The Daily Evolver | The U.S. Budget: $1.7 Trillion Worth of Karma

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZl2JecCSNs

 and silver is a killer hedge, i want to see integral folks make some dough

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgrAKS-sto

 and you don't need our lord who art in heaven Obama to deal with the financial thugs, check this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOgHubYbFWU

and by the way, buy PHYSICAL silver yo ;)                         

Jeff and David,

These talks are brilliant. I love the timeliness of the topics viewed through an integral perspective. It is very informing and highly interesting. Keep up the great discussion.

--Steve Redmond

The "tax the rich" mantra does not work either.  Do the math.  If you make a 100% Federal Income Tax on every single household earning over $250,000/yr (i.e. slavery), you still do not erase the deficit in these economic times. (Also remember, that in order to pay down debt, you need to make the deficit zero.  It is alot like your household finances.)

Moreover, once the government gets that additional tax money, what are the chances that the money will actually go towards debt and closing the deficit and not towards totally new spending on new programs, like it has been?

I can only conclude that the Liberal view here is not synonymous with the Integral view, which seems contrary to Salzman's views.  Shouldn't an Integral suggestion.... I dunno.... actually have a chance to work?  How is it Integral to say you care for all humanity and all the world and then propose a solution that will actually hurt humanity?  (Remember, the "rich" are also human.)

--Josh

be-normal-blog.blogspot.com

 You want the low down  economics and the state of the current system?

MAX FREAKING KIESER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dsalkjvfbglkjhadsfbglkjahdsfbljkhfdsab~!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I were calling the shots here is what I'd do. First I'd establish a working principle for the commons. If your labor produced it, it's private property. If nature produced it, it's common property. I'd shift the tax base from taxes on production, like sales and income, to property taxes. More specifically I'd tax the portion of the property that is what nature produced. The rental value of all sites would be collected in taxes. The improvements on the site, that which humans produced, would eventually be tax free. This falls in line with the principle of the commons. This would destroy the selling price of plots of land and all land speculation, a major cause of recessions/depressions, would end. All land being held as an investment would be abandoned or built upon, dropping the rental value of all land initially. The new accessability to land that this creates would lead to a construction boom and land would be used for it's highest productive use. Housing would become much more affordable in proportion to the wages that people keep. In fact much land may actually become rent free as there will be no one to hold it as an investment. With land becoming more accessible to work and produce upon, wages in general would increase as the demand for productive labor would increse.

The full value or close to the full value of all natural resources would be collected in taxes from parties that take exclusive access to them. This would put a major incentive on investing in renewable resources. As clean air and water fall under the working definition of the commons, they would have a price to use them as dumping grounds for harmful chemicals. This would create real incentive to find ways of producing and consuming cleanly. This principle of the commons keeps those with a bent toward individual rights happy as it reconizes the fruits of an individual's (or group of individuals') labor belong to them. It keeps those with a bent toward communal rights happy as it keeps for the community what nature has given to the community.

After this I'd abolish the federal reserve bank and print money debt free by spending it into existence on infrastructure that would increase the rents that the government uses for revenue. This way the infrastructure pays for itself and keeps inflation down. The economy won't crash if the economy doesn't continue to grow because there won't be a need for more money to be generated simply to pay for the debt on the old money that was generated. Money would be generated in proportion to actual wealth (not money, or bonds, or promisary notes) in the economy.

Now this is somewhat fantasy as no one person is calling the shots. Also there are large pecuniary interests that these proposals would go against. But if I were calling the shots as some dictator of America that's what I'd do.