What Voters want but Congress will never approve:
Almost 100% of voters want lower health care costs. Per Capita Healthcare costs are the highest in the world, despite not being even close to the best. In the USA about 1/3 of the costs are paid by the Government (Medicare & Medicaid), 1/3 by companies via benefits, and 1/3 by patients in the form of deductibles, premiums, and co-pays.
The issue that we have failed to address is the COST of Healthcare which is more than double the EU average. As of 2023, our per capita cost stands at over $13K. Compare this to many other “developed” countries, chart below:
| Location | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| 10,447 | 10,853 | 11,916 | 12,197 | 12,555 | |
| 5,337 | 5,223 | 5,879 | 6,278 | 6,319 | |
| 5,307 | 5,360 | 5,697 | 6,372 | 6,280 | |
| 3,913 | 4,250 | 4,469 | 4,921 | 6,061 | |
| 4,877 | 4,976 | 5,378 | 5,861 | 6,047 | |
| 4,330 | 4,384 | 4,615 | 5,252 | 5,676 | |
| 4,188 | 4,389 | 4,998 | 5,467 | 5,493 | |
| 4,236 | 4,318 | 4,632 | 5,107 | 5,314 | |
| 4,554 | 4,611 | 4,620 | 4,899 | 5,251 | |
| 3,067 | 3,291 | 3,590 | 4,189 | 4,570 | |
| 3,129 | 3,272 | 3,804 | 4,303 | 4,499 | |
| 3,427 | 3,528 | 3,716 | 4,087 | 4,462 | |
| 3,496 | 3,565 | 3,753 | 4,043 | 4,291 | |
| 3,134 | 3,224 | 3,355 | 3,830 | 4,162 |
Numerous political contributors have their hands in the bountiful healthcare pie: The Drug Industry, the Legal industry, physicians, hospitals and the Insurance Industry. In addition, the structure of the system is inefficient and broken. Solutions are available but they would significantly reduce political contributions.
Support for Term Limits is universal among voters and breaches political, geographic and demographic divides. Eight-in-ten voters, 80%, approve of placing term limits on members of Congress (House & Senate).
Campaign Spending ((70 – 85%) [depending on the party] of campaign financing comes from either a small number of large amount contributors or from Political Action Committees. PACs are controlled by special interest groups. Special interest groups have a very targeted agenda and often it is not one that benefits the common good.) Most Americans favor spending limits for political campaigns. Roughly seven in ten U.S. adults (72%) say that there should be limits on how much money individuals and organizations can spend on political campaigns. Just 11% say individuals and organizations should be able to spend as much money as they want,
- Two in three Americans — 65% — say that they trust the government less because big donors to Super PACs have more influence than regular voters. More than two-thirds of all respondents — 68% — agreed that a company that spent $100,000 to help elect a member of Congress could successfully pressure him or her to change a vote on proposed legislation. Only one in five respondents disagreed.
- More than three-quarters of all respondents — 77% — agreed that members of Congress are more likely to act in the interest of a group that spent millions to elect them than to act in the public interest. Only 10% disagreed.
- Americans overwhelmingly say that the cost of political campaigns makes it hard for good people to run for office. More than eight in ten Americans (85%) say this is a good description of the U.S. political system today, including identical shares of Republicans and Democrats.
The Majority (60%) of voters favor the popular vote over the Electoral College for Presidential Elections. The EC fails to provide “proportional” representation.
I could not find research on Congressional perks, but a vote around our “coffee club” table was unanimous. Members of Congress should receive the same vacation, healthcare, and all other benefits as the rest of Government workers.
Again, I was not able to find online research regarding Political Lobbyists, but If I was king, they would be outlawed.
One other issue I could find not polls on was the length of time allowed for campaigning for national elections. Again our coffee club was unanimous that campaign periods need to be restricted (shortened). My suggestion would be 3 months.
One final issue is the so-called “Flat Income Tax”. Not surprisingly, the consensus among voters has not been favorable. Democrats are less favorable than most on this because proposals have advanced a very “regressive” approach which places an increased burden on the lower and lower to middle Income earners. The solution to this is simple, initiate 3 to 5 flat tax brackets based on Gross Income with higher income earners paying a higher %. All itemized deductions would be eliminated. Only short-term capital gains would be taxed at the same rate as income. Long Term Capital Gains and Dividends would not be taxed.
An example of a married couple filing jointly (% are just suggestions):
Income range Flat Tax Rate
$40,000 – $99,999 5%
$100,000 – $249,999 10%
$250,000 – $499,999 15%
$500,000 – $999,999 20%
Over $1,000,000 25%
The economic benefits of this approach are enormous. It would eliminate costs for activities that do nothing to advance productivity. The IRS could be reduced by more than 80%. About 90% of taxpayers would no longer be required to file a return as their tax would be paid automatically by payroll deduction. Tax preparation costs would be almost eliminated.
One final comment. House members are elected for only two years which I propose is ridiculous. Staggered four-year terms (one-fourth of the positions each year) would be much more productive for our country and save millions of dollars.