Ebenezer Scrooge Platform

I read a humorous post from Clark Howard, a nationally syndicated consumer advocate radio show host. Below are a few snippets from his "2012 platform "(no, he is not seriously going to run).

• Spend only what you make -- In a Howard administration, your president would pass a balance budget amendment to the Constitution. We'd become a pay-as-we-go country -- instead of doing the opposite as we have for years.

• A flat income tax policy -- The flat tax would be somewhere around 18%. There would be a high standard deduction so that those with lower incomes don't get pinched. A flat income tax would also eliminate the corruption in Washington and let you know what tax burden you have.

• No more employer-provided retirement plans -- Your president would require that every dime on a dollar your earn goes into a personal retirement account with ultra-low management costs and simple investment choices. ***(question...have you ever added up all of your annual earnings for your entire work history? I did a quick calc and let's just say that I wouldn't be mad if I had saved 10% of my earnings since I began working. After all, we are required to "save" 7.65% for SS & Medicare but those funds are not set aside in a personal account. I think I like the 10% personal account better.)

• Just say no to socialized medicine -- there would be just 12 health plans offered: 3 HMOs, 3 PPOs, 3 HSAs and 3 of the traditional 80/20 splits. Every insurer would have to sell identical plans. That way you could switch if your insurer's plan is too costly. There would be no redlining based on your past medical history. You wouldn't be required to have health insurance, but you wouldn't be allowed to buy it when you're sick; instead, you'd have to wait 18 months.

My favorite: In a Howard administration, we would all need to do a hard reset about the issue of personal responsibility vs. what we expect from government. Santa's sack is getting less and less full, so you've got to be your own Santa. Clark will be running on the Ebenezer Scrooge platform for 2012!

Here is the entire post - http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2008/11/04/14378/

What do you think about the Ebenezer Scrooge platform?