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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   24415 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026

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Consumption taxes are generally considered the best taxes, but they are pretty damn regressive. This sounds... really good from an efficiency standpoint, is appropriately targeted on the wealthy (though we need some way to exclude middle class HELOCs) and seems much harder to game than a consumption tax too. Go run for office.

though we need some way to exclude middle class HELOCs

Only apply it above a given net worth that even very lucky and geographically well situated middle class people will not reach.

Go run for office.

I would consider it- I'd make a good crank candidate- but I suspect the background checking would result in this very forum shutting down, and besides, it's incredibly expensive.

I would consider it

Stolen valor! Get your own presidential run-viable topic!

  • Our society doesn't have a viable alternative to alcohol, so whiskey appreciation classes must be required to graduate from high school
  • Issue multiple currencies and let the market decide whether they want the gold backed money, the fiat money, the commodity basket backed money, the crypto...
  • Politicians(this includes senators or higher) can fire any bureaucrat they want- but it will be replaced by prison labor, randomly selected from federal inmates.
  • Racism is caused by angry confederate ghosts and placating the war dead through gifts of tobacco, sweet tea, and barbecue can bring Americans together across racial lines.
  • Soccer isn't popular enough in America. We're introducing tackling, and erecting goalposts above the goal to try to get a header through for double points.
  • Every town holds an election for a single individual who has the power to forcibly remove tattoos on sight.
  • States have the option of opting out entirely from federal income taxes- on the condition that they make up the lost revenue in whole.
  • Cabinet selected randomly by the selective service system.

Politicians(this includes senators or higher) can fire any bureaucrat they want- but it will be replaced by prison labor, randomly selected from federal inmates.

I like this one solely for the interesting incentive structure it could create where prospective political operatives deliberately risk sending themselves to prison and then bribe during the selection.

Cabinet selected randomly by the selective service system.

Only if we survey everyone who would want to as a Top Secret poll and then exclude them from the selection process. I'd rig an election for this idea.

yes HELOCs seem to be the corner-case that presents a problem, and unfortunately any carve out there is just likely to be repealed later down the line. The government loves another way to get free money. I think the easy answer is to tie to just capital gains based collateral, not property.

Go run for office

Ewww. Probably says something about me that I find the idea of being a politician relegated to the narcissistic and sociopathic.

HELOCs are a bullet I am willing to swallow. Tax-free consumption out of unrealised capital gains on primary residences is the same mischief as tax-free consumption out of unrealised capital gains on founders' stock, and causes the same social problems in a more distributed way. Protect the middle class with a $100,000 lifetime exemption.

Tax-free consumption out of unrealised capital gains on primary residences is the same mischief as tax-free consumption out of unrealised capital gains on founders' stock, and causes the same social problems in a more distributed way.

I'm not sure how you distinguish a concentrated zero from a distributed one.

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