Outside The Box

Given our current economic downturn and with little hope for a quick fix to our financial market issues, let’s spend some time thinking completely outside the box. Now, this is all hypothetical and includes some political underpinnings of some “not so great” ideologies, but go with me on this short journey and let’s hear what your opinions are.

America is based upon a free market ideology, capitalism at its best. We are a democracy first and foremost. The citizen, your everyday average person, wields the power of our country’s direction in the form of a single vote. However, now that we seem to be in a seemingly “unfixable” situation created by years and years of borrowing at low interest rates without the income to repay in the future, there must be a way out of this. Try this on for size, tax everyone 100%. Hypothetical remember! I’m the first to be squarely against such a measure, but I’m just trying to rearrange some brain cells here and put forth an idea that could be quite scary when it comes down to it… because it would work.

Let me give you a scenario here and let’s see if it’s an ideal world you would “vote” for. You work at your job of choice, where you want, just like now. However, all income is taxed 100% by the government. In return for your work and taxed dollars, every single person in our nation is provided free health care, free public school, free college education, a state sponsored vehicle, a house determined to be “rational” for your family size, a guaranteed retirement in the form of social security once you reach 65, and enough food to feed your family healthily. Well, that sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Isn’t that what we all are basically looking for anyway… a life that includes education, healthcare, retirement, and no worries about survival?

One simple drawback, you don’t have much discretionary cash because the government allowance of “petty cash” is small when compared to today’s world (borrowed discretionary cash). This is from the employee perspective, but what about businesses, why would they agree to such measures? Well, let’s take a look at that. Let’s give businesses some built in “incentives” for their agreement to accept the plan. They are provided the same perks our current executives receive… luxury getaways, luxury cars, luxury housing, and all kinds of vacation time. However, in return for their “incentives,” they must agree to government regulation and fixed market strategies. Imports and exports are also controlled by the government.

Basically, the idea is to remove the “bad things” that come with a lifelong pursuit of money and possession. The average citizen is looking for stability for the family, peace of mind. The business owner is looking for power and social standing. In this hypothetical situation, both can be achieved. What cannot be achieved is greed. There is no reward for greed in this system. There would still be an incentive to work harder and be the best, but not for the sake of money.

I could go into much deeper detail explaining this situation by that’s not the goal. The goal is to think completely outside the box and get some opinions. What are your goals for life? Are you looking for the biggest bank account on the block? Are you trying to keep up with your neighbor’s purchases? Are you trying to own a small fleet of vehicles? You get the idea. Or, are you looking to simply live a nice, well cared for, life with your family?

I’m sure most of us are just looking for the answer to the last question. We want to live without worry about our house being foreclosed, our bills becoming insurmountable, and our child’s education. In this plan, everything would be provided… you just have to agree to a 100% tax on your income. Is it a fair tradeoff? Would you vote for it? If someone actually created a plan such as this, do you think it would receive the support of the nation?

Personally, I think such a plan would win by a landslide in our current economic situation. People fear having nothing and that’s a situation many families are staring at. Removal of worry is worth the cost in gold, if not being priceless, at times. After all this hypothetical talk about a potential fix, guess what this fix really consists of? It’s a form of communism. As I stated earlier, in no way shape or form, am I a supporter of socialism or communism. However, this article was written to open a few eyes, spur a few opinions, and get some thoughts from the readers out there.

Even though the situation sounds good in theory, would it be worth trading your true freedom in for the rewards of government sponsored living? Absolute government control is to be feared. Give some opinions, start up a discussion, and let’s see where it goes.