If you were to run for office...

[AtomicCEO]

I pretty much agree with all of that.

 

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I don't think you and I see eye to eye one which programs are the most wasteful though, since you're still endorsing massive chunks of money to the unaudited defense department.

[Coffeeman]

Education, education and education. The future is bleak my friends...

[Duchess Jack]

I can understand to a point using vehicle registration for the toll ways and bridges, but not for public transportation.  The people with vehicles aren't the ones using the public transportation.  For that matter why shouldn't the ones using the toll ways and bridges be the ones paying for them?

 

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Jesus. So dang typical. Not a bad solution to a big problem. If public transportation were made free a lot more people would use it...

 

... and than there is Perch.... I want my two dollars!!!

[dread]

1. Cut government hand-outs by giving President line-item veto power also by eliminating government funding for the arts and businesses.

2. Simplify tax code by creating a flat tax rate.

3. Step-up border protection to keep out illegals. Welcome legal immigrants. The welfare and heath savings from decreasing illegals alone would pay for increased border protection.

[dread]

Jesus.  So dang typical.  Not a bad solution to a big problem.  If public transportation were made free a lot more people would use it...

 

... and than there is Perch.... I want my two dollars!!!

 

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You're really bringing me over man.

[Duchess Jack]

You're really bringing me over man.

 

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With that being my main objective here, I'll be sure to take a moment to pat myself on the back

[Duchess Jack]

I have to admit... the idea of having politicians work for the minimum wage sounds delightfully fun, except...

 

we wouldn't get the most qualified people as they would be in the private sector...

 

and, they would be more willing to do things to fill their own pockets...

 

but something like.... 10x the min wage might work

[DKF]

1 ) Nuke Iran and North Korea

 

2 ) Annex Canada

 

3 ) Replace the Senate seats being voted in by the populace (who are already represented by the House) with the 100 largest US corporations.

[Duchess Jack]

3 )  Replace the Senate seats being voted in by the populace (who are already represented by the House) with the 100 largest US corporations.

 

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that comment there is akin to teeball

[DKF]

Strong businesses builds a strong country

[Caveman_Nick]

This is considering a run for President...

 

I'll need to give a few here

 

1) Education. Everything comes down to education and how seriously people take it.

2) Tax revenue, both in collecting enough and in collecting it fairly

3) Trimming the waste. Would I cut budgets? Heck yeah. But I would do it with a team of analysts whose job it was to get into government agencies and see where the money is wasted and where it is well spent. We need better financial accountability.

 

4) Developing Americans. Why did I put this separate? Because it's an important concept that I don't think is paid enough attention to. And in here I must create a familiarity with what I mean so as not to be labeled a kookoo.

 

Developing Americans means focusing on our own people. It means introducing programs that will help them live life, get forward in life, and help themselves be better people. It means making certain that the youth of America always knows that it has an opportunity and does not have to get lost in street struggles. It means finding ways to make sure these kids get to eat meals and feel safe. It means giving them an opportunity to find themselves in civil service or military service. It means creating a want to do this by increasing the prestige associated with state and federal organizations. It means helping to break down class and racial barriers, not by handing out opportunities but rather by making sure that those opportunities can be reachable goals for all young people.

 

And more. It means giving people later in life a second chance by helpig them to learn skills that can contribute to our society. It means that people that are downtrodden with nobody to help all of a sudden see a hand that they can grasp to help pull them up. They can get their kids taken care of while they find out how to contribute. They can get some of the abundance of food that is wasted every day in this country so that they can find ways to move forward. And they can be accountable for their actions and progress in programs through merit.

 

Developing Americans means lots of things that are too plentiful to be discussed in a short post. To sum up, I am talking about investing in Americans, helping them to function, and doing it in a way that is progressive for our society. Americans should have chances to make themselves a beneficial part of society if they choose to become one.

 

5) Defense spending and Military function. I believe military function should become expanded to encompass certain security issues, in particular border control. Border control includes the physical land boarders of the country, the country's ports, and the country's international airports. There should be well trained Border Guards at these places to deal with security and safety issues. Any time we are talking about our national security and safety we should consider the use of a federal level organization such as the military to deal with the problem. I also think the military should have a hand in dealing with and potential disaster situation that could erupt inside the borders of the United States. The US Military is one place where we could effectively train and cycle personnel through on a regular basis, teaching them the skills necessary to deal with different potential disaster scenarios. This type of program would create increased need for our standing military, but at the same time give a different focus to different parts of our military structure.

 

What I am essentially suggesting is a greatly increased role for our Coast Guard, elevating them to a full military branch called Border Guard, and giving them control of the security of our countries borders as well as the ability to assist and operate within the borders in response to declared federal disaster zones.

 

Those would be the top 5 things on my agenda.

[Perchoutofwater]

I don't think you and I see eye to eye one which programs are the most wasteful though, since you're still endorsing massive chunks of money to the unaudited defense department.

 

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I don't mind an audit. And I don't mind heads rolling where money is being wasted. I just don't think that we should freeze military spending to wait for the audit to take place I know when we are being audited it usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks. Could you imagine how long it would take to audit the Pentagon?

[Perchoutofwater]

Jesus.  So dang typical.  Not a bad solution to a big problem.  If public transportation were made free a lot more people would use it...

 

... and than there is Perch.... I want my two dollars!!!

 

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Sorry, I'm against free rides at the expense of others. That is the difference between a conservative like me and a liberal like you.

[DKF]

I don't mind an audit.  And I don't mind heads rolling where money is being wasted.  I just don't think that we should freeze military spending to wait for the audit to take place  I know when we are being audited it usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks.  Could you imagine how long it would take to audit the Pentagon?

 

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That and auditors are both blind and stupid. Enron was 'audited' by all kinds of auditors.

[Perchoutofwater]

This is considering a run for President...

 

I'll need to give a few here

 

1) Education. Everything comes down to education and how seriously people take it.  What do you propose?  How do you take it seriously?  Give us an example.  Is it throw more money at the problem or change the system that is obviosly borken?  If it is to change the system what changes would you make?  Would it privatization or something else?  Quite honestly you sound like a typical politician here.

 

2) Tax revenue, both in collecting enough and in collecting it fairly  What is fairly?  Is a "progressive tax" fair?  Is a flat tax fair?  Is a consumption tax fair?  What meathod of taxation is fair?  You are sounding like a typical politician here as well.

 

3) Trimming the waste. Would I cut budgets? Heck yeah. But I would do it with a team of analysts whose job it was to get into government agencies and see where the money is wasted and where it is well spent. We need better financial accountability.  Agreed

 

4) Developing Americans. Why did I put this separate? Because it's an important concept that I don't think is paid enough attention to. And in here I must create a familiarity with what I mean so as not to be labeled a kookoo..... So are you saying give a hand up rather than a hand out?  How do you differentiate between the two?  What social programs would you do away with if any, which would you keep, and what kind of program if any would add?  Or are you saying that we aren't giving enough in welfare already?  You said a lot of idealistic visions, but not how you would accomplish them.  In other words you sound like a typical politician.

 

 

5) Defense spending and Military function.  I believe military function should become expanded to encompass certain security issues, in particular border control.  Border control includes the physical land boarders of the country, the country's ports, and the country's international airports.  There should be well trained Border Guards at these places to deal with security and safety issues.  Any time we are talking about our national security and safety we should consider the use of a federal level organization such as the military to deal with the problem.  I also think the military should have a hand in dealing with and potential disaster situation that could erupt inside the borders of the United States.  The US Military is one place where we could effectively  train and cycle personnel through on a regular basis, teaching them the skills necessary to deal with different potential disaster scenarios.  This type of program would create increased need for our standing military, but at the same time give a different focus to different parts of our military structure.

 

What I am essentially suggesting is a greatly increased role for our Coast Guard, elevating them to a full military branch called Border Guard, and giving them control of the security of our countries borders as well as the ability to assist and operate within the borders in response to declared federal disaster zones.  I agree with most of that.  Provided that by operating in disaster zones you mean aid people to get to safety and to keep the peace so that you don't have a bunch of looters, not if you mean rebuilding.

 

Those would be the top 5 things on my agenda.

 

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[Azazello1313]

everybody says "i'd balance the budget by doing an audit and eliminating the waste". sure is easy to say, but it's mostly hot air. i don't take it seriously unless they point to specific things they think the government should spend less money on. personally, i think you have to start with SS and medicare. that and defense are where the vast bulk of the money goes, and the world is too f'ed up right now to be cutting defense spending. SS should be means-tested, the retirement age should be raised, private investment accounts should be created, and medicare benefits should be scaled back.

 

education is a tough issue federally, because i believe the federal education bureaucracy is more a aprt of the problem than part of the solution. the power with respect to education needs to be local. i am (reluctantly) in favor of some federal funding for education, but only in order to help poorer districts have enough money to operate.

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

Strong businesses rape the treasury and screw "the mythical little guy."

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FIXED

[Hugh B Tool]

(1)Flat Tax

 

(2)Spending on Defense should be more for homeland security, borders, immigration, and when actually spent on wars out of our country, doing so with a purpose. I'm frickin' sick of these prolonged drawn out invasions(new Nams). We can and should kick ass and take names and get the hell out. this would be made a heck of a lot easier if we had our allies support in more than just a token way.

 

(3)Making sure Americans have jobs that actually pay what they did 8 years ago. Most of the new jobs that have moved unenjoyment down are paying crap because the big companies know they can hide behind 9-11 as a crutch to say the "playing field is different now". BS! They also know that if Joe American won't take said pay cut, Jose Alien will. Which takes me back to #2

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

(1)Flat Tax

 

(2)Spending on Defense should be more for homeland security, borders, immigration, and when actually spent on wars out of our country, doing so with a purpose. I'm frickin' sick of these prolonged drawn out invasions(new Nams). We can and should kick ass and take names and get the hell out. this would be made a heck of a lot easier if we had our allies support in more than just a token way.

 

(3)Making sure Americans have jobs that actually pay what they did 8 years ago. Most of the new jobs that have moved unenjoyment down are paying crap because the big companies know they can hide behind 9-11 as a crutch to say the "playing field is different now". BS! They also know that if Joe American won't take said pay cut, Jose Alien will. Which takes me back to #2

 

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Well said.

[Caveman_Nick]

 

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I'm sorry that you feel I did not do a good enough job for you.

 

If I have enough time I will expand as well as I can. But the question was what your top 3 issues would be. Education is my top issue. Proper government revenue is my second issue. That answers the question. How does someone put together a full proposal of how to fix an issue they don;t haev an inside track to the problems on?

 

You're a little antagonistic today. Maybe you have been hanging with skins too much

[wiegie]

Here's more than three:

 

1) Vouchers for education through college--vouchers will be of the same value for all students of the same level of schooling.

 

2) Campaign finance reform (make campaigns be publically funded and ban most, if not all, private contributions to public officials)

 

3) Guaranteed minimum-wage jobs to anyone who wants to work. All welfare payments to non-disabled persons who choose not to work are ended. (& making false claims of disability by both doctors and patients criminal (i.e. punishable by jail sentences))

 

4) Manhattan Project type plan for alternative energy.

 

5) Decriminalization of Josh Gordon (I've never smoked it, but it makes no sense to put people into jail for it.)

 

6) Increased funding for basic science research.

 

7) Increase the severity of punishment (along with increased money for enforcement) for white-collar crimes.

 

8) Increase the severity of punishment (along with increased money for enforcement) for violent crimes.

 

9) Rewrite eminant domain laws to prevent property from taken from one private owner and given to another private owner.

[Savage Beatings]

You're really bringing me over man.

 

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Better off dead... nice!

[Bengal Mania]

1) No more "mission statements" of any kind in any corporate environment.

 

2) Losing lawyer gets shot

 

3) Build a lot more prisons. Abolish executions. Give inmates cyanide pill when they enter 6x8 cell, and tell them the next time they come thru the cell door is when their dead carcass is carried out. The lenght of "life" in prison is up to them, you know, death with dignity and all that.

[muck]

Tough...

 

Local Office:

If I say, "I'll attract good businesses to the area with good jobs," some might accuse me of offering corporate welfare.

If I say, "I'll be tough on crime and clean up the area," some might accuse me of being a bigot.

If I say, "I'll revamp education, reducing the politcs of it and increasing parental and community accountability," some might accuse me of being too dramatic.

 

That said, good jobs, safe streets and good schools are the types of things local politicians should be about ... generally speaking. I'd prolly be about the same thing, as well.

 

National Office:

Refer to the constitution if I'm uncertain about what course of action I should take on a particular topic.

Uphold the constitution.

Require others who work for me do the same thing.

 

What does this mean? Practically, it means to protect our citizens from external and internal threats and to encourage all of the citizens to pro-actively participate in this great republic or ours.

[Azazello1313]

Here's more than three:

 

1)  Vouchers for education through college--vouchers will be of the same value for all students of the same level of schooling.

 

2)  Campaign finance reform (make campaigns be publically funded and ban most, if not all, private contributions to public officials) 

 

3)  Guaranteed minimum-wage jobs to anyone who wants to work.  All welfare payments to non-disabled persons who choose not to work are ended.  (& making false claims of disability by both doctors and patients criminal (i.e. punishable by jail sentences))

 

4)  Manhattan Project type plan for alternative energy.

 

5)  Decriminalization of Josh Gordon (I've never smoked it, but it makes no sense to put people into jail for it.)

 

6)  Increased funding for basic science research.

 

7)  Increase the severity of punishment (along with increased money for enforcement) for white-collar crimes.

 

8)  Increase the severity of punishment (along with increased money for enforcement) for violent crimes.

 

9)  Rewrite eminant domain laws to prevent property from taken from one private owner and given to another private owner.

 

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well, there are major constitutional issues with the first two. in any case, many of these are probably good ideas, but it's worth noting that they ALL (with the possible exception of 9 and 5, but arguably even those) increase the size, scope and power of the federal government.