From: lhughes@b11.ingr.com (Lawrence Hughes)
Subject: Re: Continuation
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 20:51:40 GMT

In article <4338.29DC833F@umagic.FIDONET.ORG>, Rex.Beard@umagic.FIDONET.ORG (Rex Beard) writes:

A few good ideas here - not completely consistent, but headed the right
direction...

> Educaction - Choice in schools. We need the Voucher system. Private enterprise 
> will give us the greatest schools in the *world*. 

Here here! Priviatize the entire education system. Now.

> Crime - We must stop drug prohibition. Just like the prohibition 
> against alcohol the it has created violent crime and ever more 
> dangerous streets. The US has *the* highest percentage of its population 
> behind bars in the world! The majority is related to drug prohibition. 

Don't stop with drug prohibition - eliminate ALL victimless crimes. Continue
prosecuting (only really do it) crimes that DO have a victim, even if they
are drug related, involve rape, etc.  

> Banking Crisis - deregulate banks and reduce the FDIC insurance.  Only give 
> insurance of up to 10 - 30 thousand dollars per person. Not an infinite amount. 

the current 100k is ok, if they really limit it to that, and per person, not
per person per bank. And it would be better if the insurance was provided by
(and rates set by) private companies, just required by law.

> Taxes - Jerry Brown is pretty much right. Some type of Flat Tax is best. 
> No Loop holes, no incentives to do strange things with your money. And of course 
> lower taxes. Eliminate Social Security Tax. It is too regressive. 

Flat tax, about 5%, no loopholes, eliminate all taxes on business.

> Budget - Start with a Freeze. Then cut or eliminate many programs.  National 
> Endowment for Arts (small but silly). Drug enforment. NASA (I hear Hunstville 
> yell already :-) All Farm Subsidies (Most subsidies go to rich farmers). 
> Reduce middle class entitlements. 

I personally think that NASA is an ok thing for our government to do, but if
we held a national referendum, and most people were against it, kill it.
Otherwise, go ahead and freeze - and CUT to the bone all socalist giveaway
programs - make congress specifically cut other programs or raise specific
taxes for any new spending. Eliminate any "general fund" (too easy to abuse).

> Social Security - Phase out. How many times have you heard that you will 
> never see that money? It is a Sham! It is a regressive tax. And a regressive 
> redistribution.  It is sold as an retirment plan and an aid to the poor. 
> It is bad at both. EVERY private retirement plan does better. I would rather 
> put 15 percent of my income in an IRA and have something REAL to retire with. 
> Plus the more you pay into the system the more you get out in the end. So 
> that means that *rich* people get large checks and poor people get small 
> checks.  At least we must stop giving money to people who make more than 
> say oh.. 50 thousand dollars a year? 

Kill it today. But don't tax me to support retirement for po' folk. Or anyone
else, for that matter. Let me invest my 15% (or whatever I decide) in private
systems - and don't whine about me getting more (or less) than other folks.
The problem isn't that it is regressive (what a nasty word for a fact of life -
some folk's labor is worth more than others), the problem is that it isn't
insurance - it's a transfer payment tax. It always amazes me that the govt.
can't even make money on the most profitable thing in the private sector. Why
couldn't they set up a REAL (voluntary) retirement insurance program, that
really invested people's money in responsible ways? 

> The same with Medicare.  The rich should buy thier own medical coverage. 

EVERYONE should buy their own medical coverage, beyond simple health center
innoculation shots, etc.

> Unemployment Insurance - Eliminate it. Most people can buy Unemployment 
> Insurance from a private company at a lower price. 

Right.

> -rex- 
> 
> 
> --  
>  * Rex.Beard@umagic.FIDONET.ORG via Micro Magic

Larry "gee - a fledgling libertarian, hatching right before our eyes" Hughes