post at Posterous
