Pipe Dream

I was thinking, very briefly, about the Delay mess and the ever expanding list of politicians with family on the payroll, and something crossed my mind that brought a smile to my face.

What if every incumbent in the 2006 congressional election that ran for reelection lost? Either in the primary or in the general, doesn't matter which one.

I know it would never actually happen, gerrymandering has made Congress unresponsive. But I can dream, can't I?

Tax Day

I really don't like the income tax, in fact, I'd like to see it abolished. Unfortunately, the government does need revenue to pay for things like roads, police, firefighters, hospitals, and the military (I realize that I just blew my libertarian credentials, but let's play the reality game, 90% of the population supports government spending for this stuff).

So, what's the alternative?

My suggestion would be a national sales tax. It would be limited to goods (exempting food, medicine, services, and real property), but as always I'm sure there will be complaints about how bad this is for the poor (as if withholding part of a person's income each weak isn't bad for them). But, I have a way to deal with the (at least) percieved hardship on the poor - at the end of the year, if you made only, say, 200% the poverty rate, you can turn in all your reciepts to the IRS (or what's left of it) and recieve a full refund.

This is a bare bones proposal, I haven't flushed out the details, but it's really more about my dislike of the income tax and today being that horrid day.