Okay, I've already written what I would do with health care and Social Security, and now I've formed my final tax plan. Find 3.5 million people each year at random and charge them a $1,000 user fee (to be paid later) for walking on public sidewalks or other public property. Exclude the homeless and other beggars, of course, and avoid taxing the same person twice in this way: Give a $1,000 "IOU" complete with the date of the taxation to each person chosen at random, and put an electronic code in it known only to the government. There would be no disincentive and tax revenue would soar, allowing for national health insurance. After instating this, I would eliminate all other taxes.

Just one question..... are you serious????

What on earth is wrong with that plan?

well, for one, the fact that the entire tax burden would go to 3.5 million people. I don't think that's exactly fair, not to mention the fact that it's pointless.

In other words, it upsets your "change nothing" philosophy so it must be a bad idea. This would eliminate loopholes and disincentives and increase government revenue, but... it is a new idea... so it must be a bad one. Come back to me with some facts, Hans.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Leaving everything else about it alone, taxing 3.5 million people wouldn't work. Just like everybody else, the government's financial needs fluctuate, some years the 3.5 taxpayers would be too much, other years, not enough.

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Tiger got to hunt, Bird got to fly, Man got to sit and wonder 'Why, why, why?'
Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land, Man got to tell himself he understand.
~Bokonon

You don't seem to understand this idea. My plan would bring in 3.5 billion dollars regardless. The state of the economy would be irrelevant.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Do the math. 3.5 million people at $1,000 per person raises $3.5 billion. Somehow I think that leaves just a small shortfall.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

You're right. I got the math all wrong. I apologize. Scrap another idea.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

But you just described a big one with the homeless situation. We would have hundreds of thousands of new "homeless" people who don't want to pay the taxes.