Hairy, Let me start by thanking you for an excllent, intelligent worthwhile post. This is an example of the most valuable type of thinnking that leads to things getting better... The genesis of all progress starts with an idea (Goethic 2010).
Ok, on to ideas...
1. Change tax brackets, reducing top tiers...
2. Ensure that the capital gains tax is reduced to a maximum of 50% of the income tax rate of each individual investor (to encourage savings and investment).
3. Provide income tax credits to businesses that hire new employees and provide special bonuses, (i.e. a reduction of effective tax rate of 1% per year under the amount they would otherwise be taxed, per year for each employee they hire full time and retain, with the bonus increasing each year that they maintain this average pool of employees).
4. Allow IRA contributions of up to $20,000 per year, with full deductibility against incomes of up to 300k per year.
5. Allow what amounts to cafeteria style medical savings/spending accounts - use it or lose it - of up to $5k per year for all medical related expenses.
6. Eliminate the inheritance tax (ok, a bit off topic, but indulge me just a little...).
7. Allow parents to deduct up to 20k per year per child for education related expenses - tuition, books, etc.
8. Create scholarship funds that are purely merit based, for students going to school for the following disciplines: education, science, pre-med, nursing, computer science, engineering, mathematics...
9. Medicaid and welfare become limited from a beneficiary stanpoint, to the disabled and elderly. The young and the fit are put to work in public works type projects - truly beneficial to society types, not make work non-sense - while receiving necessary training, whether literacy, basic math, etc., in addition to vocational skills training. The destructive public housing system whereby generation after generation lives there, receives welfare and medicaid, and continues to breed future such dwellers and recipients ends...
10. Medicare is reformed (too complex for me to explain here, would take 15 or 20 pages...).
11. Universale Obamacare is terminated.
12. Those who receive welfare and Medicaid do not vote; nor do felons.
13. Illegal aliens? See ya. No free ride in our schools or healthcare facilities... and all of the weird loopholes, i.e. vacation birthing excursions are eliminated.
14. We build my wall all along the US/Mexican Border - 30' above ground, 20' below ground, 500 meters of clear, unobstructed nothingness on both sides at surface level; interconnected flooded channels beneath the ground up to 35' in depth. There are a total of six, four lane openings along the entire length of the border. The border is closely monitored and patrolled by a border protection force invested with the appropriate powers and well equipped and funded to an extent that all attempts to pass are interdicted. The Coast Guard patrols the waterways and the Air National Guards of all border states are funded, equipped and invested with adequate resources and authority to interdict all incursions. Local law enforcement may also assist in such activities.
15. A careful review of mandates likely results in elimination of approximately 90% of all such programs.
"and I think to myself... what a wonderful world...."
