Tax Day

Okay, since the last post touched on politics, here's one more for Tax Day. And then I'll stop.

I am not an economist. I did not major or minor in economics in school. Economics isn't even especially interesting to me. I have absolutely no qualifications whatsoever to talk about economics.

Which is to say, I'm at least as qualified to develop a federal budget as most of our elected representatives and senators are.

So, on this belated tax day, here is my recommendation to balance the federal budget.

Discretionary Spending Cuts

Yes, eliminate such waste, fraud and abuse as can be reasonably agreed upon by both parties and both chambers.

Income Tax

Repeal the Bush-era tax cuts. All of them. For every tax bracket, including mine. Actually require all tax brackets to pay all of the taxes they owe, without loopholes and exemptions.

Corporate Taxes

Ditto.

Also, tax every US corporation $100,000 each year for every single job which is created and sustained outside of the United States.

In order to prevent "reflagging" of US corporations, increase tariffs on all imported goods to 25% of the total retail value of the goods.

Petroleum

Eliminate all corporate welfare for the petroleum industry.

Eliminate all corporate warfare for the petroleum industry. Immediately cease and desist from any military operation which in any way benefits the importation of petroleum products to the US.

Immediately stop all new drilling. And any old drilling which cannot reasonably prevent an oil spill. Remediation costs from the Deepwater Horizon accident will ultimately total in the trillions, if they actually happen to remediate it. I'm not holding my breath, just holding my nose.

Add 25% retail tax to all refined petroleum products in addition to the aforementioned tariffs on imported oil.

After all of that, gasoline still probably won't cost as much in the US as it does in the real world. But with any luck, Americans will take the hint anyway and stop using gasoline.

Cold War Spending

The Cold War ended 20 years ago. China won. Get over it. We no longer need to support a Cold War arsenal. Mutually Assured Destruction was a stupid idea anyway.

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Alright, there's my budget proposal. Which has even less chance of being passed than any of the other budget proposals which will be debated.

And now back to things more interesting and less political which might actually make a positive difference in this world. Or some other.

Oh, and the "death" thing? No idea how to fix that one.