Tuesday, February 12, 2008

How to Fix Government Spending

A co-worker and I were discussing government waste and that they shouldn't ask for a dime more of our money until they've fixed how to spend the money we already pay them in taxes. Through this conversation we came up with a very simple way for every single American to become immediate watchdogs of government spending.

Profit Sharing.

At my company we receive profit sharing checks every six months. A small percentage of the overall profit of the company is paid to every employee. This effects our decisions and behavior in the workplace. If fellow employees see waste, you'll often hear someone say "stop wasting our profit sharing."

Well, how different would our nation be if every citizen over 18 years of age were to receive a profit sharing check for every time our tax income surpassed our tax expenditures. I'm certain people would become increasingly diligent not only on current government waste, but the passage of bills, entitlements or tariffs that would decrease our ability to "turn a profit."

Another simple way to make people see this waste is to no longer allow taxes to be automatically deducted from our paycheck. If people had to personally write a check for the amount of taxes they currently pay, they would immediately demand change. But, since we don't see money we don't feel its absence.

Just a few simple ideas that could change everything in a hurry.

Unfortunately, both ideas would move power from the politicians to the average citizen... so they'll never happen.

1 comment:

Karl said...

I like that idea!