Voting with our wallets...

[Mythsaje]

I may have thrown this suggestion out here before. I just don't remember.

What if our IRS tax forms came with a checklist, informing the government of what we'd like OUR money to pay for? You know...like Infrastructure, Welfare, Corporate Subsidies, Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Military Spending, the Drug War, Medical Research, NASA, etc...etc...etc...

If you didn't click on any of them, your money would be given to up to three programs at random.

Those programs that didn't rate any funding at all, they'd be eliminated.

It's a crazy idea.

So, I can't think of any better place to ask the question. What are the downsides to this idea?

[valerief]

1. Congress wouldn't like it. They decide where money goes, and

it usually goes where it's least needed.

[Mythsaje]

2. That's not a downside... LOL n/t

[Monkeyman]

3. missing one veterans oh thats right we are cut

[Mythsaje]

4. Nope...

That's part of the etc...

I couldn't remember ALL of our myriad of programs.

[acmejack]

5. Here is story of my hero(ine)

Read the downside (upside) she walks the walk!

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue32/xtra.wartax.html

[Gormy Cuss]

6. So, you pay $1000 in income tax and allocate it to welfare and Emerg Serv.

because if you owe that amount chances are that you're not insulated from the struggles of ordinary people. If you're a Walton heir, you can allocate your $5 million in taxes to coporate subsidies, because that is where you'll get the most bang for your buck.

Then there's the definition of each item on the checklist. There would be considerable wrangling to define activities under the banner of popular items in order to protect special interests. Remember Reagan allowing catsup to count as a vegetable in school lunch programs? That's the kind of freaky contortion that would be done.

It's not a crazy idea. It's just not necessarily one that would improve Federal allocation of tax dollars.