Too many people don't want to work because there just isn't a lot of incentive with so many gov freebies out there.

I think one area we could improve on is helping people with mental issues. Many of the homeless are the ones that have mental problems and could use some real help.

If your annual household income was $42k and you have been spending $56k for the past 10 years and you had $140K in debt it might be a good idea to not expand your household budget. Sorry had to make that point first.

Having said that. I think the one thing the government can actually increase spending on without further exacerbating our deep, long term debt issues is to subsidize the natural gas industry. If we subsidized natural gas infrastructure and retrofit commercial vehicles to run on nat gas we could create millions of jobs here in America while very significantly reducing our energy expenses. This would put more money in the pocket of every American and expand the margins of every business, big and small alike. We could actually be energy independent and be a net exporter of energy. Imagine America not having a trade deficit for a change? Imagine not shipping our money overseas to OPEC? The decrease in demand for oil would cripple OPEC. If you are concerned about the environmental impact of natural gas it burns 50% cleaner than oil based gasoline.

With the discovery of hydraulic fracturing technology in recent years we have been able to very safely realize numerous massive discoveries of nat gas and oil. The numbers are staggering. I cant think of a better way to get America working again and producing things. The economic boom from natural gas should be the equivalent of the tech boom in the 90s. It is going to happen,it is too big. I believe we should speed up the process because so many Americans need the relief sooner (5 years) than later (10 years). Once we begin to develop and export our natrual resources again you will see the dollar strentghen as well. I believe that is one of the main reasons there is opposition to it. With $16.3t in national debt the master panners would rather monetize our debt than essentially further increase it by strengthening the dollar. I personally believe that the massive increase in revenue would more than make up for the more expensive debt (paid back with more valuable dollars). I also believe our actual government debt issues would be priced more congruently with market conditions (namely our credit rating/solvency would improve).

Just a thought. Probably wont happen tho.

You can't help someone
Who's not willing to help themselves
You can try
but you just may waste your time


TSOL 1987

I think our grandparents would have cringed taking govt handouts. I imagine even in the depression they would look to do what ever they could to make some money to support there family. Not looking for the govt to give them a handout.

I personally feel that if the govt is going to give out these handouts, the people ought to work to earn it. Let em clean the streets, scrape gum of light polls, clean up parks, do what ever needs there are to beautify the city... Many probably would stop asking for it.

As mentioned keep it civil. I normally move anything like this as soon as I see it because they all generally turn uncivil. This will be as well if it changes.

gopherhockey wrote: Too many people don't want to work because there just isn't a lot of incentive with so many gov freebies out there.

I think one area we could improve on is helping people with mental issues. Many of the homeless are the ones that have mental problems and could use some real help.

Excellent post 52.

vikingfan52 wrote: I think our grandparents would have cringed taking govt handouts. I imagine even in the depression they would look to do what ever they could to make some money to support there family. Not looking for the govt to give them a handout.

I personally feel that if the govt is going to give out these handouts, the people ought to work to earn it. Let em clean the streets, scrape gum of light polls, pick up trash off our streets, do what ever needs there are to beautify the city... Many probably would stop asking for it.

As mentioned keep it civil. I normally move anything like this as soon as I see it because they all generally turn uncivil. This will be as well if it changes.

gopherhockey wrote: Too many people don't want to work because there just isn't a lot of incentive with so many gov freebies out there.

I think one area we could improve on is helping people with mental issues. Many of the homeless are the ones that have mental problems and could use some real help.

I'm not sure this exactly fits with the OP but it is something I would like to see get more attention. It's a very interesting phenomenon to me.

http://www.commonsensegovernme...e-03-14-09.html

In the article there is a list and time period for each stage. I think I would modify that a little but the trend is certainly there and is a little frightening. I can see elements of society in all of these stages but overall I would say we are heading toward apathy. Unless the trend can be reversed I would say bondage is a generation or maybe two away.

Ametrine wrote:

crazy idea right? Not sure how long this thread will last but I hope it will be civil and I really am curious to hear your thoughts. We have a lot of smart folks on here, from all sides of the fence.
This is my question:if you could financially/manpower expand one part of our national "stuff"...what would it be? 
Me, I think social services. I worry that too many people, especially the very young, slip through the cracks because the system is way understaffed. 
Your thoughts? And please keep it non-partisan 

With all due respect Ametrine, this is exactly the reason we're in the mess we're in.  Every credible economist, including those with liberal points of view, agree that:

1. We must substantially reduce public sector spending and employment, relative to the size of the private sector,
2. We must reduce regulations that handcuff the private sector, and
3. We must allow the private sector to take advantage of the resources we have.

Canada is an excellent illustration.  15 years ago, Canada was acting the way we're acting today, and Canada was in trouble.  To their credit, they changed their ways, and now they're thriving.

I like the idea of getting rid of the minimum wage, and go to a living wage.  Enough for shelter food and health care.  If you can support yourself with your efforts you have pride in those efforts, if you are busting it and still can't make it that is a disincentive. How about giving all the tax breaks to earned income and replace it with equal taxation on predatory income.

BigAl99 wrote: I like the idea of getting rid of the minimum wage, and go to a living wage.  Enough for shelter food and health care.  If you can support yourself with your efforts you have pride in those efforts, if you are busting it and still can't make it that is a disincentive. How about giving all the tax breaks to earned income and replace it with equal taxation on predatory income.

Can you define predatory income?

Two areas
Early Childhood Education
Universal Healthcare (tying heathcare to job is outdated)

For me...I'd say nuclear energy, but not Fission Reactors. Yes I do think that we should reduce our dependance on foreign sources of energy, namely oil, but America has always been a land of dreamers who think big.

With that said I think we need to think big again. I think we should revisit a Manhattan project in the form of finding a way to harness nuclear fusion. Get all the best minds together and have a sense of urgency. The reaction is clean, the power is nearly limitless and if we handle it right the energy could be very cheap. Screw Corporate America on this one unless the private sector actually gets there first. If this is done with our tax dollars then we all should reap the rewards. This discovery would truly revolutionize the world in so many ways, and probably many ways that we can't even imagine at the moment.

Ooo, I like this one...

FLVikesFan wrote: For me...I'd say nuclear energy, but not Fission Reactors. Yes I do think that we should reduce our dependance on foreign sources of energy, namely oil, but America has always been a land of dreamers who think big.

With that said I think we need to think big again. I think we should revisit a Manhattan project in the form of finding a way to harness nuclear fusion. Get all the best minds together and have a sense of urgency. The reaction is clean, the power is nearly limitless and if we handle it right the energy could be very cheap. Screw Corporate America on this one unless the private sector actually gets there first. If this is done with our tax dollars then we all should reap the rewards. This discovery would truly revolutionize the world in so many ways, and probably many ways that we can't even imagine at the moment.

Thanks I've been saying this for awhile. For all the damn money we as a nation **** away...see aid to Pakistan...we could be putting this idea together. I think that the fact that neither of the last two Presidents have even explored this has shown a real failure of leadership. Think of all the technology licensing rights that could be sold to other nations for huge profits. We could probably even dent the national debt a bit.

FLVikesFan wrote: For me...I'd say nuclear energy, but not Fission Reactors. Yes I do think that we should reduce our dependance on foreign sources of energy, namely oil, but America has always been a land of dreamers who think big.

With that said I think we need to think big again. I think we should revisit a Manhattan project in the form of finding a way to harness nuclear fusion. Get all the best minds together and have a sense of urgency. The reaction is clean, the power is nearly limitless and if we handle it right the energy could be very cheap. Screw Corporate America on this one unless the private sector actually gets there first. If this is done with our tax dollars then we all should reap the rewards. This discovery would truly revolutionize the world in so many ways, and probably many ways that we can't even imagine at the moment.

I actually agree that the inevitable solution to our energy needs is electric cars powered by nuclear. Nuclear is an emission free renewable energy source.

There will be an enormous amount of push back due to concerns of a Fukishima (sp?) type of event, and rightly so. I do beleive that there should be the strictest regulations this world has ever seen on nuclear. I am guessing that the profit could be so enormous that it wouldnt matter how tight the regulations were. But even if there were sensible regulations in place with redundant fail safe measures, would you want to live near a nuclear power plant?

That is really the only thing holding nuclear back. I bought a few nuclear energy companies in my IRA account a few years ago. I am betting that one or two will either blow up big over the next 30 years or be aquired. 

Great post tho.

It's just so incredibly easy to talk about ways government "should" spend more money.  And advocates of more spending love to pretend that additional spending has no negative consequences.  But the consequences will be very real, and they will make us all very sorry.

I would undo what Reagan did to the mental health industry.  We created a huge problem by defunding mental health issues.

I would also require people on public assistance (absent proof of disability) to do some type of work for the assistance (even if that work is applying for jobs).  It should be full time work and if the person is injured, then they can answer the phone or telemarket or something...

The reason we have the debt we do is because we are the world's policemen and have embarked on two wars, have military all over the world and while we were doing all of that, we have the wealthiest americans tax breaks.  People that make over 1,000,000/year can pay an increased marginal rate at least at the rate they were paying when Reagan was president.

Border patrol

I would first evaluate government and find out where all the wasted money spent is going. I would work to improve efficiency and productivity. Maybe get rid of committees that are not effective. But for me, the main areas that need help are mental health and social services.

making people held accountable for their actions,  guns dont kill people, people holding guns and pulling the trigger kill people, no one's fault but that person, we have become a blame others society and sue happy,