What if people could decide where their tax money went?
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What if a taxpayer had say, 50 categories of government services to choose from and their personal taxes got divided up between the ones they picked? (Maybe they had to pick a certain number of them.)
Would that solve anything?
Would that be more "democratic?" Are their any countries that offer a variation of this? (Someone check Iceland.)
Would essential services still get covered? Are their enough charitable people to cover the social safety net?
Is this just a stupid stoned thought experiment?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
>>Is this just a stupid
>>Is this just a stupid stoned thought experiment?
Absolutely, and each and every stoned thought, especially those that solve world problems, should be celebrated. Feasibility is optional.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
The Oregon State tax form
The Oregon State tax form allows you to donate part of your rebate to several charitable org.s from a short list.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
each and every stoned thought
each and every stoned thought, especially those that solve world problems, should be celebrated.<<
Right? Like segueing from the Bird Song jam into The Beat Goes On.
My buddy wouldn't go for it. But I got a laugh out of him.
"We're not playing The Beat Goes On."
He didn't want to play What's So Funny . . . in 3/4 either.
But I digress.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
its not stupid.
its not stupid.
if you don't want to subsidize the military industrial complex, you should not have to.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Great idea. For the people
Great idea. For the people and the country. BUT, it would cut the balls off all those control freaks in congress who get their power from deciding where the money goes. Never going to happen. Like doing away with the electoral college and adding term limits. Why would they give that stuff up? And "they" are the ones that would vote on it. Corruption every where you look.
It is the same as it has ever been. The rich and powerful take advantage of the weak and poor. Nothing new. Expecting humans to somehow "see the light" and change is naive at best.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: .44 Smokeless
Not sure of the set-up but
Not sure of the set-up but the punchline to this involves the Air Force holding a bake sale to purchase B-1 Bombers?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
^ I think there are a lot of
^ I think there are a lot of people that would put military in their chosen list. I would think the problem areas would be the things people don't know much about. Fisheries or something.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Jeez, could you imagine the
Jeez, could you imagine the gridlock if 150 million people voted on budget expenditures?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Old Fart Message Board
Go to your city hall meetings
Go to your city hall meetings. You can have a say. It's not worth much but you can be heard from the floor and see all the incredibly stupid things they do with your tax dollars. As for state and fed.... well they should all be jail.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I want to split my tax
I want to split my tax dollars between NASA's Office of Planetary Protection and the Bureau of Engraving & Printing's Mutilated Currency Division.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
Dumb stoner thread. To even
Dumb stoner thread. To even respond is idiotic as there are gazillion causes to cheer for. But clean water is a basic necessity of every person on this planet. #!. Food next!...........
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: g-reg
Right. .and what if states
Right. .and what if states could decide who or which causes they want their natural resources to go to. The great lakes for instance. What if only the great lakes states controlled the fresh water and who gets it?
Is that the same as choosing where your taxes go?
Would those that paid taxes to fund fire/ems/ police/military be the only ones that get protected?
Great idea?
no
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Yes let's add another level
Yes let's add another level to the three card monte game played with our taxes
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Barry
Fun thread. I'll bite.
Fun thread. I'll bite. Clean water and air and open space to protect it, making sure every child has the same educational opportunities, rebuild our infrastructure allowing full access to everyone to contracts.
I have more but I must say first that this is discretionary tax dollars. Not my share that goes to defense, treasury, state, etc.
I'd love some of it to go to converting us to a non carbon economy. Sheesh, we've been using fire to move us for long enough
Long live The Grateful Dead!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Ok let's not take it to
Ok let's not take it to extremes --- say 40% of someone's federal income tax was for "basic" government services (non discretionary spending). Because the IRS and some other services are going to have to be funded regardless of what people want - or there would be no tax collection in the first place.
And then 60% was split between say, 30 government department choices with the aforementioned basic services also included in the list, with "Other" being one option for stuff that wasn't in the top 30 (like maybe the Dept of Oceanic Research).
Then, someone could dump all their discretionary spending in the Dept of Defense if they want, and other person might pick all 30 options. Another person might just pick EPA.
Would that make people happier with the government?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
I want to dedicate a fund to buy golf courses and convert them to communities with affordable housing.
Another fund to replace all gravestones and grave markers with trees. Cemeteries will be mini forests
And I want to levy a 1% tax federal tax on toilet paper.
It might be the most equitable tax ever.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
How about some of my tax
How about some of my tax money going to a team of American hackers to really fuck up Russia and China
i am tired of watching us be out hacked
I have a real hard time with thinking they may have better criminals than American criminals. Maybe blanket pardon for any free lance hackers that fuck with Russia and China
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
^We're doing it, but China and Russia do not publicize the breaches
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Not really
Not really
https://youtu.be/bVYXWVs0Prc
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Old Fart Message Board
You guys realize that the
You guys realize that the federal government conducts Black Ops and people are contractually sworn to secrecy, right? We have absolutely no idea what they are doing and most likely some of the shadiest and most disgusting things are happening behind closed doors with federal funding. If you think we aren't hacking into the other two largest super powers databases and technology centers than you are the crazy ones.
We just want the world to think they are the only ones getting hacked. Right now Russia is just a diversion though. China is the real threat to American dominance and they gain more stranglehold on the world every single day.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
I say make more pools in the
I say make more pools in the East Bay area so Slacker can make more money and get out ot that small apartment.