Politics have me riled up - again
Sometimes I can't help it. Sometimes I
see so many stupid things happening that I have trouble not getting
angry. I feel like I could run the country so much better than the
president, congress and court combined. I'm not a politician nor an
economist nor anything that should feel that way, but I see the great
retardness and can't help but feel I could. And easily.
For example, our biggest problems are
unemployment and national debt.
Take for example a few stories today:
First, Obama's new stimulus plan.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/08/news/economy/obama_stimulus_plan/index.htm?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_bn2
Let's look at the points individually,
as some are great and some are terrible and I don't want to lump all
together.
-
Reduce federal payroll taxes. We
are currently paying 4.2% (a break from the normal 6.2%). Obama
would like to reduce that to 3.1%. The problem is, this will not get
anyone else into new jobs. It might make workers feel a little
better - but it will also continue to plunge the debt deeper and
deeper... Until we just can't dig our way back out.
-
Obama wants to cut the payroll tax
businesses pay in half. This is actually a good idea as it may
encourage businesses to hire, combating unemployment. Sure, cutting
it in half will greatly increase national debt, but at least the
trade off potentially offsets this.
-
If a new worker is hired or an
existing worker gets a raise, all payroll taxes will be waived. I
assume that the article means for that individual. Loopholes anyone?
I gave this employee a one cent raise, so now I don't have to pay
any federal taxes on them at all. Will only raise the nation's debt
while encouraging companies to become richer.
-
Tax credits for companies hiring
workers who have been unemployeed for more than six months. My
question is: how much? If those workers don't have the skills and/or
motiviation, why hire them instead of letting them look for a job
they actually want? How long do they have to work? What if they hire
them for one day? I don't think there should be additional bonuses
for hiring the chronically unemployeed as just for hiring...
-
Tax credits for companies to
invest in equipment: while this is a great idea, it obsoletes
workers. Remember what we're trying to do here? Get people employed?
-
Infrastructure bank: I'm all for
investing in our infrastructure. I think train lines especially make
sense. But another bank? Federally run? As if corruption isn't
already enough? Bad idea...
-
Immediate funding for surface
transportation: I approve of the idea, but I have bad premonitions
as to the way that will work out...
-
Modernizing schools: A great idea
- but is this really necessary? How does this combat unemployment
or the national debt? Modernization isn't necessarily the answer -
good interaction seems to be more important according to many
studies.
-
Fixing up vacant and foreclosed
buildings: Much cheaper, in general, than building new ones. But why
should the government be doing this? Why not the private owners?
Unless they are only considering government buildings...
-
Extending unemployment benefits:
Those who live on unemployment for long begin to feel entitled to
unemployment payouts. Why work when you can live just fine on
unemployment? It's a huge burden to companies who have to pay that
unemployment as well. Unemployment should be emergency only, no
longer than six months at the max. If someone can't get the job they
want in that much time, they need to decrease their expectations,
move, or re-educate themselves. I'm not talking about the disabled -
that's a different subject, but perfectly healthy people should not
be getting unemployment.
-
Subsidized job training: Stipends
for people to learn while continuing to get unemployment. This is
what unemployment should be about... I'm all for this.
-
Teaching jobs: More money to
teachers to keep them teaching. Okay, I guess, although when you
factor in the time that teachers get off and the benefits, they
already get a pretty sweet deal. But they are educating our kids.
And really, how many are going to leave without another job lined
up? And how many teachers can't find work - I know of several.
Seems rather retarded, and not with the goals, to me...
-
First responder jobs: some money
to keep first responders on the job. Again, how many people are
gonig to leave a job in this economy without something else lined
up? Now they are woefully underpaid, in general, so I'm actually
fine with this, but it's not exactly helpful to battling
unemployment or national debt...
-
Summer jobs: Battles long-term
unemployment or national debt? Not a bit. Why not encourage them to
go into the Peace Corps? Or other useful things instead of competing
with those that must provide for a family? Another bad choice...
Alright, so on to the next, about
Obama's energy policy
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/09/opinion/bryce-obama-energy-jobs/index.html
Invest in things that don't work and
regulate things that do work to the point that they aren't
financially viable? Brilliant move - if you want to bankrupt the
country, that is. I can't think of too many stupider ways to handle
energy...
And finally, patent reform
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/mostly-pointless-patent-reform-bill-goes-to-obama-for-signature.ars
Make America's patent system like every
other country's patent system so that there is nothing to distinguish
America and no reason to file in America, leading to the offshoring
of intellectual jobs. Brilliant... if you want to bankrupt the
country...
It's almost like bankrupting the
country is Obama's real desire, his secret agenda...
Alright. It's easy to complain - far
harder to give good suggestions. But who cares about my suggestions?
I'm not a politician and will never be one. I have no pull with
anyone. I rant because I want it to be better, but I don't want to be
in the process because I think I'd go crazy someday if I was.
I have a lot of ideas. I've typed up
some of them, but have many more. Someday perhaps I will write them
all up, but not today. Today I have other things to do...