i dont know where you live, but in Michigan there is no lack of teachers, theres a surplus.

1. Post-Modernism

Avo/Alan,

Fine, I suppose there is no harm in exposing people to different kinds of modern thinking and their criticism, but we should not outright promote post-modernism either when it is clearly wrong. Yes, in America post-modernism is shoved down your throats in History and Literature type classes.

2. The Teacher's Unions,

DPS,

Okay, maybe they don't need to be fully destroyed and teachers need an outlet of representation, but at the moment they have too much power and create more than necessary redtape and inefficiency as it is, as Paul mentioned.

3. The Flat Tax

Alan,

Lets suppose the US had a 25% flat tax, then I would agree with you that it is unfair and regressive. On the other hand, the present system is regressive anyway. Working and middle class people are easily paying 30% in taxes, while it isn't atypical of wealthier people to pay less than 10% in taxes.

What I'm talking about is a dramatic reduction in government spending, and a low flat tax of something like 15% (and that is on both active and passive incomes). Furthermore, there could be a tax floor, meaning that only something over x amount could be taxed (relieving poorer people).

It's the loopholes in tax code as well as other things. And the unfairness of the extreme mega-taxes upon the rich which drive them to find these loopholes.

We are talking a tax code which is made up of millions of standard text font size pages. Yes MILLIONS!

Going to a flat tax will actually increase total available spendable cash by eliminating the IRS as well as reducing the various loopholes and exemptions.

Eliminate the current crop of RINO's and the Democrats, and DEMAND from the shaky Republicans left-over for a flat tax and we can recover instantly.

"Lets suppose the US had a 25% flat tax, then I would agree with you that it is unfair and regressive. On the other hand, the present system is regressive anyway. Working and middle class people are easily paying 30% in taxes, while it isn't atypical of wealthier people to pay less than 10% in taxes.
What I'm talking about is a dramatic reduction in government spending, and a low flat tax of something like 15% (and that is on both active and passive incomes). Furthermore, there could be a tax floor, meaning that only something over x amount could be taxed (relieving poorer people)."

A flattax is always bad for the poorer part of society, as the taxes have to cover the expenses. Therefore, they pick a percentage that fits that covers it. This percentage is always higher for the poor people than before the introduction of the flat tax.
Besides, scaled taxes are a good thing for the national economy too. Not all the money that's been made gets spended. A flattax would mean the rich would get a lot more cash, wich they'll save, in the best case in a bank where it can be used to fund investements (wich isn't as good as direct consumption), but it could also be moved to banks elsewhere, status symbols (like proper art, wwich oftenly originates from beyond the national borders) or real estate in a foreign country.

Scaled taxes keeps the money revolving, and keeps the poorer part spending too, wich benefits them, and keeps them within the economical system wich needs them spending. The '30s economical crash was induced by a large group that couldn't buy enough things anymore, and a small group that had enough money to buy whatever they wanted. This leads to overproduction, and economic downfall.....

whatever the feds do to reduce the federal tax burden will be taken up by the states.

> Phoenix Mailer wrote:

> it is funny how when talking about taxes people often concentrate on money being taken from them part whereas most crucial is the other part , namely, how the money collected are being spent.

government can abandon taxes alltogether and simply print the money needed from thin air (in this way everyone is taxed via inflation). So you see taxes are optional instrument. The real problem is when money are spent inefficiently (indifferent of collected or out of thin air money)

Yes, and in America money is spent inefficiently to the point of it being absurd. That was one thing I was mentioning in this thread. The US needs to spend its money more efficiently, and if it did taxes could be dramatically reduced.