How To Cut Government Cheese 50% Or More
The Market Ticker ® - Commentary on The Capital Markets
Posted 2011-08-09 12:25
by Karl Denninger
in Political Positions
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How To Cut Government Cheese 50% Or More
 

Shamelessly lifted and modified from here...

Party Platform For 2012

If you elect me the following would be my platform....

  • There will be no more food "cards".  There will be old-fashioned food stamps.  They'll come in a booklet, just like they used to, and they'll have your name printed on them.  That is, they're not transferable.  They're also only good for basic staples such as rice, beans, select or utility grade meats, fruits and vegetables, milk and block cheese.  No steak, no frozen pizzas, no Ho-Hos, no "ready to eat" anything, no high-grade meats or fish nor things such as cake mixes and chocolates.  If you want to eat steak, lobster, frozen "heat and eats" or munch on a Snickers bar, get a job.

  • If you're on Medicaid and are female you may have Norplant implanted or a tubal.  In addition all recipients will be tested regularly and on any demand for service at a place such as a hospital for alcohol, drugs and tobacco.  If you wish to reproduce or use mind-altering substances and those that addict you, get a job.

  • Section 8?  Cool.  Ever been to a military barracks?  Our taxpayer property will be maintained in a clean and good state of repair by you.  It will be subject to inspection and inventory at our whim and we expect your furnishings and accessories to be utilitarian in keeping with the intent - a clean and safe place to sleep, shower, **** and shave.  If you want a bigscreen TV, Xbos or similar examples of conspicuous consumption you can afford your own place and should go get a job - and your own place.

  • All handouts are conditioned on either presenting a paycheck every week or you may report to a government work project.  We have lots of work that needs to be done.  Our roads need trash picked up, bridges and schools need painting and similar tasks can be done.  We have a severe budget problem both federally and at a state level and besides we should have hands up, not handOUTs.  Further, if you show up to work with your ghetto-style low-profile $3,000 rims and tires blasting your $2,000 stereo all of the above will be sold to defray your allegedly-necessary welfare assistance.

  • Voting is a clear conflict of interest while receiving handouts.  Therefore you will voluntarily cancel your voter registration while on public assistance of any sort.

Before anyone claims that all this is a violation of someone's rights, please be aware that accepting all of these handouts are in fact a choice.  That is, they're voluntary, as is the assistance.  You have no right to the assistance, therefore the persons paying for it (that's those of us paying taxes instead of consuming the services) have a right to set the conditions.

More to the point, if these conditions "ruin your self-esteem" that's so the better.  After all, negative feedback as a consequence for poor choices is one of the best ways to modify behavior.  That which is rewarded inevitably is replicated and encouraged; these steps should provide some discouragement and tilt the scales toward going out and finding a job or starting a business, rendering reliance on the public teat a "last resort" instead of the "first and best resort."

The above, all alone, would cut "government welfare" (in all its forms) by at least 50% - and probably 75% or more - all through voluntary attrition of the rolls.

If there are three people in the nation who would vote for me on such a platform I'll tell you how I'd deal with Social Security and Medicare - they're next.

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User Info How To Cut Government Cheese 50% Or More in forum [Market-Ticker]
Abn0rmal
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Genesis wrote..
The above, all alone, would cut "government welfare" (in all its forms) by at least 50% - and probably 75% or more - all through voluntary attrition of the rolls.
Are you counting Social Security and Medicare in that 50%?
Uwe
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What you don't think the guy who owns this car should be getting handouts?



You're cruel and heartless, Karl! smiley

-Uwe-

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“Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” - John Locke
Caddis
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In a hand basket
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I couldn't agree more KD. Anyone that runs on this platform has my vote. I get so*****ed off whenever we get together with my wife's side of the family. My sister-in-law and her POS husband amazingly have enough money for satellite TV, smart phones with unlimited everything, manicures, pedicures, new tattoos and new vehicles etc. You and I pay for their food.

I can't stand leeches!!!!!!!!!

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Reason: typo
Genesis
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Abn: No, I said welfare.

We'll deal with the rest if there are two people who would vote for me left in the nation after this one smiley

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I don't care if it makes sense -- only if it makes money. -- Me
Bank (n): See scam, fraud and theft. Eat a bankster -- they're low-carb.
What part of "shall not be infringed" was unclear?
Mpilar
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Well said! I've pointed out all of these ideas before to people, only to be called a racist or a heartless prick...funny that.
Quote:
Voting is a clear conflict of interest while receiving handouts.

This especially!

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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats. H. L. Mencken
Icanhasbailout
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Imaginationland
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Add something in there for companies, other organizations, and foreign nations receiving US government assistance.

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Uwe
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KD wrote..
We'll deal with the rest if there are two people who would vote for me left in the nation after this one

I can guarantee you three votes if you run on that platform. Me, my wife, and our 19 year old son.

-Uwe-

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“Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” - John Locke

Rd
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There you go again KD making too much sense, unfortunately the world clings onto to it's unicorn.
Batgirl791
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So...you're running for President, then?
Genesis
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smiley

I sorta doubt it.

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I don't care if it makes sense -- only if it makes money. -- Me
Bank (n): See scam, fraud and theft. Eat a bankster -- they're low-carb.
What part of "shall not be infringed" was unclear?
Smacktle
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Senate/ House of Reps maybe? CMON! I'll donate $1,000.

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The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier.
- George Bernard Shaw
Jono
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Well Karl

I will vote for you however your a racist!

S&P is racist!

Everyone is racist!

Ak 47 when you gotta kill every mother fuker in the room!.........ME
Vicious_cycle
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This parallels a discussion I had last week with a very liberal friend who believes that requiring voters to have an ID is equivalent to a poll tax. I suggested that anybody who has been on this earth for 18 (or 50...) years and has not yet managed to bankroll the $15 it takes to buy an ID probably should not have a hand in directing our country's future.
Eli
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Are you thinking of running?

I would be happy to donate my time and work for your campaign.

Seriously.

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If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
George Orwell

Rd
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Somehow you need to get on Bill Mahr's show and debate him, your charts and logic will stop his one liners cold.

Make with your Book you can get the publisher to get you on.
Joejohns
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You would get many peeps but they would be crushed by the many business that would be against every "proposal" set forth.

The only productive part of this economy is the one that lives off these suckers.

Fab money is made here.

Sec8 alone would get you shot. The FSA army of elites that score off that is stupendous.

No the corruption is pervasive and needed.

Luckypenny
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Two more votes from this house.
Eli
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We don't need to eat our peas, we need to bite the bullet and do the right thing.

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If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
George Orwell

Viperjason
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Gen,

You really need to run. You have me and my wifes vote. And you will have our financial and labor support.

Skip_danger
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Good post. But you have to get off the Social Security and Medicare kick. Those are pre-paid.
Martin
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I'd vote for this tickers platform.

Would like to see you expand it to corporate welfare

as in corporation executives voluntarily give up voting to receive corporate handouts, including loans at low interest, until the handout, or interest differential, is paid back. This would include banks getting Federal Reserve low interest rates and corporations like GE getting retroactively passed tax refunds.

Corporation voluntarily gives up all lobbying and making political party or other PAC contributions to receive corporate handouts until paid back. Corporations in the business of making infomercials and calling it news would need to put the news organization into a trust and give up control until corporate handout paid back.

corporation executives don't get bonuses or salary above minimum wage and voluntarily live in the military style public housing with wife and kids for corporation to receive handout, until paid back.

Yoogliguy
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Here's my Social Security platform. Let X be the difference between the SS taxes coming in, and the benefits paid out, for a given year Y. So, for year Y+1, if X is negative, the retirement age rises by 1 year times whatever proportion X is of the benefits, with an adjustment for COLA. If X is positive even with COLA, then the retirement age drops by that proportion.

Here's a Medicare platform. Every CPT code and HCPCS code is assigned a multiplier M, from 1.0 for Albuterol and bone fracture repair, down to 0.05 for Viagara and acne surgery. Then you assign an exponent A to a person based on their age, where 30 year olds get a 1, 60 year olds get a 2, and 90 year olds get a 3 (with a linear progression of some sort). Finally, you figure out what the deficit between Medicare taxes and actual expenditures was last year, and calculate an exponent B that would have made that deficit zero. To compute how much is paid by Medicare for a procedure, you take the 90th percentile UCR (usual and customary rate), multiply by M to the A+B power, and the patient is responsible for the rest (up to 90 UCR).

Reason: Spelling
Genesis
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Skip wrote..
Good post. But you have to get off the Social Security and Medicare kick. Those are pre-paid.
No they're not.

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I don't care if it makes sense -- only if it makes money. -- Me
Bank (n): See scam, fraud and theft. Eat a bankster -- they're low-carb.
What part of "shall not be infringed" was unclear?

Icanhasbailout
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Imaginationland
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Quote:
Social Security and Medicare kick. Those are pre-paid.


I sense a disturbing lack of education in the Force

smiley

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