Just My Opinion
some old and new ideas
Copyright 2014 Stephen Brandon
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Table of Contents ~(ToC)~
Acknowledgments
Forward
Chapter 1 Government workers get richer
Chapter 2 First Step ...
Chapter 3 Who can do what is needed?
Chapter 4 Jobs
Chapter 5 New Improved Super Tax Plan and Federal Budget
About Stephen Brandon
Other books by Stephen Brandon
Connect with Stephen Brandon
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Acknowledgments
Who should I acknowledge? I think that I need to start with and thank the dedicated teachers I had in grade school, then move on to every person that I've come in contact with in the last 40 years. Man is not an island, you and I influence everyone we meet in some manner. Whether small or large this influence spreads outward from our lives. We are also influenced by everyone we meet in the same way.
This also acknowledges the donations made by all the authors, technicians, and operators of all the web sites on the internet that I've ever accessed. They are a group of people that whether they do it for pleasure or money, have a widespread influence.
I know that this isn't the standard acknowledgment, but think about it! Everything you do influences those around you!
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Forward
This morning I was looking through my computer archives to find a file that I knew should be there. Guess what I found?
Some old files and spreadsheets that I'd made up to present to my districts congressman. Checking the date, 2011, and realizing that even though I don't follow congressional bills to closely, nothing has been in the news for the last two years. The ideas I presented to him should have caused a firestorm from any liberal that heard them. I'm not really an instigator, but the ideas presented should be used as a starting point for any conservative that wants to put a curb on the increasing bloat of the federal government and national debt. Even the economy would benefit.
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Chapter 1
Government workers get richer
One of the things I discussed with the Congressman was the salaries that have blossomed in the past few years. I do believe that you get what you pay for but, we as taxpayers are not getting what we are taxed for. It's not just the democrat party that lines it's pockets, but the republicans also. I'm pasting my originals below:
Under President Obama the government has grown at an alarming rate!
My idea is to make the bureaucratic paycheck less attractive and get many of the greedy individuals to look elsewhere.
This can be accomplished by a reduction in the over-payed positions by reduction of salary. This savings should be applied directly toward paying down the national debt by law and not used elsewhere!
Also a hiring freeze for federal government positions for 5 years. Vacancies can be accomplished by transferring personnel within agencies and between agencies. Exceptions can be granted by congress.
Remove the union only contract provision that Obama has in effect. In other words, any entrepreneur that bids on a government contract and has the business infrastructure to accomplish the contract gets the contract.
Tie the government employee salary directly to equivalent civilian sector jobs of similar job description.
This must also include executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government to show good faith and be accepted by the public. The House and Senate must be included to be valid.
Another file in the same folder.
Salary reduction to be applied directly to debt reduction.
Regardless of job or position within the federal government:
1st idea
40K to 80K5%
80K to 100K10%
100K to 120K15%
120K and higher20%+
These amounts should be easy to calculate and these dollar amounts should be directly payed on the principle of the national debt.
After thinking about it some more I came up with a percentage scale (link) that is even more fair. It is progressive like the income tax. Government service should be because of the persons pride in their country, not to get rich and have a comfortable salary and retirement pension.
As far as a retirement pension for federal government employees, it should be social security just like the rest of the citizens.
The spreadsheets I created showing a graduated or progressive percentage of reduction in salary for government employees won't go here. However I will e-mail them to anyone interested.
I also included an idea that would force the House of Representatives and Senate to truly think about the social security system and fix it!
FIRST STEP TOWARD FIXING SOCIAL SECURITY
1.The first step toward fixing Social Security should be tying all federal government retirement plans together.
2.The founding fathers did not envision professional politicians. Hence the politicians should not have a separate retirement plan based upon their “service”. They should be under the same retirement system that the public, Social Security.
3.This first step would make all further changes in retirement systems for government employees more palatable.
4.This would also motivate Republicans and Democrats alike to think and implement some real changes in the Social Security system.
5.This would also motivate Republicans and Democrats alike to quit raiding the so called Social Security lock box and put any years surplus collections into something of real lasting value, such as precious metals or real-estate purchased on the open market at open market prices. (If the surpluses from previous years had been used to purchase gold or other high priced metals the present system would be viable for decades into the future by slowly selling off the assets to fund each years cost.)
Refer back to i101104.
I didn't stop there. I also presented an idea for him to consider that would invigorate a portion of the economy. When a portion of anything is invigorated the new activity has a tendency to spread. I'm making this chapter 2.
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Chapter 2
FIRST STEP TOWARD ENVIGORATING THE ECONOMY
1.Nothing invigorates a society more that a goal/dream that can be accomplished provided they can see where it will help them in the end.
2.NASA: Give NASA the mission using only existing technology to build a space station at Earth-Moon Lagrangian point L1 first. That will cut their research budget and speed up the process.
3.All personnel would have to be strictly volunteer with the expectation that they would live the rest of their lives in space and not return to earth. They should also understand and be willing to accept casualties, and the public must understand they are the pioneers of the 21st century just like the pioneers of the 17th & 18th century.
4.The pioneering spirit would be rekindled in the general population. The masses love nothing better than a dream.
5.The children of today could be enticed to study more for a chance to be tomorrows pioneers.
6.Existing rockets can be utilized (military and civilian) to boost payloads into orbit. Use of old rockets may result in loss of some cargo,
but it will allow the government to phase out those rockets. This will also cut initial cost.
7.The Apollo system that was used to go to the moon is a good existing start for astronauts. Full instrumentation would not be needed for all units. Several of those units tied together would make a good start for a space station at L1.
8.All rockets and boosters would be lifted to L1. This would involve taking fuel to orbit and refueling in orbit. Or taking to orbit small booster rockets that can be attached to larger rockets and used to boost them to L1.
9.Instead of welding parts together, as much as possible should be bolted together. Cutting torches and welders should be included in early cargo to station, also framing beams and cables with hardware.
10.Several rockets should have nothing but dirt, seed, and water as cargo.
11.Idea for heavy lift cargo only rocket: Five or six of the boosters that were used on the space shuttle bolted together around a frame. Within the frame is heavy cargo. Use old type Styrofoam to build shell, then wrap from bottom to top with extra strength heavy duty tin foil that is glued or pop-riveted at all seams. It only has to protect the cargo for one trip (up). Once in orbit parts of the shell can be cut away and boosters can be refueled or additional rockets attached. Complete unit then can be lifted to L1 point for dis-assembly and utilization.
12.The space shuttles that are presently being retired could also be launched on a one way trip for their last last mission with cargo and personnel to L1. These shuttles once refueled at the L1 point could be used for emergency evacuation down to orbit within the earths magnetic field in case of strong solar flares or as cargo shuttles between lower orbit stations and the main station at the L1 point.
13.In fact, everything that the US space program has used can be used again to build a space station at L1. The plans and manufacturing setups are already documented. New hardware manufactured using the existing plans and plants would be less expensive.
14.Of course absolute governmental control will be a required to successfully implement this venture.
THE MOON, A JUMP AND A SKIP
1.Once the L1 station is half built a mission with volunteer personnel can be launched to the moon to set up a permanent mining base camp.
2.This base camps mission would be to mine and transport materials from the moon back to the L1 station. At first materials would be transported by rocket. As time passes and facilities are built a rail gun could be built to launch ingots of refined metal to the L1 station or to the L4 & L5 points for new station construction. It may even be possible to launch prefabricated station construction panels, and beams (10-20 years).
3.Power source for the moon base could be solar panels constructed on site from raw materials or a nuclear reactor shipped from earth. A used reactor about the size used in a nuclear submarine should power the moon base for years. Of course a different type cooling system would have to be designed.
THE WAY TO OFF-SET EXPENSES
1.One other advantage of revitalizing the space program with existing hardware is that the United States would then have an industry that could be rented out (transportation to orbit, transportation to existing space stations, and transportation to the moon) as a for profit venture that will assist in off-setting some of the expenses.
2.Selected members of society could be transferred to the moon as laborers with proper safeguards in place.
3.Colleges and Universities doing research in certain fields would pay for a place to do their research.
4.Long half-life radioactive waste could be shipped to safe storage sites on the moon easing the environmentalist concerns.
5.The civilians that want to pay to live in space can pay for their transportation.
6.The research of the companies that are trying to develop a civilian space industry can use the stations (for a fee) to test their inventions.
7.For a fee, hazardous materials can be transported to the stations and then launched into the sun.
8.Most food can be grown on the stations.
9.The Moon Treaty of 1964 could be used by congress to allow the US government and courts system recognize claims ( like homestead claims ) on the moon and other planets by private individuals and non-government affiliated companies after a private transportation system is established. This would put the development cost on the entrepreneurs and corporations with the promise of the chance to make a profit. Development of a space transportation system and colonization and mining on the moon would be to the benefit of mankind as a whole.
This goes with some musings that I found in another file labeled EXTINCT.
Looking at planetary history one wonders why the dinosaurs went extinct, or did they?
The tectonic activity of a planet like earth replenishes it's resources after many millennium.
Any species that remains on the planet of their birth, is playing the odds in the galactic shooting range. Odds are that a natural disaster of planetary proportions will happen sooner or later. Hence the only logical progression of civilization is from pre-industrial to industrial. This advance in technology allows the next step from pre-space to a space based technology. That's why a pre-space civilization is classified as level "0".
This transition to a level "1" civilization (space based technology) then allows the species to move or colonize their star system. This removes the planetary restraints and limitations imposed upon the species by their birth planet. It also starts the safeguards and allows the species to survive most natural and species made disasters.
When a species turns it's back on the logical progression of population relocation and technological advances, it seals it's own fate. They insure their extinction.
Moving from a type "0" to a type "1" civilization assures their survival.
Interesting reading:
https://www.dinosaurfact.net/dinoextinct.php
https://www.wordiq.com/definition/Plate_tectonics
https://urbanext.illinois.edu/world/nres.html
https://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/flash/typesofciv1.htm
https://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=concepts04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmXJyZoaz20
Copy and paste any of the above web addresses into your browser and enjoy reading them.
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Chapter 3
Who can do what is needed?
This file was on one of my backup drives. Unfortunately many other files were unreadable.
REASONS
The planet earth is in turmoil. Some groups say global warming, others say global cooling, environmental groups say we're running out of resources and pollution is rampart, extremist are attacking our civilization.
Regardless of the reason, we need to do start doing something today. If we don't we'll poison ourselves, nature will kill us, and we won't have the resources to sustain civilization or even human life. Those that don't have the resources will attack those that do and the resulting wars will devastate the human race.
Present technology is sufficient to colonize space. The initial cost will be immense. However the benefits will be great for those in space and improve the lives of those staying behind. If the US doesn't do it China will. Those that posses the high ground have the tactical advantage.
Maybe even a cabal of corporations might do it. If they do, what will be the political and economic ramifications?
The Arab nations are to fragmented for now. However if they pull together they have the financial resources. Can they get or develop the industrial base to do it? What will then be the economic and political ramifications?
China has the resources, but maybe not the desire; yet. Their quality control record is dismal. Their leaders regard no visible regard for human life. If they lost a few thousand workers in space, they would simply ship more up there.
The EU doesn't now have the financial resources. Plus the extremist permea
ting their society would sabotage any attempt.
I don't think Russia now possess the financial resources. They have the technology, it's been around since the mid 80's. Now they are cooperating with western corporations to enhance their own programs.
The US possesses the technology, but soon won't possess the financial resources or manufacturing base.
What will the next twenty years look like for the human race? Are we destined to remain a 0 (Zero) level civilization classification (.72) until our extinction or drop to a lower level and never advance?
Also I did manage to get another file with the name Space 2. It has lots of links which I will add to the wording of the original file. You can copy and paste them into your internet browser to read.
The Technology
Several college student in the 80's did a practical exercise to see what the cost would be to colonize space.
Wikipedia page on Space colonization
Wikipedia page, permanent space station
A Design
Open air design
A few references by people smarter than me. Why haven't we progressed beyond the planning stage?
Why?
Japan has plans, but can they get the resources and make a profit to sustain it.
Who's doing what. spacetoday.net link
Just My Opinion Some Old and New Ideas Page 1