Honestly this league idea isn’t the worst one I’ve ever heard. On the other hand I think they tried that in the mid 1800s and the north was kinda opposed to the idea.
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The league idea doesn’t split the nation. It just reapportions taxation. Federal taxes are reduced for each citizen by something on the magnitude of 25% (a rough guess), representing the costs incurred by department of education, HUD , health, etc.
Defense, commerce, treasury, roads, etc all remain under federal control.
States then form leagues among themselves to fund their own versions of the disbanded departments— or not.
But for the Blue League, which would consist strongly of the ‘maker states’ , who pay out more to other states than they receive back in federal dollars, finances won’t be a problem.
The Blue League would also have ‘taker state’ members but only of the same political persuasion, avoiding friction. Each league would also have it in their own best interests to make sure the less-wealthy member states prosper.
Each league has their own SSA, run the way they want it, and completely separate from that of another league. If an American worked in two leagues over their lifetime they would receive two different pensions on retirement.
The regular elected federal Congress/ senate reps from each state would do double-duty administering their league’s departments. Each league’s HQ would be in DC for convenience, so congressional members can meet for league business.
Instead of the reps for 50 states trying to wrangle agreement on social issues it would just be wrangling within the leagues, the members of which share the same rough political outlook.
Right now the hierarchy of government is: town, county, state , federal. With my plan it would then be town, county, state, league, federal.
The two big issues would be method of taxation, and courts. If a league-state has a state income tax then it’s simple. Their state income tax would go up but their federal taxes would go down. A portion of the state taxes go to fund league departments. In a state like WA with no income tax it’s more complicated.
Leagues would have little or nothing to do with criminal law, just civil law specific to their departments. But state courts would also adjudicate league matters, and the league Supreme Court would consist of a quorum of state Supreme Court members, eliminating the cost of a separate court system.
They do this in China. Ask the rural communities how it’s working out for them as opposed to say, Shanghai or Beijing.
One thing I notice now in American culture is this: state bashing. Fifteen minutes don’t go by on the Fox network without them bashing the Blue states as dystopian shitholes dragging the country down. California is the number one target. Western cities in general are singled out. As opposed to the well-run paradises of small town rural aw-shucks Red States.
Well, they are entitled to their opinion. But the fact is California, Washington, New York, New Jersey etc. are paying most of the nation’s bills.
We are funding the rural red states. For every federal tax dollar I spend in WA I get 87 cents back. But for every federal tax dollar a WV citizen pays they get $2.40 back.
The Maker states are propping up the Taker states. I don’t have a problem with charity. But if the guy I’m being charitable with then shows increasing hostility and disrespect towards me, I stop being charitable.
I’d rather be charitable to a like-minded neighbor who is grateful for my money, and who I can work with toward mutual prosperity, and there are plenty of those around.
If that negatively affects rural people in Red states they can turn to the great wealthy states of TX and FL and KS to fund their social programs in their own league. I’m sure TX and FL and KS would be happy do it, as I would be happy to fund NM as a Blue League member.
That’s what the league system would do. Each league within the Union would consist of richer states and less wealthy states, but because the member states would be politically aligned with each other the redistribution of wealth within the league would come with much less friction, and taxation would be more equitable.
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I can’t tell if this whole thing is a bit or you’re actually serious? You want to segregate the country based on politics?
7 posts were split to a new topic: The Science of Climate Change
You’re saying there’d he leagues based on politics. That’s segregating two different groups.
You’re tilting at windmills, he worships Trump, so in his mind Trump can do no wrong
Reapportioning taxation on the basis of politics is what Congress does every damn day. I’m just setting up a more rational system for the least essential part of it. 
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Besides, the U.S. is already “segregated” by politics.
Frankly the U.S. either finds a way to an am amicable separation or there will likely be an ugly one.
Seriously watch the docudrama Say Nothing for what this would look like.
Not at all the right wing Rambo fantasies.
I only need one peer reviewed study which proves (not simply asserts) that human emissions (and not natural emissions) warm the world temperature.
There aren’t any.
Numbers of papers that simply declare human caused CO2 emissions doesn’t matter.
Shall we defer to Einstein?
Einstein’s view of group-think was summarised in this comment:
“In order to be a member of a flock of sheep, one must, above all, be a sheep oneself!”
Most importantly, Einstein would have paid close attention to how well the establishment theory of global warming agreed with experiment. He famously stated:
“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right. A single experiment can prove me wrong.”
Interesting facts about president Musk who is in the process of dismantling NOAA, entering payment data bases of the government, abolishing USAID, Bureau of Consumer Protection etc.
You can read about in the Wall St Journal or here’s quick summary that’s not behind a paywall.
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Another major expense on USAid’s budget is also eating into the actual amount of $$ that gets to the benefactors:
How much of foreign aid goes into ‘overhead and bureaucracy’ instead of reaching the recipient?
Does anybody have this figure handy (in $$ or %)?
Would be interesting to know what is left after paying admin expenses.
Adding up admin expenses and what benefits US farmers, industries, services and consultants, the actual cost to the US economy may not look so bad.
BTW; US foreign aid is abt. 0.25% of GDP:
Source: By cutting off assistance to foreigners, America hurts itself
This is a lot lower that the 0.70% target set and agreed by the UN General Assembly in 1970: https://devinit.org/resources/0-7-aid-target-2/
Don’t feel bad, only 5 countries have reached, or exceed the target:
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I don’t know the facts, but my gut instinct is that at least 50% is eaten up by “administration” and that most of the rest goes to US government contractors that have lobbyists making campaign donations to Congressmen.
The President of Rwanda says that Trump is right about USAID. So do whistleblowers.
Hear his statement at the end of his CNN clip:
I keep waiting for Musk to look for waste in the largest expense item “defense”. Seems strange he skipped right over defense which consumes 15% of the budget and went for NOAA which consumes about 7 billion and USAid which consumes 43 billion while defense consumes 900 billion.
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One of the many things I like about you tengineer1 is no matter the political party of the potus, you’ve always pointed out the corruption & wastefulness of the the military industrial complex. That long ago article about the CIA backed militants fighting the Pentagon backed militants in Syria was hilarious & extremely depressing. All that being said, I seen an unclicked headline this morning saying Trump was going to sic Musk on the DoD next & perhaps save hundreds of billions or even trillions. Are you going to welcome the DOGE then? I know I will. I truely feel our government has too many secrets & too many departments falters concerning oversight because it is “unpatriotic” to ask questions.
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Your spot on.
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Want to find some waste? Audit DARPA. But that will never happen as everything they do is secret.
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For decades, if you believe some polls, +65% of Americans have expressed opinions that there’s been a conspiracy or a disinformation campaign surrounding the assignation of JFK. Which potus signed an executive order declairing a plan to unclassify all information? I’ve been curious my whole life. For me, to have so much information classified & redacted after all these decades is criminal, undefensivable. The same with the new WH press secretary coming out & giving a near believable response about the drones over the Northeastern Seaboard last fall. Snitching out the FAA. If you want an investigation into DARPA you better start writing Musk & Trump because the Bidens, Bush’s, Clinton’s & Obama’s will call you a wacko for asking.
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