If only the US had Australia's Leadership

[Robertt S]

Shaun - the easy way out on taxes is to simply eliminate the personal income tax. Seriously; take away the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax...something that the infrastructure is already in place for, is much easier to manage, and is automatically a progressive tax system with no real loopholes possible. Then you can get rid of the monstrosity that the IRS has become, since now you only have corporate taxes to worry about. Exempt items needed for basic survival like groceries, and you've just reversed the tax system from being effectively regressive to being very progressive. But that makes too much sense, eliminates a big branch of the US Gov, and puts more of the tax burden where it should be - on the rich and highly successful, so it'll never happen...at least probably not in our lifetimes.

And basically neuters ObamaCare's ability for enforcement/extortion if you do away with the IRS. 

[shaun]

I am down with the Fair Tax.  It is a great idea.  But I don't think it will never happen at least in my lifetime.  Most people don't understand it.  Many are not intelligent enough to understand it.  The government loses too much control over money and people and will continue to spread false propaganda against it.

What the people don't see they don't care about.  As of August 11, 2014 $0.65 of every gallon of gasoline pumped goes to various states and the Federal Government.  $065 a gallon isn't much but an average gas station will pump around 20,000 gallons of gasoline a week.  That is $13,000.00 a week from 1 gas station.  Right now there are an estimated 121,000 gasoline stations in America.  Taxes collected at the pump are approximately $24,200,000.00 a week.

Just in that one product alone I doubt seriously we will see any kind of fair or national tax.

Trout, There was a MSNBC and a CNN report attached to the end of the sounds that concerned me.  Today the two news reports are gone so I am pulling down the attachment.   The weird sounds never concerned me.  It was BS.  The credible news reports after did concern me.

I don't trust MSNBC or CNN because they are complete sell outs to the liberalism but I don't think their reports, that by the way were taken down, would be put out there to destroy their own reputation.  I think the actually put out info they shouldn't have.  If I find them again I will post a link to the reports.

[Willy The Londoner]

What the people don't see they don't care about.  As of August 11, 2014 $0.65 of every gallon of gasoline pumped goes to various states and the Federal Government.  $065 a gallon isn't much but an average gas station will pump around 20,000 gallons of gasoline a week.  That is $13,000.00 a week from 1 gas station. 

You Americans have it easy!!!!  No wonder your all rich!!!

Go to the UK and look forward to paying the UK government the equivalent of 5.75 US Dollars for every gallon that you will have paid 9.60 US Dollars for at the pump.   

Willy

[shaun]

Willy if we paid $5.75 tax per gallon of gasoline there would be fewer people driving.  But then again we don't live in a country that is the size of a postage stamp. Walking everywhere would be nearly impossible and our alternate transportation like trains and busses don't exist in America like they do in England.  I would have to walk 5 miles to my job and people think I am lucky because I live so close to my work.  When I lived in Atlanta I lived 22 miles from my office.  I know people who drive 1.5 hours one way by interstate to work.

But to get back to the original idea of this thread.  If we were to do a lot of things like Australia America would be a better place.  I think mandatory voting is a great idea.  Along with that I would make the voter take a test to see how much they know about the issues at than prior to voting and if they don't know something as simple as who is the current VP they should be allowed to vote.  Fine them for not voting and being stupid.

[CypherDragon]

Easiest and fastest way to help produce less-biased voting results:
1) Remove the ability to vote for a single party on the whole ballot (so-called "party tickets")
2) Remove the little (R), (D), and (I) indicators from the ballots.

Those two changes would make a HUGE difference I think, since that eliminates everyone that just checks the little box that says "Dem" or "Repub" and then goes home. You should have to put a little bit of thought in to how you cast your vote. Not just check a single box and feel like you've made your voice heard.

Changing the voting system to something other than FPTP would also be nice, but that would be a LOT of work.

And basically neuters ObamaCare's ability for enforcement/extortion if you do away with the IRS. 

Actually, it doesn't, because the IRS would still exist. Gotta have someone to manage the collection of corporate/interstate taxes, y'know? It just makes it harder for them to try it slide it by under the radar, since it would clearly stick out on someone's paycheck instead of being rolled in to the wages withholding (at least I think that's the way it's supposed to show up)