It really is TIME for a change…

I keep going on about the government being a mess, that they have no solutions for us. If that seems a bit arrogant – I mean, how can I possibly understand all of the intricate complexities that these folks have to deal with?

I keep going on about the government being a mess, that they have no solutions for us. If that seems a bit arrogant – I mean, how can I possibly understand all of the intricate complexities that these folks have to deal with? Well, let me show you what I mean.

Poverty. Unsolvable, right? We have been fighting a losing battle for decades. But wait! It’s not that it’s unwinnable, it’s that the other side just won’t let us do the things we need to do to fix it! If they would just stop fighting us, it we would fix it!

I don’t think so. I don’t think either side has the answer. So does that make it unsolvable? No, it doesn’t. But it does lead us to two principles that should guide us: (1) we need do something new, because the stuff we have been doing is not working. But more importantly, (2) we need to focus on things that have benefit for all, not just one group (no matter who that group is).

Time, for example. Time is money, yes? It IS. Some would say time for a well-paid person is more valuable than it is for someone who doesn’t work. That’s crap. If you have ever talked to someone who has to spend six hours every month on a journey to pay a water bill, you might have a different view. Time is money for all of us. So let’s give out some time.

Simplify things.

Like taxes. Right now, we have two systems of taxation. That’s idiotic. Two systems is more than twice as complex and time consuming as one. So get rid of the one that is the most onerous: income tax. No, I am not saying get rid of taxes, and I am not saying change the amount that people pay. I am saying get rid of one of the systems so that we can all have more time.

Imagine for a moment an America with sales tax but no income tax. In this dream world, you pay exactly the same amount of taxes at the end of the year that you pay now. EXACTLY. But it is soooo much simpler.

No withhold, your paycheck is just your paycheck. No saving this or that receipt. April 15 is just another day. No need to worry about a refund or payment or fines or anything. You already pay sales tax, so not a single transaction is any different than it was before. Yes, the bill is a bit bigger, but so is your paycheck – remember, we said you will pay EXACTLY the same amount you paid in taxes before.

Now expand a little and think about other things that become simpler, like reduced accounting and hassle for businesses, which will make their lives simpler, and more stable, and that’s good for you too.

There are other big benefits too, like the fact that those who earn their money illegally will have to pay taxes, but we not going to dwell on these other things. We are just going to ask… what are the negatives?

Ummmm….

Well, it would be really difficult for Congress to use tax loopholes to reward their wealthy constituents, limiting their power…

Yeah. I am OK with that.

TIME.

Give everyone time. It doesn’t hurt anyone, and it helps us all, especially those who need it most. Not a penny out of my pocket, not a penny out of yours.

That’s the type of thinking we need. But because it doesn’t polarize voters, because it would limit the power of those currently in government, because it goes against the core values of both parties (the other party must lose)… you will not see ideas like this from our present government.

And THAT is why we must fix it.

And it is about TIME!