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Swami's avatar

"...who can find more ways...."

I strongly agree. Here are some variations on the theme..,

1). For issues such as health care, or retirement safety nets, we could ask the left, the right and libertarians, Marxists or whatever to each come up with their recommended institutional solution. We could then allow the states to choose among the three or four or whatever number of plans. The incentive here is that each side gets to have its national program albeit on a (multi?) state basis. This would allow regional preferences to get the type of institutions they want (potentially improving utilitarian value), and also allow benchmarking and competition. Later states can learn from the better experiments, adapting and possibly converting to proven superior programs.

2). We could allow individual opt outs or options for national institutions. The obvious existing example is retirement age today for SS. The same option can be introduced for retirement age vs. tax rate. For example, we could allow individuals to choose between current retirement and higher FICA, or later retirement and current FICA rate. Obviously those near retirement would choose the former. Underfunding would be solved immediately in a way either party could approve.

3). For immigration, we could create open immigrant cities or territories where immigrants were allowed to come and go under the institutions of the sponsoring nation state. It can be in an unpopulated border area, in a volunteer area or a neutral place like a charter city. This resolves the classical liberal arguments for potentially expanded or even unlimited immigration, with the concerns of extreme immigration undermining current institutions and norms. The immigrant areas can operate under various experimental institutions.

There are countless other possibilities here. The point is that it allows the Blue states to get Blue state programs, but to get them they must also give Red States their chance to try their ideas as well. We go beyond endless rhetoric and into actual benchmarking comparisons. We effectively convert a win/lose negative sum dynamic into a potentially win/win, constructive cooperation learning system.

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JW Ogden's avatar

Let government bifurcate; why should there only be one Department of Education?

Even more important why have one US currency and central bank big enough to bring down the world economy. Why not have 5 regional backs each with their own currency.

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