How would you balance the budget?

[KenC]

People aren't going to stop killing and stealing for hard drugs just because they suddenly move into the retail market.

[rwh11385]

What's the rent on that textbook you live in?

How long for the housing market and food prices to respond to a dive in the per capita income? Even professional wages are a reflection of what "commoners" can afford to pay them.

I think all that granola is getting to your brain.

What dive? Income would go up if people currently unable to find a job can now work because the market rate for the value of their labor is no longer illegal. A professional shouldn't be seen as worth less if the kid on his block is aloud to now tear tickets for $6/hr. The economy as a whole will grow as the kid will have more disposable income and businesses will in turn have more customers.

Do you think an artificial wage floor is healthy? Bah! No one is helped by telling teenagers that they are being protected from working for too little when they can't get a job paying $8/hr since they have no experience.


Oh, but if those ideas are bad... a [costly] demand borrowing policy is great for the housing market?!?!

[Wiglaf]

KenC must have never been to a strip club in his life. Money talks.

So I managed to pull 59%. I don't think I was quite as harsh on the poor people as sleeve but I also did the 5% corporate tax cut and no cap+trade, avoided military and nasa cuts. did do gas tax tho. I think a straight tax is simpler and more effective.
Some of these choices do get more difficult when there is a number next to them.

[pbr87]

The problem with prostitution is that VERY few women (outside of those highclass Vegas call girls) are "selling themselves" out of their own free will; they're either coerced with threats of violence or provided drugs by their pimps. At least here in Portland, the "industry" is linked with meth and other illegal activities.

I believe that women in this country look at prostitution with such disdain just because it is illegal. There are other countries in the world where the profession is legalized and regulated, and it is looked upon very differently--much more acceptable. I think if prostitution were to become a legal profession in this country, you would see more women voluntarily entering the trade.

[pbr87]

weed+whores would help.. pulling in tax on money being spent under the table and lifting the load off of authorities sucking up money over "the war on drugs".

But if you think that will balance the budget you are either overestimating weed or underestimating the budget.

http://hightimes.com/legal/jgettman/5867

A $25/oz tax would generate an extra $10,000,000,000 in tax revenue. This is fairly minimal. I think the largest gain would come from prostitution revenue. I think it would be 10 times what marijuana could generate. Supplement these gains by raising tobacco and alcohol taxes, and I am confident the budget could be balanced.

[pbr87]

People aren't going to stop killing and stealing for hard drugs just because they suddenly move into the retail market.

Who said anything about hard drugs?

[KenC]

I think all that granola is getting to your brain.

What dive? Income would go up if people currently unable to find a job can now work because the market rate for the value of their labor is no longer illegal. A professional shouldn't be seen as worth less if the kid on his block is aloud to now tear tickets for $6/hr. The economy as a whole will grow as the kid will have more disposable income and businesses will in turn have more customers.

Do you think an artificial wage floor is healthy? Bah! No one is helped by telling teenagers that they are being protected from working for too little when they can't get a job paying $8/hr since they have no experience.


Oh, but if those ideas are bad... a [costly] demand borrowing policy is great for the housing market?!?!

I missed the part about that min wage applying to <18-year-olds only.

[mrsleeve]

Ben Franklin died before the train, car, antibiotics, computer, and just about every other modern luxury we take for granted. Although his ethos transcends time to some degree, expenses today far exceed those of his time, as does the average life expectancy and well... the complexity of society in general (unless you're a "Rand" worshiper and don't believe in society.)
The world, and most importantly our country, is a dynamic environment and social evolution has changed drastically since the time of the Founding Fathers. I find it had to take their word as gospel, as they could never have predicted the complexity of modern society.

.

You really believe that steaming pile of Marxist bull shit you just typed out??????

Ben was arguable one of the wealthiest self made men in the colonies, earning about 2000 pounds a year (a high earning lawyer at the time made maybe 20 pounds a year). He Moved to philly with nothing but the clothing on his back and 2 coins in his pocket. He earned his fortune and respect from the bottom up.

Now how has that quote changed any because we have technology. Yes you cant buy a loaf of bread for 1/2 a penny any more. But even the poorest among us in this country make more money in 2-3 months, than Mr Franklin earned in a year in his time. Its called inflation.

His ethos fully transcends time and is as true today as it was 250 years ago. All the founders wisdom is as true now as it was then, and as it will be 1000 years form now. No amount of technology and inflation and complexity will change the role of free men to govern them selves and the role got govt to stay the fuck out of our affairs.

You see thats the problem with today, everyone says that the founders words were true only for their time and dont apply to now because things have changed so much. Well You and those like you are 100% wrong. The more things change the more they stay the same. Our founders fought the revolution to get out from under an overly oppressive govt see anything like a overly reaching and bearing govt here today??? Tell me what has changed and why all those words of wisdom are not valid any longer????

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. - Thomas Jefferson

[disclaimer, dont misunderstand me I am not calling for armed revolution, I am calling for an end to the complacency that has taken over the population of this country]

[LBJefferies]

It pisses me off that tax cuts are classified as spending in the governments eyes.

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

seriously...............who the fuck are you posting under h0lmes's account


In all seriousness, I am glad to see that you are starting to truly understand. Congrats, really I mean that.

[KenC]

You really believe that steaming pile of Marxist bull shit you just typed out??????

Ben was arguable one of the wealthiest self made men in the colonies, earning about 2000 pounds a year (a high earning lawyer at the time made maybe 20 pounds a year). He Moved to philly with nothing but the clothing on his back and 2 coins in his pocket. He earned his fortune and respect from the bottom up.

Now how has that quote changed any because we have technology. Yes you cant buy a loaf of bread for 1/2 a penny any more. But even the poorest among us in this country make more money in 2-3 months, than Mr Franklin earned in a year in his time. Its called inflation.

His ethos fully transcends time and is as true today as it was 250 years ago. All the founders wisdom is as true now as it was then, and as it will be 1000 years form now. No amount of technology and inflation and complexity will change the role of free men to govern them selves and the role got govt to stay the fuck out of our affairs.

You see thats the problem with today, everyone says that the founders words were true only for their time and dont apply to now because things have changed so much. Well You and those like you are 100% wrong. The more things change the more they stay the same. Our founders fought the revolution to get out from under an overly oppressive govt see anything like a overly reaching and bearing govt here today??? Tell me what has changed and why all those words of wisdom are not valid any longer????

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. - Thomas Jefferson

[disclaimer, dont misunderstand me I am not calling for armed revolution, I am calling for an end to the complacency that has taken over the population of this country]

Nothing I wrote was even remotely Marxist. Nothing even referred to any idiology for that matter.

Of the developed world, you have more freedom in this country than any other.

I was referencing taxes for social services when I mentioned Franklin. In Franklin's day, it was acceptable that people died of pneumonia. He also could have never predicted the modern metropolitan infrastructure we have now. Even adjusted for inflation, this country is more expensive to run (publicly or privately) per capita than ever.
If you want to slash social programs and taxes as much as some of you suggest, we had better start building a surplus of prisons and morgues.

[KenC]

The ultimate manifestation of the libertarian ideology is a goverment that functions only to protect its citizens from force and fraud. I guess I just have wider expectations of such tasks that extend into the consumer realm.

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
YES THATS ALL THE GOVT IS SUPPOSED TO DO. When you let free men take care of the selves there is prosperity.

from my sig.
Though the people support the government, the government should not support the people- Grover Cleveland


Why has it become so expensive???? Yeah bloated over reaching govt that has it fingers and nose into everything that its not supposed to be in. Form education to approval of company mergers and meddling in the free market to attempts to steer it in one direction or another all of which fly in the face of what this country was founded upon.

We are founded on the ideas that we are Created Equal, and all have the opportunity, to succeed. But the implied caveat to that is RESULTS MAY VARY. We are not all entitled to equal results. What you expect from the govt is the latter everyone being equal (ie Marxism) , come on man even h0lmes is starting to get it.

While you may not have specifically mentioned one idealism or another, the under tones of that post shine though like the sun after a storm.

[nrubenstein]

53% for me. Lots of cutting Defense, lots of cutting benefits.

[ck_taft325is]

I believe that women in this country look at prostitution with such disdain just because it is illegal. There are other countries in the world where the profession is legalized and regulated, and it is looked upon very differently--much more acceptable. I think if prostitution were to become a legal profession in this country, you would see more women voluntarily entering the trade.

You fucking disgust me.

Hey, get the dildo out of your ass, put aside your own "beliefs" and check out what sex with multiple, paid for strangers, does to a woman. And don't give me this, "well there are lots of women that do it that are fine and only a small minority that don't". Those are peoples daughters, mothers, aunts, etc, etc...

You speak so liberally with how you feel it's just viewed in a poor light and given legalization it would change into a reputable profession? That's a sick worldview. It's not looked on with disdain because it's illegal, it's because it's a sad state when you have little to no self respect that you're willing to sell your body as a toy, an object, for money. C'mon, I get that you feel it's their choice and blame it all on the "Christian Right", but it's looked on with disdain because it's disdainfully viewed on a much larger scale than that.

You think it's all sucking cock for $40.00 a suck all day long and then go home, get some steaks on the grill and spend time with your family? Fucking niave if you truly believe that.