If YOU Were President!

[iamkeri1]

A Civil rights
Draft and sign Presidential Order to immediately stop Enforcement of DADT,
order offers of reinstatement to all service personeel terminated under,
order investigation of loss of benefits like pension, health care for
terminated service people and reinstatement of benefits as provided in
their service contracts prior to termination.
B Economy
Withraw US from World Trade Organization
Review trade agreements for equity: terminate all agreements resulting in
trade imbalance with any country
Treat any US company that sends jobs overseas like a it was a non-US
based company, and subject it to all applicable taxes, tarriffs, etc
Reinstate tax reductions for all employess on all income up to $150,000.00
Develop retraining program for anyone topped out on unemployment which
includes on-the-job training with industry standard pay.
More later when I have more time

[amiyesiam]

I would not be president
the list of things I would like to change to make things better for all Americans is long
but the president can't just change things
this is a democracy
it was designed to make changes slowly
with lots of checks and balances, give and take, etc
it is not easy
it is full of power plays, deceit, behind the doors crap, and honestly lots of bullshit
Even if one, as president, has a clear vision of a fair and free America
there are many who don't want a fair and free anything
I could not, for 4 years, actually have to spend most of my time dealing with all the pettiness, stupidity, etc
while watching a country I would be responsible for, keep suffering.
Besides I lack the necessary tack required for the job

I will keep reading and learning, and voting and teaching as a citizen
that way I can keep my sanity

[Blade]

Chuckling....Medusa you might should have put each one of those items in their own threads. I'm thinking some people are going to have replies as long as a novel. Pulls up a chair.

I'm shaking my head yes at the posts so far.

[Blade]

I'll address the death penalty first and the prison system as a whole. If DNA evidence or indisputable evidence points towards guilt I say yes to the death penalty. Also if they deserve a swift, prompt trial, then society deserves swift prompt punishment.

As for the rest of the prison population. Those who show promise in returning to society and are likely not to return to prison would be offered the opportunity to learn a trade or earn their GED/Diploma or continued education and substance abuse assistance.

I have seen varying figures as to how much it cost to house an inmate per year. The last I remember was like 35G. That is more than many of us make in a year and are expected to keep up our bills and kids and taxes. So For the lifers and repeat offenders I have another plan. These folks would spend their days on farms picking and packing, veggies and produce that machines don't pick and pack. Working farms and many other things they could do to help with their up keep. In summer they could grow a garden and preserve things for the whole prison to eat the rest of the year. They'd keep our roadways clean and the ones with a trade would be repairing housing, for the elderly and lower income families. Even building homes for them much like Habitat for Humanity does.

This is just a few of my ideas for the entire prison system.

[Rook]

There's a Lot I'd do, but as the previous Posts state,
I could only do so much as President per se...
Any Desicion/Measure/ammending or Change must first meet approval of House of Rep. + Senate...
If those are divided, not a damned thing could be Done w/o Months of argument/Debate...
If Both are of "my" Party, the Process to make it Legit might take time, and when it does come around, My term probably would be Over because the People didnt see immediate Action, and whatever dingbat the People placed in Spite will Veto my efforts.

anyways....

Abolish Death Penality

Grant "Choice" in abortion under Extenuating Circumstance{in other words, if you wanna abort because of some random 1 night stand that was delicious and with consequence, too bad, however, if it was rape/incest/underage, different story}

Repeal DADT

Grant Equal Rights to Marry, Inheritance, Taxes, Visitors right etc to Same Sex...

Health Care for ALL who can't afford to pay regardless of so-called Income bracket. 2 Hearing aids {not just 1 every 4 years}, per 2 years for those who need it, Coverage for Glasses as well..
Remove that stupid "Drive-thru" policy for Delivering mothers..
Increase WIC help

Legalize Ferrets in California/Hawaii/Puerto Rico -smirk-

Tax the Rich to Feed the Poor...

Instill in Public schools Free breakfast/lunch for Students

Enforce in every way possible till everyone understands the Separation of State and Church.

Grant Proper Restitution/Compensation, proper financial/medical Aid, proper Education for Native Americans both In and Out of Rez...

Fix up Social Security for Retirees, Elders..

Find alternatives to Oil Dependancy...

Recall Troops from Foreign Soil, Deal with Domestic Issues before rushing off to save Whomever, in a war that isn't even Ours{yet} at the Cost of Our own Families, w/o a shred of gratitude..
Falling short of being called the next Switzerland.

[maybe post more later....hmm]

[Blade]

To bad there isn't some way to make a financial eligibility cap for those wishing to run for The Senate or the House of Reps. I really believe the common man, with common sense could get us out of a lot of the mess this country is in. I mean lets face it Presidential candidates, and other legislative branch, candidates aren't common people. They are the wealthy, and are backed by wealth and big corporates.

[WolfyOne]

Originally Posted by Rook

There's a Lot I'd do, but as the previous Posts state,
I could only do so much as President per se...
Any Desicion/Measure/ammending or Change must first meet approval of House of Rep. + Senate...
If those are divided, not a damned thing could be Done w/o Months of argument/Debate...
If Both are of "my" Party, the Process to make it Legit might take time, and when it does come around, My term probably would be Over because the People didnt see immediate Action, and whatever dingbat the People placed in Spite will Veto my efforts.

anyways....

Abolish Death Penality

Grant "Choice" in abortion under Extenuating Circumstance{in other words, if you wanna abort because of some random 1 night stand that was delicious and with consequence, too bad, however, if it was rape/incest/underage, different story}

Repeal DADT

Grant Equal Rights to Marry, Inheritance, Taxes, Visitors right etc to Same Sex...

Health Care for ALL who can't afford to pay regardless of so-called Income bracket. 2 Hearing aids {not just 1 every 4 years}, per 2 years for those who need it, Coverage for Glasses as well..
Remove that stupid "Drive-thru" policy for Delivering mothers..
Increase WIC help

Legalize Ferrets in California/Hawaii/Puerto Rico -smirk-

Tax the Rich to Feed the Poor...

Instill in Public schools Free breakfast/lunch for Students

Enforce in every way possible till everyone understands the Separation of State and Church.

Grant Proper Restitution/Compensation, proper financial/medical Aid, proper Education for Native Americans both In and Out of Rez...

Fix up Social Security for Retirees, Elders..

Find alternatives to Oil Dependancy...

Recall Troops from Foreign Soil, Deal with Domestic Issues before rushing off to save Whomever, in a war that isn't even Ours{yet} at the Cost of Our own Families, w/o a shred of gratitude..
Falling short of being called the next Switzerland.

[maybe post more later....hmm]

Rook, I'm only going to pull one out of here because I like all the rest......Abolish the death penalty.

I believe if you are found guilty without a doubt, lets say for murder that we as tax paying citizens should not have to pay to house you the rest of your living days. 3 meals a day, a room of your own, clothing, medical and dental is no answer for killing.

[Rook]

I appreciate that you like all the Rest, and I respect your point of view..
However, if we're focusing on Financing, as taxpayers...
Not even glancing at the Constitution's 8th amendment in the process..Their Constant Appeals{I think it's the exceptionally rare who waive off their right to appeals} also places a financial burden upon the Tax-payers, sometimes far more Expensive than say ..Life w/o Parole...
even as said Death Row inmate awaits his/her "Death" amid back2back appeals, we the taxpayers have to foot the bill to actually keep him/her healthy until such time the State is scheduled to carry their sentence..
Frequently, while they await their Sentence to be carried out, depending on each Prisons Policy, death row inmates, because of the severity of their Isolation, it's not uncommon to find they slipped into severe mental illness...
I'm aware that Timothy McVeigh's execution was rather quick, but I think he was one of those rare moments in Justice...
There's also the fact that some states actually make some sentences "quicker" because, in all honesty, the cocktail they use in lethal injection has an expiration date-snort-...
Also, there are some who managed to wiggle Out of Death Row after DNA has proven their innocence, others haven't been quite as lucky..
A Lifer stands a far better chance at receiving his/her own piece of Justice than someone who was Executed {if they're truly innocent}..
Back to Finance, 1 case in Capital punishment cost 500,000$, in attorney fees alone, then there's Medical, personnel, etc etc....
Yes a lifer gets 3 meals a day{shitty food, but food nonetheless, ask any ex-con.. }, maybe a TV {basic cable that the Guards control on a whim}, clothing{who wants wool jumpsuits??}, a Room of your own , shared with probably 1 or 4 perpetually horny big-ass Bubba Joes, the matresses are sub-par, u get a nifty teeny weeny window, and a really...hmm, shitty Loo...
Communal Shower, with maybe 30 murderers, rapists etc..
Medical and Dental, true...
No different than a Death Row inmate...
But I can guarantee, it's not 5 star recommended Medical..

I think I explained better in the other Thread dealing with this very subject though...

I could be wrong, who knows..
and I don't mean to negate your feelings, just giving "the other side of the issue" so to speak...

[WolfyOne]

Originally Posted by Rook

I appreciate that you like all the Rest, and I respect your point of view..
However, if we're focusing on Financing, as taxpayers...
Not even glancing at the Constitution's 8th amendment in the process..Their Constant Appeals{I think it's the exceptionally rare who waive off their right to appeals} also places a financial burden upon the Tax-payers, sometimes far more Expensive than say ..Life w/o Parole...
even as said Death Row inmate awaits his/her "Death" amid back2back appeals, we the taxpayers have to foot the bill to actually keep him/her healthy until such time the State is scheduled to carry their sentence..
Frequently, while they await their Sentence to be carried out, depending on each Prisons Policy, death row inmates, because of the severity of their Isolation, it's not uncommon to find they slipped into severe mental illness...
I'm aware that Timothy McVeigh's execution was rather quick, but I think he was one of those rare moments in Justice...
There's also the fact that some states actually make some sentences "quicker" because, in all honesty, the cocktail they use in lethal injection has an expiration date-snort-...
Also, there are some who managed to wiggle Out of Death Row after DNA has proven their innocence, others haven't been quite as lucky..
A Lifer stands a far better chance at receiving his/her own piece of Justice than someone who was Executed {if they're truly innocent}..
Back to Finance, 1 case in Capital punishment cost 500,000$, in attorney fees alone, then there's Medical, personnel, etc etc....
Yes a lifer gets 3 meals a day{shitty food, but food nonetheless, ask any ex-con.. }, maybe a TV {basic cable that the Guards control on a whim}, clothing{who wants wool jumpsuits??}, a Room of your own , shared with probably 1 or 4 perpetually horny big-ass Bubba Joes, the matresses are sub-par, u get a nifty teeny weeny window, and a really...hmm, shitty Loo...
Communal Shower, with maybe 30 murderers, rapists etc..
Medical and Dental, true...
No different than a Death Row inmate...
But I can guarantee, it's not 5 star recommended Medical..

I think I explained better in the other Thread dealing with this very subject though...

I could be wrong, who knows..
and I don't mean to negate your feelings, just giving "the other side of the issue" so to speak...

I understand you Rook, but at least they get more than homeless people
As President I would want more for the homeless and less for those in prison
No one living in the United States should have to go hungry

[Corkey]

I don't think any of you would like me for President, and that's quite all right. I think I would do much better as a Senator, to help bring back sanity and to keep our Constitution from those who would bring us to Fascism.

That said, I would have to take an economic course or two as this wasn't my forte in college.

Death penalty should only be reserved for the worst of the worst. To arbitrarily kill isn't justice, it's vigilanteism. Those that DNA proves to be innocent should be released without predigest.
Due process is there for those who are innocent as well as the guilty. To loose our rights because of personal animus is not acceptable.

I would vote to repeal DADT, DOMA and pass with Transpeople included EDNA.

I would vote to pass unemployment extensions so that this country can begin to dig itself out of this mess W left us.

I would vote for a flat tax for those making over 250,000.00 a year, and it would be substantial, 40-50 %, and those making over 2 million 50-60%. Those who do not make 250K and less would get tax exemptions for interest paid to college education, home mortgages, and caretaker health care.

I would vote for Nationalized healthcare for every citizen, nationalized and working on a guest or workers visa. Those who make over 250K would be responsible for their own health care and can apply at any time they do not make this cut off.

Comprehensive immigration is a harder subject, but I would start by making the Dream Act law.

There is more, but I've drained my hands of typing at the moment.

[Bit]

Oh, this is FUN! Thanks, Dusa!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Step One, because I agree completely with Ami: FIND THE DIRT. I would hire the best detective agency in the country to find the dirt on EVERY member of Congress AND every media personality who obstructed me. Then I would make my position very quietly clear to everyone who acted against the best interests of the lower and middle class citizens of the US: cooperate, or get slammed with a career-ending truth publicity campaign.

Step Two: Follow through. I figure I'd probably have to get rid of three or four of them before the rest would start cooperating.

Step Two A: Follow through. Get my publicity agency going fulltime to keep me in the public eye and more than that, to keep my image favorable; and to handle all the public education campaigns which will be necessary to make the changes as smooth as possible.

Step Three: Restore Habeas Corpus. NO MORE government holding tanks! Everyone has the right to know the charges against them and to be represented by an attorney; no more being held without charges!

Have I been assassinated yet? No? Yay!

Step Four: Legalize marijuana, and commute all sentences currently being served for marijuana possession, sale, or use. This would do two things, 1) empty the prisons considerably and 2) allow hemp fiber farming.

Step Five: End all tobacco, cotton, and timber subsidies.

Step Six: Institute a fiber hemp subsidy, including one-time grants to factories to re-tool from cotton and wood to hemp, and tobacco to marijuana.

The goal of steps four through six is to redirect the US agricultural economy to a sustainable product which requires neither pesticides nor clear-cutting.

Have I been assasinated yet? No? Yay!

Step Seven: Institute a tax on marijuana cigarettes, equivalent to tobacco cigarette taxes. Institute equivalent taxes on alcoholic beverages. Designate these three taxes to go directly to the Medicare budget... cuz Medicare's suuurrrre gonna need it when the first big party-drug generation hits the system. (Boomers, of course; who'd ya think I meant? We're the generation who didn't wait for it to be legal...)

What? I'm still not assassinated? Wow! Yay!

Step Eight: Eliminate registration for a military draft. Our soldiers need to come voluntarily, not by coercion.

Step Nine: Institute compulsory National Service for all citizens at the age of 18 or upon graduation from high school, whichever comes first--one year to be spent inside the US working in nursing homes, hospitals, the national parks, schools; building houses for Habitat for Humanity; working in community service agencies, etc. College education and/or full-time private sector jobs would officially begin AFTER the year of service--no exceptions to the rule, period. Jobs would be tailored for the disabled as well as the abled and would include some administration. Not only would this give everyone a shared life experience, a rite of passage, it would also allow kids to escape their home towns if they desired to. It would provide real-world job experience. Most importantly of all, it would provide the maturity needed to change a LOT of attitudes about college, drastically diminishing the "party school" mentality.

Step Ten: Since a college education is now required for the complexity of the majority of jobs which will be available, tax all corporate persons (hey, if they can contribute to a politician, they can damned well be responsible and pay their taxes) at a flat 10% of income--foreign as well as US, so they can't avoid it by hiding it--and use part of the money to make public college free for all US citizens through the Master's level. Include continuing education for all professions. Include lifelong continuing education for adults who are not in degree programs. (Hey, why shouldn't someone's ceramics hobby or love of singing, desire to write or love of dance keep more teachers employed?)

Okay, surely they assasinated me when I made them pay real taxes! What? My detective agency is worth the money, they found the dirt and kept me alive?! Yay!

Step Ten: Set generous minimum pay scales for all teachers, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and all social workers, counselors, nurses, PAs, MAs, dentists and doctors working in social service agencies. There is no reason for the most valuable people in our society--the same people who make our society stable and cohesive!!--to be undervalued. Fund this with the rest of the corporate taxes. It'll take all the rest of the money because everyone'll be going back to school since it's free, so we'll need SCADS more teachers.

Step Eleven: Infrastructure. We are falling apart! Renew the WPA (and hire anyone who is willing to put in some hard labor) to rebuild the roads and schools, the bridges and dams and levies.

Step Twelve: More infrastructure. Build a national energy grid that supports all forms of renewable energy transmission. Build a national wireless network for data transmission. Build a national charging grid for electric vehicles.

Step Thirteen: End all subsidies for oil and natural gas, and institute a flat tax on all oil and natural gas production on federal lands at 35% of pre-expense income. Forgive the tax in proportional amounts for companies which retool for solar and wind energy production, but do not discontinue the tax once they are retooled. The oil and the natural gas BELONG to the citizens of the US and must be properly paid for. The sun and the wind are free.

This is where my detective agency, invaluable as it is, might fail me. I would not expect to survive this one. BUT if I managed to, I have so much more to get to!

Step Fourteen: Institute another Victory Garden campaign, fully funded, to teach people to grow organic heritage food for themselves. Include funding for effective community gardens at both city and neighborhood levels. Promote edible landscaping for both residential areas and city-owned properties; encourage excess produce giveaways to food banks.

Step Fifteen: Encourage home wind and/or solar power generation. Provide a national education campaign and grants or tax credits. Require all electric companies to buy individually-produced renewable energy from residents and local businesses. (Yes, indeed, my detective agency is working overtime now! lol!)

Step Sixteen: Encourage rainwater harvesting and storage, and gray water recycling systems. Require all local governments to make it legal; write it into the current national building codes. Provide a national education campaign and grants or tax credits.

Step Seventeen: Encourage composting toilets. Require all local governments to make them legal; write them into the current national building codes. Provide a national education campaign and grants or tax credits.

Steps fourteen through seventeen can all be administered through county extension agencies. Tis a logical extension of their current services.

Step Eighteen: Create a National Homesteading Act that actually protects homeowners in a reasonable and responsible way.

Step Nineteen: Encourage nationwide mass transit. Create a federal public agency to do feasibility studies for cities and counties. Encourage bus and light rail systems that link towns, cities, counties. Provide a national education campaign about the benefits of mass transit; subsidize expanded service. Encourage and subsidize passenger train service; restore it between all major cities. Encourage and subsidize electric trains.

Step Twenty: Throw out the tax laws. Institute a flat 10% income tax on all personal income over the federal poverty level. No graduated taxes, not exceptions, no complications... just ten percent tax over the poverty level. Institute a flat 10% tax on all foreign and domestic business income after expenses.

Step Twenty-one: Change national immigration policies to make immigration not just possible, but easy. The forms are a nightmare, especially for those who don't speak English as a first language. The fees are high. The restrictions are unreasonable.

Okay at this point I may still be alive, but lord love a duck am I tired!

Step Twenty-two: take a vacation!

You'll notice there's a lot I didn't get to, and a lot that's kinda vague. It would call for some serious research to do things right, yanno?

My goal would be to stabilize the country as fast as possible, to get people working and restore a measure of security to our everyday lives, to begin to transition away from heavy pollution and bring balance back to the land. People need to know that they will be able to take care of themselves, of their families; that they'll have a place to live and a place to work, the ability to pay their bills and improve their lives, and a way to get clean water, to breathe clean air, to eat clean food.

People who have this level of security don't need to hate and fear others. They're pretty busy building a booming economy, and way more likely to have a "live and let live" attitude. That means after the vacation I could get to work on civil rights.

[princessbelle]

I am not very political.

I do have a couple ideas, but don't bite me, they are just *my* thoughts.

The economy...uggg.

I would do two things right off the bat (not sure what this saying means exactly, but i'll go with it)

Number 1. raise minimum wage. The max unemployment check is right at the minimum wage currently. There is no real incentive for people who are on unemployment to NOT draw it. Not that there are a lot of jobs out there, i know that. Just that it may help single mothers, fathers etc who do have to get a minimum paying job until something better comes along.

I say no to stopping the unemployment cold turkey as is being discussed in congress right now. There are over 4 million people drawing unemployment in the US currently. If it is stopped with no way to reup for 4 more weeks then these 4 million people will all be hungry ect. Just makes no sense....to *me*.

Number 2. Big tax breaks for opening small buisnesses and renting empty buildings for buisnesses. IE: an abandand building and someone that wants to start a small buisness there or even turn it into apartment buildings.

The tax revenue will be seen when the buisness opens and the tax saved for the individual will be gained for the economy in the long run. As well as jobs for the remodeling, buying of furniture, contractors, plumbers, staff, ect....

K, my two cents if i magically became president...oh and of course National Pink Day...at least once per month....*smiles

[Kobi]

Ok I had to keep reminding myself I am the Pres of the USA, not God.

Given I would have to work within the system, I would limit my energies
to:

1. deficit reduction - this, I think, would be relatively easy.

I firmly believe in living within ones budget and a balanced budget would be mandatory.

To reduce the deficit, instituting a flat rate income tax would be desirable, without deductions and tax shelters, ranging from 10-50% depending on income for both individuals and corporations.

Foreign aid would be on the chopping block anywhere from 25-100% depending on whom we are supporting and why we are supporting them.

The war would end the day I took office period - advisors yes, equipment and forces no. I might even barter for the equipment in exchange for cheap oil but no more American lives.

A greed tax on thriving businesses i.e. professional sports, energy companies bragging of the billions a quarter in profits, the ridiculous banking and health care profits seems rather tasty.

I would require Congress and their respective flunkies who got us into this mess to take a 25% pay cut and reduce their "office expenses" by 50% until this problem is resolved.

Luxury taxes on non essential items like idiotically expensive vehilces, boats, planes, cruises and other forms of conspicuous consumption would make me smile.

I would cut the budgets of non essential government services by 25% i.e. I'm not going to cut social security but I will cut the parks service etc.


Voiding the current federal employee retirement system and requiring the government institute whatever is popular for the majority is a must. Thus no lucrative federal pensions. Instead, they get an unreliable 401 system like the rest of us schmucks.

That would be a good start I think.

2. I would nationalize health care for all citizens providing basic health, hospitalization, medication, and dental care. And I would pay for it will all the money currently being spent on private insurers, and reimbursement realignments.

3. Banking changes - I would nationalize all banks simply because selling off such an important part of your infrastructure borders on insanity.

Legalized loan sharking would be eliminated i.e. you can only charge interest on a credit card that equals the interest rate of a simple savings account -
.5% is more feasible than 22%.

4. Overhauling the political system, invoking reasonable campaign spending limits and limiting campaigning to 6 weeks before the election would be my last priority. I would want to level the playing field by eliminating contributions to individual campaigns and forcing contributions to a federal distribution system that would allocate funds equally to each candidate based on some totally incomprehensible formula.

Limiting term limits to 2 would be good. And making lobbying an act of treason seems reasonable.

If I havent been assassinated yet, tackling immigration would be next. But, I'm having too nice a day to invite in conflict. Maybe tomorrow

[ravfem]

i would pass a law stating that i had to give my personal approval before anyone was allowed to buy a Mustang.

[WolfyOne]

Blade touched on a subject I complain about all the time, our prison system

If I were president, I would put an end to federal prisons because a crime is a crime and I don't care who you are. If you choose to commit a crime, you should pay for it. Why should white collar criminals get special treatment in federal prison that prisoners elsewhere don't get. Imagine all the white collar thieves stopping to think about where they would wind up if all prisons were created equal. Maybe we'd get a politician or 3 that would turn to, "honesty is the best policy".