I wish I could
 

Sorry if this sort of thing is frowned upon here, not sure why it would be but w/e. If I was in charge of the country, I would change or attempt to change these things, for the benefit of the USA of course.

Ranked in no order of importance, and of course I could do something about it, but I'm lazy/not rich enough to get into politics, at least now.

1. Abolish the IRS, establish a national sales tax instead. Saves money, streamlines the system and lets people and markets decide where capital is put to best use.

2. Get rid of Social Security. Phase it out, end it immediately somehow, whatever. I'm sick of paying for old people's expenses, and I only contribute a very small amount per year since I don't make a lot. I'm not an expert, but me and other people paying into the system should not be in danger of losing our money. The best idea here is to take out 5-7% (or whatever the % is) of everyone's pay (unless the income tax is gone as in above example), and deposit this into an individual acct. Let me pick from, say 10 (or more, or less, whatever) options, ranging from 90% stocks/10% bonds to the opposite, or something along those lines. This lets people save on their own, sure it's forced (which I'm against) but at least fix the system so people get out what they put in (and then some, with compound interest).

3. Legalize. I don't do drugs, but legalize marijuana. Tax and regulate it. Same with poker. Possibly look into legalizing Heroin/Cocaine and other drugs, with tight regulation. But that's probably a bad idea. Then again cigarettes are pretty damn addictive, and we can use the tax revenue.

4. Fix the school systems. Use money to upgrade schools, get as much technology into the classroom as possible, make sure teachers/faculty are doing a good job, standardize it nationwide. For example, at my high school 93-100% was an A. Other schools was 90-100%. This is stupid and causes too much wasted time with colleges looking (or overlooking) students based on something that can easily be streamlined.

5. Nationwide ID. This is probably in the works already, but issue a standard ID nationwide. Again, cuts down on clutter and extra work.

6. Cut the paperwork. Give tax breaks or some incentive for people to pay taxes online (again, if we are keeping the current system). Voting needs to be more modern and transparent.

7. Cut the hyprocacy. I'm so sick and tired of seeing ads for the PA lottery on TV, advising me to "keep on scratching". Yeah, it benefits older Pennsylvanians, blah blah blah basically for every $1 I use to buy a ticket I get back $.50 or $.70 or something absurd. I'm sick and tired of being told to keep gambling and yet online poker is a gray area, I have to look over my shoulder at a live game, sports betting is illegal, etc etc. Just one example of many.

Now, a lot of these probably infringe on state's rights, would result in loss of a lot of cushy gov't jobs, stuff like that, but I'm getting sick of the long lines at the post office, the stupidity of the tax system, and big government in general. I want and need the government to protect me, and I guess a few other things is fine, but why doesn't anyone realize that profit is the best motivator for just about anything? I mean I guess a lot of smart people realize this, just can't do anything because the government has a monopoly on things like the lottery and (at least here in PA and probably 1-2 other states) things like liquor sales. It's just troubling that the primary and secondary school systems are at the very best lagging behind (what they should and could be) while colleges/universities are full of great ideas/innovations and the latest technology. I think paying $35k+ at good schools has something to do with it, you get what you pay for.

Feel free to tell me I'm an idiot/clueless, but I think I have at least a few sensible ideas here.

/rant

Re: I wish I could
 

Number 4 seems like saying "Fix the submarines; please put on all new screen doors."

Number 5 is [censored] nuts. We should be getting rid of state ID cards, not adding national ones.

Re: I wish I could
 

#4 seems to imply that you think public schools will be fixed by the govt throwing more money at them. But then the last paragraph seems to imply that you believe privatization is best. I'm confused about your stance here.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
#4 seems to imply that you think public schools will be fixed by the govt throwing more money at them. But then the last paragraph seems to imply that you believe privatization is best. I'm confused about your stance here.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think privatization is best, but if that can't be achieved then upgrading them smartly makes sense, don't you think? I don't mean just throwing money blindly at the schools, clearly that won't work. I'm not exactly sure what the money goes towards, but why can't schools who are run down and in bad shape get some more modern upgrades? I guess I'm confused about how some schools have no air conditioning or a lack of paper or something. Isn't the government helping schools improve? What do school taxes go toward? Again, I'd rather just have the "school tax" built into a national sales tax. Take a % of the sales tax and distribute it to schools. No school should be run down and without computers in this day and age. If the gov't is going to take the money, at least put it to good use.

But yeah, I'd rather have it all privatized if possible, it avoids problems like this for the most part.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
4. Fix the school systems. Use money to upgrade schools, get as much technology into the classroom as possible, make sure teachers/faculty are doing a good job, standardize it nationwide. For example, at my high school 93-100% was an A. Other schools was 90-100%. This is stupid and causes too much wasted time with colleges looking (or overlooking) students based on something that can easily be streamlined.

[/ QUOTE ]

How much are we paying for schools and what kind of schools are we actually getting?

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
4. Fix the school systems. Use money to upgrade schools, get as much technology into the classroom as possible, make sure teachers/faculty are doing a good job, standardize it nationwide. For example, at my high school 93-100% was an A. Other schools was 90-100%. This is stupid and causes too much wasted time with colleges looking (or overlooking) students based on something that can easily be streamlined.

[/ QUOTE ]

How much are we paying for schools and what kind of schools are we actually getting?

[/ QUOTE ]

Good article, and pretty much what I'm talking about. I wish I (we) could eliminate this kind of lunacy.

Re: I wish I could
 

My suggestions:)

More Superprisons and repeat offenders capitla crimes go there till they die
Mandatory Organ Donation(If you opt out for religous reasons you cant receive either).
$1000 tax credit for voting
Mandatory 2 years of service

Re: I wish I could
 

borodog,

what's wrong with ID cards in general? what do you propose instead of them?

Re: I wish I could
 

it's all in the ballpark of reasonable except #5

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
borodog,

what's wrong with ID cards in general?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's totalitarian and oppressive. "Welcome to South Carolina! Papers please."

[ QUOTE ]
what do you propose instead of them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing?

Re: I wish I could
 

ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think they would expect if there were no state issued ID?

[ QUOTE ]
i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

And a state-issued document is the only way to do that?

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course its a good idea for multitudes of reasons that far outweigh any "big brother" paranoia.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think they would expect if there were no state issued ID?

[ QUOTE ]
i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

And a state-issued document is the only way to do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

did i say it was? i am not PRO STATE ISSUED DOCUMENT i'm just talking here.

there is no state issued ID now, is there? they would expect you to prove your age by showing some document i guess? can't cut me open and count the rings.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think they would expect if there were no state issued ID?

[ QUOTE ]
i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

And a state-issued document is the only way to do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

did i say it was? i am not PRO STATE ISSUED DOCUMENT i'm just talking here.

there is no state issued ID now, is there?

[/ QUOTE ]

When you go to a bar and someone asks to see your ID, what do you show them?

Who issues that document?

[ QUOTE ]
they would expect you to prove your age by showing some document i guess? can't cut me open and count the rings.

[/ QUOTE ]

What I'm getting at is why do you expect anyone here to provide a pre-packaged answer for this problem?

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course its a good idea for multitudes of reasons that far outweigh any "big brother" paranoia.

[/ QUOTE ]

According to your personal subjective preferences, of course.

Re: I wish I could
 

i thought you guys were talking about mandatory ID's. i show them my driver's license, which i need to operate a motor vehicle, and which they accept as identification. i chose to get a driver's license because i wish to operate motor vehicles.

i don't expect anyone to have a pre-packaged answer. i'm just asking a question. if it's somehow unanswerable ok that's that i guess.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok but what if i go in a bar and want to order a drink, and they say "you gotta be 21+".. i say, "but i am!" they say "prove it"

i'm just curious.. being able to identify someone seems like a good idea to me for a lot of reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

A) Your example is a bad one, since the minimum drinking age is itself a crock, but,

B) In general, it sounds like a good idea to me, too. There are lots of legitimate reasons you would want to establish proof of identity. Why do you think this service needs to be monopolized by the government?

Re: I wish I could
 

i don't think it needs to be monopolized by the government. i think you guys are reading things that aren't there, honestly. you're viewing me as pro-government off the bat somehow. i'm just curious when i hear someone say they are against state ID's it makes me want to ask questions. i guess private companies could provide ID's also, but then who knows if one is fake or not, there could be too many companies. i don't know.

another thing, i'm assuming we're working within the framework of current law. you say my example is bad because the drinking age is a crock. i agree with you there! but i really have no choice right now. if i wanna go out and get a drink i'm gonna have to show some state ID.

i mean, if we're not gonna work within the current state of affairs, then all bets are off i guess. anything is fair game. i mean, you could say you don't think people should even have to be licensed to drive vehicles, because the roads would all be privatized and blah blah blah you could go on and on.

Re: I wish I could
 

1. There are fake IDs right now. Most likely more than there would be in a free market.

2. Sounds like you're new around here. Anything is fair game.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
i don't think it needs to be monopolized by the government. i think you guys are reading things that aren't there, honestly. you're viewing me as pro-government off the bat somehow. i'm just curious when i hear someone say they are against state ID's it makes me want to ask questions. i guess private companies could provide ID's also, but then who knows if one is fake or not, there could be too many companies. i don't know.

[/ QUOTE ]

The same objection could be leveled at state-issued IDs. Authentication is a differerent problem than identification, FWIW.

[ QUOTE ]
another thing, i'm assuming we're working within the framework of current law. you say my example is bad because the drinking age is a crock. i agree with you there! but i really have no choice right now. if i wanna go out and get a drink i'm gonna have to show some state ID.

[/ QUOTE ]

But if the state doesn't issue ID, then bars would not request you present it, would they?

[ QUOTE ]
i mean, if we're not gonna work within the current state of affairs, then all bets are off i guess. anything is fair game. i mean, you could say you don't think people should even have to be licensed to drive vehicles, because the roads would all be privatized and blah blah blah you could go on and on.

[/ QUOTE ]

We're *already* not in the current state of affairs once the "no state-issued ID" idea is floated.

FWIW, this forum is primarily about discussions and ideas that are otuside the current state of affairs. Not too many people here are very interested in mere descriptions of the status quo.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]

What I'm getting at is why do you expect anyone here to provide a pre-packaged answer for this problem?

[/ QUOTE ]

Because you can't just throw rocks at something with no constructive alternative?

Re: I wish I could
 

If I had one wish it'd be for Cuba to change.

Because I think that all the Cubans are in pain

All the joy in the world, from sea to shining sea

Doesn't mean a thing if Cubans aren't free

I just can't be very happy, that's certain

Not as long as your Cubans are hurtin'

Oh, won't you search your soul and find a way to change your mind?

That is my one and only wish.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. There are fake IDs right now. Most likely more than there would be in a free market.

2. Sounds like you're new around here. Anything is fair game.

[/ QUOTE ]

how would there be more fake ID's in a free market? it makes sense to me that the fewer types of ID available, the less likely there are to be fakes. agree or disagree?

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]

But if the state doesn't issue ID, then bars would not request you present it, would they?

[/ QUOTE ]
they don't request i present it now, they just request that i prove my age. if there's an easier way than to show an ID, please let me know.

i think you're misunderstanding me again maybe. i'm not saying that i only wish to discuss the status quo. but like with the ID's, you act like it's so simple.

"bars wouldn't request that i show ID if the state didn't issue ID".. funny one, but the problem is a law exists that says you can't drink unless you're 21+. that's what i mean when i say work within the current framework. you're trying to argue against having an ID and when i bring up a situation where one is necessary, you then want to change the drinking law all of a sudden. if this was a discussion about changing the drinking law, i could see where you were coming from, but it's not. you see that you could basically extend this to all laws right? why not just abolish all law?

ok maybe that's your bag. so why are you even on this site "discussing" anything? because you're not discussing anything. every "discussion" would quickly turn into
"they should legalize all drugs!"
"anyone should be able to walk in off the street and buy a gun!"
"people driving around with no licenses and no insurance is OK with me!"

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1. There are fake IDs right now. Most likely more than there would be in a free market.

2. Sounds like you're new around here. Anything is fair game.

[/ QUOTE ]

how would there be more fake ID's in a free market? it makes sense to me that the fewer types of ID available, the less likely there are to be fakes. agree or disagree?

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally disagree. There aren't too many fake credit cards out there, are there? There are thousands of kinds of those.

Re: I wish I could
 

ok but we're talking about more or less likely. i don't know how many fake credit cards are out there, do you? they have securities like the magnetic strip, and stuff. ID's could (most do actually) have that. i still say that the more different types there are, the easier they will be to fake. it's just numbers.

it's not really a big concern of mine though, and i am not PRO STATE ID remember.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
it makes sense to me that the fewer types of ID available, the less likely there are to be fakes. agree or disagree?

[/ QUOTE ]

I see no reason to draw that conclusion.

If there's only one type, forgers only have to develop one good fake. Once they've figured out how to make them good enough, they've broken everything.

In a system with lots of different IDs, creating a passable fake doesn't break everything, as there are already other ID systems in place; those who depend only on the broken system can quickly switch to any of the other non-broken ones while the broken system is revamped.

Monolithic systems are more brittle - one break makes everything fail.

Further, in a free market, the more reliable, harder-to-fake documents will have an advantage over easier-to-fake documents. Competition drives better authentication systems.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

But if the state doesn't issue ID, then bars would not request you present it, would they?

[/ QUOTE ]
they don't request i present it now, they just request that i prove my age. if there's an easier way than to show an ID, please let me know.

i think you're misunderstanding me again maybe. i'm not saying that i only wish to discuss the status quo. but like with the ID's, you act like it's so simple.

"bars wouldn't request that i show ID if the state didn't issue ID".. funny one, but the problem is a law exists that says you can't drink unless you're 21+. that's what i mean when i say work within the current framework. you're trying to argue against having an ID and when i bring up a situation where one is necessary, you then want to change the drinking law all of a sudden.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whoa, I didn't say anything about that (although it's true, I do think that's a law that needs to be jettisoned, I haven't said that in this thread (yet)).

If there is no state-issued ID document, and there is an actual need for one, don't you think someone will figure out how to supply such a thing? Or do you just assume that since the government is doing it now, nobody else is capable of doing it?

[ QUOTE ]
if this was a discussion about changing the drinking law, i could see where you were coming from, but it's not. you see that you could basically extend this to all laws right? why not just abolish all law?

ok maybe that's your bag. so why are you even on this site "discussing" anything? because you're not discussing anything. every "discussion" would quickly turn into
"they should legalize all drugs!"
"anyone should be able to walk in off the street and buy a gun!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds good.

[ QUOTE ]
"people driving around with no licenses and no insurance is OK with me!"

[/ QUOTE ]

See, you're doing the same thing here. You're making a huge change but artificially holding constant something else that reasonably would not stay constant if the first change were implemented.

If states did not issue IDs, you can't just assume that the current dearth of private-market ID documents would stay constant.

It also seems reasonable that part of the reason state-issued IDs are the norm for such identification purposes as proving that you're 21 is that the rule that you have to be 21 to drink is a STATE-ISSUED rule. When I have to demonstrate taht I'm a client of my insurance company, I show a document provided by my insurance company. When I need to demonstrate that I'm a member of the gym I go to, I show a document provided by the gym. Etc.

In this case, you're throwing out requirements for licenses and insurance. But those rules are only in place because the "owner" of the roads put them there.

Imagine the government gets out of the road provisioning business. At that point, there is no need for such STATE-IMPOSED rules requiring licenses and insurance. You can already drive without a license and insurance on your own private property - and if roads were privately owned, road owners could obviously set their own rules under which they would allow you to use their roads.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
Get rid of Social Security. Phase it out, end it immediately somehow, whatever. I'm sick of paying for old people's expenses, and I only contribute a very small amount per year since I don't make a lot. I'm not an expert, but me and other people paying into the system should not be in danger of losing our money. The best idea here is to take out 5-7% (or whatever the % is) of everyone's pay (unless the income tax is gone as in above example), and deposit this into an individual acct. Let me pick from, say 10 (or more, or less, whatever) options, ranging from 90% stocks/10% bonds to the opposite, or something along those lines. This lets people save on their own, sure it's forced (which I'm against) but at least fix the system so people get out what they put in (and then some, with compound interest).

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Mike. Although Social Security may be one of the biggest blunders of the 20th century for our federal government, I don't think your solution is much better.

There are myriad problems with forcing people to save and even more problems with the government picking and choosing how and where they can save their money, but none of those are as big as the main problem: What authority does the federal government have to force you to save according to its dictates? That is an egregious violation of just about every concept of liberty held by Americans today, not to mention the framers of our consititution.

Social Security is a scam and a travesty but forced savings would only bring with it a host of new infuriating problems.

natedogg

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok but we're talking about more or less likely. i don't know how many fake credit cards are out there, do you? they have securities like the magnetic strip, and stuff. ID's could (most do actually) have that. i still say that the more different types there are, the easier they will be to fake. it's just numbers.

it's not really a big concern of mine though, and i am not PRO STATE ID remember.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why are you making the assumption that IDs issued by private companies would be as insecure as the crappy gov't IDs? They likely would NOT be just numbers (since as you pointed out they are easy to fake). If they were easy to fake, no one would think they are worth anything.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok but we're talking about more or less likely. i don't know how many fake credit cards are out there, do you? they have securities like the magnetic strip, and stuff. ID's could (most do actually) have that. i still say that the more different types there are, the easier they will be to fake. it's just numbers.

it's not really a big concern of mine though, and i am not PRO STATE ID remember.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why are you making the assumption that IDs issued by private companies would be as insecure as the crappy gov't IDs? They likely would NOT be just numbers (since as you pointed out they are easy to fake). If they were easy to fake, no one would think they are worth anything.

[/ QUOTE ]

my point is if anyone can start an ID card company and make ID's, it would be chaos. what's stopping me from making my own ID that says i'm 21 when i'm 19? what stops the bar from accepting that ID?

Re: I wish I could
 

i don't really care if the government does it or if someone else does it. you jackals are jumping all over me as if i'm some advocate of the government. if some other company can do a better job than the government (which is likely) and if everyone agrees to accept that form of ID, then all is well. the problem is getting there.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
my point is if anyone can start an ID card company and make ID's, it would be chaos. what's stopping me from making my own ID that says i'm 21 when i'm 19? what stops the bar from accepting that ID?

[/ QUOTE ]

The bar.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
my point is if anyone can start an ID card company and make ID's, it would be chaos. what's stopping me from making my own ID that says i'm 21 when i'm 19? what stops the bar from accepting that ID?

[/ QUOTE ]

The discretion of the bar owner, of course! Go ahead, make your own ID that says you're the king of the universe. How many people do you think will honor it?

I scribble "ZOMG I OWN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING" on a piece of paper with a crayon. Chaos!!!

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
i don't really care if the government does it or if someone else does it. you jackals are jumping all over me as if i'm some advocate of the government. if some other company can do a better job than the government (which is likely) and if everyone agrees to accept that form of ID, then all is well. the problem is getting there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why does everyone have to agree to accept it?

Re: I wish I could
 

so you're saying the bar owner can choose to accept any ID he wants. i'm really curious how this would work, can you go into more detail? would he have a list of companies whose IDs he accepts? would you have to go in the bar first or would they post that list on the door for all to see? would it be a think where he sees the ID first before he chooses to accept it?

what about accountability? the bar owner has a responsibility not to serve anyone under 21 for various legal reasons, and he could get in hot water if he serves minors. how would he protect himself? my guess is that he would probably have to choose one specific ID company and go with their IDs only.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
so you're saying the bar owner can choose to accept any ID he wants. i'm really curious how this would work, can you go into more detail?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I'm not a bar owner. I have no idea why he would even be doing this in the first place. But if he wants to accept a CrackerJack Crimer Fighters Club card as ID, that's his business, not mine.

[ QUOTE ]
what about accountability? the bar owner has a responsibility not to serve anyone under 21 for various legal reasons, and he could get in hot water if he serves minors. how would he protect himself? my guess is that he would probably have to choose one specific ID company and go with their IDs only.

[/ QUOTE ]

I really don't know how to answer this since I'm not really sure what assumptions you're making.

So far, I guess we're going with

* no state-issued IDs

* bar owner 100% responsible for verifying age

Again, it's pointless to change one small thing and just assume everything else will remain fixed. Things just don't work that way.

No fraud liability for those misrepresnting themselves? Perhaps everyone would get out of the bar operation business. then maybe the stupid laws would change.

Or perhaps bar owners would just ignore the law since it's impossible to comply with.

Even with these weird assumptions, I dont' see what the problem is. Look at car insurance. The governemnt requires you to have it. Anyone can sell it. You can make a fake car insurance card at home on your printer, they're not very complicated. Does total chaos erupt?

Re: I wish I could
 

ok. i guess i'm trying to see how it would be if you had your way but i must be a dunce because i'm just not seeing it. thanks for trying to show me anyway.

Re: I wish I could
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok. i guess i'm trying to see how it would be if you had your way but i must be a dunce because i'm just not seeing it. thanks for trying to show me anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, your not a dunce. pvn is being a little obtuse. I actually think that you pretty much nailed it in your prior post (bar owner would have a list of trusted ID providers) except that you said you think the bar owner would pick just one company. They would probably take a range of cards from providers that were recognized as legit (similar to credit cards currently).