NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm a liberal who let his income tax rates get way too high, I'm trying to cut taxes, but every time I choose a position that doesn't cost money it has no effect, yet every time I choose a position that does cost money it increases my tax rate significantly, you can't run a government that does nothing at all for fear of increasing taxes, shouldn't there be an easier way to reduce tax rates so that you can modify your public services without driving your income taxes up to obscenely high levels?

You can divert alot of the government services to private companies, and you can cut some useless programs like the Art and Craft programs etc. You can also put out tax breaks whenever you get a chance to.

you said "you can divert services to private companies" I've never seen an issue where you could do that, I've been on here since June, is there some trick that I'm missing or have I just not yet had the right issues to "divert services to private companies"? Sounds like a reasonable idea, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't see how I would go about doing that. Do I just need to wait for it to come up in an issue (which hasn't happened yet) or is there some action I can take right now to do that which I don't know about?

You can divert alot of the government services to private companies, and you can cut some useless programs like the Art and Craft programs etc. You can also put out tax breaks whenever you get a chance to.

:rolleyes:

Yes privatizing Airport security is such a booming improvement.


Art a waste? Good thing you live out in the middle of nowhere.

-edit-
I forgot Iraq. Many support services are privatized there as well. Hear the money sucking sound?

Yes privatising Airport security is such a booming improvement.
He didn't say what specifically and I'm desperate, I wouldn't want to live in a country with a nearly 50% average income tax rate, that's nuts. Instead of criticizing his idea do you have a suggestion for me that might be better?

:rolleyes:

Yes privatising Airport security is such a booming improvement.


Art a waste? Good thing you live out in the middle of nowhere.

I'm not saying art is a waste, but it is a waste for the government to fund it. If people want to fund art, then they can do it themselves. I fund my hobby, I buy the aviation fuel, I pay for the parking, I pay the take off and landing fees, I pay for services at my airport. While the TSA does suck (I'll agree with you there) the FAA is privitzing ATC (Air Traffic Control) and my airport has a private tower. They've been very nice and did a professional and stand up job!

Yes privatising Airport security is such a booming improvement.
He didn't say what specifically and I'm desperate, I wouldn't want to live in a country with a nearly 50% average income tax rate, that's nuts. Instead of criticizing his idea do you have a suggestion for me that might be better?

That was a "shot" at him as he thinks privatizing solves all problems.

Are you talking about the game or is this a project?

you said "you can divert services to private companies" I've never seen an issue where you could do that, I've been on here since June, is there some trick that I'm missing or have I just not yet had the right issues to "divert services to private companies"? Sounds like a reasonable idea, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't see how I would go about doing that. Do I just need to wait for it to come up in an issue (which hasn't happened yet) or is there some action I can take right now to do that which I don't know about?

Ok, here's an issuse where you can divert funds. I don't remember the exact wording, but it has to do with funding arts museum and culture, and all that stuff. One of the choice is let the artist and cultural people fund it themselves and compete with other form of entertainment. Choose that one and your taxes will go down.

That was a "shot" at him as he thinks privatizing solves all problems.

Are you talking about the game or is this a project?

If I was force to choose between government and private companies, I would choose private companies. Why, because companies realize that they need my money to survive, they know that I have a choice to go somewhere else. Whether government doesn't give a rats ass, they get my money either way (taxes).

I'm not saying art is a waste, but it is a waste for the government to fund it. If people want to fund art, then they can do it themselves. I fund my hobby, I buy the aviation fuel, I pay for the parking, I pay the take off and landing fees, I pay for services at my airport. While the TSA does suck (I'll agree with you there) the FAA is privitzing ATC (Air Traffic Control) and my airport has a private tower. They've been very nice and did a professional and stand up job!

Funding Art is ok. The amount of money it takes from the budget is tiny.

Better effort would be spent going after pork projects like the Bridge to nowhere.

Funding Art is ok. The amount of money it takes from the budget is tiny.

Better effort would be spent going after pork projects like the Bridge to nowhere.

I agree with you on the pork project. But still, every form of entertainment has to compete. Basketball, Baseball, TV, Movies etc. So why shouldn't art and culture?

That was a "shot" at him as he thinks privatizing solves all problems.

Are you talking about the game or is this a project?
Just talking about the game, I can't get my damn tax rates down, if I try really hard I can hold them steady but I can't really get them down.

If I was force to choose between government and private companies, I would choose private companies. Why, because companies realize that they need my money to survive, they know that I have a choice to go somewhere else. Whether government doesn't give a rats ass, they get my money either way (taxes).

And yet airport security company still hires lunk heads that should be mall security guards.

A company doesn't care about maximizing it's service or it's product.

I have worked for a few software companies and everyone of them has said (in so many words) "Don't worry about the software bug, that's what maintence programs are for"

Quality is not a requirement in privatization.

That was a "shot" at him as he thinks privatizing solves all problems.

Are you talking about the game or is this a project?
Just talking about the game, I can't get my damn tax rates down, if I try really hard I can hold them steady but I can't really get them down.

Ohhhh wrong board!

To reduce your taxes, keep denying money requests. It will take time before you notice them going down. I think it was Glorius Hack who said he has taken them to 100% and to 0 a few times. He said it takes time.....

And yet airport security company still hires lunk heads that should be mall security guards.

A company doesn't care about maximizing it's service or it's product.

I have worked for a few software companies and everyone of them has said (in so many words) "Don't worry about the software bug, that's what maintence programs are for"

Quality is not a requirement in privatization.

Well, the fallicy in my privatization argument is that people are generally idiots. They don't fully grasp the concept that they can vote with their money. That why Microsoft, Wal-Mart and other companies are still in business, because they keep on getting money. Trust me if they start loosing money in massive amounts they'll start trying to find out why.

To reduce your taxes, keep denying money requests. It will take time before you notice them going down. I think it was Glorius Hack who said he has taken them to 100% and to 0 a few times. He said it takes time.....
Ok, so I just need more patience

To reduce your taxes, keep denying money requests. It will take time before you notice them going down. I think it was Glorius Hack who said he has taken them to 100% and to 0 a few times. He said it takes time.....
Ok, so I just need more patience

Patience is a virtue.

I agree with you on the pork project. But still, every form of entertainment has to compete. Basketball, Baseball, TV, Movies etc. So why shouldn't art and culture?

Because the mediums are different. You can't sell ad space with art.

I would prefer my kid seeing art rather then get bombarded with ads that permiate the sporting world, movies and TV.

As I mentioned before. Art does pay off in the world of computing. Some of the best computer scientists had music degrees.

Would they have been introduced to music with out the evil government stealing money? Probably not.

Art and music has really disappeared out here. Take one school my kid is at. They have docents that give the advanced grades art 6 times a year and a music person comes in once a week for each grade.

Education in America has always been an issue as our kids are not getting a decent education anymore. Test scores decline.

It would be interesting to see if this coincided with the elimination of art and music in schools.

Well, the fallicy in my privatization argument is that people are generally idiots. They don't fully grasp the concept that they can vote with their money. That why Microsoft, Wal-Mart and other companies are still in business, because they keep on getting money. Trust me if they start loosing money in massive amounts they'll start trying to find out why.

Or the execs simply gut the company and bail. A phrase I have heard a couple CEO's use. "It's not my problem, it's my successors problem."

Don't get me wrong. Goverment is far from perfect. I know as I worked for it once. I don't buy full privatization simply because of the corruption and or gross incompetance I have seen.

I agree with you on the pork project. But still, every form of entertainment has to compete. Basketball, Baseball, TV, Movies etc. So why shouldn't art and culture?

Not as much as you'd think.

Sports teams get subsidies in the form of tax payer financed stadiums.

TV networks were given billions of dollars worth of "public" airwaves for free for digital broadcasting not too long ago.

I'm not sure about the movies, however. But seeing as how it is a major industry in the US, I'd be willing to bet there are some subsidies to be found there too.

I've had a 100% tax rate for maybe a year now, and I've been trying to get it down for months. It hasn't fallen below 100% yet, though. It'll probably take a few more months, I guess, or maybe longer.

Funding Art is ok. The amount of money it takes from the budget is tiny.

Better effort would be spent going after pork projects like the Bridge to nowhere.

The trick, in real government and in real business, is to eliminate small costs that everyone accepts. When you start doing that, it's amazing just how many little things get funded and how many are really unneeded.

Government sponsorship of art is one thing that we need to eliminate ASAP. The easiest way to give directions to a government building is to direct the person into the general area, then tell them to look for the most butt-ugly statue you can find. That's the government building.

Hasn't failed me yet.

Or the execs simply gut the company and bail. A phrase I have heard a couple CEO's use. "It's not my problem, it's my successors problem."

Don't get me wrong. Goverment is far from perfect. I know as I worked for it once. I don't buy full privatization simply because of the corruption and or gross incompetance I have seen.
You'd rather keep your corrupt and incompent in civil service jobs, where they can't be fired except by an act of God?

Both sides have flaws, but the private sector is far more responsive to its customers.

Government sponsorship of art is one thing that we need to eliminate ASAP. The easiest way to give directions to a government building is to direct the person into the general area, then tell them to look for the most butt-ugly statue you can find. That's the government building.

Hasn't failed me yet.

I just lol'ed for real.

Thanks for that. :)

Or the execs simply gut the company and bail. A phrase I have heard a couple CEO's use. "It's not my problem, it's my successors problem."

Don't get me wrong. Goverment is far from perfect. I know as I worked for it once. I don't buy full privatization simply because of the corruption and or gross incompetance I have seen.

I never wanted full privatization of our government. This country still needs a public government funded by the people to run, but I do think that we should cut down the government size and power.

I have no income tax in my country; you bring taxes down by choosing the tax cut option on issues, privatizing services, and rejecting requests for additional spending.

I have no income tax in my country; you bring taxes down by choosing the tax cut option on issues, privatizing services, and rejecting requests for additional spending.

exactly!