General / Off-Topic The "If I Were In Charge..." Thread

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I assume most of us have loads of ideas on how to fix things we frankly know nothing about.
So let's hear them! It can be about anything, as long as it's not forum rules breaking.

Here's mine, and it's mostly for humour, but actually raising some good points. Lol

If I Were In Charge Of Britain...
So, I don't actually pay that much attention to the news, but when I do, I notice several issues that pop up regularly. I understand almost nothing about politics.

1) Unemployment. There are not enough jobs for the people.
2) Housing crisis. There are not enough houses for the people.
3) NHS crisis not enough beds for the people.
4) Pollution. Too many people driving cars, etc.
4) Food Crisis. Sooner or later, there won't be enough food for the people.

So. While everyone else is trying to fix everything individually. I say we just start culling​ people.
Just kidding. Kinda.

Sort of seriously, we're quick to cull other animals when they get out of control, so why not people?
No, I don't actually mean kill them. (Maybe just a few? No? Ok...)

But discourage child birth.
As far as I know, here in the UK, the government basically pays you for having kids.
Stop that to start with. IMHO, if you can't afford it have a child, don't.
(Apparently, I'm an evil dictator! But I'd only apply this to children not yet born, so it's not a complete shock to society! Not so evil dictator?)
I'd also encourage people to not have children, with lower taxes or something.

Less kids equals lower overall population growth. Lower population means more jobs, more homes, better NHS, more food and less pollution!

I won't go in to how many other problems that'll create.... Let's just assume I fixed the world.

What's your grand plan for things?


CMDR Cosmic Spacehead - Evil Dictator

 

[AJW]

If you reduce the birth rate, you reduce the future workforce. Meaning that in a few decades, you have an ageing population being supported by fewer and fewer active workers. Not good for the economy.

If you are going down the 'evil dictator' route, you need to be a bit more evil, and figure out a way to bump people off as soon as they reach pensionable age. Free booze and ciggies for the over-65s would probably help here. Or you can do what the current UK government is doing, make people stay in work longer, and hope they die before they can claim their pensions...

 

[Jezzah]

I'd pay politicians a lot more and attract much better people into the career. I'd help pay for this by scrapping or massively stripping the stupid house of the infirm old businessmen and entitled minorities (house of lords). By attracting better qualified and motivated politicians the country might be in less of a cluster than it is now

Secondly I would pay contract writers and procurement heads proper private industry wages the vast improvement in quality over your standard government waged monkey would massively offset any perceived expense.

Thirdly I would set up "British Solar" a nationalised energy company employing tens of thousands in the manufacture, installation, management and administration of a widespread roll out of solar panel on every house and factory in the country. We'd never have to build another power station again and household utility bills would be a thing of the past. The expertise and equipment could also be sold on to other countries such as the ballyhoo's on the continent. Initially on would pay for this by scrapping plans for the nuclear power station on Hinkley and scrapping vanity projects such as HS2.


That's a few starters.

 

[Lianachan]

If you reduce the birth rate, you reduce the future workforce. Meaning that in a few decades, you have an ageing population being supported by fewer and fewer active workers. Not good for the economy.

If you are going down the 'evil dictator' route, you need to be a bit more evil, and figure out a way to bump people off as soon as they reach pensionable age. Free booze and ciggies for the over-65s would probably help here. Or you can do what the current UK government is doing, make people stay in work longer, and hope they die before they can claim their pensions...

Have you seen Logan's Run? It has a quicker solution than free booze and s. It could also be expanded to include the non-productive elements of society. You know, those useless slackers who take more out than they put in. Surprised nobody at Conservative HQ has thought of this already, actually.

 

[AJW]

Have you seen Logan's Run? It has a quicker solution than free booze and s. It could also be expanded to include the non-productive elements of society. You know, those useless slackers who take more out than they put in. Surprised nobody at Conservative HQ hasn't thought of this already, actually.

If the Tories could figure out a way to do it without removing their own supporters they'd probably give it a try...

 

[shreddog]

discourage child birth.

(I am assuming you're either European or American.)
What do you think is already going on?? We are taught from childhood how to "protect" ourselves from getting children. Then if someone is pregnant and didn't really plan it, they are there quick informing how you can get rid of it..

European people are in a negative trend population wise and certainly don't need any more encouragement to not have children.

 

[ZeroAi]

I assume most of us have loads of ideas on how to fix things we frankly know nothing about.
So let's hear them! It can be about anything, as long as it's not forum rules breaking.

Here's mine, and it's mostly for humour, but actually raising some good points. Lol

If I Were In Charge Of Britain...
So, I don't actually pay that much attention to the news, but when I do, I notice several issues that pop up regularly. I understand almost nothing about politics.

1) Unemployment. There are not enough jobs for the people.
2) Housing crisis. There are not enough houses for the people.
3) NHS crisis not enough beds for the people.
4) Pollution. Too many people driving cars, etc.
4) Food Crisis. Sooner or later, there won't be enough food for the people.

So. While everyone else is trying to fix everything individually. I say we just start culling​ people.
Just kidding. Kinda.

Sort of seriously, we're quick to cull other animals when they get out of control, so why not people?
No, I don't actually mean kill them. (Maybe just a few? No? Ok...)

But discourage child birth.
As far as I know, here in the UK, the government basically pays you for having kids.
Stop that to start with. IMHO, if you can't afford it have a child, don't.
(Apparently, I'm an evil dictator! But I'd only apply this to children not yet born, so it's not a complete shock to society! Not so evil dictator?)
I'd also encourage people to not have children, with lower taxes or something.

Less kids equals lower overall population growth. Lower population means more jobs, more homes, better NHS, more food and less pollution!

I won't go in to how many other problems that'll create.... Let's just assume I fixed the world.

What's your grand plan for things?


CMDR Cosmic Spacehead - Evil Dictator

I don't live in Britain but, if I were in charge of the world...

#1 - Take money out of politics

Why do politicians have to be rich to run for office? Because of the cost of advertising... however most ad money is spent to buy ads running on or through the public right of way - newspapers and magazines transported and sold on the public's right of way. TV aired over the public airwaves. Cable TV and Internet run down the public's roadways.

I have better idea - any media outlet that wants to use the right of way needs to also reserve 10% of their paper, magazine, air-time for free ads for those running for office during election time. Local election boards can determine the top several candidates base on signatures gained from local supporters (or some other common sense mechanism.)

#2 - Politicians must obey and be subject to the same laws they pass.

Nuff said - no loopholes

#3 - Government can only borrow in times of war or depression.

Why our elected representatives think it's ok to bankrupt our grandchildren is beyond me. Don't spend money you don't have!

#4 - Anyone who collects any government subsidy must provide the government with time in return. If everyone on unemployment had to work with the public works departments to clean up our public spaces our communities would look awesome.

#5 - Flat tax period. Well almost.

Every penny you earn under the poverty line is not taxed. Every penny you earn from the poverty line to 20 times poverty is flat taxed. But companies who can afford to pay workers / CEO's 100's of times more than the employees actually doing the work of the company can also afford to pay a higher "stupid" tax for paying their people "stupid" amounts of money that should have been used to re-invest and grow the company.

#6 - Government can only change tax rates once every 4 years.

Makes me sick how tax law changes like every other day.

#7 - Have no place to sleep? Have no food to eat? We will not abandon you

Any citizen who is down on their luck will be provided with:
1) A PO Box (so they can apply for jobs as they will have an address)
2) A safe and warm cart to sleep on. It may be in the middle of an auditorium, but it will be safe, dry, and warm.
3) Three meals a day. Likely Water, Soup, and Bread. People can live their whole life without a cheeseburger and fries, especially when they can't feed themselves.
4) For the above you will be required to pick up trash in public spaces, but you will not starve or freeze.

I could go on and on!

 

[We Are Groot]

Unemployment will become the norm as automation, robots and machines replace more and more jobs. Countries are and will be looking at a guaranteed basic income models for large percentages of the population. Housing is becoming out of reach more and more with house flipping and speculators etc? Housing bubbles in some countries because of that? So you will have cities where many can not afford to live yet you need those people there to fill vital jobs and try and keep the economy churning. Good luck with that in some places.

You don't really need food. Aren't millions of people around the world already facing starvation and food shortages? I'm sure they will be just fine. Marriage is becoming less common, less people giving birth, and the aging population is outnumbering children in some countries. All in all I would say things are looking pretty good?

My grand plan for things? I'm gonna sit back and watch the show because I have full confidence in those who are pulling the strings. I base this on the news I hear but with the fake news crisis that is going on how much can you really believe? No, I am sure there are plenty of numbers out there to backup where things could be going.

 

[beelbeebub]

I assume most of us have loads of ideas on how to fix things we frankly know nothing about.
So let's hear them! It can be about anything, as long as it's not forum rules breaking.

Here's mine, and it's mostly for humour, but actually raising some good points. Lol

If I Were In Charge Of Britain...
So, I don't actually pay that much attention to the news, but when I do, I notice several issues that pop up regularly. I understand almost nothing about politics.

1) Unemployment. There are not enough jobs for the people.
2) Housing crisis. There are not enough houses for the people.
3) NHS crisis not enough beds for the people.
4) Pollution. Too many people driving cars, etc.
4) Food Crisis. Sooner or later, there won't be enough food for the people.

So. While everyone else is trying to fix everything individually. I say we just start culling​ people.
Just kidding. Kinda.

Sort of seriously, we're quick to cull other animals when they get out of control, so why not people?
No, I don't actually mean kill them. (Maybe just a few? No? Ok...)

But discourage child birth.
As far as I know, here in the UK, the government basically pays you for having kids.
Stop that to start with. IMHO, if you can't afford it have a child, don't.
(Apparently, I'm an evil dictator! But I'd only apply this to children not yet born, so it's not a complete shock to society! Not so evil dictator?)
I'd also encourage people to not have children, with lower taxes or something.

Less kids equals lower overall population growth. Lower population means more jobs, more homes, better NHS, more food and less pollution!

I won't go in to how many other problems that'll create.... Let's just assume I fixed the world.

What's your grand plan for things?


CMDR Cosmic Spacehead - Evil Dictator

if you look at the figures, the population issue is at the other end.

It's not that to many are being born, it's that not enough old people are dying.

If you want to go down the evil dictator "reduce the surplus population" route maybe cutting winter fuel allowances and meals on wheels?

(in the dark comedy spirit if things)

On a more serious note, automation and Ai wil have a massive impact on jobs and the way we fund the state (taxes - if nobody has any income). We need to think how we handle that.

I'd change the voting system to be more representative but also keep an unelected second house (the lords) albeit with some changes to selection and transparency and terms.

I'd get rid of the current "house of commons" format of giving long speech in a room and move online. MPs would date on a forum (not unlike this one) with a "moderator of the house". Votes would be via the pol system. Bills would be introduced as a thread. And the public would have real time read only access to the forum so speeches/posts could be viewed in context and when facts and figures were quoted,links could be placed to the sources who would then be fact checked and rated by the house of commons library)

I'd regulate the press in the same way as the broadcast media (OFCOM) and make it illegal for MPs to knowing make am untrue or misleading statement

 

[lysan]

I don't live in Britain but, if I were in charge of the world...

#1 - Take money out of politics

Why do politicians have to be rich to run for office? Because of the cost of advertising... however most ad money is spent to buy ads running on or through the public right of way - newspapers and magazines transported and sold on the public's right of way. TV aired over the public airwaves. Cable TV and Internet run down the public's roadways.

I have better idea - any media outlet that wants to use the right of way needs to also reserve 10% of their paper, magazine, air-time for free ads for those running for office during election time. Local election boards can determine the top several candidates base on signatures gained from local supporters (or some other common sense mechanism.)

#2 - Politicians must obey and be subject to the same laws they pass.

Nuff said - no loopholes

#3 - Government can only borrow in times of war or depression.

Why our elected representatives think it's ok to bankrupt our grandchildren is beyond me. Don't spend money you don't have!

#4 - Anyone who collects any government subsidy must provide the government with time in return. If everyone on unemployment had to work with the public works departments to clean up our public spaces our communities would look awesome.

#5 - Flat tax period. Well almost.

Every penny you earn under the poverty line is not taxed. Every penny you earn from the poverty line to 20 times poverty is flat taxed. But companies who can afford to pay workers / CEO's 100's of times more than the employees actually doing the work of the company can also afford to pay a higher "stupid" tax for paying their people "stupid" amounts of money that should have been used to re-invest and grow the company.

#6 - Government can only change tax rates once every 4 years.

Makes me sick how tax law changes like every other day.

#7 - Have no place to sleep? Have no food to eat? We will not abandon you

Any citizen who is down on their luck will be provided with:
1) A PO Box (so they can apply for jobs as they will have an address)
2) A safe and warm cart to sleep on. It may be in the middle of an auditorium, but it will be safe, dry, and warm.
3) Three meals a day. Likely Water, Soup, and Bread. People can live their whole life without a cheeseburger and fries, especially when they can't feed themselves.
4) For the above you will be required to pick up trash in public spaces, but you will not starve or freeze.

I could go on and on!

Good sane suggestions here, I will just add to that.

Bring down the bureaucracy, make the laws simpler, make it easier to start a business, stop regulation of "home farming" need to be more simple, like it was in the old days.
Use more bio diesel and use alcohol in cars instead of gasoline, support electric cars by zero TAX on those.

Let people install as much solar panels/heaters as they want on their houses, make sure that they also install battery banks to support down time.

Just by doing that you can bring down energy consumption by a lot.

 

[TheAntitheist Crusader]

I'd start with getting rid of faith schools, lies should never be taught in schools, as for the birth rate, the UK population is ridiculous, we need to do a kind of two child policy, no benefits for third child (and i'm a liberal democratic soccialist labour voter) this should discourage the benefits scroungers (some do abuse our very good welfare system) and hopefully discourage Catholic and Islamic families from growing (since they are among the most devout against protection), my other priority would include space exploration and climate change prevention, if we are to survive as a species and start growing unrestricted, we need first to protect this planet, then colonize others. Note: no cullings of old people, and no forced abortions (which would be barbaric), just encouragement not to have more than two (or else not recieve benefits for the third). However, i'm not in charge and even if i were i doubt i'd get any of that through parliament.

 

[Arry]

This depends on whether you control the UK or the world. With the UK alone, you have the issue of the rest of the world, influencing such things as the economy etc.

For the UK:

Population control has to be considered. Look at it like the new recycling laws. A manufacture is technically responsible for the product it creates, from beginning to the end of its life. Today, a car, a TV or a freezer manufacture, technically, has to recycle the product, at the end of its life-span. We as consumers, can literally send the item back to the manufacture and they have to recycle it. So maybe if not a ban or control of children born, then an option to set up a life time trust, that covers that child from birth to death. If you can't afford this, then you get to have one child; two if you are a couple, so once a male has fathered a child, he can only father another, in the event of death of the 1st one, or if he is now with a woman who has none, but two living are the maximum he can ever produce. Unless he can guarantee said offspring are paid for in advance, as I suggested before. The Chinese one child policy was too much, because it halved the population, saw females as a burden and didn't take into account, the future requirements of the country. However: The world needs to understand the the policy was introduced, because they were desperate, to cut down the population growth, as it caused millions to die, due to famines in the past. They had the right idea, but the wrong method.

As to the five issues in the OP. Housing, NHS, Food, Pollution and Unemployment. These things cost money and create the national debt: Which like it or not, will NEVER be paid. So spend the money, not unlimited spending, without the kick-backs and palm greasing and build the houses, pay for the NHS and deal with the pollution, produce and import the food; this creates employment. However: The world dictates each countries economy etc. So no one country can go it alone and become isolated; well China could, but that is a massive country, but somewhere like the UK, has to run itself, the way the rest of the world wants it to.

The one very important thing forgotten from the list above: Education. This is the key to the future, train the kids for tomorrows world and how it SHOULD be; not how the likes of SKY and McDonald's would like it to be.

 

[shreddog]

I see most everyone in here in favor or population control in the UK :S I'm curious, how many of you guys are also in favor of the mass-immigration going on today?
You are aware that the birth rate among immigrants is significantly higher than native Brits? You are aware that native Brits have a birth rate that is way below 2.1(which is necessary to keep population at current level)?

Spoiler

I googled and found out the native British fertility rate is 1.4 in average, but that includes all current generations. If you look at younger generations, the number is closer to 1.0. With a replacement rate of 1.0 children per British female, the next generation of Brits appearing over the next 25 years will be half the size of the last generation, and if the next generation maintains the 1.0 replacement rate, that means that within the next 50 years (roughly 2 generations) the population of native British people in these islands will decrease by roughly 60-75%(worst case scenario).
Meanwhile the muslim birth rate in the UK is somewhere between 3 and 5.

You don't need population control, you need immigration stop..

 

[TheAntitheist Crusader]

I see most everyone in here in favor or population control in the UK :S I'm curious, how many of you guys are also in favor of the mass-immigration going on today?
You are aware that the birth rate among immigrants is significantly higher than native Brits? You are aware that native Brits have a birth rate that is way below 2.1(which is necessary to keep population at current level)?

Spoiler

I googled and found out the native British fertility rate is 1.4 in average, but that includes all current generations. If you look at younger generations, the number is closer to 1.0. With a replacement rate of 1.0 children per British female, the next generation of Brits appearing over the next 25 years will be half the size of the last generation, and if the next generation maintains the 1.0 replacement rate, that means that within the next 50 years (roughly 2 generations) the population of native British people in these islands will decrease by roughly 60-75%(worst case scenario).
Meanwhile the muslim birth rate in the UK is somewhere between 3 and 5.

You don't need population control, you need immigration stop..

Actually despite being a remainer for the UK, i am in favour of immigration control, i believe the EU will wake up and realise the mistake of allowing such uncontrolled mayhem, hopefully before it's too late, as for the UK, it's the one good thing about brexit.

 

[shreddog]

Actually despite being a remainer for the UK, i am in favour of immigration control, i believe the EU will wake up and realise the mistake of allowing such uncontrolled mayhem, hopefully before it's too late, as for the UK, it's the one good thing about brexit.

Yeh, actually I think there's no stopping it. Brexit won't matter. Your parliament/courts will never agree on something like a immigration halt. Just look overseas at Trump.. He's been neutered after taking office. He can't even implement a simple temporary travel stop from a select group of unsecured countries.

With a HUGE population boom happening in Africa now, and infrastructure that can't support it at all, expect massive increase in migrants from there(it's already started, but this is just the early stage).
And the Middle East continues being destabilized by the West, so we will still see a continued stream of refugees from there.

All in all, interesting times ahead.. It's going to be packed

 

[TheAntitheist Crusader]

Yeh, actually I think there's no stopping it. Brexit won't matter. Your parliament/courts will never agree on something like a immigration halt. Just look overseas at Trump.. He's been neutered after taking office. He can't even implement a simple temporary travel stop from a select group of unsecured countries.

With a HUGE population boom happening in Africa now, and infrastructure that can't support it at all, expect massive increase in migrants from there(it's already started, but this is just the early stage).
And the Middle East continues being destabilized by the West, so we will still see a continued stream of refugees from there.

All in all, interesting times ahead.. It's going to be packed

I don't believe in a Trump style travel ban, at least not in the way he does, and i'm not against all immigration, it just needs to be controlled, as for refugees, well that's hard, i just wish Russia and or America/the west could just rebuild Iraq and Syria and North Africa in the same way Germany and Japan were rebuilt after ww2, that way the refugees could stay there. But obviously the oil, arms and religious leaders don't want that so it won't happen.

 

[beelbeebub]

I see most everyone in here in favor or population control in the UK :S I'm curious, how many of you guys are also in favor of the mass-immigration going on today?
You are aware that the birth rate among immigrants is significantly higher than native Brits? You are aware that native Brits have a birth rate that is way below 2.1(which is necessary to keep population at current level)?

Spoiler

I googled and found out the native British fertility rate is 1.4 in average, but that includes all current generations. If you look at younger generations, the number is closer to 1.0. With a replacement rate of 1.0 children per British female, the next generation of Brits appearing over the next 25 years will be half the size of the last generation, and if the next generation maintains the 1.0 replacement rate, that means that within the next 50 years (roughly 2 generations) the population of native British people in these islands will decrease by roughly 60-75%(worst case scenario).
Meanwhile the muslim birth rate in the UK is somewhere between 3 and 5.

You don't need population control, you need immigration stop..

The birth rate tends to fall fairly rapidly as soon as Te child mortality rate drops and, crucially, women's education, work rights and access to contraception increases.

There is a lag between these things happening and the birth rate falling and the key is to try and move the immigrant population from the cultural mindset of high birth high mortality, to lower birth, low mortality.

This means integration, so the second generation think "British". My mother is nonUK born and I have an interest in her home country and culture, but it is alien to me. I'm British (despite what some UKIPpers might say) and my culture and thoughts are British.

As soon as any immigrant population starts becoming affluent and integrated te birth rate will fall.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't believe in a Trump style travel ban, at least not in the way he does, and i'm not against all immigration, it just needs to be controlled, as for refugees, well that's hard, i just wish Russia and or America/the west could just rebuild Iraq and Syria and North Africa in the same way Germany and Japan were rebuilt after ww2, that way the refugees could stay there. But obviously the oil, arms and religious leaders don't want that so it won't happen.

the best way to control immigration, especially refugees is to prevent the "push" factors driving them away from their homes. Things like poverty, famine, war etc. and the best way to do this is with foreign policy (not starting wars is a good starting point) and forein development aid.

Funnily enough the same people who are against immigration are often for starting wars and against foreign aid.

 

[Morbad]

I don't believe in a Trump style travel ban, at least not in the way he does, and i'm not against all immigration, it just needs to be controlled

Eh, were I in control, I'd just open the borders.

I don't like people telling me where I can or cannot go, and I'm not willing to restrict the movement of anyone else.

as for refugees, well that's hard, i just wish Russia and or America/the west could just rebuild Iraq and Syria and North Africa in the same way Germany and Japan were rebuilt after ww2, that way the refugees could stay there. But obviously the oil, arms and religious leaders don't want that so it won't happen.

A post WWII Marshal Plan rebuilding of all these war torn areas will never happen...the west is too prejudiced against brown people and would rather just murder a few tens of millions of them every few decades to keep them in check, or better yet, get them to do it to themselves.

 

[TheAntitheist Crusader]

The birth rate tends to fall fairly rapidly as soon as Te child mortality rate drops and, crucially, women's education, work rights and access to contraception increases.

There is a lag between these things happening and the birth rate falling and the key is to try and move the immigrant population from the cultural mindset of high birth high mortality, to lower birth, low mortality.

This means integration, so the second generation think "British". My mother is nonUK born and I have an interest in her home country and culture, but it is alien to me. I'm British (despite what some UKIPpers might say) and my culture and thoughts are British.

As soon as any immigrant population starts becoming affluent and integrated te birth rate will fall.

- - - Updated - - -


the best way to control immigration, especially refugees is to prevent the "push" factors driving them away from their homes. Things like poverty, famine, war etc. and the best way to do this is with foreign policy (not starting wars is a good starting point) and forein development aid.

Funnily enough the same people who are against immigration are often for starting wars and against foreign aid.

I'm for foreign aid, allthough not to nuclear weapons powers like Pakistan and terrorist states like Saudi Arabia, and i'm only for wars if they are for genuine humanitarian purposes (rarely the reason we go to war i know) but i'd be dishonest if i said i opposed the toppling of dictators to prevent cruelty, we defended Muslims in Bosnia, we helped the people of sierra Leone, there were legitimate reasons to topple the vile Taliban, and the dangerous and cruel Saddam regime....Saddam may not have had WMD in 03 but we know he used them in the past against the Kurds, bottom line is that there are reasons to go to war, the problem is that those reasons are not the ones the politicians have in mind, they work for big oil...and the arms and private military companies, and obviously they have zero interest in nation building after they destroy the infrastructure of entire nations.

 

[beelbeebub]

I'm for foreign aid, allthough not to nuclear weapons powers like Pakistan and terrorist states like Saudi Arabia, and i'm only for wars if they are for genuine humanitarian purposes (rarely the reason we go to war i know) but i'd be dishonest if i said i opposed the toppling of dictators to prevent cruelty, we defended Muslims in Bosnia, we helped the people of sierra Leone, there were legitimate reasons to topple the vile Taliban, and the dangerous and cruel Saddam regime....Saddam may not have had WMD in 03 but we know he used them in the past against the Kurds, bottom line is that there are reasons to go to war, the problem is that those reasons are not the ones the politicians have in mind, they work for big oil...and the arms and private military companies, and obviously they have zero interest in nation building after they destroy the infrastructure of entire nations.

Whilst not disagreeing with the overall principle of "just" wars to prevent genocide etc. The practical problem that we just aren't very good at them, remains.

Yes Saddam Hussain was a very nasty man who was brutal to some of his own population. But is the life of the average Iraqi shop keeper or Cobbler better now?

The Taliban were not nice, but they were the church of England doing jumble sales and cake bakes compared to ISIS.

Would it have been better, rather than encouraging the "Arab spring" to assist in stopping it.

Is Egypt any better under a military government than under the old regime?

What about Libya? It's pretty much anarchy. Would Gadhafi be blowing up ancient ruins or flooding the black market with the contents of his armoury. Hi might have still sold a few weapons on the side but nothing like the free for all looting that happened after his fall.

Syria is a hot mess right now. If there was a parallel universe where the West hadn't egged on the Syrian opposition and instead had said "OK Assad, crack down but keep the violence to the absolute minimum" - would there be fewer or greater deaths? Would the living conditions of Syrians be better or worse. Yes a few hundred political protesters might have been tortured or shot during crack downs (and I'm not condoning that) but is that a price worth paying compared to the tens of thousands of deaths, the torture, the refugee crisis which is causing problems outside the region?

In short, it think it's hard to make the case that, in general, military action causes less suffering (although there are some case where it has) or even that it is cheaper. Imagine what could have been done to the Asia, Middle East and Africa if the billions spent on wars had been ploughed into development of infrastructure, education, healthcare.