Here is another big issue that our country must solve as we go ahead into the future. We spend far too large a portion of our GNP on health care. Our system is bloated and inefficient. Our physicians are burdened with unreasonable malpractice insurance. Industry can not support the ever increase cost of supplying health insurance. Too many people are left out of health insurance all together, falling between the cracks of Medicaid and private insurance.
In a country such as ours, all people should have access to quality health care. While this may sound like a lofty goal, I believe it is accomplishable. Not only is it accomplishable, I think it can be done for less than we currently spend. This would require many significant reforms. We would need major insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid reform or possibly replacement with an entirely new system. We would need tort reform and other changes that would lower the burden of malpractice insurance.
These changes would be difficult, and maybe at times unpopular, but we must change. Our current systems are unsustainable for the long term. We are too great a country to not have the best health care system in the world.
Medicare/Social Security
Lets face it, as they are, these to systems have failed. They run at a deficit that continues to grow with each passing year. We keep trying to apply band-aids to programs that are hemorrhaging and need major surgery.
Taxation Parity
We have a system of taxation that is not equitable. We spend millions of our tax dollars supporting a complex tax system that in turn supports the need for tax preparers, tax accountants, and tax attorneys. We can do better, but it would require major tax reform. I think many options for taxation should be considered, with the goal of simple, equitable systems for the taxation of individuals and businesses.
One myth that needs to be addressed is that income tax is bad and that sales tax is fairer. I do believe that some form of income tax is the correct solution for taxation. An income tax, if designed correctly, taxes equitably based on how much a person earns. On the other hand, sales tax puts a heavier tax burden on the people with less expendable income. It may be true that wealthy people make more and therefore spend more and pay more in taxes. But the problem lies in what portion of the person�s income is being taxed. A wealthy person spends a small portion of their money on taxable goods while a person of little means may spend 100% of their income on taxable goods. The result is the poorer person paying tax on a much larger portion of their income. Needless to say, I do not think a national income tax is one of the options that should ever be considered.
Conclusion