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On Tue, 5 Dec 2006, Jonathan King wrote:
The only way I see to fix this is very radical. It might even happen if
we end up in dire enough economic straits. I have posted before that the
best idea I have had on the subject of getting rid of corporate
influence is the exotic-sounding combination of:
a) disallowing all non-individual spending for politicial reasons
(except for the designated political campaign of a candidate, which will
be forced to do disclose the provider of every dollar they receive.
Will this require a constitutional amendment because it can be seen as a
restriction of free speech?
b) canning the corporate income tax.
OK, but I think you mean that you want to shift the taxes from corporate
income to some other source. What source would that be? How much revenue
do corporate income taxes generate per annum? Maybe it is a good idea if
the current revenue stream is weak and the effect on other things is
enough to compensate.
c) passing the constitutional amendment that undoes the precedent of
corporations having the rights of US citizens.
Does that require an amendment? Anyway, sounds like a good idea. Why
will it be hard to get this done? It must be hard because we haven't done
it.
Clearly, it's a long shot, but you might just get there if the
situation here gets really bad.
Who can you get on your team? Is any of this even on the radar screen in
Congress?
Within six months, I expect we will be in a fairly serious recession.
Factory orders are way down, the real estate market is really starting
to tank, and the debt loads of individuals have gotten to the point
where the slightest hint of a downturn will be self-reinforcing. I think
there is a 50% chance that the combined (including off-budget) deficit
for FY 2008 will approach $US 1 trillion. Really, I'm seeing data that
suggests that the situation will be completely brutal.
Brutal -- just want GWB wanted. A starving beast. I guess we'll have to
cut welfare programs and reduce the minimum wage in order to create jobs
for the starving underclass.
2) You should not, on principle, spend money that you know is a complete
waste. It puts you in a bad position both morally and rhetorically. This
is particularly true when you are going to make the bogus argument that
somehow it all benefits science. In the 2008 election and after, I think
voters are going to be so mad that anything and anybody who they see as
being responsible for the worsening financial situation is going down in
flames.
I'm actually with you on this, but, somewhat unlike you, I see the
*possibility* that funding space travel will actually improve things.
Mike
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