How would i help to bring jobs other than the oilfield into this region? Well there certainly needs to be a lot of hiring taking place, not the least of which should be focused on damage control for what the oilfield job creators have already done to our unique, fragile, & disintegrating coastline.
I always keep an eye on the future, so i am a natural advocate for investing into the advancement of green tech, such as biofuel technology, solar power, wind power, water power, battery advancement, computer advancements, education, innovation.. We could be building our own film studios too & hiring artists for animated features, musicians for soundtracks, voice actors, film crew, catering, etc.
Personally, over the past few years alone i have been an extra in Louisiana based film & television production such as the Rogen/Franco flick This is the End, & upcoming projects such as Free State of Jones, Roots, & Underground. I have researched both sides of the tax credit argument & i believe passing right-to-work labor laws and also lowering the corporate tax rates - this would be good for ALL employers.
I think the oil companies have been too catered to already. I don't really have sympathy for a dying industry that leeches off of the environment and well-meaning individuals & communities - at the same time i understand that people's livelihood is at stake & i do sympathize with that. It is a lifestyle to many. I don't want to BAN oil, but does capitalism have to end with the band playing on a sinking ship? If you don't care about the entire planet, i don't need to hear your opinion on only oil, which is one single aspect of our complex environment. Se we WILL ween off the oil. For good. GOOD! We replace those already failing jobs with new and sustainable ones that we can be proud of. This can be our legacy.
Income tax vs sales tax
How would i help to bring jobs other than the oilfield into this region? Well there certainly needs to be a lot of hiring taking place, not the least of which should be focused on damage control for what the oilfield job creators have already done to our unique, fragile, & disintegrating coastline.
Preparing for the future is my responsibility as a leader, and our collective responsibility as humans - so i am a natural advocate for investing into the advancement of green tech, such as biofuel technology, solar power, wind power, water power, battery advancement (automobile, cordless devices, etc.), computer advancement, education, innovation.. We could be building our own film studios & hiring artists for animated features, musicians for soundtracks, voice actors, film crews, catering, etc.
Personally, over the past few years alone i have been an extra in Louisiana-based film & television projects such as the Rogen/Franco flick This is the End, & upcoming projects such as Free State of Jones, Roots, & Underground. I have researched both sides of the tax credit argument, & i believe passing right-to-work labor laws and also negotiating more attractive corporate incentives that work for everyone would be a good start. This would also be beneficial for ALL employers, not just the film industry.
I think the oil companies have been too catered to already. I don't really have sympathy for a dying industry that leeches off of the environment and well-meaning individuals & communities - at the same time, i understand that people's livelihood is at stake & that is no small matter. Lots of families, lots of children, depend on this source of income today. It is a lifestyle to many. I do not wish to BAN oil, but does capitalism have to end with the band playing on a sinking ship? If you do not care about the entire planet, then i do not need to hear your opinion on only oil, which is merely one facet of a far more complex soci-eco relationship. So we ARE going to ween off the oil eventually. For good. GOOD! We will replace those already failing jobs with new and sustainable ones that we can all be proud of. This can be our legacy.
My feeling is that both income tax and sales tax should work in tandem, but i also believe the system is not functioning at this time with the best interests of.. well... sound mathematical reasoning? in mind. We, as citizens, are all sick and tired of law-savvy goons and shape-shifting reptilian capitalist monsters (unless you happen to be one of those goons or monsters). Don't quote me out of context here - i know better than to trust a goon, and i do know a goon when i meet one, but when i say"monster" i mean this in the sense of "Extremely Successful."
This may sound too radical to some of you, but, personally anyway, i believe an addiction to money is every bit as detrimental to a person as an addiction to whiskey or heroin. How often do we see the white collar criminal or the affluent brat waltz straight through the once truly great American justice system slicker than a greased weasel? It is offensive. It is offensive to those who respect the law and to those who enforce it. This is tied directly to my stance on drugs.
Drugs and money are not so different. Bernie said it first, we are jailing the kids smoking herb and then letting the corrupt bankers and politicians off of the hook in the name of Corporate Sovereignty. This is clearly not in the best interest of the people, nor is it in the best interest of Justice. This does not represent OUR best interests!
Well, what do we do?
I believe, just like in the case of an unhealthy addiction to drugs or alcohol, addiction to money is a mental illness. "Winning" becomes more important than the effects of your victory on the rest of the players in the game; i.e., you, me, and everyone we know.
As for your gun control question, i have since answered in-depth elsewhere in this AMA.
~.d.p.~
OH - before i go - another thing about income vs sales tax. i do believe in using income tax to proportionately tax the rich & successful with the intent of continually advancing our society. Loopholes be damned. Such coding errors in the language of the law must be addressed for the sake of justice and fairness. If you start counting cards or hacking the slot machines at a casino and you get caught, you don't walk away from that with the money you conned. I also believe there to be great benefit in heavily taxing dangerous vices & environmental hazards such as alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, marijuana, fast food, carbon use, high fructose corn syrup, Monsanto franken-corn, artificially painted meats... I was a vegetarian for 12.5 years, but also i was raised on a pig farm by a family of hunters. I believe in animal rights & i also believe it is our right as citizens to know in-depth the conditions of the living animals we produce for food from start to finish. We are going to take back control of the RIGHT to KNOW the methods used to produce our nutrients. We also have the right to know what is in the food we are paying for! Everything we ingest is broken down and affects us on a chemical level - you really are what you eat!