July 29, 2007
Cocktail Party Question
A progressive brother-in-law encountered a conservative brother-in-law at a party (they are not related except through me). Prog asks Conz "If you could change one thing, enact one law to make things the way you wish they would be, what would you do?"
Conz answers Prog with a call for consumption based taxation. "That's a good one," thinks I. When the question is asked back, Prog tells Conz "I would investigate every provider of insurance: health, car, fire -- all of them are cheating us."
It's pretty easy for me to choose sides on that one, but it got me thinking of my response. Consumption tax may be the best answer. Education money following students and/or dismantling the teacher's unions would be up there (Prog is a teacher and proud union member, the time would have to be right for me to float that).
After all my bellyaching on Berkeley Square Blog and ThreeSources, I guess I'll have to choose the replacement of the FDA with private counterparts, based on the model of Underwriter's Laboratories, CSA, and VDE. Like the whiners at town hall meetings, that would affect me directly; that would be the difference between MS being cured in my lifetime or not.
It's Sunday, you're granted one legislative wish from jk's brother-in-law. What's your pleasure?
First, I would grant myself unlimited legislative wishes.
Then I'd enact the FairTax, a plan for a consumption based tax. Your bro-in-law was right to suggest it.
Then I'd revoke my unlimited wishes.
It's a burden, all those abilities.
Posted by: AlexC at July 29, 2007 4:22 PMIndeed. Plus then there'd be nothing to blog about.
Posted by: jk at July 29, 2007 5:25 PMNegative. We would need to document the mountain of successes.
The blogosphere would be a busy place.
Posted by: AlexC at July 29, 2007 11:47 PMI must defer to Hayek on this answer:
"I would enact a law that if Congress does anything for one American, it must do it for all Americans."
Posted by: Harrison Bergeron at July 30, 2007 9:49 AM | What do you think? [4]