Off Topic: Ron Paul leads in Iowa

[babuka]

(12-20-2011 03:42 PM)takeitdown Wrote:  This comes from someone pro business, but not rabid. Businesses need to be regulated (banking, etc.) and taxed just like the rest of the world. It actually makes businesses more innovative (regulations are one of the primary forces of innovation and new business opportunities known to business leaders.) Unregulated capitalism is anarchy (child labor is cheaper, dumping toxic waste in the local municipality is cheaper, etc.).

I'm a big believer in capitalism as the best system, but unregulated, it's football without boundaries, 10 yards for a first down, etc. Football no longer makes sense if the QB can run up into the stands, hide the ball with fans, come back onto the field and throw a pass. It's stupid. Regulations aren't weak...they construct the battlefield that is played on...but large businesses have managed with a lot of money to make people think all regulation is bad.

And the last thing is tax laws can't keep changing toward the rich, and need to go back. Reagan was far more balanced in his taxes, and he was the trickle down economics king. A march back toward the policy in place at the end of his term would be helpful. The wealthy people I know realize that the greatest risk to their money is not a 2% higher incremental tax, or tax on their capital gains, but rather a huge income inequality which leads to there being no one to buy their goods (as the US is not an exporter and won't become one), as well as civil unrest.

Countries don't function without a middle class doing well. Corporate tax breaks and tax breaks for those over 500k/yr goes counter to this and will never make sense for an economy.

Give me the guy who will make it so our economy is sustainable by regulating capitalism and giving the middle class and small businesses a viable option, and that's the guy I'll vote for. Unfortunately, those guys are seeming more and more rare.

First off, I am not a fan of the term "regulations". You pass laws to protect an individuals right to life and property by saying things like stealing, murder, etc is illegal. You also pass laws to protect one from stealing from a business or visa versa. You pass laws to protect minors/children. A lot of laws/regulations helps no one but the bureaucrats.

Most people have just accepted the United States in the form that we assume it is as how it has always been. The founders did not give the federel government the ability to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. This was added in 1913 by the 16th admendment. The founders did not create the Federal Reserve. It was also founded in 1913. I am not going to go into a disseration on the evils of the Fed, but when you couple the 16th admendment with the Fed and a purely fiat monely supply you create a monster.

"Fairness" is only achieved by having equal liberties for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The "greater good" term that most people throw around is usually the creation of government power and bureaucracy in exchange for security.

The states should handle the more "social" programs like unemployment, welfare, HUD, etc.