the contingency surtax

[unblock]

i have always agreed with the keynesian notion that the government should run a deficit in down economic times to help stimulate the economy (when done properly, not the way bush is simply diverting the money unproductively) and also to run a surplus in up economic times to help keep a proper fiscal balance in the long run.

so i have always proposed a contingency surtax -- modest tax rates, properly distributed to permit minimal suffering and to promote economic demand in the lean times, but a surtax on high and very high incomes that kicks in only when the economy is growing at a reasonable clip -- no disincentives in the lean time, but no excessive windfall profits in the boom times.

this is an idea i've been talking about for decades, though of course no one listens to me.


now the whole outsourcing issue has made me think of another form of contingency surtax. the unemployment outsourcing tariff.

the idea is to permit outsourcing when the unemployment rate is low, but to charge an outsourcing surtax when the unemployment rate is high. funds from the tariff are needed to support unemployment benefits and retraining programs (yeah, i know, what retraining programs). and would provide an incentive to hire american first. again, though, in times of full employment, the surtax would be reduced or suspended, permitting corporations to maximize profit when americans are taken care of.

whaddya think? seems to me the government has a compelling interest in seeing corporations hire domesitcally rather than abroad, so a tax here should be in the national interest.

any takes?

[specimenfred1984]

1. The Government Would Just Lie, Like They Do Now

Good ideas though!

My idea is to set strict corruption laws and just as strict enforcement policies to prevent most of the lying.

Then, your ideas could be used and not abused.

And, if you're asking "what lying", do you believe the inflation rate, the unemployment rate and that "trickle down" works? Do you think oil companies are profiting big-time now simply because oil prices went up?

I think you catch my drift.