American presidential campaign 2012: Fail

Was just watching “Meet the Press” this morning. Gingrich was being interviewed. The host asked him a question. Boom! Out of Gingrich’s mouth spews out this gigantic attack ad against Obama. Another question. Boom! Resume the vocal upchuck, spewing over the airwaves. Of course, avoid really answering questions.

This reminds me of a question Romney was asked early in the campaign. A voter asked Romney what he would do with the illegal immigrants already in the USA. That is those already here. Already here. Romney, the question was, “those people that are already here”! Did he answer it? Nope, just spewed the usual border stuff, blah, blah. What does he really think? Round them up and do a march toward the border (or use one of those Cadillacs), including women, kids, and babies too? Provide some means for them to legally become Americans? Or just punt the issue and use it to spew more venom as to how Obama is destroying civilization as we know it?

And this is what campaigning is all about.

Funny, the only candidate really different then Obama is Ron Paul. All the rest are just pandering to various groups. The best Republican candidate is really … Obama.* LOL!

I can’t believe that in 2012 our politics is like this. It sounds like something that happens in Europe or the Middle East. What, in the year 2021 we will be spending trillions on campaigns and there will be artificial intelligence drones battling it out to convince our nano-drug dependent populace to click the link for one bozo or another?

Now I’m watching on my SlingBox the “Moyers & Company” show. Bill Moyers is interviewing Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson about the issues in their book “Winner-Take-All-Politics”.

Why are people who question and raise issues seen as left-wing liberals? It’s not even a pure political thing. Complain about the default line length in source code: oh oh, this guy is a loose cannon. Could be a herd thing: questioner = young bull after my trim.

*Obama has been following the Republican ideas to the letter. From continuing the Bush wars, to implementing the Republican health care policies and plans. Not to mention how the administration has still been benefiting the 1% rich. Again following the GOP playbook. How could it be otherwise? Democrat politicians are rich too; they suckle on the middle class’s teat.

Some links

• Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson on Winner Take All Politics
• Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer–and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class
• Are retirement investments just fueling the wealth divide?

999 should be 6789

The Cain 999 tax simplification is attracting attention. Well, it should. In this political climate the major candidates have not been proposing anything bold, just the same phrases, party lines, and lack of answers to specific questions.

But, perhaps the 9-9-9 plan is too bold and as some critics are writing, lays the burden disproportionally on the 99%.

My counter proposal is just as simple, 6789:

• 6% – income on the 99%
• 7% – sales tax
• 8% – corporate tax
• 9% – income on the 1% rich

That is more equitable. Of course, economists and mathematicians can tweak the numbers. Most importantly, these numbers should be part of a feedback system. Why is everything “fixed” when the world is dynamic?

Based on economic performance and quality measures, the whole sliding scale could be shifted up or down. For example, in an overheated economy it could be shifted up, and in a difficult period, like now, it could be shifted down, such as, 5-6-7-8, etc.

Further Reading

• What would Herman Cain’s ’9-9-9′ tax plan really do?
• 9-9-9 Plan
• Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan: Just Like SimCity?
• Fuzzy Tax