What effect would these reforms have?

[LBJ Revivalist]

What effect would these reforms have and would it place the suggester of such reforms in the camp of Conservative, Liberal, or Libertarian?


-Across the board tax cuts on both large corporations and the middle class, as well as decreased spending in many areas except some non-hand out social programs (Social Security as it's something you pay into, it's not handed to you without merit or price, but it needs major reform, re-creating the trust fund would be a good start and creating laws to make the trust fund secure from presidential or congressional theft would be good). Gradual increase on solitary/familial wealthy--the super rich.

-Increased taxes on some goods perhaps, as well as increased estate tax, graduated based on acquired wealth.

-A major overhaul of welfare turning it essentially into pure, short term workfare with mandatory drug testing and job training, with a cap on how much can receive and for how long, depending on individual case by case need--However in all cases aid would slowly decreased as the individual's salary increases and would only last for a period of a maximum of 5 years; within 2 of those 5 years you would have to get a job or at least seek out a job training program or be kicked off the rolls.

-No Universal Healthcare. Prohibition of dropping a patient's coverage suddenly, and also prohibition of denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions. No more.

-Increase in the Defense Budget (mainly large increases in counter terrorism, especially for the defense of major cities, as well as intelligence, and border control with drastic, gradual (declining every year or every 5 years until there is no more) cuts in foreign military aid (except to anti-Jihad movements/groups) and more conventional defense forces). Also a reversal Obama's cuts on NASA as  it is a vital component both of national security and of our leadership in the field of science.

-Tax cuts on any corporation with a proven track record of hiring legitimate American workers, and an incentive (a promised and later given tax cut) for small companies to hire more American workers, as well as tax breaks on any company or business in the manufacturing field and other incentives designed to make America an exporter and producer again.

-Cut on most of our overseas non-military aid, again to gradually wean needy nations off our teat. I'm also for some kind of reform of Medicare and Medicaid--Something that can cut costs dramatically but protect the benefits of those receiving--I feel both are necessary.

-I'm against Affirmative Action in all forms and I take an ''all or none'' attitude toward ethnic and racial pride days/months/ and ethnic or racial scholarships--Either all ethnicities and races get an opportunity to indulge in such without being called racist or none at all should exist.

-I support gay rights to the extent that I believe in civil unions and believe a major overhaul of the legal status of marriage should be undertaken, wherein all civil (non-Church) weddings, both gay and straight, would be civil unions, with the same rights, benefits, etc--and leave ''marriage'' strictly with religions and churches. No forcing churches to marry anyone they don't want to.

-I support a separation of church and state in so far as not uplifting or promoting any one religion over the other as there we get into murky territory.

-An upholding of Roe V. Wade nationally.

-I support the right of individual states to regulate issues such as marriage, and prostitution. I don't think gun rights should be infringed any more than the are currently. I feel some drugs should be legalized on the national level as alcohol and tobacco are. Massive cuts on the "War on Drugs" spending.

-I believe in secure borders, including the fence and other methods of stopping any illegals attempting to enter.

-I do support the continuation of programs such as the EPA, FDA, ATF, and some others--I feel these are constitutional and fall under the idea of General Welfare as intended by the founders. I feel states should have a greater say in the operation and activities of these federal agencies within their domains--A shared control and common interest by both the Federal and State Governments in their funding, activities and operations. I am sure some cuts can be made from every agency and some levels of bureaucracy can be eliminated--essentially retain the programs but allow states greater say in their operation/funding, with states that pay less perhaps being allocated less of the FDA, EPA, etc's resources--and in the meantime filter out redundant elements and positions within all of the executive agencies.

-Maybe a slow phase out of the NEA and other programs, with cuts every year to every five-ten years, perhaps with the functions of such programs transferred to the states. I would hate to see the grand museums of art disappear but we have to repay our debts somehow.

[ag]

Have read about the first half of your post (too long). You should look at the composition of US budget. If you cut all you want to cut to zero, you'd still, probably, double the budget deficit, or smthg like that. In particular, cutting all welfare forever to zero and forcing all those asking for help working 20 hours a day in uranium mines would barely be noticed by the budget writers: it is on the order of rounding error in the US budget. Foreign aid is even more miniscule (there are a few countries that get smthg biggish by their standards, though miniscule by those of the US, mostly, for military reasons; otherwise, in many places George Soros alone used to be a more significant donor than Uncle Sam).  Defense, social security and interest on debts is the bulk of the US expenditure. The only major item that you might be proposing to cut is Medicare (healthcare for the elderly): good luck with that (we all know, it is better to be healthy and rich than poor and sick; you propose we do exactly that; ever wondered, why they haven't done it before?).

Together Medicare, Social Security, Defense and interest is just under, say 3/4 of the budget. Overall, what you are proposing is to cut taxes and, actually, increase spending (you want big cuts from small amounts and big increases from large amounts). Brilliant.