National Economy
Develop a plan that addresses the economic problems facing America. How are we taxed. ? Is it fair? Alternative tax methods? Who pays what? How much should the government be involved with outsourcing, job protection, retaining, immigration (Who gets in?) Who's allowed to hire whom? The mortgage/housing crisis? What should the government's role in the economy?
Radical: Ashwin
To explicate my stance bluntly, I am a socialist. Many people disassociate socialism
and democracy, but socialism best serves a democracy because it ensures that every constituent has
equal socioeconomic standing. That implies that “one vote for one person” is maximized, at which
point, voting can thrive. With that in mind, to keep in line with the standards of the United States,
we must necessarily manipulate income tax only because it is the most objective determining factor of
financial stability which allows us to increase and decrease taxes as needed to help the economy.
Sales tax could be harmful because the poor cannot afford certain goods. It makes sense to increase
taxes for the upper bracket of the United States because they can afford it most. Conversely, it
doesn’t make sense for the rich to get tax cuts. Disadvantaged individuals pay less to the
government because they obviously aren’t benefiting from the economy. My opponents will try
to argue that this is an unfair application of favoritism, but how does it logically follow
that in a society where people have equal opportunities, the rich people get even more breaks
with governmental subsidies? They can afford it and our nation needs the money to thrive. The
government should be very involved because the rich are going to get taxed heavily. The
government is the only overarching body that can control demands of money that large, and
are a neutral party. It is the governments job to keep our economy healthy, thus they should
carefully regulate it so it does so. Outsourcing should be allowed until it hurts the US
economy a substantial amount at which point constricting regulations would be implemented.
develop a plan that adresses the economic policies facing america.
how are we taxed? is it fair? alternative tax methods? who pays what? how much should
the gov be involved with outsourcing, job protection, retraining, immigration (who gets in?)
Plan: We must necessarily manipulate income tax only because it is the
most objective determining factor of financial stability which allows us to increase/decrease
taxes as needed to help the economy. Sales tax could be harmful because the poor couldn't afford
certain goods. Increased tax for the upper bracket of USA. Rich do not get tax cuts, poor pay less
to the government because they aren't benefiting from the economy
Fair: NO WAY! Why should the rich get subsidies? They can afford it and our nation needs
the money to thrive
Involvement: The government should be very involved because the rich are going to get
taxed heavily. The government is the only overarching body that can control demands of money that
large, and are a neutral party. It is the governments job to keep our economy healthy, thus they
should carefully regulate it so it does so. Outsourcing should be allowed until it hurts the US
economy a substantial amount at which point constricting regulations would be implemented.
Liberal: Sid
The American Dream is a longstanding tenet of our society—characterized by an ideal of
equal opportunity and achievable success for every individual—yet the booming economic mobility that
has distinguished our nation since its inception is now crumbling. In fact, today’s working-age men
are earning, on average, 12% less than their fathers did (after adjusting for inflation). It is the
responsibility of our government to take swift action to better our economic standing.
Tax cuts administered under the current administration are irresponsible and economically
suicidal. Our country is engaged in a war that costs tens of billions of dollars every year to maintain,
and the President suggests reducing taxes. War does not pay for itself. Although taxpayers may reap some
immediate benefits from cuts, the long-term impact of continuing such a policy will be catastrophic. The
national debt is growing exponentially, and the international community is losing faith in the US dollar,
which is now worth less than the Canadian dollar and is continuing to hit new lows nearly every day. The
Liberal platform supports a balanced budget that excludes exorbitant costs for unnecessary wars.
Another necessary step the government must take to stabilize the economy is to promote fair
trade, both nationally and internationally. Fair trade will raise labor standards globally, and will
help preserve more jobs within our borders while decreasing outsourcing by securing equal working
conditions worldwide.
The Liberal platform promises to raise the minimum wage to a livable amount, and ensure
it keeps pace with inflation. Given the skyrocketing costs of college tuition, we also believe the
government needs to step in and make college fees tax deductible and interest rates more reasonable.
The Liberal platform will work to reverse damage caused by poor monetary policies of
the Bush administration, and in place will substitute economically sound measures to restore the
value of the US dollar and allow us to reclaim our global economic dignity. Together, we can
assure that the American dream is again an achievable reality. We will reduce spending on
unnecessary causes and increase spending on programs that will benefit you. We will slash unfair
tax cuts to corporations, lobbyists, and wealthy citizens. We will balance the budget and bring
back the golden years of economic prosperity.
Conservative: Viraj
The U.S. national debt currently stands at over $9 trillion and is increasing
by an average of $1.43 billion per day. The debt cripples our standing in the world by
increasing inflation, as the government does not have the hard money to pay for its
expenditures. A devalued currency is particularly harmful in relation to international
trade agreements and other global activities. It also contributes to outsourcing, as it
increases the value of foreign pay relative to the dollar. The magnitude of our debt
means that simply hiking up taxes will not compensate for the disparity; even if taxes
were raised 30%, we would still only be breaking even. Instead, we should adopt a
long-term approach of significantly reducing government spending while spurring the
economy forward through tax cuts and increased competition.
One of the first steps in reducing federal spending is to grant the president
the power of the line-item veto, which would allow for specific aspects of a bill to be
vetoed without halting the entire proposal. This would allow the president to veto
“pork barrel projects” that congressmen often tack on which benefit only the lawmaker’s
district. The infamous $286 billion Highway Bill passed in the summer of ’05 contained
6,000 of these pet projects which added over $24 billion to the total cost. The line-item
veto would have helped to eliminate this cost.
The current questions surrounding social security revolve around when the system
will collapse, not if. Instead of waiting for the inevitable to happen and scrambling to
balance the budget, we should take a proactive stance and begin phasing out social security
payments within the next five years. The system generates $650 billion in revenue each year,
which could then be used to pay back the debt and fund other social programs.
To promote the economy, we should work to lower marginal tax rates while
implementing a system of supply-side economics. By providing tax cuts to working Americans,
we can free up more capital for them to invest back into the economy through their purchases.
In the last half-century, the U.S. economy has been most successful when using this supply-side model.
Median family income grew by $4,000 during the Reagan period after experiencing no growth in the
pre-Reagan years; it experienced a loss of almost $1,500 in the post-Reagan years.
Ultra-Con: Petie
Ultra-Conservatives believe in a free enterprise economy. The government regulations of business and the economy are unconstitutional. Minimum wage and unions interfere with a free market economy and decrease competition, and should be done away with. No money or taxes should be used to finance subsidies, fine arts, or any such frivolous activities. Peter Scobel believes that estate, property, and income taxes should be eliminated; and, thus, a repeal of the sixteenth amendment to rid the world of this right’s violation. The Internal Revenue Service and Federal Reserve abuse the rights of tax-paying citizens. Money should be issued by congress, and therefore under the control of the people. Paper money can easily be devalued and should therefore be eliminated and replaced by coin money that holds a more inherent value. The Federal Reserve should not be under the control of the government, but a separate entity of unified private businesses. Outsourcing is a plague on our economy that gives jobs and money to foreign countries when it should be staying here in the United States to help our own citizens. That money should be spent within our own economy not the economy of some other country. Job protection is not the concern of the federal government. People should not rely on the government to protect them in the workplace; you have to compete to work. It is not the federal government’s responsibility to provide welfare for those affected by the mortgage/housing crisis as well. It is the responsibility of the individual to be well enough informed about the situation to make a competent decision; if they do not, it is no ones fault but their own and they should not expect aid from the government. Overall the government should have little or no role in the economy at all, and taxations should be limited to those originally established by the Constitution.