[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by PilotAlan

How quickly everyone forgets the pandemic. When we discovered that our medications, PPE, repair parts for almost everything, and thousands of other critical items were made overseas.
We have an expansionist China threatening war, and we're dependent on them for the steel to make our ships and tanks. The computer parts of our fighter jets (and for our internet, and phones, and everything else).

We have made ourselves dependent on our enemies for almost everything that is critical to maintaining our defense, our industry, our health, our communications, and almost everything else.
This isn't about blue jeans and tchotchkies. This is about losing the ability to make almost anything in this country. That's not a good prescription for our economy, our defense, or our future.

An excellent post. Thanks.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

The national debt over recent years is because MONEY OUT (from all expenses) exceeds the MONEY IN (from taxes). That is a simplification. The problem is that since about 1990 the tax brackets have favored the top 10% not the middle class. ANY country without a STRONG middle class is going to end up in a DICTATORSHIP. The tax bracket manipulation since 1990 should concern every AMERICAN, but most are unaware.

Everyone needs to pay taxes, not just the rich. If everyone had skin in the game there would be a lot less debt and a lot more reasons to work at ambition.

I’m looking forward to American advances in manufacturing though. Not only will companies have a lot less shipping time on needed parts (6 weeks when shipped from China), but the country will feel a whole lot more unified.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by justjim

Interesting Thread. What are you going to do with the millions of Americans on “public aid”’of various types? I read recently that 40% of Americans cannot come up with $400.00 in cash. That would be 140 million plus folks. And we are the most prosperous and greatest country on the planet! The divide between the rich and poor is a GREAT divide and our “leaders” won’t “touch it with a 10 foot pole”. Fore.

Good post. The great divide between rich and poor can only be fixed by making the tax laws help strengthen the middle class.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

So we're driving into a brick wall, and the solution is to destroy the car, and then rebuild it - leaving everyone with no transportation until a new one is made.

That - is a pretty stupid idea.

Here's a different idea:

Build a new car, and stop driving it into brick walls.

We're driving our country toward a recession because we want to not use Chinese products.

Okay so...
Instead of making everyone in America suffer by increasing the costs of those products (which is what happens when you impose tariffs)...

start making those products in America FIRST. THEN ease off on the imports.

I wonder if "driving our country toward a recession" IS really the STRATEGY. It is the most likely explanation.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Normal

Everyone needs to pay taxes, not just the rich. If everyone had skin in the game there would be a lot less debt and a lot more reasons to work at ambition.

I’m looking forward to American advances in manufacturing though. Not only will companies have a lot less shipping time on needed parts (6 weeks when shipped from China), but the country will feel a whole lot more unified.

If getting more taxes from the working lower classes was the object - what I would do is ONLY ALLOW a maximum of 2 children to be exemptions. Huge families were the right thing in 1930 because infant morality was HIGH then, but not TODAY. With modern medical advances children can live longer, especially the ones that get ALL the immunization shots.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

30 years ago the Medical Schools went out of their way to make US Medical Schools HARDER to graduate from. Their graduate alumni doctors wanted harder standards so that graduate Doctors could have MORE patients and make more money. US doctors were in charge of US Medical production and all things medical. Then the US population increased drastically and there were not enough US Doctors to handle the NEED.The large medical groups turned Doctors into mere laborers (with big degrees). Doctors are mere worker bees today. And imported Doctors helped make that possible.

Aside from the constant conspiracy theories that the "rich are out to get you", it is actually DESIRABLE to make medical school "hard". If they make it easy, to accommodate students that they should never have let in in the first place, will you be comfortable letting that surgeon cut you or that dentist drill you?

And what made doctors into laborers is government interference in the the free market via massive regulations.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Aside from the constant conspiracy theories that the "rich are out to get you", it is actually DESIRABLE to make medical school "hard". If they make it easy, to accommodate students that they should never have let in in the first place, will you be comfortable letting that surgeon cut you or that dentist drill you?

And what made doctors into laborers is government interference in the the free market via massive regulations.

100% correct

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

The Debt could EASILY be repaid merely by changing the tax brackets to make the top brackets pay more (their fair share). But, it may be too late. We may have lost our Democracy already.

Would you please define what is "fair"? That term gets thrown around a lot but is very vague. The top 1% of income earners already pay 50% of the tax. Would you be happy when the top 1% pay 75%? 90%? Or is your only solution communism where there is zero incentive to be productive or innovative bc there is no reward for hard work?

[Normal]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

If getting more taxes from the working lower classes was the object - what I would do is ONLY ALLOW a maximum of 2 children to be exemptions. Huge families were the right thing in 1930 because infant morality was HIGH then, but not TODAY. With modern medical advances children can live longer, especially the ones that get ALL the immunization shots.

The average per couple is 2.5. Many couples don’t even opt for kids anymore.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by justjim

Interesting Thread. What are you going to do with the millions of Americans on “public aid” of various types?

Unionize them!! Isn't that the answer to all economic problems? My friend explained that to me recently.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Sounds simple. Where do we get the materials? The expertise? The equipment? The food?
We import it.

That's why I posted it. You understood the logic lesson.

Many of the things we enjoy, many of the things we want in life, can't be made here, without parts from there. Such is the way of planets - some raw materials just aren't available everywhere. Like bananas. You want American-made bananas for everyone in the country? Figure out a way to grow enough of them to provide everyone here with them FIRST. THEN tariff the heck out of imported bananas.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Would you please define what is "fair"? That term gets thrown around a lot but is very vague. The top 1% of income earners already pay 50% of the tax. Would you be happy when the top 1% pay 75%? 90%? Or is your only solution communism where there is zero incentive to be productive or innovative bc there is no reward for hard work?

We will get more tax with the endowment tax congress is working on. Currently colleges only pay 1.4%. They are elevating that tax to 22%. 99% of Americans pay almost no tax and several even get refunds. This group needs to be taxed progressively like the rich are.

[Eg_cruz]

Agree

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Aside from the constant conspiracy theories that the "rich are out to get you", it is actually DESIRABLE to make medical school "hard". If they make it easy, to accommodate students that they should never have let in in the first place, will you be comfortable letting that surgeon cut you or that dentist drill you?

And what made doctors into laborers is government interference in the the free market via massive regulations.

There is nothing wrong with making medical schools rigorous. What I meant to say was that new medical schools were NOT opened up to accommodate MORE new 1st year Medical students. More well trained Medical students were needed, but Medical graduates wanted the number to NOT go up so they could have MORE patients and make MORE money. But, in doing so they shot themselves in the foot because now large business conglomerations control the Doctors.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Aside from the constant conspiracy theories that the "rich are out to get you", it is actually DESIRABLE to make medical school "hard". If they make it easy, to accommodate students that they should never have let in in the first place, will you be comfortable letting that surgeon cut you or that dentist drill you?

And what made doctors into laborers is government interference in the the free market via massive regulations.

Not massive government regulations, but massive takeover of the Medical industry by GIANT corporations. A case of capitalism gone amuck.