this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2024
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Does this plan make sense? v3 (lemmy.world)
submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (8 children)
  • ranked choice voting - ok I think we can agree here
  • Mandatory voting - how? Currently voting is handled state by state, you want to make the federal government take that over? What would the punishment be for not voting? Frankly I disagree with this
  • Universal vote by mail - even more how? Again, federal takeover of voting process? How do you ensure no votes are lost especially when someone will be punished for not voting?
  • Voting day national holiday - definitely agree.
  • Legalize marijuana - this takes a lot more than just saying "marijuana is legal now." Are previous marijuana related convictions going to be overturned, if so how? Are marijuana sales going to be regulated? If so how?
  • Legalize prostitution - similar questions as with marijuana
  • Revert citizens United - certainly agree here but that's a big fuckin how? It was explicitly the supreme court overruling a law passed by Congress. Amend the Constitution to say something explicit?
  • Abolish corporate home ownership - very strange stuff here because you start touching on the above, too. Maybe more you're looking to cancel corporate personhood but that comes with a huge amount of problems too
  • Abolish electoral college - sure why not if you've solved the voting issues above
  • Abolish gerrymandering - this is what made me make this response in the first place. You can't just say "abolish gerrymandering" without some plan for it. That's like saying "abolish borders" like it's meaningful. How? Who decides what districts look like? Will there still be districts? If not how will representation be determined?
  • Abolish filibuster - I think the filibuster is fine. If everything else on this list goes through, hopefully we have meaningful ways of ousting useless obstructionist politicians instead
  • Merge Senate into house - why? What does this solve?
  • Remove house rep cap - FUCKING agreed. The cap is unconstitutional and absurd
  • Universal healthcare - lots of hows here too but Obamacare was a good start and I'm down with single payer
  • Universal basic income - how much? Does it count toward the 50k below?
  • Income up to $50k untaxed - fine. I also think any monetary amount in the legislature should be increased by the CPI automatically every year. Fines, limits, payouts, etc.
  • Ban tax prep - hmm ok
  • IRS files taxes for citizens - how does this work? Is tax code flattened to make it so citizens have no choices to make? Do things like tax credits for buying solar panels go away?
  • Vat for luxury items - who decides what's luxury?
  • Supreme Court 15 year limit - disagree, the whole point of lifetime terms is to prevent getting what's yours and getting out.
  • Increase highest bracket tax - sure why not
  • Collateral for loan is realized gain - expand?
  • Abolish PACs and lobbying
  • Politicians banned from stocks - so they can't own shares of any companies? Or they just can't trade while in office? Does this go for any elected official? More than just elected officials?
  • Municipalize Internet - at a minimum declare it a utility. What's the rest of the plan?
  • Abortion constitutional right - I'd argue it already is one, though the supreme Court evidently isn't in agreement. An explicit "bodily autonomy" amendment would be nice. Add a right to privacy to that too, expanding on the 4th.
  • Ban tipping - idk if I agree with trying to codify what should be a cultural change, but I'm generally on board with the Idea. There's a million loopholes to close in any language to this effect
  • free financial education - just like... Government funded seminars? Mandated high school courses? What do you take out to fit this in?
[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Mandatory voting - how? Currently voting is handled state by state, you want to make the federal government take that over? What would the punishment be for not voting? Frankly I disagree with this

Tax credit for voting. Make it count like a $50 charitable donation would.

If you're thinking, now, "but then poor people would always vote and rich people would be off sailing their yacht", I completely agree.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Tax credit for voting.

Yes. Or even better just cut a check or give cash or equivalent.

Make it count like a $50 charitable donation would.

No. That's a deduction, and it's worthless for the vast majority of people who have less in deductions than the standard deduction. Also doesn't reduce taxes by the full amount: a $50 deduction would be at most like an $11 credit (or cash) for most people, if it even mattered.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Man, the rich just fucking off away from society would be delightful. Things might actually function in society.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

We have mandatory voting in Australia. It's "enforced" by a AU$20 fine. Not really a true punishment, more like a nudge. It's more of a societal understanding here, you turn up to a polling place as a civil duty. You can donkey vote if you want, you can draw a cock on the ballot form and invalidate it, doesn't matter. As long as you got your name crossed off, and most importantly had the opportunity to vote, then you're clear. I wouldn't have it any other way, it means that there can't be changes to dissuade people from voting, and politicians don't resort to wildly populist policies to try and encourage people to come out to vote. Also helps that federal elections always occur on a Saturday, and employers are required to give time off in order to vote.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

100% on the "lots of missing 'how's" point. You skipped the "ban lobbying" one, which is probably the second biggest "how" after the gerrymandering.

Lobbying is not some official policy or process. Senators don't have "lobbying hours." Lobbying is basically just "being at lunches and parties that politicians are at." Unless you're proposing Congress not be allowed to go out in public and live as secluded monks, I don't see how you "abolish" it..

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah I just didn't have it in me and meant to go back for it lol.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Politicians banned from stocks - so they can't own shares of any companies? Or they just can't trade while in office? Does this go for any elected official? More than just elected officials?

What about only allowing investments in broad index funds? But banning trading specific stocks and options could go a long way too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Those are some good questions.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

a lot of your questions boil down to β€œhow” and no hate but it’s just funny to witness lemmy discovering what drafting legislation looks like

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

That's exactly my point. There are people working hard to make these things happen and generally these are very well supported by the public, but without the plan behind them, theres no substance here.

The reason these don't get passed is because of the particulars of implementation. you can't write a bill with the only text being "universal healthcare" without a lot more to it. Once there's a lot more to it, then it gets picked apart and rejected.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

"Collateral for loan is realized gain" targets the "Buy Borrow Die" strategy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sure but what's the actual action there? Implementation of a wealth tax? What property counts for that? Is there some other technique he/you are talking about? Taking a loan will now count as income?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Making a loan count as income will mess up legit home purchases. If you went that route it couldn't be that simple.

A big benefit to the buy borrow die strategy is the step up basis for your children. Realizing the gain will move the basis up and cause a taxable event.

I don't know all the details, much less if this plan is perfect, but I think that's the idea.

Maybe removing step up basis is enough, to help reduce generational wealth. IDK