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	Name:	MartiniMan -
	Subject:	Copperline
	Date:	12/30/2012 9:41:47 AM

I don't have a problem with much of what you wrote in concept. But it's the fundamental reality of government and all it's inefficiency, bureaucracy, ineptitude and corruption that make what you want from gov't all but impossible. It's not that the people who work for govt are the problem. Like all functioning entities there are good and bad people working there. It's the inherent nature of govt and the dream that we just need the right leader or structure and it will somehow magically become efficient and effective. That flies in the face of thousands of years of history.

I too believe that one of the proper roles for govt is to provide a safety net for those truly in need. But here's where it's nature takes over and over time that definition gets expanded as politicians look for more votes. I believe the proper role of govt is to provide infrastructure (ie, roads, bridges, safe drinking water, sanitary, etc.) and they do so relatively efficiently because most of it is accomplished at the local level where there is more accountability and frankly where they actually live and 99% of the work is done by private contractors that have to bid for the business. But there are a whole slew of areas where govt should not but does function and/or is functioning at the wrong level. One example is the Dept of Education. We spend $60-$70 billion each year and the larger that budget gets the worse our schools perform.

Now on the economics side, you have to understand that of every dollar the govt removes from the economy about 2/3rds gets wasted. It will be even worse if interest rates go up and the service on the debt could easily be more than we spend on our national defense or other necessary programs. And where is that money going? To many of our enemies like the Chinese. Our interest payments are funding their military. But more to the point, as we saw with the stimulus the govt is horrible about providing results. In my business, with $25k in cash I can create a job that pays a salary of $100k per year which nets the federal treasury between $30k-$35k in tax revenue and $14k for FICA and Medicare taxes. While the numbers vary widely, the best I have seen was $280k per job came from the stimulus and some estimates have it over $1 million per job. Either number is horrendous and demonstrates that govt does very few things well and efficiently. So I can create at least 11 and possibly many more high paying jobs for the same dollars that govt creates just one! To me that alone is an argument for lower taxes on job creators because it will actually generate more tax revenue. Just think about it, those eleven jobs create $1.1 million in taxable income and probably $400k in tax revenues. So you decide, let me keep and invest that money or have the govt take it and waste it.

Now to be sure I understand that a portion of income needs to be taxed to pay for the proper role of govt., but the analysis above demonstrates that taxes should be lowered to spur economic activity which will result in more revenue to the Treasury to pay for a more limited govt which means reduced or no deficits. And on a final note, govt regulations are killing small businesses that create 85% of the jobs in this country. Mid you are at or near retirement that should scare the hell out of you because those employees are the ones that need to be around to pay for the programs you like.

Sorry for the long answer but you raised some very interesting points and the basic problem in this country is economic illiteracy (not you personally but in general) combined with class envy driven by liberal politicians and the govt media. It causes us to make bad decisions for all the wrong reasons.