I now make the rules… (1 Viewer)

[Keerock]

OK y’all… help me out here. I’ve decided that I’m going to start making all the rules in the good ol’ USofA. I won’t consider anything too overly “political”. Here’s where I’ll start…

To be implemented ASAP:

1. No more time changes. The entire country will remain on “daylight savings time” henceforth. I can also be convinced to adopt a 30 minute compromise, but no more changing. I’ve decided that the 30 minute compromise is dumb. Permanent DST it is!
2. Eliminate the penny. Cash is already on the way out and the penny has been basically useless for years. Credit/ETF transactions will continue to process to the nearest cent, cash transactions will all be rounded to the nearest nickel.
3. Eliminate tipping expectations by requiring all service employees to be paid at least minimum wage. It’s implied that this will increase the cost of food/service, but it’ll all be a wash (for those who tip now). Tipping for exceptional service of course will still be allowed, but not expected. Those tips will not be reported as income.
4. If the Monday after the SuperBowl is not already a federal holiday (I.e. President’s Day), it shall be one.
5. The maximum variable interest rate on a credit card cannot exceed prime rate +5%.
6. No street signs or TV commercials for political candidates/elections. In a world with internet, voters should be able to do research on candidates and issues independently and not vote based on name recognition or smear tactics usually found in ads. My only caveat might be that if an ad does not mention the opposition in any way, I may allow it.
7. No TV commercials for prescription medications. Your physician should be the one telling you about treatment options.

Under Consideration:

1. At least 1 federal holiday per month or 4 day work week mandate for the corporate world

I’ll consider all suggestions, but my decisions are final.

 

[AAABatteries]

4 day work weeks

 

[Keerock]

4 day work weeks

I can get on board with this in the corporate world, but this becomes problematic for retail, restaurants, hospitality, etc. Will need to better define parameters

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Replace sales tax with a stupid tax. If you are stupid enough to buy certain products you get charged double.

 

[GroveDiesel]

All advertised/listed prices must be the final price to the consumer (must include all taxes, fees, etc).

 

[Keerock]

Replace sales tax with a stupid tax. If you are stupid enough to buy certain products you get charged double.

I prefer a fair tax type of system, but that’s too political for this exercise

 

[FairWarning]

Don’t do away with cash. Why give the gov more money to tax?

 

[Keerock]

All advertised/listed prices must be the final price to the consumer (must include all taxes, fees, etc).

Oh, I like this. Problem being there are different tax rates in different locations. Also potentially solved by fair tax, hence too political

 

[Keerock]

Don’t do away with cash. Why give the gov more money to tax?

I’m not doing away with cash… just the penny.

 

[AAABatteries]

4 day work weeks

I can get on board with this in the corporate world, but this becomes problematic for retail, restaurants, hospitality, etc. Will need to better define parameters

Most of those don’t have 5 day work weeks anyway. I’d say changing 5x8 to 4x10 is the target.

 

[gianmarco]

Abolish tipping.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Tailgating (as in driving too close) is a felony.

 

[Keerock]

Abolish tipping.

Yep. This goes on the list immediately

 

[Jayrod]

Abolish tipping.

I prefer to tip my abolitionists.

 

[Jayrod]

Tailgating (as in driving too close) is a felony.

Driving essentially the same speed as the car you are "passing" for several miles is punishable by death.

 

[Galileo]

hence too political

I suspect this will be a common refrain in this thread...

 

[Keerock]

hence too political

I suspect this will be a common refrain in this thread...

Me too, but play along.

 

[Galileo]

hence too political

I suspect this will be a common refrain in this thread...

Me too, but play along.

The first rule of the USofA is that you do not talk about the USofA

 

[Phil Elliott]

Need to keep tipping. What's the incentive for good service? Also wait staff will pay more taxes if you increase the hourly pay as a lot of their earnings is unreported cash tips.

 

[gianmarco]

1. Make online convenience/service fees illegal.
2. Eliminate or significantly raise speed limits on highways.
3. Cap costs for youth sports (travel teams)
4. Airlines must compensate for travel disruptions.

 

[FairWarning]

1. Make online convenience/service fees illegal.
2. Eliminate or significantly raise speed limits on highways.
3. Cap costs for youth sports (travel teams)
4. Airlines must compensate for travel disruptions.

Starting with Ticketmaster

 

[GroveDiesel]

All advertised/listed prices must be the final price to the consumer (must include all taxes, fees, etc).

Oh, I like this. Problem being there are different tax rates in different locations. Also potentially solved by fair tax, hence too political

Could just change to posted price. Walk into a store and whatever it says under the item on the shelf is what you pay out the door.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Require that consumers be able to cancel a service in the exact same manner they can sign up. If I can sign up for cable in 4 easy steps online, I should be able to cancel in 4 easy steps online. If I can sign up for a gym membership in just a few clicks on the website or by filling out a simple form for any employee at the gym, I shouldn’t have to send a notarized certified letter stamped in the blood of my children to cancel my membership.

 

[Beef Ravioli Part 2]

An actual A la carte option for TV. If I want one channel I can pay for one channel. If I want five I can get five. Etc.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Copyrights expire after 25 years and then your work is in the public domain. Period, no exceptions. One generation of monopoly is enough. Our culture is better when people are able to remix it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Tailgating (as in driving too close) is a felony.

Driving essentially the same speed as the car you are "passing" for several miles is punishable by death.

I was going to limit this idea by saying semi trucks can only be in the left lane for X miles/100 miles.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Death penalty for littering. Extends to immediate family if it's a cigarette butt.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

An actual A la carte option for TV. If I want one channel I can pay for one channel. If I want five I can get five. Etc.

I was actually going to say something more like the exact opposite of this. We have way too many streaming services at the moment, and consumers collectively would be better off if most of them went away. We need fewer, but bigger and more comprehensive platforms, not more niche platforms that wall off content from everybody else.

Worth noting that "copyrights expire in 25 years" would allow all platforms to rebroadcast a massive amount of stuff for free. It would be duplicative across platforms, but that is good. Why shouldn't Neflix, Prime, and Max all have the rights to Jaws and Goodfellas? Stuff that old should be everywhere.

 

[Keerock]

1. Make online convenience/service fees illegal.
2. Eliminate or significantly raise speed limits on highways.
3. Cap costs for youth sports (travel teams)
4. Airlines must compensate for travel disruptions.

I can see where 1,2&4 could be good

 

[gianmarco]

Need to keep tipping. What's the incentive for good service? Also wait staff will pay more taxes if you increase the hourly pay as a lot of their earnings is unreported cash tips.

Losing your job? You know, same as any other job?

 

[SWC]

Tailgating (as in driving too close) is a felony.

Driving essentially the same speed as the car you are "passing" for several miles is punishable by death.

I was going to limit this idea by saying semi trucks can only be in the left lane for X miles/100 miles.

this has changed so much in my lifetime it used to be that you would find a big rig that was hauling you know what and get behind him and get great gas mileage and have him as your rabbit for damn near entire states worth of highways and now they are all governed at 70 or whatever one of the biggest highway changes i can think of take that to the bank brohans

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Wheel spikes or the ability to open fire on cars going slow in the left lane?

I will concede only one of them if you want my vote next election.

 

[Gatorman]

If the United States Government aided or funded your research into an innovation, you must charge then a reasonable price for it and give them a royalty. I am looking at you big pharma as well as telecom.

 

[Snoopy]

Replace sales tax with a stupid tax. If you are stupid enough to buy certain products you get charged double.

I prefer a fair tax type of system, but that’s too political for this exercise

Taxing carnivals?

 

[Mr. Mojo]

All of the Kardashians and their immediate relatives are expelled to North Korea.

 

[Beef Ravioli Part 2]

An actual A la carte option for TV. If I want one channel I can pay for one channel. If I want five I can get five. Etc.

I was actually going to say something more like the exact opposite of this. We have way too many streaming services at the moment, and consumers collectively would be better off if most of them went away. We need fewer, but bigger and more comprehensive platforms, not more niche platforms that wall off content from everybody else.

Worth noting that "copyrights expire in 25 years" would allow all platforms to rebroadcast a massive amount of stuff for free. It would be duplicative across platforms, but that is good. Why shouldn't Neflix, Prime, and Max all have the rights to Jaws and Goodfellas? Stuff that old should be everywhere.

I have like fifty channels and watch less than ten of them. I keep the big ten network so I can watch one team of they happen to be playing on there. Let me pick my channels!

 

[Snoopy]

Customer service centers must be sufficiently staffed to avoid waiting times of more than 5 minutes.

 

[Tecumseh]

Mandatory compensation if service providers miss their appointment time, which must be limited to a 1 hour window, ie; internet installation is scheduled for 1pm, the installer must arrive by 2pm or the installation and first month are free.

 

[The Commish]

The entire country will remain on “daylight savings time” henceforth.

Close...agree with stopping the changing....just needs to stay on standard time instead

 

[higgins]

Reverse the Glass–Steagall Act

Massive campaign finance reform

Reverse Citizens United

Free college education (CC) for those topics that contribute to long-term national security (ie health, STEM)

Military Industrial Complex to fragment with one major component to slowly transition to Environment Industrial Complex

Focused investment into alternative energy generation

Parks are under-rated — federal subsidies to improve parks to wherever I decide to roam.

 

[Psychopav]

Let's get back to Daylight Savings. Why throw out the baby with the bath water? How about we just get rid of springing forward?

 

[Boston]

*Littering offense carries 100 hours of community service cleaning-up neighborhoods...if it is a cigarette it is 200 hours

*Anyone caught doing graffiti gets 500 hours

*Not maintaining your property results in fines

*Abuse of any government services results in disqualification from the service and your name should be on some type of public web-site

*Bicyclists that don't adhere to laws should have their bike confiscated

*Anyone who tries to go thru the express lane at a Super-Market with more items than they are allowed have to sit in the corner in silence of the Super Market for an hour

*If you eat the food at the Super Market before you pay for it you get a $100 surcharge

*The combination of speeding and changing lanes without your blinker carries an immediate license suspension of 1 year

*Motorcyclists that weave in and out of lanes/create their own lane during traffic lose their license for a year

 

[Phil Elliott]

Need to keep tipping. What's the incentive for good service? Also wait staff will pay more taxes if you increase the hourly pay as a lot of their earnings is unreported cash tips.

Losing your job? You know, same as any other job?

I guess, if you, or the other workers, complain to the manager about the service.

 

[Boston]

Customer service centers must be sufficiently staffed to avoid waiting times of more than 5 minutes.

Definitely...and being able to communicate at a proficient level should be part of the hiring process.

 

[offdee]

Marriage isn’t allowed until both parties are 30 yrs old. There’s no real NEED for it and people change so much in their 20s.

 

[Phil Elliott]

Tailgating (as in driving too close) is a felony.

Driving essentially the same speed as the car you are "passing" for several miles is punishable by death.

I was going to limit this idea by saying semi trucks can only be in the left lane for X miles/100 miles.

this has changed so much in my lifetime it used to be that you would find a big rig that was hauling you know what and get behind him and get great gas mileage and have him as your rabbit for damn near entire states worth of highways and now they are all governed at 70 or whatever one of the biggest highway changes i can think of take that to the bank brohans

Was driving from Dallas to Austin Wed night on hiway 35. Semi's three lanes wide in parallel, even where it's posted no trucks in left lane. No one follows the law and no one prosecutes the law.

 

[gianmarco]

Need to keep tipping. What's the incentive for good service? Also wait staff will pay more taxes if you increase the hourly pay as a lot of their earnings is unreported cash tips.

Losing your job? You know, same as any other job?

I guess, if you, or the other workers, complain to the manager about the service.

No different than other jobs that don't get tips.

And seems to work fine in many other countries.

 

[AAABatteries]

Eliminate Thursday night football

 

[Hastur]

Metric system. Let's do it.

 

[AAABatteries]

Also, eliminate the University of Georgia