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From: Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net>
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Subject: Re: the future long term financial apocalypse of the USA
Date: Thu, 30 May 2024 08:18:23 -0700
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On 5/29/2024 9:12 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Tue, 28 May 2024 11:51:23 -0700, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
> wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 23 May 2024 02:24:03 -0400, Kevrob <kjrobinson@mail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>>> OTOH, sending every adult in the country, say, $4K/mo and then taxing
>>>>> the heck out of any income over $48K might work. Particularly as
>>>>> people lose interest in working and robots take over their jobs. It
>>>>> could even use a single rate, applicable to all, since those not
>>>>> making very much would be making their $48K ($96K for married couples,
>>>>> of course, plus $48K for each dependent). At last! A single-rate
>>>>> proposal that everyone can support!
>>
>> Sounds like Huey Long's old proposal (smaller numbers of course given
>> it was the 1930s - and over a certain amount he wanted to tax 100%)
> 
> I have sometimes toyed with the idea that, given such a scheme, the
> tax rate should be set at /what is needed to balance the budget/ plus
> pay 10% of the National Debt off. But there are obvious problems:
> 
> 1. Actually paying the National Debt off might not be that good an
> idea. But paying it down to a reasonable goal might be.
> 2. Republicans would squeal like stuck pigs. OK, /that's/ nothing new,
> but the National Debt is their only weapon to destroy Social Security
> with, and actually reducing it is something they would never tolerate.
> 3. Democrats wouldn't use the extra to pay off the National Debt;
> they'd just spend it. Eventually, the rate needed would exceed 100%,
> which is clearly a non-starter.
> 
> So, while what I proposed above might help with some things, it won't
> help with others. OTOH, in 100 years, say, when 99% of current jobs
> are held by machines, /some/ method of keeping the Rest of Us alive
> and distributing the goods will be needed.

But will the people owning the machines doing 99% of the work agree?

-- 
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky 
dirty old man.