« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

MEMBER DIARY

2 Ideas

By: OccamsRazor (Diary)  |  June 13th, 2009 at 09:27 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I have two brainstorming ideas, in which case, will grow Conservatism in the medium term. Both of which have little to do w/ one another:

First, create a freeware and open source tax addendum (to the most popular software programs (Gietner uses one for example)) where people can download the program it would tell the person PRECISELY where their money goes.

For example,

Joe Blow made 40,000 this year.
Joe Blow pays Federal taxes of 8,000 this year and it went towards THIS:
Mosquito sex (x)
You, Joe Blow, paid social security percentage (x)
California bailout (x)
entitlement programs (x^6)

Joe Blow paid local taxes of 2,000 this year. and it went towards THIS:
Roads (-x)
Bureaucracy (x^2)

The programmers don’t even have to be fantastic. RedState, for example, could recruit upon college campuses the Comp Sci folks in return for resume material.

 

Second, College campus saturation. The education in this country, I think we’d all agree, is overrun with the left. However, most college classes are open. Let’s found a day where we all freely ‘sit in’ on their classes en masse until either a.) they change their lefty policy and direction or b.) their hand is forced and they out right make an admission that their school is dictated by a singular ideology (which will cost them financially)-colleges are businesses today.

Just a couple of quick ideas-feedback welcome. Tell me I’m full of crap, if need be. I’m a Conservative, although I hurt, my feelings won’t be.

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • ocleverone

    I would love to figure out where all my tax dollars are spent. I think that people would be shocked when they learn their money is being used to discover such pressing issues as the effects of alcohol on sunfish. (Seriously, the government funded this study.)

    If it were a secure database it would be great. I am not sure I would like anyone to know what our household income is though.

    In reference to your second point, I have a personal observation. I am yet in school again studying Global Policy. Part of the curriculum is macro-economics and the degree program is geared towards, ah, shall we say “older” students. When delving into “moral hazard” and the principal agent problem, I was stunned at the conservatism of the class. Actually, throughout the class, the tone was exceptionally conservative.

    My point is, while I think that the idea of sitting in on the classes is a good one, once the young students sit in on life, the majority usually begin to change their tunes. ;)

    Good diary (and I love your name – parsimony!)

    • OccamsRazor

      “I would love to figure out where all my tax dollars are spent. I think that people would be shocked when they learn their money is being used”

      Precisely. The then drawn personal conclusions would lead to more Conservatives.

      “If it were a secure database it would be great. I am not sure I would like anyone to know what our household income is though”.

      Absolutely no database and no shared personal information. A downloadable patch which will parse your data locally and make line by line comparisons in a page summary of your personal data in direct relation to the garbage it’s being spent on. The patch would need to be upgraded once per tax season, ready for personal use.

      “In reference to your second point, I have a personal observation. I am yet in school again studying Global Policy. Part of the curriculum is macro-economics and the degree program is geared towards, ah, shall we say ?older? students”.

      Fantastic and Congrats. “Education is like a good jar of peanuts”, eh? :)

      My point here is not to change the _minority_ mindset of higher education. ;)