My definition of conservative

[Chebasaz]

Lower the guns there Lear, it was just a question and I think you misread it. People get so riled up over this sort of thing. I'm not quite at the 200K mark, but I work my ass off in the hopes of one day getting there.

For me, money = options. I hate to come across as the materialistic bastard, but it is one of the important things in my life. I do have a problem with the government taking that money, but I understand the need for taxes in order to keep the country running. That's pretty much where I draw the line. If my money is getting taxed for infrastructure, i.e. roads, bridges, railways, sewer systems, police salaries, military.. that's all fine. If my money is getting taxed to allow someone not to work though, that's where I start having moral issues.

Our welfare system is broken. It does a lot of good for some people in need, but it also enables those that would rather not work, to continue not working. Our unemployment system isn't great, but at least it's better than the way welfare is run.

Our tax system is a mess, on both sides of the table and I speak from quite a few years of doing taxes professionally. It allows the wealthy to get out of paying taxes. The more money you have, the easier it is to get out of them. On the other side, the EIC and other "credits" out there allows people who pay no taxes to receive money from the rest of the taxpayers. In fact, it actually encourages irresponsible behavior and rewards it.

Socialism only works if everyone is held to the same standards of responsibility. Everyone must be on the same page in order to live in Marx's "From each according to his own ability, to each according to his need" perfect little world. The problem is that there are many who will not work unless forced to by their own empty stomachs. If the government continues to offer free handouts, where is the incentive to change that lifestyle?

My personal recipe for "Change" in our country -

1. Flat tax across the board, no credits, no deductions. Make it something reasonable.. like 20%. We would all come out ahead, as would the country.

2. Term limitations - One term, period. If you are elected to office, you get one term to do your best to fulfill your campaign promises. Once that term is over, the only way to get elected again is to be elected to a higher office. If you're a mayer, you can only be elected to something higher on the totem pole (governor, congress, ect). Perhaps this way the candidates will stop making insane promises to the people of this country, because they know their political career depends on actually fulfilling those promises. This will also flush out the career politicians.

3. Lobbying is now illegal. The population of DC just got halved, freeing up traffic and allowing our government to actually represent the people instead of the special interest groups.

4. Corporate responsibility is enforced by the government, with the penalties on par with China. CEO and CFO cooked the books? They're both tried (immediately) and thrown in a work camp rebuilding roads and digging ditches. Did their illegal actions cause a negative reaction in the market? Oops, you just affected national security. Death penalty for you! The government stays out of all other corporate business. It does not regulate, it only enforces responsible behavior for the public's best interest.

There's more, but that should get it started. Hope one of the President's aides is working on their master's and stops by.