Sun Tzu

***I initially posted this three years ago (OMG ), I stopped posting because I felt that anytime I entered into a discussion/debate it got me too worked up; especially in regards to the "Holy Land". I still read the posts from time to time and see some of the members are gone, some are new. There are still strong opinions so I thought this would be an interesting post to bring up again. I updated the subjects to our situation now. This isnt about getting into the past right or wrongs or the blame game, but a scenerio that has been given to you and what YOU would do.***

**This isnt intended to slam any other country by using the US Presidency for the thread. If you want to post what you would do if you live outside the US please post.

Politics is a tricky thing no matter the government someone is considering; being a leader over the masses is a task many can critique, but most (I think) would have difficulty doing. A visit to the political area here in the forum and it’s easy to see that no one is going to please everybody. Hopefully leaders are free of corruption and they go on to do they best they can with a vision that’s complementary to the majority. The purpose of this thread is to project your vision. Call it an exercise or just a different arena; instead of condemning the actions of the present or past presidents here’s your chance to voice how you would approach the issues that would shape the world you would like to see.




You have just been elected President of the United States. You have a diverse administration that suggests multiple possibilities for everything. Ultimately the decisions are yours alone to make. Here are the issues. These are general areas so please touch on any issue within them. If your staff missed any feel free to include such issues. It’s up to you Mr./Ms. President- tell us how its going to be done.



ECONOMY:



WAR in IRAQ:



NATIONAL DEFENSE (In General):
(Including Homeland Security)



SOCIAL SECURITY:



ISRAEL:
(Included in it's own catagory for several reasons)



FOREIGN POLICY (In General):
(Include Iran and N Korea)



IMMIGRATION:



EDUCATION:



ABORTION:



HEALTH CARE:



SPACE PROGRAM:



WAR ON DRUGS:



CRIME:



OTHER:
(Also describe how you are going to be more successful in bringing both parties together; at least to work together better. Any new bills you will introduce. Any reforms you will put forth such as federal powers distrubuted or taken away from state resposibility. Electorial college review considerations? Anything else you can think place in other.)

You have 4 years to do it; possibly eight.

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

Mojo_PeiPei

[QUOTE]

ECONOMY: Try and find a way to get jobs back into America. I would stop the tax breaks for the rich, but I wouldn't increase taxes, especially on the middle class & businesses. Perhaps establish a government work program similar to what FDR had, I don't know how I would implement it, but if it gets people working and spending money everyone wins. Also I would try and stop all the smoking bans, seriously smokers are the back bone of state funding. Ease foreign aid where possible, why are we giving billions of dollars to countries that loathe us when we are having a massive budget crisis here.
*One area where I would raise taxes on corparations that have purposely shipped labor out of America to raise profits.



NATIONAL DEFENSE: I don't think our current system is horribly flawed. Might ease spending slightly, but I recognize being top dog we need a top notch military.



SOCIAL SECURITY: Jesus i have no idea what to do for this... I mean can anything help the situation? Its bad now, wait until all the of boomers start cashing in...



FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)
-Iraq I would proceed, things have been going considerbly well, I think it would be foolish to cut out and run. For better or worse we are there and we have a job to do.
-N. Korea I would tell Kim Jong to go blow himself and not make any concessions. Not going to let those fucks try and blackmail us. Further more I would pull our presence out of S. Korea. Its a conflict waiting to erupt. The South doesn't want us there, the North wants to throw down, I'd let them hash it out.
-Definently minimize funding for the U.N. and scale down our presence in its missions, I don't like the concept of the U.N., I dislilke even more how its implements policies (or lack thereof). You know its ridiculous when Libya is chairing the Human Rights council.


IMMIGRATION:
Don't know how to fix it, although obviously something has to be done. Illegals are becoming a force in the economy which is neither good nor bad, they do the jobs us white folks are to proud to do.


EDUCATION:
Revamp the system, something has to be done.. the system is becoming a black hole of tax payer money. Cut administrative pay to a more reasonable level, hell I would forsure cut INCREASES in spending, I don't think the problem is lack of money.


DOMESTIC ISSUES:
1) Try and bring jobs back here.
2) Try and control ridiculous spending on broken social programs.
3) Attempt to revamp welfare system for non-handicap recipient, perhaps find a REASONABLE way to get them into the workforce.
*** Health Care ***
Big issue for me. Insurance is necessary but is starting to become SO INSANELY unreasonable that even the middle class is struggling with it. I would go after insurance company's to lower premiums, try and at least keep it comprable to inflation. Try and work a restriction on lawsuits which are a major reason why insurance is in the state it is.

Further more I would try and make insurance MORE available to the needy, I don't know if I would go as far as universal because that means more taxes which I am not about.

SPACE PROGRAM:
Keep spending the way it is, times right now we need to focus on whats going on down here on earth, or more importantly in this country rather then the great unknown.

__________________
To win a war you must serve no master but your ambition.

debaser

ECONOMY:

I would institute a freeze on all tax hikes/cuts untill congress displayed the fiscal responsibility needed to pass a balanced budget. There is simply too much pork and too many pet projects in the system now. A fiscally responsible government would raise consumer confidence. I would also insist on stronger laws to punish so called "white collar criminals" who use their position to defraud investors of millions (billions?) each year.


NATIONAL DEFENSE:

Programs need to be put in place to attract and retain smart, aggressive young minds. Our military is the best equipped in the world, and it should stay that way, however some of the more redundant and/or outdated units should be phased out so that the dollars spent on them currantly can be spent on more worthwhile issues (like a pay raise for soldiers).

We need to ferret out and destroy threats to this country and our allies, but we should only do so when we have solid intelligence to back up such moves. To that end I would earmark a large sum of money to improvements not only in surveilance technologies, but also in human intelligence. There is simply nothing better than a man on the ground.


SOCIAL SECURITY:

With the ageing population of the USA we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth. First and formost, Social Security dollars must be reserved for that purpose and that purpose only. Congress should not have the ability to spend this money at will. By leaving the funds untouched, the amount available will slowly recover to acceptable levels. Individuals should be able to opt for various investment plans so long as a core amount (enough for basic subsistance) remains in their account.


FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)

Our foriegn policy should include but not be dependant on the UN. An attempt should be made to further American interests around the globe, but never at the expense of our national security.

Iraq: An exit strategy must be developed and articulated. I advocate a "tough love" policy in which a staged withdrawal of US forces and administrative staff forces the Iraqis to take control of various aspects of their government at a set date. This will alleviate a good deal of the attacks and encourage cooperation with US and British administrators to create entities that will take over in their stead.

North Korea: North Korea has been a danger to it's neighbors for half a century. Now that they have developed nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them with ballistic missiles they threaten all of the ASEAN countries. This threat must be stopped, if not by aggressive diplomacy, then by targeted strikes at key government and military sites.

Israel/Palestine: Israel should return to an approximation of the borders set down in UN181. Palestine, in order to be a viable state, must be a contiguous entity. Once this is accomplished a closed border between the two nations should be established for a period (to be determined), to allow a cooling off. If this is unsuccessful, Israel is more than capable of re-occupying the area in question. In order for this to happen the Israelis must dismantle all settlements in the occupied territories, and the Palestinians must renounce the right of return.

(I could go on all night with Foriegn Policy specifics, I will be happy to answer any questions on issues not mentioned here)


IMMIGRATION:

Businesses that hire illegal aliens should be prosecuted and heavily fined, or the managers imprisoned. If the demand for illegal labor dries up, so will the immigration problem.

A correlary to this issue is that certain goods and services supplied by US companies should be taxed if those originate in foriegn countries at the expense of the American work force.


EDUCATION:

We need to devote more money and effort to educating our children. Teachers need to be held accountable for the performance of their students. Any child should be able to attend college or a trade school if they wish, and they should enter that school with the skills neccessary to excell.


DOMESTIC ISSUES:


Gun Control: I would press for a Federal Concealed Carry Permit and a repeal of the AWB. Mandatory gun safety courses should be instituted in high schools as part of the general health class. Every American should have a basic knowledge of firearms and safety, regardless of whether they choose to own one or not.

ANWAR Drilling: Until we have solid numbers regarding the amount of oil/gas under the reserve we have no business endangering one of our national treasures.


SPACE PROGRAM: It is time to look to the stars again. America is doing well, but we have no goals. To this end I would support a major NASA program geared towards a spectacular result. Commercial investment in the space program should be encouraged to help diffray the cost .

__________________

chavos

ECONOMY: Eliminate tax cuts passed in last 4 years. retarget some of those monies at working/middle class, with payroll tax cuts, not income taxes. balance budget as possible. try to free loanable fund for investment in infrastructure, not swallow it all with federal debt.

NATIONAL DEFENSE: Offer to cede some control over Iraq/Afganistan to the UN, in return for Blue Helmets, and reconstruction efforts. Fund as much as possible with oil revenues, trying to minimize tax burden on US.

Try to work on pay/benifits for troops...there is no reason that we need to be as short of troops as we are. it will require paying more for them, but i think it's the least we can do. paying salaries is one of the wiser investments governments make.
SOCIAL SECURITY: Investigate privitization. As it stands, it cuts the amount of private saving by an astronomical amount. Frankly, i'd ask leading economists for their advice, and then try to sell that plan as best i could.

FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)

Try not to piss everybody off so damn much. Put pressure on China to patrol their own backyard. Stop micromanaging the UN with funding limits and conditions. Emphasis human rights when considering intervention in forgien affairs.

IMMIGRATION: End rewards for consular officers based on number of visas denied. Increase number of legal spots available. Explore limited amnesty programs, and acknowledge the reality of immigrant labor. Deporting them all would be a huge economic shock, making our goods even more expensive. I doubt we can improve our quality of life with strict americanism. Give workers dsiplaced by immigrant labor/exported jobs opportunities for education.

EDUCATION: Fully fund federal mandates for special ed, etc. Let teachers teach. Give college loan amnesty for those willing to teach in troubled school districts.

DOMESTIC ISSUES: Explore a health care plan not linked to emplyment available for all americans. allowing people to become self employed and not lose health care is crucial to the future of the american economy.

Support civil unions, and inclusive langauge in anti-discrimination legislation.

take no action against Roe V wade, but support programs to aviod unwanted pregnancy in the first place.

SPACE PROGRAM: Support manned and unmanned exploration. We need dreams for our kids..and we need to understand the world around us.

laconic1

ECONOMY:
Roll back tax cuts, balance the budget, don't award any government contracts to companies that ship jobs overseas to cut cost.

NATIONAL DEFENSE:
Improve benefits, training to keep more soldiers.

SOCIAL SECURITY:
With the baby boomers nearing retirement age, and fewer members of Gen X to replace them the age that people will be eligible to receive benefits will have to be raised to about 68 to lessen the load.

FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)
Quit favoring Israel excessively, the only way we can be viewed as being impartial is to be impartial. Finish what we started in Iraq and get out.

IMMIGRATION:
Allow legal immigration at current levels, deport all illegal immigrants, ensure we accept the best and brightest immigrants, and refugees seeking genuine asylum.

EDUCATION:
I don't know where to start here. I think most education problems start in the home, before the child even goes to school.

Kadath

ECONOMY:
No more tax cuts for the rich, no more $300 checks for the people. It's a waste of money. Getting people employed is job 1. Cutting the waste is job two. We all know it's there, get a team of private sector accountants to figure out how to overhaul the government spending scheme, save us some money on stupid things. (Yeah, I'm stealing from Dave, of all things.)


NATIONAL DEFENSE:
Much as I hate to admit it, we need to maintain our current military in this climate. I'd probably cut back on million dollar bombs though.


SOCIAL SECURITY:
Time to call the dream over. Admit the thing is a pyramid scheme that is about to capsize. Medicare should be maintained, but figure out a way to start phasing out checks for people. In its place, teach people how to invest for their future instead of relying on pension (which a lot of places are getting rid of) and SS checks.


FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)
Time to use the carrot instead of the stick. Iraq, admit we bit off more than we could chew, eat the crow and get help from the UN. Stop interfering where we're not wanted, though I don't endorse isolationism either. NK, tell KJI we'll help him turn the country around if he stops mistreating his people. If he wants to go it alone, don't go saber rattling around us.


IMMIGRATION:
Bush's amnesty is not a bad idea. Institute it quickly, then make it clear we're going to crack down on new illegal immigrants. Encourage people to come in, but warn them you don't get welfare for something like three years after entering, to prevent people coming in and draining resources.


EDUCATION:
Oh dear. Honestly, I've got nothing.


DOMESTIC ISSUES:
Welfare needs to get revamped in a big way. Tougher on guns. Work on socialized health care for everyone.


SPACE PROGRAM:
We need to start spending less money on something that doesn't pay out immediately. I'm not proposing even a 30% cut, but maybe 10-15% would give us some wiggle room in other areas. In better times, keep space in mind.

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it's quiet in here

Thraeryn

All answers are taken from the Libertarian Party's National Platform, Executive Summary:
It may seem like a bit of a cop-out to quote directly from a party platform, but these are my strongly-held beliefs. I marvel at what this country could become under Libertarian Party government.

Macheath

Economy: Reduce subsidies for uncompetitive industries. Reinvigorate Anti-trust legislation whilst investing in stimulating competition and infrastructure development, particularly for high tech industries. Balance the damn budget. Move away from aggressive monetarism and focus on job creation.

National Defense: Fund the military industrial complex on the basis of need, not on the basis of profits. Guarantee benefits and post military career prospects for serving personnel; a military is only as good as its soldiers. Focus on high concept and high tech. Oppose the privatization of peace-keeping. Improve human intelligence capabilities.

Social Security: Raise retirement age slightly based on increasing advances in life expectancy and health. Restore solvency by raising rates of return. Firstly by advance-funding Social Security through allocating money for a Social Security Trust Fund; funds accumulated in advance will earn compound interest over time. Secondly by investing a portion of the assets accumulated through advance funding in equities, since equity investments are likely to yield higher average rates of return over time than the Treasury bonds in which Social Security's assets currently are fully invested.

Foreign Policy: Asia - Promote a balance of power in Asia that would help Japan, China and Russia contain North Korea. America must be highly influential but subtle and cannot be seen to be taking an aggressive front seat role in Asian affairs. Ensure that any Korean reunification would not precipitate an economic meltdown in Seoul. Middle East - Put the Iraqi Army to work rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq. Propose a clear exit strategy and a clear path towards self-governance. Reduce reliance on a compromising relationship with Saudi Arabia. Focus on interim plans for extended periods of coexistence between Israel and Palestine with eventual refinement of the terms rather than a single ambitious "all or nothing" push for peace. At the same time recognize that both Israel and Palestine will one day exist as contiguous states that will both need viable borders and sustainable internal infrastructure. Intransigence on either side is not acceptable in the long term.

Immigration: Investigate the domestic economies that are based on the labor of illegal immmigrants. Accept the need for carefully applied amnesty programs while creating incentives for alternative economies based on a legal labor force.

Education: Increase funding for public education. Reduce administrative costs of state departments by encouraging states to share their administrative infrastructure; either through a state-to-state based program of cooperation or relenting to some Federal Education Department control.

Domestic Issues: Comprehensive public health insurance system. Improve job search program for welfare recipients. Do not crush genuine job seekers under reams of punitive paperwork. Campaign finance reform. Do not allow the further introduction of non-auditable electronic voting technology.

Space Program: Investigate the failures of NASA's internal bureaucratic culture. Focus on the development of new launch vehicles and terraforming technologies. Aggressively apply newly aquired knowledge in non-space related fields such as agriculture or energy policy.

2wolves

SPACE PROGRAM: Man on Mars by 2010. Basic research always, always, pays off. The medical, materials, and I.T. systems that NASA in it's glory days pioneered paid back the federal government's investment by a factor of at least two in new industry tax revenues.

2Wolves

ARTelevision

I would hire the best people I could find, balanced as equally as possible as far as their views and work with them. To come in to a situation like this with preconceived notions is pointless.

I would open the process to as much interactive communication via media and Internet as possible, including making myself available as often as possible through these forms of communication.

This is how things are done best on any scale.

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create evolution

archer2371

ECONOMY: Ok, until the deficit was a good surplus, I wouldn't be implementing any tax cuts. Yet, I wouldn't be placing any new taxes on the books unless something drastic were to happen. The government WILL be streamlined, useless programs that don't do anything anymore will be cut. I will be focusing on encouraging full employment and weening people off the support of the government.

NATIONAL DEFENSE: This shall be a priority of mine. For years, our military has been the best, and I would like to keep it that way. Research shall be done to keep the military technologies at the best it can be. The CIA, DIA, NSA, FBI, etc. will not have funding cut, and they will be required to do their jobs and keep the intel solid so as to help make good policy decisions. If not, there will be some serious house cleanings on the 7th Floor.

SOCIAL SECURITY: This will be reformed, so that people who are able to work, will be continually encouraged to work. Those that really and truthfully need the support will get it. However, those that continually wrongly work the system will be found out and support for them, shall be removed.

FOREIGN POLICY: Diplomacy shall be my first choice in dealing with other countries. North Korea shall have continuing pressure put on it by international organizations such as the IAEA and by treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran shall be dealt with in the same way. Terror waged upon the United States and its allies shall not be tolerated, you hurt citizens of the free world, we hurt you. No more support for Israel until they decide to play nice and the United States will take a more neutral position in negotiating a treaty between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

IMMIGRATION: Legal immigration will be encouraged, it's how this country was built up. However, illegal immigration will be cracked down upon. For security issues however, extensive background checks shall be done on those immigrating into the United States. Temporary Visas shall have an even more rigorous inspection program for security reasons as well. These checks will not be racial/national specific, they will be for all those that want to enter the country.

EDUCATION: The system that is currently in place is behind the times. The system purports that simply doing as your told and not venturing out will make you a successful person. In reality, this will only most likely cause someone to be in debt. Generalization before specialization shall be the order of the day. That way, people that enter into the job market shall be versatile people able to adapt to little hiccups in the economy.

DOMESTIC ISSUES: A nationalized health care program that still allows for competition shall be pushed for. This way, that keeps the NHC on its toes and willing to improve its product. Abortion, unless the mother's life is in danger, or the pregnancy is a result of unwilling sex, shall be frowned upon and hopefully made into law, adoption shall be the encouraged method to not wanting to care for a child. Campaign finance reform shall be an issue as well, in a republic, the representatives shall be selected by the people, not by corporations.

SPACE PROGRAM: Only good can come from the space program. Technology, medical, and other things benefit from the research done in space. The Moon shall be colonized and Mars missions shall eventually become more frequent. By looking outward, we can improve the quality of life for us.

__________________
"This ain't no Ice Cream Social!"

"Hey Grif, Chupathingy...how bout that? I like it...got a ring to it."

"I have no earthly idea what it is I just saw, or what this place is, or where in the hell O'Malley is! My only choice is to blame Grif for coming up with such a flawed plan. Stupid, stupid Grif."

MuadDib

ECONOMY: Shy away from globalism. Retract the tax cuts to the wealthy and use that money fund failing social security. I would also freely hand over control of Iraq over to the UN so as to releave the economic burden on the US. Also, I'd withdraw from NAFTA and the WTO to help bring jobs back to the US.


NATIONAL DEFENSE: Cut the pentagon budget and military spending by 10%-30%. End Star Wars missile defense and hand over control of Iraq to the UN. Repeal the Patriot Act and Homeland Security. Focus on international military efforts in the war on terror and in areas like North Korea and the Middle East.


SOCIAL SECURITY: Return the retirement age to 65. Use tax cut money to fund Social Security.


FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc)
UN gets Iraq and defer to the international community for terror issues. Use the same mixture of economic and political pressure we used in Ireland in the Israel. Stop supporting Israel militarily but continue foreign aid. Equally, aid Palestein.


IMMIGRATION: Legalize current immigrants to get them into the system where we can at least track and tax them. Make it easier and more affordable to legally immigrate while increasing foreign aid to Central America and the Caribbean in order to promote economic growth. Also replace WTO and NAFTA with fair trade agreements in order to improve pay and working conditions.

EDUCATION: Use pentagon/military cuts to fund universal preschool care, increase teachers wages, and provide more funding for schools programs and expansion.

DOMESTIC ISSUES: Universalize healthcare based on the single payer model. Lower penalties for minor drug charges. Legalize marijuana in quanities less than an ounce. Reduce funding for factory farms and genetic engineering and increase funding for family farms. Legalize homosexual marriages. Repeal draft laws. Require public campaign financing. Stregthen environmental standards and have 20% of US enregy coming from renewable sources within the next 10 years.

SPACE PROGRAM: Maintain status quo funding
[

__________________
"The courts that first rode the warhorse of virtual representation into battle on the res judicata front invested their steed with near-magical properties." ~27 F.3d 751

mml

You have just been elected President of the United States. You have a diverse administration that suggests multiple possibilities for everything. Ultimately the decisions are yours alone to make. Here are the issues what are you going to do. These are general areas so please touch on any issue within them. If your staff missed any feel free to include such issues. It’s up to you Mr. President, tell us how it’s going to be done.



ECONOMY: Work to repeal much of the Bush tax cuts, primarily those given to the top tier tax bracket and the dividend tax cuts. Instigate a bipartisan top-down review of government spending (this may take years, but it is necessary) and have them make concrete recommendations in regards to waste (to be comprised of non-office holders). Invest money recovered from the tax repeal into funding the numerous non-funded federal mandates that bog down state governments and make payments towards reducing the deficit.


NATIONAL DEFENSE:
With the reality of multi-front wars and global terrorism, national defense must be a priority. The military must be a mobile and fast acting with the ability to deploy anywhere in the world in short order. We now have a professional/volunteer army, and we must try to encourage our best and brightest to join. It needs to be a career that pays well (not excessive, but my bro is approaching 20 years and only recently broke the $30K/yr mark.) and offers great possibilities for the future (i.e. FREE college tuition, etc.) The armed forces must be the strongest and most technologically advanced in the world, and this is only attainable by continuing the current funding levels and considering increasing them as the economy improves. We must also look to creating a division of the Armed Services that is trained in police actions and nation building, something that the current army is struggling with.


SOCIAL SECURITY:
Social security is a hot spot. Frankly, Gore had it right, we need to lock that money up and throw away the key. As long a Congress has access to those funds, they will continue to “borrow” i.e. steal from the Social Security fund. In addition, Congress needs to look at increasing the amount allowed to be invested in Roth IRAs and to look at other low or non-taxable investment tools for the public. Companies should also be given tax breaks for matching employee donations to 401k’s. We also need to look at how we pay out Social Security money, but this is a long and complicated subject.


FOREIGN POLICY: (including hotspots Iraq, N Korea, etc) Diplomacy will be the foundation of my foreign policy, which will include a return to a respected position in the international community and the U.N.
Iraq is a problem that we now own. It would be foolish and irresponsible to rush out of there before the situation is stabilized. I would however, send a signal to the world community, that U.S. policy has returned to that of the Pre-Bush era, and that we look forward to working together to strengthen international peace and prosperity. I would personally meet with the leaders of the Security Council nations and assure them that we are indeed allies and have an historical mandate to cooperate in securing the various hot spots around the globe. We must also establish a versatile, well-delineated rebuild/withdrawal plan for Iraq and share it with the American people, the Iraqis and the international community.
North Korea is looking for security and money, and are willing to blackmail us to get it. This is a tricky one, now that we are in such a confrontational situation. I would work with South Korea, China, Russia and Japan to help work out a deal with the North. While I would not sign a nonaggression pact with them, I would be more than willing to help sponsor loans from the World Bank or IMF to help them develop a stronger power grid and alternative sources of energy and even assist in the development of nuclear power as long as they consent to UN inspections. Then I would encourage the introduction of U.S. corporate investment in N. Korea, beginning the long road to capitalism and freedom that is currently being paved in China. I would also eliminate the embargo on Cuba in hopes of a similar capitalistic change there. There are many, many other issues, but I’ll stop there.
IMMIGRATION: As a resident of the Southwest and someone who lost several friends on 9/11, this is a very important issue to me. Illegal immigration is an ugly, deadly business. Selected enforcement of immigration has caused a huge increase of immigrants crossing the deserts of the American southwest. Literally hundreds have died over the past few years. In addition, the cost to the states and healthcare systems is astronomical. However, much of the industry in the Southwest and indeed increasingly throughout the nation is built upon a foundation of cheap, foreign labor. It is imperative that we develop a guest worker program that allows foreign nationals to come here and work. As long as these individuals meet certain criteria (i.e. not criminals, known terrorists etc.) they can apply for a guest worker card, get a tax I.D. number. If these individuals pay taxes, do not break any laws etc… they can apply for citizenship after 5 years. There are currently several bills being introduced that look at this issue, while none of them are perfect, I think they are on the right track. As far a student visas are concerned, I believe we should continue to issue them, but must require that these students keep in contact with in Homeland Security Department to ensure we know of their location. They are guests in our country and own us the courtesy to keep us informed of their whereabouts, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11.


EDUCATION: Repeal “No Child Left Behind” and begin to look at real alternatives to the accountability issue. Frankly, states must take a central role in education and the Federal Government should help set guidelines and ensure that minimum standards are met. I believe in an emphasis on vocational based education at the high school level. Also providing a free college education for those who serve 5 years or more in our Armed Services and financial assistance to those who volunteer for “national service”(See Domestic Issues)


DOMESTIC ISSUES: Once again, funding the numerous unfunded Federal Mandates to the states, will be a priority. The concept of Homeland Security will be addressed and properly funded, ensuring that Americans will be safe in our own country. This will also help to work as a stimulus package as new jobs are created and new money is invested towards securing America. Focus on a realistic Prescription Drug plan (much too complicated to go into detail here). Begin the process towards providing health care for all Americans that is not solely based on employment. This is not a simple task and must not result in the denigration of the quality of American health care. I would like to see an expansion of the Americorps idea, encouraging American to spend two years volunteering in schools, community programs, health care or even entering the military. These individuals could be given help paying off college loans or grants to help pay for future education. Once these individuals have “graduated” from this program, there will be a recruiting service that works to help find employment.


SPACE PROGRAM: After the completion of a detailed review of NASA, we must continue to push for the expansion of the space program. Many of our recent technological advancements have their roots in the space program and I believe a goal of putting an American on Mars and improving/redesigning the Shuttle program will help continue this trend.
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__________________
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-Douglas Adams

Zeld2.0

its funny how so many people here of infact all parties can agree on a lot of common things.. yet somehow those who represent just have to go to extremes

bonbonbox

I apologize for deviating from the form given, but I found it necessary.

#1. Read Thraeryn's post. It covers the form given.

#2. End the "war" on drugs. Save tons 'o $$$$ and resources. If a small percentage of people want to rot their brains and die, it will thin and strengthen the herd.

#3. Pardon everyone jailed for consensual and drug crimes. Use the space to contain those that hurt and rob others for whatever reason and don't let them go early, or at all, depending on the case.

#4. I've got a 1928 $5 bill that has "United States Note" written at the top of it. Make the rest of our currency the same. Follow Article 1, section 8, clause 5 of the US Constitution and have congress: coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures. That way "We the People" have a say through our vote.

#5. Use technology to develop public transportation to move people safely from point A to B without the use of Dinosaur remains. That way we can care so much less about the middle east and all the hassle that whole mess is.

Sun Tzu

3 year update

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

pan6467

You have just been elected President of the United States. You have a diverse administration that suggests multiple possibilities for everything. Ultimately the decisions are yours alone to make. Here are the issues. These are general areas so please touch on any issue within them. If your staff missed any feel free to include such issues. It’s up to you Mr./Ms. President- tell us how its going to be done.



ECONOMY:

I would make industries accountable to the working class by putting a mandate on the percentage of income wages could be and a cap on the maximum wages on CEOs. Bonuses based on performance would be tax free for the CEOs provided they showed that their payroll also showed the same percentage increases to the worker.

For example Company "A" shows a 27% profit. The CEO gets a $5 million bonus (which is say equal to his salary, thus a 100% bonus), this would be 100% federally tax free (states and localities may tax it as income). But in order to allow this bonus, all workers (even temps) are to get 100% non taxed bonus based on their wages.

So if you make $18,000 working there as an hourly employee, you recieve an $18,000 non taxed bonus check. It can be split up into your weekly check, it can be paid in monthly installments.... as long as it is paid within 1 year. (in the event you are fired or quit depending on circumstance you will recieve the balance in your last paycheck. If you stole from the company or got drunk on the job or called off too many times and had no legitimate excuse.... or you quit just because..... then you don't get the bonus.)

I would put tariffs equal to those of other countries on their goods. If China and Japan wish to put a 50% tariff on our steel ex ported to them, their imported steel gets tariffed 50%. This would apply to ALL merchandise.

I would reinvest into small businesses making it easier to get SBA loans cut down all the paperwork and beauraucracy.

Student loans I would cap the max interest at 5% and forgive debt/payments if the worker uses his/her education to work in inner cities, social work, or started their own business that had a minimum number of employees making a set wage over minimum. I.E. I graduate and open my own engineering firm, I have the required 10 employees and each makes at least twice minimum wage. Therefore my student loan payments drop to an interest free payment and may even drop below the principal I borrowed and I get to maintain that rate so long as I maintain the minimum 10 employees and pay scale.


WAR in IRAQ:

I would invite all sides (Shiites, Sunnis, etc) to sit down and have talks. I would listen to what each side wanted in order to maintain a peace and do my best to work out a deal. I would offer to train troops and a protection plan so that no other country would fuck with them for a maximum 5 year period then they are totally on their own.

I would offer to rebuild schools and industry, provided that as we do so, they realize the aid is in the form of loans and they must repay.... miss a payment, I pull all aid.


NATIONAL DEFENSE (In General):
(Including Homeland Security)

I would increase the soldiers payrates to a tax-free wage that is respectable, all their dependants would have free medical, on base housing, PX exchanges would go back to being 100% duty free. 20 year retirees would get a $1,000,000 tax free check as thanks from the nation. Those with 30 years in would get a $2.5 million check. If they served in a war, the 20 year requirement would be waived. If they died in the war, their family recieves the $2.5 million.

ONLY US companies will be allowed any type of contract to do business with the military or HS.

SOCIAL SECURITY:
Would be untouchable. The money in would only be used for the program. Those that opt for a private fund, can do so by taking out the same percentage of their paycheck and investing it into a program of their choice they cannot touch in anyway until age 62. If they die, their families can take the money but it must go into those people's retirement funds.


ISRAEL:
(Included in it's own catagory for several reasons)

Pull all aid.

FOREIGN POLICY (In General):
(Include Iran and N Korea)

Foreign policy plain and simple..... we will no longer be the recievers only. If you refuse to accept our goods we will refuse yours. We will tariff exactly the same as you tariff and if you pull in a factory from the US those workers must make our minimum wage, pay US income taxes and the factories must meet our OSHA requirements. If they don't, that company cannot do business in the USA.

Your country will respect trademarks, copyrights and patents and if caught any company ripping off said patent/trademark/copyright, will not be allowed to do business in the USA.

Iran and N.Korea, very simple, we'll send engineers and people with capiutal to educate, invest and start industry there provided you give you people civil rights and halt any nuclear programs. If you refuse, we will enact trade embargoes and any country trading with you (except for food and medical aid) will be refused to do business in the USA.


IMMIGRATION:
Set a legal amount and maintain it. Make these people learn english and our history in order to become citizens. You have 5 years from time of legal entry to get you citizenship or leave.

Illegals will be tried and convicted as felons and their home country will recieve the bill for their legal and incarceration costs. That country's refusal to pay will result in any aid to them being cut.

Border patrols will be raised, a fence built and patrols will have the authority to shoot to kill any illegal caught entering. (I am not a proponent of it, but if it is the only way to get across we mean business.... then it is the only way.


EDUCATION:
I would reopen our wallets to this, up loans and grants and make public funded universities accountable to where the money goes. I would work with leaders of industries to develop programs for those that have their jobs cut or have been displaced. These industries and I would also work on programs for the youth so that those not going to college can still attend a more focussed program cheaply, yet have skills in demand.


ABORTION:
Woman's body, however the father has to agree and sign a waiver or agree to raise the child and pay all medical expenses.
Sex Ed would be mandatory and taught every year from 7th grade to graduation.


HEALTH CARE:
Universal based on a sliding scale. Hospitals that treat the indigent and give quality care regardless of the patient's wealth will recieve tax credits and grants.... those that do not will not.

Meds will be priced like this...... company "A" shows how much they spent on research, how much the cost to make is, basically what they need to sell it for to break even. From there depending on need a profit % is added.

Grants, loans and subsidies go to companies that work on meds that truly are needed..... i.e. cancer research, MS etc...... toenail fungal pills are not necessary.


SPACE PROGRAM:
Increase budget, plan a fully operational space station and have a 5 -10 year window for it. Contract USA companies only to work on it.


WAR ON DRUGS:
put money into rehabs and education, lessen penalties, legalize marijuana and go after the sources not the users.


CRIME:
Re-invest in the infrastructure and education, start allowing the poor to hope, dream and move up in class without being heavily indebted for the education to do so.

To cut crime we must give people hope that they can have better lives with hard work.

The appelate process cut down to 1 appeal. Prisons will no longer be privatized unless the company can show they truly work on rehabilitating the prisoner and not just keeping them in there as dollar signs and not doing anything to better them.

Anyone found guilty of terrorism or plotting terroristic acts will be tried again as treasonists and can face execution.

Any immigrant convicted for even the smallest of crime will be deported.



OTHER:
(Also describe how you are going to be more successful in bringing both parties together; at least to work together better. Any new bills you will introduce. Any reforms you will put forth such as federal powers distrubuted or taken away from state resposibility. Electorial college review considerations? Anything else you can think place in other.)

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

Ustwo

When you bring your own thread up from the dead, its best you answer your own questions first

__________________
Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host

Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

Ample

Repeal the 2nd amendment
Guns suck and we don't need them, so that would to go. I know this would ever pass but this would be a priority.

Social Security
50% of the national debt is from Social Security, and before we know it that is going to climb to 70%. Anyone who is 55 or younger, sorry but you are going to have to wait until 70 to collect them checks. Workers are living longer and working longer. I know the seniors are a huge voting block so know one would have the balls to sponsor this, but this is a real solution to a real problem.

Shit can the 4x2 Presidential term
Four years isnt long enough, and they pussy foot around cause they want to get reelected. I say make a one time six year long term with no reelection. I want my President doing presidential stuff, not running a year long reelection campaign, neglecting his duties in the process.

Drugs
Legalize Marijuana. Not for the medical reasons, cause it stupid to have alcohol and percocet legal but pot illegal. All drug users would go to rehab not jail too. Jail doesn’t do them any good but teach them how to be better criminals, and they are taking up the spot for that guy who really should be in jail.

War in Iraq
Put more energy and resources into getting their troops ready. Why can we run our troops through boot camp and then a specialized school is a matter of months, and they cant do that for the Iraq troops? And then get the fuck out.

HealthCare
Free for everyone, if it cost a lot, and probably will oh well, we will find a way to pay for it. Riches most powerful country in the nation and people cant afford to go to the hospital.

Education
I would love to see interest free college loans. I dont want a college education handed to someone for free, but I want to see the burden lifted where everyone can afford it more.

Defense/Homeland Security
I would cut it. We spend WAY TO MUCH money on the terror threat, which I believe is much more inflated than it really is.

Immigration
Cut it!
People are coming here to work, get them some kind of legal status if its green cards or citizenship and let them work. People too easily forget that this was a nation started and built on immigrants.

__________________

Her juju beads are so nice
She kissed my third cousin twice
Im the king of pomona

kurty[B]

I hate to thread jack, but having been over there, and talking with some of the units who train the Iraqis I just wanted to put insight on this statement.

Yes, we can run our troops through bootcamp so quickly, because when someone in the U.S. signs up for the military they know to expect to be yelled at, and run through a rigorous training (or at least they should be expecting this).

Because of the terms our government has set with their current government in Iraq a US soldier or Marine cannot treat the Iraqi Army soldiers like he would a subordinate in our Army. He cannot yell at them, if he does, they will go to their ranking officer in their Army, who will go to their Col, who will talk to that Marine or soldiers Col, who will reprimand the soldier or Marine (generally a slap on the wrist, unless it's a serious offense), but it's a matter of two different cultures.

There's a lot I saw that I'm not supposed to talk about, but basically it's a long arduous process, and it could probably be completed much more quickly if we were "in charge" of the Iraqi Army and trained them our way, but then we'd have more maltreatment cases.

These are people who join the Iraqi Army for a paycheck, it's a steady paycheck for them. When they do finish training and get shipped off to a different province to serve, they get angry because they were hoping to be stationed near their families. Some abandon, others tough it out. It's a very tough situation we are faced with. Our military wants nothing more than to get out of there, but they don't want to leave knowing that the country is in disarray and we'll probably just ahve to go back in five years.

Sorry for thread jacking.



ECONOMY:
Get rid of large tax breaks for the wealthy.



WAR in IRAQ: This will tie in to my National Defense, although I do not consider them one in the same, but the way we spend our Defense dollars is where I think the help would go. We still need to be there, focused on training the Iraq Army and Iraqi Police. The rest I'll say in national defense



NATIONAL DEFENSE:
We need to invest in our soldiers and marines. Take massive million dollar spending on technology (still spend some, but funneling millions and millions on a laser missile defense system that's not providing any results, especially when our biggest concern is no longer a missile from russia, but people with guns and bombs looking to cause a scene).

So, pay raises for military all around, especially infantry. Aside from simply training our military to accurately fire a weapon, and learn a "trade" (computers, radios, intel, whatnot), but also provide cultural training (something more than a 30 minute slide show before you shipped off with an M16 to Iraq that says "this is an Iraqi, he wipes his ass with his left hand so do not take his left hand, or take food from him if he's handled it with his left hand"). Language training, again, not just an hour, but some time. If we're going to fight this war on "terror" not only do we need to improve our cultural awareness of our military, but of our citizens, but that's getting off topic.

As far as Homeland Security, that's a toughy, I'm against wiretapping without a warrant. I feel that Delhi, Dubai and Kuwait have much better airport security than ours, and while you may run your bags through four seperate scanners before you get to your plane they are quick, efficient, and I felt much more "secure" than in an American Airport. If we're going to have so many safety restrictions we need to supply the airports with proper screening equipment. "Random Searches" on people with SSSS on their tickets does not seem like the best process to me.



SOCIAL SECURITY:
I'm really out of this loop, but I agree with Ample, we are living and working longer, and do not necessarily need a paycheck at the age we are currently getting them, but again, the majority of voters are in this age group, and getting rid of "free money" for them is difficult.



FOREIGN POLICY: Use real diplomacy. If you read an Indian (southern asia country) newspaper it talks about how India wants to pursue nuclear abilities to power it's country. Having been there, and witnessed daily scheduled power outages, because of a drought that was causing the hydro plants not to produce enough power. Nuclear proliferation, it's an extremely difficult topic. No matter which way you lean you're digging yourself a hole (too lenient, too hard), it's lose-lose.



EDUCATION: Try and find a way to funnel funds to poorer school districts, and also pay public school teachers more in general across the board.



ABORTION: Leave this to the states. Same with Gay marriage. My personal stance. Pro-Choice, and Go for it on gay marriage, but let it go to the states to decide. I would also support ad campaigns directed towards parents about talking to their kids about sex. More than just "it's evil, abstinence is the only way".



HEALTH CARE: Optimally I'd like to see healthcare provided for every citizen. Not illegal immigrant, now if they have legit job and tax money from their paycheck is going towards healthcare then yes. Trying to figure out how to accomplish this without overtaxing everyone boggles my mind.



WAR ON DRUGS: Legalize Marijuana, well, at least decriminalize it. Preferably legalize it, but if that doesn't fly, at least make it so possessing less than an ounce is simply a fine, and having paraphenalia is not an offense (give permission to the police to confiscate it, and maybe issue a petty fine; like a parking ticket, but nothing near a criminal offense).

Like most others have said, instead of sending users to prison, send them to rehab, if they were under the influence of something and committed a violent crime well, charge them on the violent crime. Take the money that would normally go towards the "War On Drugs" and put it towards rehab. If we legalized everything the crime involved with importing illegal substances into the country would disappear, we'd produce a new market, and take the profits from sales and put them towards rehab, if there's no profits, well that should mean that no one is buying, and there's no market for that system. If there is profit, well that money will go to paying for the rehab that the user will more than likely require. So, in essence the user is psuedo paying for their own rehab by purchasing their drugs; it's a matter of if they decide to go to rehab at that point.



CRIME: Maybe I'm just a small town dweller, but I do not see much of a problem in the way our police force works. Aside from drug reform, which would drastically effect this, but aside from making sure checks and balances are in place, so agencies are not simply wiretapping phones without proper warrants to do so.

shakran

I'm going to answer these without reading any of the replies. I think it's more honest - you know you're getting my ideas rather than me regurgitating and taking credit for someone else's So if I say what you said, congratulations, you got it right.

The current "lower taxes and increase spending" model, surprisingly enough, doesn't work. My bank wouldn't let me do that, why should the nation?

We're gonna have to raise taxes. Yes, that sucks and yes, it's unpopular as all hell, but we've been spending through the nose for years and refusing to pay for it. I for one am tired of being bankrolled by China. But here's the trick. If you're poor or middle class, your taxes won't be touched, or if they are, they'll go down. If you're makin' a million a year, prepare to pay. You can afford it. You'll just have to wait one more month to buy that 3rd Ferarri.

Withdraw from Iraq. I'll go into the political reasons later - but the economic ones are obvious. We're not throwing a fortune down a rathole here, we're throwing MILLIONS of fortunes down a rathole. Newsflash: We can't afford it, whether you agree with the mission or not. And it's time to stop living in that fantasy parallel dimension that says we can do it whether we have the money or not.

Now most of the money we save by not pissing it away in the desert, will be used instead to lower the rate of debt expansion. It won't pay off the debt, because it's not our money anyway - we're borrowing it all, and using borrowed funds to pay off a loan is rather silly. Some will have to be funnelled into funding education, public health, and all the other programs Bush has decimated in the past 6 years.

Basically what I'm saying here is that the repayment is going to hurt for a long time, but the longer we wait to start doing it the worse it's going to hurt.



WAR in IRAQ:

Pull out. Economic reasons above. Other reasons here. 1) we're not doing any good in there. 2) we will NEVER do any good in there. 3) Why get our guys killed for a lost cause? This "stay the course" crap didn't work in Vietnam, and it won't work here.



Close up the borders, illegal immigrants go home, and we start instituting REAL security measures over ALL of our transportation/shipping industries. We're not going to worry about Grandma taking her knitting needles on the plane anymore, but we are going to start security checks on train passengers, and we're going to tighten security at our ports. We're going to get rid of the bullshit security measures that don't work, and we're going to stop giving money to cities for "homeland security" purposes that is then spent on things like park benches. We're going to stop securing cornfields in Iowa or statues in Georgia, or whatever the hell else we're declaring as bogus terrorist targets.

The national moodring terror alert system goes away because all it's used for is to scare the public. I'd like to think the average american is smart enough to understand that a threat is a threat, and doesn't need pretty colors to help him work that out.

We're going to stop going after fake terror threats, like Iraq, and we're going to FIND bin Laden by actually LOOKING for him.

We're going to increase our foreign spy network significantly because humint is much better than satellite photos. We're going to scale back a lot on military hardware that we don't need anymore. We don't need the systems that were designed to stop the Russians anymore. We need faster, more agile, more versitile systems like the F22 and the JSF. And we're going to lower our cost per unit by not pulling asinine stunts with the defense contractors. We're not going to order up a new airplane that costs umpteen jillion dollars to develop and then only order 20 of them. Doing crap like that is WHY the stealth bomber costs 2 billion dollars per plane. I could go on all day like this, but basically we're going to take a skunk works approach to military development - develop it fast, develop it cheap, and use off the shelf parts when possible, because it costs a crapload more to custom design a part when an already-built part will do.

And most importantly, we're going to stop pissing the entire world off. Conflicts between two nations are not our business unless we have a strategic alliance treaty with one of them. We are not going to go nosing into everyone else's business because that just pisses people off. The whole reason bin Laden hates us is because we propped him up against the russians when it was fun for us to play wargames against russian hardware, and then cut his legs out from under him as soon as the game was over. Whether bin Laden is wrong or right in his ideology (and obviously he's wrong) if we hadn't provoked him with needless nosing in on the business of other countries then he wouldn't have bothered to attack us.

we are not privatising social security. If President Bush thinks social security is in trouble perhaps he should quit stealing from it to pay for his little pet projects. We will leave social security alone, and let it build equity again instead of taking money out of it whenever we feel like paying for something else.





Israel is a great problem for us largely because we dumped the jews in the middle of the palestinians after WWII. Of course the palestinians are going to be a bit put out by that. I go back to my previous answer, where I said the affairs of other countries are not our affair. Israel and the Palestinians will have to work these problems out themselves. It's not our concern, and we have enough problems at home that we should solve before we go marching around trying to solve the problems of others.


Already went into this above, but specifically on Iran and N. Korea - - for one thing quit provoking them. I can't say that I blame N. Korea for sabre rattling with their nukes. After all, we said Iraq and North Korea are in the Axis of Evil. Then we invaded Iraq. What exactly is N. Korea supposed to think?

I want to send out a very strong message. We will leave you completely alone. If you ask us for help solving a humanitarian crisis, such as the tsunami, we will in all likelihood help you out. But we will not horn in on your affairs. You have nothing to fear from us. However, if you attack us, we will destroy you, and we will not support you after we're done.

Illegal immigrants go home. No exceptions. None. Period.

However, we make it a lot easier for people to immigrate legally. One of the big reasons we have illegal immigrants is because it takes years, sometimes decades, to get through all the bullshit red tape that is the immigration process. Streamline it. Has two advantages - fewer people will want to take the chance of illegally coming here and getting sent home, and we'll get rid of a bunch of bureaucrats who don't do anything useful anyway.


Education is broken. We must fix it. No more unfunded federal mandates. No more federal mandates based on a test that everyone will then teach to. No more assuming that just because some kid memorizes a bunch of multiple choice answers that he's actually learning.

Our teachers need higher pay because we need to attract better teachers. There are a lot of good teachers out there but there are also a lot of just plain lousy teachers. Education reform isn't going to be easy, but this fake learning that we call education in this country will be our undoing. We're already seeing that - a culture with a good educational system produces people who love to learn. Our society produces people who love to watch Fear Factor. Big difference.

Do nothing on abortion, because the law's already the way it should be. Her body, her choice.

Well this much praised privatized healthcare system that the republicans all angrilly told Bill Clinton was the only good way. . . it's not workin' so hot now is it? Socialize medicine. Universal healthcare. It's absolutely pathetic that in the most powerful country on earth with the best medical technology that's ever been seen on this planet, many people can't afford to go to the doctor to get necessary treatment. That cannot be tolerated. It must stop. Don't get me wrong. There will be aspects of medicine that are still privately funded. If you want breast enhancement or baldness treatments, you're on your own. But no one is going to die of a curable disease just because they can't scrape up the money to treat it. That's the kind of crap you read in a 19th century England novel, and it's simply not acceptible in a modern wealthy society.

Sending people to mars right now is stupid. Sending people to the moon right now is stupid. Continuing to fund the ISS and the space shuttle is stupid. We are in a major economic hole and funding projects that don't work, are unneccessary, and/or are needlessly dangerous is just plain stupid. We're cutting funding to the Hubble, which can actually advance science by leaps and bounds, in favor of sending people to mars, which on a cost/benefit analysis just doesn't make sense. we can find out almost everything about Mars from a robot probe that we could if we sent people, and it'll cost a LOT less and be a LOT less dangerous to boot.

Is idiotic. Prohibition didn't work. Neither will this. Do all the drugs you want, just don't give them to kids, and don't smoke them in public where you might hurt someone else.

Eliminate the death penalty. Eliminate easy prison stays. Inmates should not be getting cable TV and weightlifting equipment. Inmates should be sentenced to hard labor, not hanging out in their cells and shooting hoops in the yard. Let's make prison genuinely unpleasant. Let's make it a place that, if you ever go there, you'll do just about anything to never have to go back.

I'm not interested in bringing both parties together because neither party is truly in line with the general population. The republicans are way the hell out on the right wing and the democrats are way the hell out on the left wing, and most of the country is sitting in coach wondering who those idiots out on the wings are. If i were president I'd focus on eliminating bullshit. I'm tired of politics boiling down to who can lie the most convincingly. Either tell the truth or get the hell out. I'd take a much more combative approach - if there's something that needs to be done for the good of the people and a politicain (no matter what party he's from) decides to attach a bunch of riders that end up sinking it, or partisan politics get in the way, I'll go on TV and out the sonofabitch responsible for gumming up the works.


Patriot act needs to go, and the power that the current president has been amassing has got to be dissolved. As to the electoral college, it should go away as well. The people should vote for the president. Period.

Willravel

ECONOMY: Okay, first thing's first: no more revolving door policy with the military contractors. Weapons were never meant to support an ecomomy, and the weapons contractors have been screwing over the safty of our troops since the 70s. Despite my small government leanings, I have to put my foot down: the government will produce weapons and military goods, and only when necessary. We stock enough weapons and such to protect our borders and no more. Moving to the civilians: if you cheat your investors, you're going to have to pay them back with your own money before you go to jail.

We know that a free market econemy doesn't work. Adam Smith was a genius, but he underestimated the pure greed of the corporiate entity. Again, the Libertarians hearts are in the right place, but the evidence of success simply isn't there. It's time for the socialist revolution. Because my ultimate goal in everything is equality, I will support socialist economics. What kind? Public enterprtise community managed market econemy. This means publicly owned, employee-managed (a type of profit charing) production units engage in free market exchange of goods and services with one another as well as with final consumers. Yeah, it's a big change, but it will promote communal equality, and it will help to bring a sense of community back to this nation. Will it work? I dunno.

Oh, right, and we don't deal with the world bank ever again.

WAR in IRAQ: Simple. No more oil. Overtax companies like FORD that love making 13 mpg trucks, and undertax Toyota and companies that are actujally DOING SOMETHING about the obvious dangerous of fossil fuels. Undertax hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal, and all other relatively natural and obviously limitless sources of power, and start to shut down oil, coal, and nuclear plants as they are phased out. We break our addiction hard and fast. We rely on our own resources - wind, water, sun, thermal vents - to give us light. I would invite the big oil companies to join us, and if they didn't watch them as they fold under their own weight. Offer FREE classes for oil industry employees to learn about alternatvie power sources, so that they can transition into new jobs.

As for the catastropy over there right now: jail time for those greedy bastards that are profiting from the suffering of the Iraqi people. Federal ass rape prison. The companies involved are broken u and sold off to pay IRAQI companies to rebuild Iraq. We pull all troops out of all countries in the ME, and break off relations with Israel and Saudi Arabia. Not only that, but offer food and medical relief to any counrty that signs a non-agression treaty with the other ME countries. Positive reinforcement. Private terrorist organizations in the ME will be required to follow the treaty, which would be supported by the ME countries military and police forces. I don't want trouble makers screwing it up.


NATIONAL DEFENSE (In General): Dismantle Homeland Security. Fire anyone left over from the Bush, Clinton, Bush or Regean administration. Prosecute a few people for war crimes.

Start from scratch. We should retrain all border related security forces, be they airport, border patrol, seaport, etc. We actally need to be able to stop bad people ffrom coming in, and make sure that non-bad people aren't treated like garbage. We need to have military stations ONLY IN THE US. If we want to port or land in other countries, then we should be buddy-buddy enough with them to just ask. If we rerouted our finances and personel from around the world to the US, we would be a hell of a lot safer. Also, we need to rebuild the CIA from the ground up. Those assholes have had too nmuch freedom and are bascally a mob. hey are supposed to be keeping the US safe, not pressurng South American leaders to sell out at gunpoint. The CIA should have spies all over creation. I like James Bond and Ethan Hunt. I think that spies are necessary. Not hitmen, mind you, but real spies. We need a real ineligence agency that we can rely on.




SOCIAL SECURITY: If it ain't broke.



ISRAEL: Israel is moved to an unpopulated area in Germany. Palestine is given back Palestine except for Jerusulum. That becomes international territory. I mean "Spain used to be a part of Rome, maybe we should give it back to the Romans!" simply doesn't work as an argument. Stuff happens. Deal with it. If they offer resistence, then hey get treated like Iraq and Iran have been for the last hundred years.


FOREIGN POLICY (In General): Non-aggression treaties all around! Offer a non-aggression treaty to every country in the world. Once our foriegn military bases are turned back over to their respective countries, and once the US destroyed all it's nuclear weapons, then people might start to trust us again.


IMMIGRATION: Welcome. Feel free to enjoy our various Starbucks and jobs. Just one thing: don't send your money home. We've got an economy and you've got one. Our doesn't exist to feed yours. If your ecomomy has a problem, then go fix it.


EDUCATION: Yikes. Higher payed teachers, MUCH smaller classrooms, lesson plans designed for the individual to bring out individualism. If someone wants to learn about how cartoons are made, then they learn about it. If someone wants to know how Porsches go so fast, then they are allowed to learn. Yes they get the basics, math, science, english, foreign language, social studies, ethics, philosophy, physical activity, and music, but let them explore their world. There is too much information out there to fit it all in a few years.


ABORTION: Allowed in the case of rape, incest, or mortal danger to the mother. Communities will vote about local laws about abortion.



HEALTH CARE: Universal healthcare that's managed locally. Every community should have healthcare that's able to handle all the needs of the community. specialists will be evenly distributed, and moveable as needed.


SPACE PROGRAM: Rememebr Mars? Tha big red thing? It's terraforming time! We need to find economic ways to blow up the ice cap. We need economic ways to spread algae across the surface after the water starts spreading. We need to warm and oxygenae the atmosphere.

That's what we pay NASA for. Let them figure it out and then make a proposal to a commitee that oversees funding.


WAR ON DRUGS: MJ: legal. Coke, H, E, etc. illegal. Alcohol, illegal to be drunk. Yeah, you heard me. Smoking? Legal, but you can only have 5 cigaretts a month. Cry me a river. Coffee? Legal, but you can only have one gallon a month. NO arrests for drugs. We do cainings under my administration. You do detox, you go to solitary for 72 hours, the you get smacked around a bit. I don't want people in jail for 12 years for smoking crack. It's stupid and a waste of money.


CRIME: I don't believe in the current prison system. It has sold out just like eveything else that's been privatized. Tim for judges to come up with more creative ways to puncish people. I'd like to see the prison system reduced by 200k people every 4 year term.

Oh, and no death penalty. The death penalty assumes a perfect verdict, and there is no such thing.


OTHER:

Promote the 7 party system. No more two parties. Bring back the fairness doctrine.

I'm exhausted. Time for sleep.

Sun Tzu

My original answers didnt make it back up again. I dont know if they were edited, but certainly not by me. Which is probaly just as well. I voted for the current president in his first term, but my views have changed drastically in next couple that followed that. They are different now from how I would have answered this the first time as well.




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I make alot of statements here. For the sake not having to put IMO before every statement referencing something I stating as if it is "the truth or reality", please keep in mind Im stating my opinion. Each of our realities is our own decisions on how we have chosen to interpret the information that is happening all around us. If you see something you feel needs clarification I'll try and word it differently. If its about debate, please do a search to see if its a topic that has already been here and bump it with a new response and I'll be happy to post there. Or create a thread on that subject.

ECONOMY:

Abolish the IRS and institute a value added tax or national sales tax

Promote to Congress a “pay as you go” spending policy, Balanced Budget Amendment stipulating that Congress can not spend more than it took in the previous year

Aggressively go after any form of political corruption like earmarks

Eliminate government granted monopolies and subsidies, and similar steps to promoted a deregulated free-market

Disband federal service monopolies like the US Postal service, and allow states the choice to do the same for privatization

Promotion of all other services that can be privatized to be taken out of the hands of the federal government

Downscale the size of the welfare system to its ultimate elimination, offer incentives to private entities that trade education and similar



WAR in IRAQ:
The newly elected Iraqi government was sworn in on May 20, 2006. The Iraqi parliament is scheduled to meet soon. American troops have completed their “mission.” Begin pulling troops immediately. Leave consultants at the request of the newly elected government.



NATIONAL DEFENSE (In General):
(Including Homeland Security)
Other answers influence this one- so the way this is answered falls into their areas as well.

All troop deployment would end, S Korea, Iraq, etc. A 25% or higher pay increase to all military personnel. The military would be the one area unification of funding from the government and education would exist. Guarantee all military members college degrees, by increase education benefits 2-3x what it currently is, and offer greater training than currently offered raise the recognition to accepted accredited college levels. Channel more funding into the special warfare sections of the miltary. This with the future goal of downsizing the main body and expanding a more specilized military.

Continued funding would go to missile defense, and more allocated to satellite defense and space warfare. Top priority would go into securing the border. Until terrorism declined, the same level of scrutiny on those entering for a known temporary amount of time.
Abolish the patriot act.

Discontinue all diplomatic ties to any country caught conducting formal and informal operations of spying on the US that are sponsored by their country of origin.


SOCIAL SECURITY:
Eliminate it. Give individuals the responsibilty to take of themselves. This would have to be granfathered ofcourse for those already contributed. It may come to this whether we loike it or not anyway. Give individuals the responsibility that can handle to put it where they fit to take care of themselves.


ISRAEL:
(Included in its own category for several reasons)
This answer ties in with other categories, but cut aid until all settlers have moved out of the West Bank entirely. Diplomatically the US should not extend friendship to one side more than the other. Eventually discontinue aid entirely, as with all countries.



FOREIGN POLICY (In General):
(Include Iran and N Korea)
Work with other countries to give credibility to the UN. At present it appears to be a facade. I believe the UN in (what it could be) essential to Earth one day reaching a lasting peace. War, invasion of countries, and similar would be decided by countries of the world in times of genocide, catastrophes, etc. Of course that is not where it is now. The process of making the UN an entity free of contradiction and corruption is another thread. I am by no means looking toward a “New World Order” direction. Countries of the world should preserve their cultures.

With regards to countries that don’t’ share the US form of a Republic; it should be kept to the business of the country. The people themselves will change it if the true intentions are their by the majority, just as America did.

Situations like Iran exist because the UN is the way it is. Iran is protected by Russia and China very much like the US protects Israel. Themes of right or wrong, for the good of the world are superceded by the reality of consistent contradictions against the meaning of what it could have evolved to.


IMMIGRATION:
While I do not advocate along the border is the best approach, because terrorism will be a threat for years to come, I would initiate the building of a structure for that reason alone. The balance to protect native civil liberties and prevent those that want to do harm to the US is already challenging enough. A porous border allows too many to easy of an opportunity to could destruction. A decline in illegal immigration would only be a side effect.
Illegal immigration is exactly that illegal. Instead of creating squads to round up those living here illegally, cutting the government sponsored cervices they consume. If any person chooses to gain American citizenship an ability to speak, read, and write English at a very basic level would be required.



EDUCATION:
Work toward a separation of education and state. This would be done with early incentive programs for privatizing schools. The privatization could offer schools the freedom to specialize in certain area allowing students to excel in areas of their choice. It would also allow parents more choices and more control.



ABORTION:
Oppose government actions that either compel or prohibit abortion, sterilization or any other form of birth control. Specifically to condemn the practice of forced sterilization of welfare recipients, or of mentally retarded or "genetically defective" individual. Support the voluntary exchange of goods, services or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction, birth control or related medical or biological technologies. Oppose government laws and policies that restrict the opportunity to choose alternatives to abortion. Unless deemed medically necessary for the life of a mother, partial birth abortions should be illegalized. It gets into an obvious philosophical; spiritual influence when discussing policy here. At the end of the day, what a female decides to do is ultimately her choice in a free society. The federal government should stay out of this area, and allow private charitable and social entities to contribute their services. On a personal level I feel a female should give abortion a second evaluation at the point brain waves can be registered by the fetus.



HEALTH CARE:
A complete separation of medicine from the state. Oppose any government restriction or funding of medical or scientific research. Support an end to government-provided health insurance and health care. Government’s role in any kind of insurance should only be to enforce contracts when necessary, not to dictate to insurance companies and consumers which kinds of insurance contracts they may voluntarily agree upon.


SPACE PROGRAM:
I would work for a hopeful one day multinational approach to space exploration. Much like the international space station. Space exploration is one area I feel would benefit all countries if resources as well as personnel were international.
Other areas that would consume a majority of federal spending would lie in the area of national defense. While world peace is a hopeful goal; it would not deter me to discontinue developing technology privileged only to the US. Especially in the area of satellite defense. China is far ahead in an area the US can’t afford to be behind in, satellite warfare.



WAR ON DRUGS:
Legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. While on a personal level I feel drugs should be legal, much like cigarettes and alcohol are, I don’t know that legalizing substances such as heroin would propel the county forward. The bottom line is people should be given the freedom to do what they choose to their bodies. The only time government intervention would be utilized is children are being affected in a harmful way or someone is found operating a vehicle under the influence- at which point the penalties would be severe.



CRIME:
The federal government would address crime through consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that protect individual rights. Limiting law enforcement to true crime will restore respect for the law and those who enforce it. Criminal laws would be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Immediately reform the justice system's mandatory sentencing policies to ensure that violent offenders are not released from jail to make room for non-violent offenders. Repeal criminal laws which work against the protection of the rights and freedom of American citizens, residents or visitors, particularly laws which create a crime where no victim exists.

OTHER:
Work to permanently discontinue the practice of three private companies to do a presidential vote count. All votes will be counted under close neutral supervision with multiple venues of surveillance monitoring the entire process. Work to ensure that Americans that are illegible and choose to vote do not get that right taken away.

Allow other parties to be a part of the presidential debate.

While regional voting has its negatives they do not outweigh the damage being done by a trapped two party system. Thus I would eliminate the Electoral College.

Lastly regardless of my spiritual beliefs going into office, I would practice my influence over making policy as an agnostic while in office. This by no means would cause my opinion for families to discontinue practicing whatever belief system they choose. Personal relationships are treated as private contracts, solely defined by the individuals involved, and government discrimination is not allowed. The federal governments involvement in this area would end.

Overall,
I would be conservative on some issues while liberal on others. I would consider my approach 90% Libertarian.


That indeed would be great

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To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking