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We aren't failing people: unemployment hasn't been this low in 20 years. We have spent 28 trillion dollars on welfare, yet the poverty rate is unchanged over d

We aren't failing people: unemployment hasn't been this low in 20 years. We have spent 28 trillion dollars on welfare, yet the poverty rate is unchanged over decades. The only thing that supports people is work, and we need to eliminate as many impediments to it as possible: over-regulation, payroll taxes, income taxes. Make huge cuts to welfare with the savings and streamline healthcare to provide cheap, basic services to every citizen (in line with disallowing citizenship by birth). Then, regulate the supply of labour by barring immigration from poor countries (establish a liberal visa regime with countries in the HDI top 30 though, to allow legitimate talent to come to America). You have the recipe for a reasonable, modern life for any American willing to work. It could be a blueprint for the whole Western world.

sgt101 7y ago
If you were serious about providing a reasonable, modern life for Americans wouldn't you provide high quality free healthcare as a basic right? Wouldn't you provide free education and eliminate student debt? Wouldn't you ensure a dignified retirement and old age for all? Your manifesto doesn't include these things, why not?
- Creationer 7y ago
  > streamline healthcare to provide cheap, basic services to every citizen Already covered that. We can pay for healthcare for all citizens, but it will mean excluding very expensive things like heart surgery, cancer treatment, joint replacements. We will probably need to be much more forward on euthanasia for the old, to save resources. We can provide free higher education, but its going to mean no student housing, no athletics programs and restricting college to the top 20% of the cohort academically. Why should we have to tax the current worker population in order to pay for old people to do nothing? The current retirement system is a flawed ponzi scheme. People have continued to work until death or impairment in the past - why should retirement be considered a human right now? Cut payroll taxes and income taxes, and the elderly can happily work 1-2 days per week, and businesses will be happy to have them. Store clerks, fast food workers, cleaners, child carers. These jobs can be done well by the elderly, and work keeps the brain active and healthy. What if I want to work part-time throughout my life, and never retire? Shouldn't I have the ability as an individual to decide how and if I want to retire?
  - AlexandrB 7y ago
    What is it like to live in a country where things that every other developed country seems to be able to afford (like public health care) are impossible without invoking “euthanasia for the old”?
maxsilver 7y ago
> unemployment hasn't been this low in 20 years. This is not really accurate. Unemployment is at a 40 year high. (where "unemployment" means "percent of working-aged people without a job") https://www.theatlas.com/charts/B1SUWjSx7 https://www.theatlas.com/charts/B1SUWjSx7 (that big drop is people losing their jobs). The last time the numbers were this bad was back around 1979.
- burfog 7y ago
  One can read a lot into that chart, depending on one's own bias. For example, if jobs get better, then families can live on one income. This is good. We're still way above the workforce participation of the 1950s, which generally was a better time for family life in the USA.
  - ska 7y ago
    which generally was a better time for family life in the USA. I suspect a good chunk of the population would dispute that statement. In general I think there is a lot of rose colored glasses about that period of time. Regardless - I haven't seen any evidence that we are returning to a general viability of supporting a family on one income, at least supporting it well. Do you know of any?

sgt101 7y ago

If you were serious about providing a reasonable, modern life for Americans wouldn't you provide high quality free healthcare as a basic right? Wouldn't you provide free education and eliminate student debt? Wouldn't you ensure a dignified retirement and old age for all? Your manifesto doesn't include these things, why not?

Creationer 7y ago
> streamline healthcare to provide cheap, basic services to every citizen Already covered that. We can pay for healthcare for all citizens, but it will mean excluding very expensive things like heart surgery, cancer treatment, joint replacements. We will probably need to be much more forward on euthanasia for the old, to save resources. We can provide free higher education, but its going to mean no student housing, no athletics programs and restricting college to the top 20% of the cohort academically. Why should we have to tax the current worker population in order to pay for old people to do nothing? The current retirement system is a flawed ponzi scheme. People have continued to work until death or impairment in the past - why should retirement be considered a human right now? Cut payroll taxes and income taxes, and the elderly can happily work 1-2 days per week, and businesses will be happy to have them. Store clerks, fast food workers, cleaners, child carers. These jobs can be done well by the elderly, and work keeps the brain active and healthy. What if I want to work part-time throughout my life, and never retire? Shouldn't I have the ability as an individual to decide how and if I want to retire?
- AlexandrB 7y ago
  What is it like to live in a country where things that every other developed country seems to be able to afford (like public health care) are impossible without invoking “euthanasia for the old”?

maxsilver 7y ago

> unemployment hasn't been this low in 20 years. This is not really accurate. Unemployment is at a 40 year high. (where "unemployment" means "percent of working-aged people without a job") https://www.theatlas.com/charts/B1SUWjSx7 https://www.theatlas.com/charts/B1SUWjSx7 (that big drop is people losing their jobs). The last time the numbers were this bad was back around 1979.

burfog 7y ago
One can read a lot into that chart, depending on one's own bias. For example, if jobs get better, then families can live on one income. This is good. We're still way above the workforce participation of the 1950s, which generally was a better time for family life in the USA.
- ska 7y ago
  which generally was a better time for family life in the USA. I suspect a good chunk of the population would dispute that statement. In general I think there is a lot of rose colored glasses about that period of time. Regardless - I haven't seen any evidence that we are returning to a general viability of supporting a family on one income, at least supporting it well. Do you know of any?