Wednesday, March 30, 2016

As a foreigner I get so confused reading America’s Declaration of Independence while listening to President candidates

The Declaration of Independence states as one of its basic motives that “The King of Great Britain… has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.”

And it also states as a motive for Independence: The King of England has also “combined with others to subject us to Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended legislation: … For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World.

And it also states, as a motive for Independence: The King of England “has excited domestic Insurrections among us” 

PS. How did America move from Reagan’s “Tear down that wall” to Trump’s “Build up that wall”, in just a few decades?

PS. When you build a wall, how can you really be sure you end up on the right side, with the right company?

Friday, March 25, 2016

We need a Pro-Equality-Tax on income and wealth that keeps the redistribution profiteers away

I am convinced it behooves all of us who have much more than those who have much less to think about the need of a Pro-Equality tax on income and wealth.

That need is mainly the result of interferences and abuses of free markets, many of these promoted by governments, many of these hidden in well-intentioned regulations.

If a Pro-Equality-Pot were to be redistributed through current ordinary channels, not much would change, in fact inequality and other problems could get much worse.

As an absolute minimum we must keep all redistribution profiteers away.

The Pro-Equality-Pot should be distributed in equal parts to all nationals, line through a Universal Basic Income scheme, and that should not cost, tops, more than 2 percent to do.

To achieve that I believe it is indispensable to separate the Pro-Equality taxes from all other ordinary taxes paid to keep governments running.

That separation would bring much needed transparency, which also helps us to make it harder for dangerous demagogues to seed discord in our nations.

Initiatives like a Universal Basic Income sound promising. Let us stop the redistribution profiteers from killing these. 

The Universal Basic Income has nothing to do with the Right or the Left; it has all to do with the Radical Middle.

The Universal Basic Income is a citizen to citizen initiative... it must keep out the populists and the demagogues wanting to profit on the redistribution.

PS. I come from Venezuela a nation that in 2005-2015 received incredible amounts of net oil revenues. During that decade the poorest 40 percent of its people, from a government that identified itself as 21st Century Socialism, did not get even 15 percent of what should have been their per capita share of that income. I have fought a lot for the distribution to the citizens of the oil revenues. Unfortunately, until now, the redistribution profiteers have had the day.