tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post112991266091907679..comments2023-05-01T11:09:47.928-05:00Comments on The Thinking Minority: OH Bee Juanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06708269938398153375noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130419946828285002005-10-27T08:32:00.000-05:002005-10-27T08:32:00.000-05:00Death to those who try to buck the consumption tax...Death to those who try to buck the consumption tax. Consumer Whores.OH Bee Juanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06708269938398153375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130352264471875152005-10-26T13:44:00.000-05:002005-10-26T13:44:00.000-05:00The only thing about the national sales tax is tha...The only thing about the national sales tax is that the black/secondary market could suddenly become HUGE...Mrs. Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11929483070159520522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130350364120155122005-10-26T13:12:00.000-05:002005-10-26T13:12:00.000-05:00"Filtering" taxes is a non-trivial administrative ..."Filtering" taxes is a non-trivial administrative effort, but it's commonplace enough that there are tools to do it. Ever notice that in Virginia, the sales tax on groceries is different from sales tax on other goods? The same system can set a tax on some products at 0% and on others at 23%.<BR/><BR/>Does 23% shock you? <A HREF="http://economics.about.com/cs/taxpolicy/a/fairtax.htm" REL="nofollow">Here's an article</A> which explains why that would be a "fair" tax to replace income, estate, and payroll taxes.Scott Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875766732085992122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130269088472201782005-10-25T14:38:00.000-05:002005-10-25T14:38:00.000-05:00Wow! You guys need drinks.Wow! You guys need drinks.The Maharajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12480510985937265892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130258974114758902005-10-25T11:49:00.000-05:002005-10-25T11:49:00.000-05:00Ah, yes, #8 is good. As far as my tax plan goes, ...Ah, yes, #8 is good. As far as my tax plan goes, we may lose some revenue and have to make it up somewhere - perhaps with a type of sales tax. I'm a big fan of eliminating the income tax and having a type of consumption tax - although, I'd prefer to exclude certain things from sales tax - namely, food (from a grocery store) and necessities (utilities, etc). Not sure how to do that.<BR/><BR/>And, while we're at it...<BR/><BR/>9. Anyone caught sending out emails promising a mortgage for 1%, or prescription drugs without going to your doctor, or trying to get my bank account information, will earn a mandatory death sentence. In some gruesome and disgusting manner.Mrs. Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11929483070159520522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130255578146492362005-10-25T10:52:00.000-05:002005-10-25T10:52:00.000-05:00The problem with the tax thing is that it's half a...The problem with the tax thing is that it's half a mil on average for every household in the bracket. In reality, the vast majority of people in that block wouldn't be able to afford nearly that much in taxes; the distribution of people in that bracket is likely very left-skewed. That means you'd be relying on very few households to provide a large percentage of the national revenue, so one bad year for those few people and the whole country has a bad year.<BR/><BR/>Better might be to replace the income tax entirely with a national sales tax. Progressive income taxes encourage people not to earn too much more, lest they owe the government substantially greater proportions of their income. Sales taxes encourage people to save or invest instead of spending.<BR/><BR/>#8 Voting is mandatory for anyone 18 or over. You may vote "I don't care," but you must vote. For cryin' out loud, it's supposed to be a democracy!Scott Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875766732085992122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130170564235593322005-10-24T11:16:00.000-05:002005-10-24T11:16:00.000-05:00Ah, yes, I like #6.And the tax thing doesn't reall...Ah, yes, I like #6.<BR/><BR/>And the tax thing doesn't really bother me. If you make $2mil a year in personal income, you can pay a half mil in taxes. Doesn't bother me at all. And, lest ye protest, if I made $2mil a year, I'd gladly pony up the taxes, as long as the public school that my children attended had decent teachers.<BR/><BR/>And, while we're at it:<BR/>#7. Every DMV will be required to hire approximately twice as many employees as they think they need. Further, they may not all take their lunch break at the same time, and the numbering system will be changed to "1,2,3.." instead of "E317,D47,B182" so that you can get an idea of when your number is actually going to be called, and go get a snack if needbe.Mrs. Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11929483070159520522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1130169465820273242005-10-24T10:57:00.000-05:002005-10-24T10:57:00.000-05:00Correction -- in my first comment, that should rea...Correction -- in my first comment, that should read "remaining 1,699,000 households," not "1699 households." So your tax scheme only requires an average tax liability of $470,865 per household for that group of people, not $471 million per household.<BR/><BR/>While we're making up rules for the new world order, can we add<BR/>6. It shall be illegal and morally suspect to use an interactive voice response system (phone menu system) for any customer service purpose. Customer Service implies actually helping those who call in, rather than shunting them to a voice-enabled bit-bucket. The use of call centers in India where people take fake, American-sounding names like Chris and Tony (but are really named something more along the lines of Sridhar or Sanjay) shall be allowed, but looked upon with disdain. Come on, people -- if you're considering renaming your employees, maybe you have larger problems to tackle.Scott Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875766732085992122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1129995908721482692005-10-22T10:45:00.000-05:002005-10-22T10:45:00.000-05:00Hey, if I rule the world, I make the rules.Oh, and...Hey, if I rule the world, I make the rules.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and note that #4 does mention that they could be taken to a treatment facility...I didn't overlook that.Mrs. Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11929483070159520522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1129942618371443742005-10-21T19:56:00.000-05:002005-10-21T19:56:00.000-05:00Margaret for America!Margaret for America!The Maharajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12480510985937265892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1129922719825537002005-10-21T14:25:00.000-05:002005-10-21T14:25:00.000-05:00I'm with you on #3, though -- routine skills asses...I'm with you on #3, though -- routine skills assessment for all drivers, regardless of age. If you can't drive, you shouldn't have a license.Scott Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875766732085992122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5981148.post-1129922674167478232005-10-21T14:24:00.000-05:002005-10-21T14:24:00.000-05:00So -- item #1 curtails free speech, item #2 requir...So -- item #1 curtails free speech, item #2 requires a police/nanny/Stalinist state, item #4 overlooks the vast quantity of the homeless who have mental illness and can't function without medical care, and item #5 is self-defeating: see <A HREF="http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/hhinc/new06_000.htm" REL="nofollow">this data from the US Census</A> for information on how income levels are distributed throughout the country. Your tax scheme would raise revenues of $700 million per year from income taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year. The remaining 1699 households in America would face the burden of coming up with roughly $800 billion (yes, that's billion) to make this plan revenue-neutral. See <A HREF="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxFacts/TFDB/TFTemplate.cfm?Docid=203" REL="nofollow">the Tax Policy center</A> data about the composition of taxes.Scott Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875766732085992122noreply@blogger.com