And you could only get rid of one of these ‘sectors’ at a time (one every two years), which order would you pick, and why? Here’s mine:
Federal Reserve - It would stop a lot of the funding for the rest of the agencies so they wouldn’t expand, stop inflation (we’re assuming the government is at least semi-responsible with the money for this hypothetical situation), etc.
IRS - So the government can’t go into our bank accounts. Even if it taxes consumer products instead, it’s better to have the privacy. Things would be more expensive, but maybe voters would be able to tell what taxes can do to prices easier. That also leaves room for a successful black market (not in the negative sense) instead of hiding financial information.
Tariffs - Take down all tariffs and trading restrictions with all countries so things would immediately get less expensive. This would also help lower prices from the ones that would probably rise due to the VAT or whatever would have been added due to #2.
Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security - Just flat out tell everyone that no one is getting their money back if they already paid in, and the programs are done. I choose these three specifically, but I really mean all welfare programs. No one is getting their money anyway unless it’s borrowed from another source since we can’t irresponsibly print money without the Federal Reserve (again, just for this hypothetical situation). Things would be much cheaper by now anyway, so people might not even need it.
Licensing - Stop all licensing of physicians/surgeons/etc. just in case people who used to be on welfare still need doctors and can’t get good ones.
Military - Until the economy is healthy, I wanted to keep the military in tact and unchanged. Clearly we need to bring the military closer to home, and that could have been happening this entire time, but I figured I’d add it to the rules that the military remains unchanged until this section comes up.
Taxes - End all taxation.
What would you guys do?
EDIT: Don’t put #7 at the top and say, “Now we don’t need the other 6.”
5 has to come before 4. So many people are dependent on that stuff and they need cheap alternatives new jobs to be able to take care of themselves. As a general rule, failure to first deregulate before ending payments, will cause a big backlash. For this reason I’d also prefer if 3 came early.
I don’t think your question makes a lot of sense. We have to disband the military in one go? Why not just ask how we’d do it in general?
That’s true. I guess I was thinking that we would be able to stop paying for the welfare quicker if it went first because I didn’t think people would automatically drop Medicaid/Medicare for the new, cheaper doctors, but what you said makes a lot of sense actually. I wasn’t thinking about the riots that could occur since people are dependent on those things.
I’ll post that as “Part II” of this thread in a few days after more people get to see this post and I think of my own answer, haha. That’s a difficult question to think about.
I’d start with 6 (bringing all overseas and deployed troops home). I’d gradually reduce the size of the military over time, perhaps by 5% a year or something.
Removing the licensing laws and tariffs can probably be done in one fell swoop and would be my second + third action once I’ve ordered the troops home. I’m not sure how long it would take the states to follow my example with the licensing.
I wouldn’t actually just terminate the entitlement programs at the stroke of a pen because it’s not politically possible and you’d screw over a lot of people who depend on the services (I’m referring to the elderly in particular). For Social Security, I’d raise the eligibility age for all new beneficiaries by 1 year ever 2 years until there’s no one left on the program so it basically just ends itself. For Medicare and Medicaid, I’d change it from a fee-per-service program into one that gives enrollees specific dollar amounts in HSAs. For Medicare, I’d probably tweak the eligibility age similar to SS, and with Medicaid, I’d gradually lower the amount of monetary support. This way, the programs will end, but it goes people time to adjust. These systems have been in affect for generations, and I think it would be catastrophic to end them abruptly. This would also give people time to learn about the various ways private insurers and supports that will replace their public counterparts.
I’m not sure what’s the best way to take down the Fed, so I’ll leave that one up to you guys, and I’d finish with abolishing the IRS at about the same time that federal taxation is no longer necessary.
Nice thread! It kind of feels like being a kid in a candy store in trying to pick the most bloated thing to deflate/throw away.
For some reason I have an extreme dislike for the IRS. The idea of us paying (through taxes) people to make sure we pay taxes seems doubly masochistic. So 2 would be my #1.
BTfW… where is the police state and drug war in all of this?
I mean, if you don’t add that on your list of things that have to go, I just don’t know what to say.
I’m fine with social security, I dont like but can live with taxes. I understand the supposed need for a military. But the police state?!!??!?! I mean, that is one of the most oppressive institutions governemnts can ever implement.
I personally think you need to question your motives if you think the FDA is more oppressive than the DEA…
I put that in the ‘licensing’ section in my head. I figured since the government licenses medical marijuana right now, and that some others who provide cocaine to surgeons as an anesthetic, no licensing would mean that it’s legal. I probably should have written that out before.
You can get rid of it in your head, but that doesn’t mean IRS agents won’t come to your house with guns if you don’t pay your taxes.
“You can get rid of it in your head, but that doesn’t mean IRS agents won’t come to your house with guns if you don’t pay your taxes.”
We don’t need to plan for the dismantling of the state. We just need to stop believing in it. There is no way for it to hold up once people stop believing. Ideology is the key.
I don’t get it. I understand what you’re saying, and I do agree that it has to be an individual/mental dissociation, but all the government needs is our money in the end.