Opposing corn ethanol subsidies used to be a conservative position. The gov't should not be diverting 1/3 of American corn to make fuel. The fuel is corrosive to internal combustion engines which run better on pure gasoline. And the gov't pays farmers to grow all of this, using the coercive power of the Farm Bill subsidies to ensure that it happens. The gov't should not be in the business of dictating what farmers grow.
Social security is another. It's insolvent. They privatized it and looted it in the 90s. It's liability sheet has grown astronomically as life expectancy has grown and a far larger share of the population lives to age 65 and beyond. We don't have the demographic base to continue to support payouts at the current rates. The pyramid scheme is collapsing because the base is too narrow. It needs serious reform. The conservative position is that it's not gov't's job to save for your retirement. It's yours. Gov't must keep the promises it made, but not make new promises it can't keep by continuing this insolvent scheme.
Medicare doesn't need to exist either. It's a back door to gov't-controlled healthcare. Everything it does can and should be done by private insurers. But when gov't pays the bills (and they pay a huge part of Medicare), they also get a say in what hospitals and doctors can and can't do. What they decide to pay for determines the services the system provides. Few doctors can operate without taking Medicare/Medicaid, so they all do as their told. And now that comes with "quality" metrics where gov't specifically gives incentives for compliance and penalties in reimbursement for non-compliance. We have a highly socialized and gov't controlled system, but people don't generally realize it because Medicare/Medicaid acts as a fig leaf covering the control system.
The National Sales Tax is intended to replace the income tax. To mention the VAT system without also mentioning that it is intended to replace income tax is just a flat out lie about the position. It's considered a fairer tax structure because those who use the economy pay. It's naturally progressive, but everyone pays based on their consumption, so you can't dodge it with corporate write-offs, carve-outs, loopholes, tax credits, and all of the other manipulative garbage they do to give the ultra-wealthy with the best accountants and tax lawyers a path to pay less.
These are all conservative positions that are worth a fair and honest debate.
Trump's annoying me with these posts honestly.
Opposing corn ethanol subsidies used to be a conservative position. The gov't should not be diverting 1/3 of American corn to make fuel. The fuel is corrosive to internal combustion engines which run better on pure gasoline. And the gov't pays farmers to grow all of this, using the coercive power of the Farm Bill subsidies to ensure that it happens. The gov't should not be in the business of dictating what farmers grow.
Social security is another. It's insolvent. They privatized it and looted it in the 90s. It's liability sheet has grown astronomically as life expectancy has grown and a far larger share of the population lives to age 65 and beyond. We don't have the demographic base to continue to support payouts at the current rates. The pyramid scheme is collapsing because the base is too narrow. It needs serious reform. The conservative position is that it's not gov't's job to save for your retirement. It's yours. Gov't must keep the promises it made, but not make new promises it can't keep by continuing this insolvent scheme.
Medicare doesn't need to exist either. It's a back door to gov't-controlled healthcare. Everything it does can and should be done by private insurers. But when gov't pays the bills (and they pay a huge part of Medicare), they also get a say in what hospitals and doctors can and can't do. What they decide to pay for determines the services the system provides. Few doctors can operate without taking Medicare/Medicaid, so they all do as their told. And now that comes with "quality" metrics where gov't specifically gives incentives for compliance and penalties in reimbursement for non-compliance. We have a highly socialized and gov't controlled system, but people don't generally realize it because Medicare/Medicaid acts as a fig leaf covering the control system.
The National Sales Tax is intended to replace the income tax. To mention the VAT system without also mentioning that it is intended to replace income tax is just a flat out lie about the position. It's considered a fairer tax structure because those who use the economy pay. It's naturally progressive, but everyone pays based on their consumption, so you can't dodge it with corporate write-offs, carve-outs, loopholes, tax credits, and all of the other manipulative garbage they do to give the ultra-wealthy with the best accountants and tax lawyers a path to pay less.
These are all conservative positions that are worth a fair and honest debate.