Simplify Tax Paying

There is talk that Congress will revise the Income Tax laws.  Usually these revisions make filing tax returns more complicated.

If the majority of Americans continue to want the IRS to collect income taxes, lets at least reduce the burden on the typical American.

Currently the system requires the individual to file tax returns. The IRS then compares the information you provided with W-2, 1099’s, Mortgage Payments etc they receive from third parties, and decide whether to bother you, or send you a refund.

How about doing it the other way. Let the IRS compute what they think your income taxes should be based on the information they collect, then send you a statement. If you agree with their calculations, then pay the amount owed or ask for a check for the over-payment. If you disagree with their statement then file a return stating what you think is the proper amount.

 

 

 

 

Time for Single Payer Food System

foodPrepWhen I drive on the highway near my home, I pass dozens of eating establishments. Most are 1/2 empty. What a waste.

I go to the supermarket and see aisles and aisles of food languishing on the shelves. What a waste.

Most homes have a stove and an oven that at most are used 10% of the time. What a waste.

Many people drive to supermarkets in gasoline powered vehicles emitting dreaded carbon-dioxide. Wrecking the environment.

Some people cannot afford to pay for food without getting government SNAP cards. Just think of the cost to determine who is eligible for SNAP cards.

Professional nutritionists know best what everybody needs. How many people consult with a nutritionist before deciding what to eat?

It is time to make the food delivery system less costly, and equally available to everyone.

A single payer system could be the best way to go. Using your tax dollars, experts in Washington would pay all the costs of preparing and delivering a nourishing broth to everyone. The broth would be scientifically formulated so that all someone would need to do is eat the proper amount within a 24 hour period to remain healthy.

There could be a fine imposed on anyone who did not eat the right amount. The fine would start small for the slacker who just happened to forget to eat the required portion, but would ramp up for those who seriously under eat. The fine is justified because those who do not eat enough will end up in the health care system, and we would all have to pay for making the person healthy.

About 8.5 million stoves are bought each year. Think of the saving if people did not need to buy stoves. Next year sales are expected to be even higher. www.statista.com/statistics/295477/unit-shipments-of-electric-gas-cooking-appliances/

People are concerned about pipelines that carry petroleum products. A system can be developed that would allow us to eliminate these potentially dangerous pipelines. The government kitchens would be built near the well head of major pipelines, and then (after proper cleaning) the nourishing broth could be delivered to major cities in the pipelines. All the details would have to be worked out, but the concept is sound. Think of all the jobs that would be created building the broth infrastructure. The oil pipelines would no longer be needed, because people would not be driving to supermarkets or restaurants.

Just think, coupon clipping for food discounts would be obsolete. Newspapers and mail carriers will be delighted not having to print and deliver coupons.

If you have other good ideas how a SPFS (Single Payer Food System) would be best for the country let me know at BenBachrach@gmail.com.

Jorge Santayana on Opinions

From Letters of George Santayana

“”… I too am too old, and my feelings spring from too many deep and remote sources in the past, for me to change, or to be influenced by newspaper arguments. When I read them I form perhaps a new opinion of the newspaper but seldom a new opinion on the subject discussed. We must put up with other people’s irrationalities, and with our own, which are far more troublesome.”

santayanaLetter

The Bergland Freedom Train

freedomTrainArticles, videos and social media posts  on the internet have called out certain people as not Libertarians. I am sure even a causal user of the internet has seem some of these. Many are directed at Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, but others seem to be used against anyone who has made statements with which the poster does not agree.

In rebuttal, I reintroduce the Freedom Train concept that I first heard from David Bergland, the 1984 presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party.

I searched for a reference about Bergland’s Freedom Train with little success, but did find an article by my friend Brian Wright that mentions it.

Excerpt from Brian Wright Article

The Freedom Train

David Bergland during his Libertarian Campaign for president in 1984 popularized the metaphor of the ‘Freedom Train’ as a marketing tool: “Freedom is one thing you cannot have unless you’re willing to share with others. We all want to be free to do something in life. So climb aboard the Freedom Trail and we’ll take you as far as you want to go. Others may want to proceed to subsequent stops, and we can all live and let live about that”.

end of excerpt.

Lets encourage everyone to get on our Freedom Train. If they want to get off at a earlier stop than you, then don’t denounce them, but rather thank them for sharing part of the ride.

I am willing to call everyone a Libertarian who agrees they are on the Freedom Train, until they decide government is small enough and moral enough that they get off.

roadToOneOne problem with the Freedom Train metaphor is that it makes it seems there is only one way to get to Freedom, so lets broaden the concept to a multi-path system, where there is not just one way to get to the destination. Anybody got a suggestion what to call the multi-path paradigm?

Ben Bachrach

 

 

Libertarian Presidential Candidates Dollars / Vote

Nominal Dollars not Inflation Adjusted  Nominal
Election Candidate Popular Votes Individual Donations Dollars/Vote
1996 Harry Browne 485,759 $1,248,198 $2.57
2000 Harry Browne 384,431 $1,217,198 $3.17
2004 Michael Badnarik 397,265 $1,093,013 $2.75
2008 Bob Barr 523,713 $1,372,110 $2.62
2012 Gary Johnson 1,275,821 $1,984,244 $1.56
2016 Gary Johnson 4,167,740 $12,794,165
includes Super PACs
$3.07

2016 Reference
 

Jobs Are a Cost, Not a Benefit

At the FEE site, Professor Van Colt presents the essay “‘Creating Jobs’ Will Hurt the Economy”

full text

Excerpts:
“Gaining jobs” to achieve a given objective is synonymous with worsening your situation, not improving it.


The value of work is easy to grasp at the most domestic level: your own home.

Being a homeowner isn’t easy. Among other things, you always seem to have more chores to do than time to do them. The chores are not ends in themselves. Rather, they are means to an end — in this case, making a home and yard more livable or aesthetically pleasing.

Opting to do a chore yourself — “insourcing” in current parlance — isn’t costless. You lose the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your other labors. For example, you could tackle different chores, spend more time with your family, or work extra hours in the marketplace, increasing your income. Hiring someone else to do the chore — that is, “outsourcing” — isn’t costless, either. It means you can’t buy other things. Costs represent sacrificed alternatives.