Friday, April 20, 2007

If I Were King

From the series “10 simple rules that would make the world a better place”:

1 – Everyone would pay the same flat tax. This would include income and stocks/saving earnings. Maximum would never be over 20%. Only exception would be for all levels of politicians, who would pay 30% more than everybody else.

2- Social security and free health care for anyone below the poverty line. No benefits at all for everybody else. Everyone would contribute an extra fixed percentage (1%) of their income for this social fund.

3- Government budgets in all levels are limited to spend 90% of tax income. The remaining 10% would be used to pay exclusively: unemployment insurance (which includes basic health insurance) up to 1 year as long as proof of job search is provided. The only exception would be times of war.

4 – Abortion would be completely legal. The only requirement is that these women would have to get their tubes tied at the same time (except when there is a clear danger to the mother’s life, baby’s life or rape was involved).

5 – Every prisoner would be forced to work in government projects. Each day of work would cut sentences in half day. Life prisoners would work anyway.

6 – All import tariffs would be limited to 10%.

7 – In order to carry a gun, people would have to go through a preparatory course and test (think driver’s school for guns). The license would need to be renewed every 2 years. Buying a gun to keep at home would remain legal without extra requirements.

8 – Drug consumption in public places would get you fines. Very expensive ones. Drug trafficking would continue to be punished by jail time.

9 – The US would route all its international aid through NATO instead of the UN. Only NATO members would be eligible receivers.

10 – Politicians would have to register a plan of government during the first 2 months of the campaign (or at least 6 months before election). This plan would be legally binding.

7 comments:

Leo Monasterio said...

"6 – All import tariffs would be limited to 10%"

Why not 0%?!?!?

Cisco said...

Number four is a bad idea. It just reminds me of what Tyler Cowen says about abortion likely increasing the overall number of babies in the long run, an obvious benefit which your idea just does away with. I dislike number nine even more, because of what it would do to NATO much moreso than what it would do to aid.

As for the rest, no comment.

Anonymous said...

"Drug consumption in public places would get you fines"

E em locais privados?

fyi said...

Leonardo,
Well, just because the politics of free trade is always a factor. By allowing a small percentage to be given as a "boost" for local companies you can taper off a bit the nationalist impulse.

Francisco,
Well, I guess it depends on your goal. If all you want is to end up with more people in the world you might be correct. If you just want to stop a barbaric practice, I'd say my plan would work just fine.

Anonymous,
You can do whatever you want inside your house. However, if you commit a crime (let a child get hurt because you were high) then the penalty would be tough. Really tough.

[]s

Cisco said...

Outside the old USSR, where abortion was the de facto contraceptive method of choise, I find it hard to imagine that there are people out there who think abortions are easier and cheaper than the pill or condoms. The problem with them is that they are easy to misuse. Medical improvement -- how about a cheap one-a-year contraceptive for men and women? -- would do wonders for lowering abortion.

Ultimately, I think that if we just got richer, abortions would go down a lot.

Regardless of what you think about it, though, it just looks to me like an incentive for coat-hangers.

solitarioh2005 said...

4- Abortion legal ?
In russia abortion is completely legal .
One third of the woman who abort die.

(not to talk about the fetus exterminated).

One can claim that what the author of these lines means is abortion legal made in proper condition.
And who would pay for it?

If everyone would pay just 20% of the income in taxes..,



Government would not have enought money to have police , courts, health care and abortion for everyone.

1 is wrong also.


Besides its not fair that a guy with minimum wage does pay the same percentage of his income that does a media mogul.

5 – Every prisoner would be forced to work in government projects."

This is what does happen in Putin russia.

(and what did happen in soviet russia).

Millions were exterminated throught work.

Same happenned in NAZI germany ( Arbeit Freies ).

The jews were forced to work in labour camps.

Any system in wich prisioners were forced to work open the door of discrimination against some prisioners.

Some prisioners might be send to work in very poor conditions .
7 In order to carry a gun, people would have to go through a preparatory course and test


Much better would be a world free of guns , right ?

It does not seem to me japan would be better off if everyone would be able to carry a gun.

The world would not be a better place if every portuguese or Japanese could carry a gun after a training course.
These rules are stupid.

Anonymous said...

"This is what does happen in Putin russia.

(and what did happen in soviet russia).

Millions were exterminated throught work."

According to your logic,prison themselves should be abolished.Do I need to remind you that Democracy and Dictatorship are not the same thing?

"Much better would be a world free of guns , right ?"

A World free from guns and free from reasons to use guns would be great.Do you have a plan?