SEC's suggestions for a better America (since the other thread will probably get deleted)

[wiegie]

SEC has made an interesting post. Such posts should be encouraged since these forums are dead and completely suck balls right now. Alas, he made his post in a thread that will likely be deleted (since the thread was "political" <insert scary emoticon here> ). I don't want his ideas to go for wont, so here they are again:

 

Ok, I've made a decision. Here's what I'm gonna do; I'm running for president, I will file the appropriate paperwork tomorrow, pay the fees and need the support of the Huddle community.

 

Here is my platform:

 

Cut the defense budget:

I will close 80% of our foreign bases. The only ones I plan on keeping open are S. Korea, Turkey, Thailand, Japan, Honduras and Bahrain. I will delve into the new U.S. Weapons programs/development, which is $296 billion over budget and make some draconian, though wise, cuts.

 

Foreign Aid:

Fun, fun, fun... I will reduce foreign aid that the US pays to foreign countries on an annual basis by 50%+. In my crosshairs is Israel, Saudi Arabia, most of the African continent and numerous other tinpot, dictator run cesspools. It will take a bit of research, but, I am certain that this can be accomplished.

 

Aid will still be extended to "friendly" nations in case of disasters.

 

Cuba:

I will lift all import/export and travel restrictions to Cuba. We will "normalize" our relations with the country.

 

Corporate "Welfare":

All US based corporations and their subsidiaries will have all revenue taxed at the US corporate tax rate regardless of where said revenue is realized. GE, face it, you are a US corporation, your Chinese, Indian, European affiliates will pay taxes to the US government, get over it. I will allow these companies a 1 time opportunity to repatriate their profits form previous years and hit them with a one time 15% tax on those profits (I will lower the US corporate tax to 23% and rigorously limit deductible items.)

 

Farm subsidies, on a case by case basis, will be severely shrunk. Oil companies will receive very modest subsidies for exploration and technology upgrades, "green" companies can receive US backed loans at reduced terms but will be checked quarterly and the loans may be called at any time.

 

The one thing I will push and subsidize greatly is the production of a hydrogen fuel cell for US automobile manufacturers and other private companies. It will be a manhattan project type effort with a $2 billion prize going to whatever US coroporation can develop a viable hydrogen powered automobile.

 

Education:

Bye, bye, NCLB... The department of education will be greatly reduced in its scope and will be there to mainly offer financial support to state and local education departments.

 

NPR/PBS:

Will get a 50% increase in their funding. This way I cna get rid of some of those crappy ass reporters/hosts that they have and get some real talent on air. Also, you will have to sit through some advertisements, as the ratings go up, I'm charging for air time, bitches...

 

NEA (Arts):

If you really can't make a living from selling your "art" to the public, get another career you loser... There will be some funding, but that will be mainly for public institutions and the revitalization of historic places.

 

SS/Medicare:

Means testing, means testing, means testing. Age to receive full benefits will increase to 70. Death panels (unless your private/supplemental insurance will cover the whole nut of what you require.)

 

FDA:

Drug patents will only run for 3 years and then generics can be produced. The "approval" process will not be as rigorous, for instance, if the EU or Canada has approved a drug, the FDA approval process will be greatly reduced.

 

Illicit drugs:

All of them will be legal... except for Josh Gordon. I don't like Josh Gordon, don't typically like how people act while on Josh Gordon and don't like the smell of Josh Gordon.

 

Welfare:

Here we go, you guys ready?

 

You can get welfare for a maximum of 4 years during your lifetime. When one enrolls on the welfare rolls they will immediately be placed in a "job training" program. These will typically be geared toward skilled manufacturing, nursing, construction, or IT careers. These programs will last two years and will be done through the state university systems or other accredited (established) teaching/training institutions. During this training, child care will be subsidized, tuition will be subsidized, housing will be subsidized and food will be subsidized. Upon completion of training one has 6 months to find employment prior to being cut from the welfare rolls. Upon finding employment one has a 6 month grace period to move from their subsidized dwelling. Tuition costs will be reimbursed starting in year 3 of one's employment. They will pay a minimum of $150 per month for the next 20 years of their life. The payments will be means tested and a maximum of $100K will be collected over a 20 year term for training.

 

The UN:

We will gracefully remove ourselves from this august body. You need our help, ask nicely. (I'll have to think about this a bit more)

 

Taxes:

Short term capital gains rate (and this definition will be extended to include gains made over a time of less than 24 months) 50%.

Medium Term capital gains rate (25 to 60 months) will be 30%

Long term capital gains rate (60+ months) 20%

Income tax rate 23% across the board NO DEDUCTIONS except for charitable contributions.

For those below poverty level there will be no tax and subsidies in place to bring one to 10% above poverty level if both parents (or head of household) are working 40+ hours per week or are enrolled in an education/jobs program.

Corporate tax rate 23%

 

Minimum Wage:

States decide that, there will be no federally mandated minimum wage.

 

Immigration:

Green cards will still be based on a lottery system to friendly nations. Individuals may apply giving preference to those with needed job skills.

 

Illegal immigrants:

On the day I enter office I will make an announcement:

To all my dear illegal immigrants, you have 1 year to report to a local INS station that will be set up in the coming 2 months. There will be at least two in each state. You need to bring your documents from your country of origin, you need to bring proof of employment and you need to bring proof of address/residency. You will be registered, you will receive legal US documentation and a work visa. You will check in with the immigration office when you move, lose your job, change jobs or plan on going home. You will check in annually bringing proof of employment, proof of address/residency and your work visa will be renewed. Should you lose your employment, you have 8 months to find new employment. Should you be caught with and expired work permit/visa, you and your family will be deported to your country of origin. You will attain US citizenship after 7 years on this provisional visa. If at any time while you are visiting you are convicted of a felony, you and your family will be deported. Any child that you have while on the provisional visa WILL NOT be granted US citizenship. After 7 years, citizenship will be extended to them. If you have a problem with any of these conditions, leave now.

 

Abortion:

Smoke 'em if you got 'em...

 

After your 4th abortion... we're tying your tubes.

 

Contraception:

Will be made available in public schools starting in the 8th grade. There will also be a 6 week sex-ed class. This will be over seen by the dept of health and human services. If you don't want your kids exposed to this, send 'em to private schools.

 

School Vouchers:

Will be a state decision. Federal funding will not change.

 

Term limits:

2 terms for president

2, four year terms for congress

2 six year terms for senate (I would contemplate going back to having senators appointed by the state.)

 

PAC's:

Politicians will not be able to be supported by them. You can not mention ANY candidates name in your commercials. You can complain all you want about an issue, but can not mention ANY politicians name.

 

Lobbyists:

I catch on the hill or in a local office of a politician distributing ANY type of bribe to them (dinner, a puppy, a plane flight/vacation to aruba), I'll have laws in place to put you under the jail. Politicians entertaining bribes from them will be put under the lobbyist under the jail.

 

Private Funding of campaigns:

Only if it is your cash and you have a $10 million limit. Public financing is the way to go. No ore buying elections.

 

Kilo vs. New London:

I'll figure out some way to introduce legislation to ensure that private developers can not use imminent domain to steal people's property.

 

Oil refineries:

We need to update our refineries and increase capacity.

 

Nuclear Power:

More of it.

 

Am-trak:

If you can't make it on your own, well, tough sh!t.

 

Capital Punishment:

For federal crimes yes. States decide on their own.

 

Right to bear arms:

I will issue every family in the US a 12 gauge shotgun. Enter at your own risk.

 

Chickens in backyards:

Will be forbidden unless you have 5+ acres of land. Goats are fine.

 

Global Warming Funding:

Will receive as much money as people who study volcanoes currently do.

 

Federal Gas Taxes:

will go up 100% except for on diesel fuel. We gotta repair our roadways and this will help create the funds to do so... as well as creating jobs.

 

Budget:

All departments will go back to their 2007 levels except for in areas where greater cuts can be made (defense, I'm looking at you.)

 

Patriot Act:

Sh!t canned.

 

That's all I have for right now. If you have any questions, post 'em.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

winner

[buddahj]

I'll vote for ya!!!

 

[BillyBalata]

sorry...cliaz already has my vote.

[matt770]

If I had a terminal illness, I would most certainly vote for SEC. The entertainment value just before the collapse of the republic would be off the charts.

 

Seriously, those campaign promises are similar to what many candidates have spouted, just less "safe" and a millions times more broad and sweeping. What always happens...the candidate gets elected and finds there are too many roadblocks to enact his promises. Whether they be congress, special interests, or if I make this cut, that many jobs get cut, etc...

 

All the cuts sound great, but they could result in 20% unemployment. The beast is bloated, but her teats feed millions of idiots who vote. Maybe that's why we don't get any quality candidates anymore, they realize POTUS is just one dude vs. a system that has grown completely out of control.

[wiegie]

I'll note we had a similar http://forums.thehuddle.com/index.php?/topic/141525-if-you-were-to-run-for-office/]thread[/url] about 6 years ago. Here is what I wrote then

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.

 

[SEC=UGA]

I'll note we had a similar thread"]http://forums.thehud...-office/]thread[/url] about 6 years ago. Here is what I wrote then

 

 

Ok, you probably have a better shot of winning than I. How much cash you need?

[SEC=UGA]

If I had a terminal illness, I would most certainly vote for SEC. The entertainment value just before the collapse of the republic would be off the charts.

 

Seriously, those campaign promises are similar to what many candidates have spouted, just less "safe" and a millions times more broad and sweeping. What always happens...the candidate gets elected and finds there are too many roadblocks to enact his promises. Whether they be congress, special interests, or if I make this cut, that many jobs get cut, etc...

 

All the cuts sound great, but they could result in 20% unemployment. The beast is bloated, but her teats feed millions of idiots who vote. Maybe that's why we don't get any quality candidates anymore, they realize POTUS is just one dude vs. a system that has grown completely out of control.

 

 

Of course there would be fallout from many of the changes being pushed by my administration. And most certainly I would hit very strong headwinds from the established bureaucracy and would certainly not be able to foment all of the change due to the nature of our system. But, I could fight like hell to illicit some change.

 

20% unemployment would be quite a stretch. THose displaced by cuts in one area would be picked up in other areas of growth. I'm thinking you'd see a shock to the employment rate from the defense cuts but may see some of that picked up by multi-nationals bringing some of their operations back to the US due to more favorable (and draconian) tax laws.

 

But, in the balance of things, you are probably correct. Most, if not all, of this would not be able to be instituted.

[bpwallace49]

 

Sounds good to me . . .

[bushwacked]

Are you guys interested in polling data?

[SEC=UGA]

Are you guys interested in polling data?

 

 

I'm interested in polling a number of the electorate, who is this Data woman of whom you speak?

[wiegie]

 

I'm interested in polling a number of the electorate, who is this Data woman of whom you speak?

TimC would do her: http://images.wikia.com/memoryalpha/en/images/4/4f/Data,_2366.jpg

 

[Clubfoothead]

I don't like at least 70% it.

[rajncajn]

Cut the defense budget:

 

 

I agree that the defense budget needs to be cut, but the programs aren't necessarily the problem, it's the efficiency. You start wholesale cutting of programs then you better prepare for a big jump in unemployment.

[godtomsatan]

Do you have a catchy headline-grabbing sound byte type things to say? Otherwise, I'm not likely to pay any attention to you.

[G.K.Trey]

other then the part about the Josh Gordon, not bad.

[SEC=UGA]

 

I agree that the defense budget needs to be cut, but the programs aren't necessarily the problem, it's the efficiency. You start wholesale cutting of programs then you better prepare for a big jump in unemployment.

 

 

A big part of the target would be to identify and cut weapons development programs that are behind schedule and unnecessary. For example, we all know about the two engine development programs for the joint force strike jet. The waste in that instance was uncovered and the program killed. We don't know the complete and total fallout with regard to employment from that, but I'm betting it was relatively light.

 

Also, introduction of a more competitive bid environment for military supplies (hammers, screw drivers, duct tape, etc...) could lead to a decrease in costs as well.

 

A big chunk of the reductions in the budget would be from closing overseas bases and repatriating the US troops abroad to the US. The influx of more troops into US towns could provide economic stimulus to these areas by increasing demands for goods and services.

Edited April 5, 2012 by SEC=UGA

[SEC=UGA]

Do you have a catchy headline-grabbing sound byte type things to say? Otherwise, I'm not likely to pay any attention to you.

 

 

Nope. I'll work on it.

[detlef]

 

I agree that the defense budget needs to be cut, but the programs aren't necessarily the problem, it's the efficiency. You start wholesale cutting of programs then you better prepare for a big jump in unemployment.

 

But what is the cost of keeping those jobs? I'm sure the guys that we're employing to make some of these things make a tidy living, and that part is great. But if what they're making, because of the insanely rare materials as well as Dick Cheney's cut means that the Gov't is paying 50x more than what it costs to employ that skilled labor, all for something that we probably don't need or may never work. Then what's the point?

[Ursa Majoris]

I have some issues with some of the SEC manifesto but I'm voting for him anyway. Nothing there that couldn't be ironed out in his first term.