From: StarOwl@uiuc.edu (StarOwl)
Subject: Re: Clinton Policies
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Reply-To: StarOwl@uiuc.edu
Organization: Actuarial Science Program at UIUC
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 04:13:01 GMT
Keywords: significant words from a document used as an index to content

jfh@rpp386.lonestar.org (John F. Haugh II) writes:
: tom@europa.lonestar.org (Tom Kimball) writes:
	
: >Long answer:
: >The idea that the Poll Tax would raise enough revenue to pay interest on the
: >national debt is laughable, and anyone with an ounce of economic sense knows
: >that treasury notes, bills, and bonds become worthless if the government
: >stops paying interest on the debt.
: Then I suggest we repudiate the debt.  Most of the money that was handed
: out was done so through fraud.  Our Congressman KNOW that they can't keep
: spending at an ever increasing rate, and I'd say it is high time we undid
: the damage they've done.

Oooooh.... the government would do something that citizens can't.  I love it.
It's the epitome of Congress.  :-)

Yes, I will admit that I would love it if the federal government just
caused the national debt to cease to exist.  The debt service portion
of the U.S. budget would vanish, and, if the folks in Washington acted
wisely for a change, that single act would do almost everything needed
to balance our budget.

Unfortunately it is a bad idea.  I won't go into the economic "badness"
of that idea...you wouldn't listen if I did...but I will say that it is
"wrong."  That act would be tantamount to theft.  The U.S. would, in effect,
be _stealing_ trillions of dollars.  At least currently, when the government
"steals" other people's money, it makes the pretense of doing something
with it ("stealing" through taxes) or of eventually paying it back
("stealing" by borrowing).

: Prior to the 16th Amendment, the government was kept small because it didn't
: have the power to tax the shit out of us.  Various use taxes, such as canal
: fees and poll taxes, paid for all of government.  WE DON'T NEED ALL THE
: GOVERNMENT WE ARE PAYING FOR SO WE SHOULD STOP PAYING FOR IT.

I'm sure the IRS would love to hear you say that....

Personally, I think that the American people should force the government
to downsize.

: Maybe a Poll Tax is the dumbest idea every dreamt up, and being USENET that
: is probably pretty close to the truth.  But the simple reality is that the
: current system is only going to keep the politicians in power in a position
: where they can waste trillions of dollars and have you and I pay for it.  If
: we can get back to a system of use taxes for specific services (that is, if
: you want to be eligible for welfare, you pay a fee that lets you collect
: welfare).  Fred will jump up and down about "externalities", but I suggest
: he start finding ways to turn these "externalities" into something that can
: be presented as a "use tax."

My goodness, John!  My respect for you just increased dramatically.

I will admit, even though I think the poll tax idea is a bad one, at least
you are doing more than most Americans are.  You are thinking about what
can be done to improve the U.S.'s situation.  I may not agree with
your solutions, but I wish that more people would take time to think
about what can be done.  Unfortunately, Congress and the Presidency
are probably not going to listen.

--
Michael Adams (aka StarOwl)	 		"Republicans understand the
Internet:  StarOwl@uiuc.edu			 importance of bondage between
Bitnet:    FREE1217@UIUCVMD			 parent and child."
Anonymous: wi.5467@n7kbt.rain.com			-- Dan Quayle
UUCP:      ...!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!StarOwl                                    

Marrou/Lord in '92



Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton