Simcountry: Forum

maclean

All worlds

10 Nov 2012 08:25Link

The federal government has widely overstepped its bounds, according to the Constitution. In the main, King Hezzy is right; the Enumerated Powers section of the Constitution pretty much limits the federal government to coinage, a national armed service, tariffs (NOT income tax), and ensuring a free flow of interstate commerce. It was never intended to be the controlling nanny-State that we have today.

Crafty

All worlds

10 Nov 2012 14:49Link

I would quite like a nanny...

Provided she was under 30 and of Scandanavian descent.

Samsin Valiga

All worlds

10 Nov 2012 17:12Link

crafty that deserves a lol haha are chicks in scandanavia really that hot

and I agree with that maclean I think the federal government needs to chill out abit but they have made ammendments that allow for income tax

iamihop11

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 08:37Link

I'm sorry if this is a little off topic, but am I the only person who thinks it's strange that the government forbids gas stations from raising gas prices to meet demand (specifically after Sandy), so people go crazy and buy all the gas? This causes an even worse shortage, so the government has to step in again and impose rationing and enforce it with police.

Why not just let the gas stations charge what they want? The markets will find the balance between what people are willing to pay and the supply that's available. In fact, it would provide extra incentive to get more gas in there.
This way people will only buy what they need, and the prices will gradually drop back to normal.

I'm not always a huge free market advocate because the free market is completely blind to hidden costs (ie social, environmental, or long-term costs), but this seems like such a simpler and more elegant solution.

Mizore

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 08:54Link

<!-Quote-!>Quote:
People will always be put in poverty because something that is essentially free elevates to a point that actually has the power to keep the lower class from ever having the freedom to have any extra money whatsoever. On that point when has anyone lately had the ability to go to a gas station and say I will buy your gas but only if they lower the price to 2.00$. Then when does a person have the ability to say fine I won't buy your gas? This doesn't happen because people don't have the right to denial, only products with a right of denial can function properly in a capitalist system. -- Drew, thread: Can anyone define "Capitalism"<!-/Quote-!>

I'm sure this isn't entirely out of context.

You're fighting the whole notion that letting the price rise is "exploitation" and "profiteering" even when it's the most reasonable solution to

maclean

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 15:28Link

Kudos, Crafty. Me too

Alex Borders

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 16:20Link

There is a huge history to gas price regulation - I'm sure there are excellent books on the subject.

I believe that historically, gasoline companies have been effectively a semi-regulated public utility.

For instance, did you know it is illegal for a gas station to sell gas below it's wholesale cost? In California, someone sued the grocery store gas pumps under this law, and as a result, they no longer offer that '10 cents off per $50 in groceries' promotion they used to? (I'm not entirely certain of this - there was a vague reference to this in a newspaper article I read a few months ago). This was originally done to prevent the major chains from underselling locally owned stations to drive them out of business, and then having a local monopoly (allowing them to jack the price way up and making up their losses).

SweetPea

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 18:14Link

<!-Quote-!>Quote:
America is a masonic Fascist Plutocracy. We have given our sovereignty to the corporation called the Federal Government in Washington D.C. Our Sovereignty is in the Bill of rights. The rest of the constitution are the laws of the corporation. We are not suppose to be american citizens. We are suppose to be citizens of what ever state you are from living in the federation of the United states. This is the true form of the Republic, but we hired this corporation to be the middle man between the states, and they have taken over the power of the states, and the sovereignty from its people. Every time you say you are a US citizen and conform to the laws congress passed, you give up your freedom, and sovereignty. We do not ever look into the clause in the Bill of rights that says we are to overthrow any government that infringes on the sovereignty of any person in any state. The federal Reserve System is an i

Samsin Valiga

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 20:45Link

im not close minded and blind with patriotism sweetpea. I notice signs of obvious aristocracy in America.. im just saying that its not centralized government that is causing this like i said "State and federal governments are not intrinsically different"

and please do post those links im always open to new investigation

SweetPea

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 21:54Link

I agree with you on the govt. not being a bad thing. Republicans just needed a new enemy public enemy to deflect from their own unpopularity. You know,,, by blaming the current govt. for the results of policies they promoted and passed for the previous 8 years.

I will post the links sometime during halftime of the Dallas Philly game...

maclean

All worlds

11 Nov 2012 22:00Link

Samson: yeah, they did pass an amendment for income tax, nearly 150 years after the original constitution was signed. It was under a Democrat presidency, so (to everyone else) all you people belly-ache-ing about republicans best take a lesson as to who is the bad guy...

Jiang Hu Warrior

All worlds

12 Nov 2012 00:38Link

NO ONE WINS

Samsin Valiga

All worlds

12 Nov 2012 01:01Link

hey maclean INCOME TAX IS A GOOD THING IT PAYS FOR THE GOVERNMENT I will never be so myopic to just hate the guy who increases taxes.....do you still think this country can be paid for through tariffs? no probably not if we did we wouldn't have your precious military......lol bad guys and good guys Republicans and democrats I don't designate them as bad guys and good guys that's childish they are all when averaged out about mediocre...and sweet pea kudos to you for recognizing the low tactics of the republican party

Wilhelm II Hohensteinburg

All worlds

12 Nov 2012 06:36Link

yeah Scandinavian chicks are hot lol, only thing I can help you in this american government thread, it is very interesting though, reveals what you kind people think of your own system

iamihop11

All worlds

12 Nov 2012 07:56Link

I think it's a very good thing that we people are constantly grating against our system. I'm much more worried about people (sheep, really) who never question or think for themselves.

On the gas price issue, I personally can understand gas being somewhere between a human right (like water) and a regular commodity (like peanut butter). The former should remain forever in the public domain and should never be privatized. The latter should have no government influence outside of ensuring safety. Gas is somewhere in between, but the REASON that it's in between is because of the way we have structured our society. Ideally, it shouldn't be a near-necessity at all, but (thanks largely to the auto industry and big oil) our cities are built around our cars, and therefore around gas. I think that's a huge problem.
Here's the thing, though: I wish gas stations could charge whatever they wanted. The

Drew

All worlds

12 Nov 2012 08:42Link

1. Gas prices was just used to show that those who create the demand can not force a surplus of a good that important to our society. Too prove a point, it didn't need to be gas but gas was easy to use.

2. You use gas scarcity as an excuse, I call BS. Now I'm not going to deny gas scarcity but the problem is how gas is utilized. American Gas is not sold to Americans. They sell it to the highest bidder for example France, who pissed off all other heavy gas contributors. Meanwhile in the states we buy from others who do the same to us. So we as Americans have no clue about the supply level we actually have and prices are manufactured with less regards to supply as you may think. So one can quite easily argue government intervention will guarantee a more productive American society if so many politicians weren't in big oil's wallet.

3. I don't really mean for this to be a heated point but I personally would like to

iamihop11

All worlds

13 Nov 2012 01:51Link

The "scarcity" I was referring to (other folks may have been thinking something different) was localized, temporary, and relative (supply vs demand). More American oil would stay in this country if government subsidies didn't encourage its transport. If fuel prices were allowed to rise to their true costs, they wouldn't ship as much to France, and the same is true for our imports. Government intervention has a proven track record of artificially cheapening fuel, bankrupting our small farmers, decreasing investments in public transportation, and undermining renewable energy development. We may produce more, but it's worth less (for example, farmers are paid to overproduce grain crops, which drives down prices).

I definitely don't like the way things are.

Anyway, the most interesting point you made, in my opinion, was linking the growth of the federal gov't to the growth of national and mu

Drew

All worlds

13 Nov 2012 06:59Link

Hop, I thoroughly enjoyed your post and don't agree with most of it, but it is because of a difference in understanding we both have. I also think I like your look because we take topics fairly and use your libertarian/masters degree studies to defend it. You don't just dismiss things. So kudos to you, it was rare to find free thinkers when I went through grad school merely puppets.

So as I sign of respect I will defend what you contest to.

Virginia and state fiscal responsibility: I can't possibly understand all state authorities but I am pretty well versed on those in the midwest primarily IL, WI, but also MO, MN. These states don't have such a solid track record, except WI and that is pre-scot walker WI. I support the use of a budget but the question isn't how much they spend money, it is how they spend money. For example the House of Reps and the senate have very similar responsibilities. Each senator has a

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