If I were the president

[VipertheSniper]

Originally Posted by Zachstar

I dont want to derail this topic discussing future housing. I will start another topic.

Didn't mean to.

[Freiwillige]

UnderseaLcpl and August....You get my vote!

Neil...Taxes=No more I.R.S. instead the wildly popular purchase tax would replace it. Every thing you buy has a small tax. The poor only buy what they need to survive so they pay less tax than the rich who buy alot of items.

Immigration... Well under a secure border system there could only be one way in....legally. I would stop all aid going to illegal immigration and make it a criminal act to support in anyway an illegal immigrant. After all if you knowingly help any other felon you are aiding and abeding. I would also do a short repatriation program helping those who are here go home and apply legaly.

Motorcycle tracks? Sure why not!

Gun control... Our existing laws are good enough

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Zachstar

My plan.

A) Disband the existing educational standards. When all students can think about is passing (Or cheating through) the test so they can play Xbox. It leads to huge current losses in national educational levels. The only reason we dodged a bullet on computer literacy is that computer gaming encouraged citizens to educate themselves so we have not ended up with a huge need for computer experts.

Are you insinuating that the entertainment software industry has single-handedly sustained the U.S. economy? Or that students perform lower on tests because they only care about computer games?
If so, how do you account for the marked decline in U.S. School performance since the 50's? 60's? 70's? 80's? Those were not big computer decades, relatively speaking.
I'm all for disbanding current educational standards by abolishing the Department of Education, but an educational system based on competition between schools for students and parents' dollars must take its' place. All privatized, half-privatized, voucher-system, any combination thereof, any of it has got to better than what we have now. Furthermore, we should remove legislative support for teachers' unions.

B) Replace the existing standards with a hybrid of science/exploration education with nothing but technical training. For those who want to learn they will not have to compete with those who rather not as education will not be mandatory anymore. You want to drop out? Go ahead and apply for McDonalds (Or equivalent minimum wage hard work) at 11. A couple of hard nights later and I am quite sure most will want to get the technical education. It may sound extremely harsh but no words is going to convince these next generations what happens when you dont take education seriously.

I wish I could say it in a gentler fashion but that's ridiculous. Science and exploration with nothing but technical training!?
And where, my friend, do the other sectors of the economy figure in? And how does this rectify the ineptitude of the current education system?
You could train every student in the U.S. in nothing but nuclear physics from grade 1 and still fail to achieve desireable results in that field, especially for the investment and the costs to other economic sectors.
The problem is one of quality, not curriculum or quantity.
As always, Zach, I applaud your initiative to sieze the future and think ahead, but there are other concerns that must be met first to form a basis for such policy. You can't just jump from a service economy to technopia. What on God's green earth is this nation going to do with 30 million scientists in addition to the ones we already have? Where are they going to work? Who is going to pay them?
The economy doesn't work like that. It isn't a materr of simply deciding where the future lies and redirecting resources of any kind towards that goal. All your plan would do is result in a lot of underpaid or unemployed specialists. Supply and demand, it's a law for a reason.

C) Disbanding NASAs involvement in Manned spaceflight. The past 4 years have proven that NASA will do anything for the bucks including misleading the public about the issues surrounding Ares 1 until now its failure will likely wreck any chance at a return to the moon. Gov will assist those developing the technology to make us a space fairing race a realality without all the "agreements" and stuff that cause a simple return to the moon to become a political nightmare.

Well, I'm all for cutting NASA spending. The 50% of present-day funding I reserve is mostly for maintaining commercial space interests. Eventually, I'd like to see the agency eliminated entirely.
Nothing but profit drive and private interest is ever going to create sustainable space research and exploitation.

D)Change the welfare system. This part of course makes me unelectable but the welfare system needs to be changed to further help people who actually do make a difference. Precendence needs to be given to those who are trying to get a better education that gets them into a position to develop the next great technolgies. Who knows how many Einstiens are more worried about what they can afford to eat for dinner instead of his/her theories.

Considering that this system already exsists, to a large extent, I'd need to know more about your system before offering my opinion.

E) Phase out direct foreign aid. Instead of spending billions keeping entire nations dependant on us. Spend billions developing cheap solar water purifiers and aids treatments that can save many millions.

The one problem I have with this policy is that it is no different than current policy. Even if we developed some nice solar water purifiers and even found a cure for aids, it does nothing to address the issues that make these problems rampant in 3rd world countries in the first place.
All you will end up doing is contributing to an unsustainable population boom and incur a lot of costs.
The main problem that all 3rd-world nations share is oppressive, centralist, governments. That is part of why none of our aid helps much. The other problem is the population. Giving them different essential needs isn't going to help. You'll just make a bigger oppressed population that requires more aid next year.
Either you militarily remove the offending governments and institute capitalism to benefit living standards, or you just let them be. I prefer to let them be. Honestly, I don't have a solution for 3rd world nations except to hope that they revolt and put some semblance of a functional state in place. I wouldn't commit U.S. troops or tax dollars to achive that end. Private charities can do it if they care enough.

F) A massive project to develop cheap yet effective housing. We have to move away from wood housing. Which is easily damaged and trailer parks that are death traps and a symbol of issues in the nation instead of being the frontier. If a 2 story house costs just 50 thousnad and could be erected with just a small team with a week. Small communties would see a huge boost which would help the national economy. And if they are not easily damaged insurance companies would gladly tank the fees in order to get many more customers. And it inspire confidence in young generations eager to get out on their own. Im thinking domes of cheap carbon based materials (Kind of like bullet proof glass except a tad more flexable material that can be made of carbon harvested from various plant life instead of oil supply oh and of course made to be unvieable in the entire visable spectrum) There seems to be a mutltitude of projects moving towards a goal like this. But it seems to be of low priority in the face of the housing bubble collapse.

Good news: We have the cheap part nailed down.
Bad News: Effective is expensive.

Under my policy, you and anyone like you will have all the freedom in the world to develop such housing and take the market by storm. I'll even get taxes and a lot of licensure regs out of your way. However, I won't give you one red cent of taxpayer money to achieve that goal.
If the idea is really that good, you should have no problem convincing people to fund you, but the state shouldn't be wasting money on maybes.

On the bright side, you get to keep any money you make all to yourself (minus a nominal income tax) and use it for whatever means you desire.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by August

I disagree. Allowing your goods to be made in countries with no environmental laws by slaves working in dangerous sweatshops is no benefit to anyone worth benefiting. You either raise the standard by making them toe our line or gut our laws to match theirs (or lack thereof). We cannot compete with slave labor.

We don't have to compete with it, we just have to own it. The more money we can pump into low-income economies, the better off they'll be. It wasn't so long ago that people worked for pitful wages in this country.
Remember sharecroppers?
Economic growth, even in foreign nations, lifts people out of poverty. As the demand for products increases, so does the demand,and competition, ($$$) for labor. Just look at China, a huge Communist nation bisected by free-market trade zones because of the demand for labor and the fallacy of wages below the market average.
Obviously, we are not going to gut our labor laws to match those of China, and even if we did, industry couldn't sink to that standard because there would be a massive labor shortage. We'd end up with a black-market labor force.
Conversely, we can't hold other nations to our standards because we would incur tremendous labor expenses,(and probably military expenses enforcing such a policy) as well as a black-market labor and product market.
Just leave other nations alone. Their problems are their problems. We can't fix them or mitigate them without pissing off the whole world(and harming our economy), so just let them be.

Regarding SS: No way would i surrender that point to you or anyone else. That is my money and i'll have it back with interest.

Thanks. Now I get to pay your entitlement as well as my own, plus your interest. Bear in mind that under my plan, you get to keep whatever benfits you claim over the next twenty years, whereas I have to pay for twenty years and still get nothing.
Quite frankly, it is not your money because your generation didn't take it back. The government spent it as soon as you surrendered it. Now you are saying that if my generation did try to abolish this destructive system you would voluntarily bankrupt the whole country by demanding interest on top of the already unsustainable entitlement budget, which you would get standard benefits from anyways!?
Under my plan, current generations, including my own, would be giving up 20 years' worth of SS taxes to support the entitlements that older generations were promised. And you still want interest?
Are you kidding me!?
Unbelieveable. I thought I actually had a plan that would satisfy the AARP, but I can't even get it past you!

As for single issue parties, I don't see why you think they'd be effected. There is more than one way for any single issue group to make it's wishes known nor is there anything in what i said that implies groups and organizations couldn't recommend favored candidates to their membership

I cede the point because you're sort of right and because an impotent federal government wouldn't garner much party interest, anyway. However, the federal government has no power to prohibit political parties within the states, so have fun banning that inevitable mess.

[Stealhead]

Ha ha nice but man what a pipe dream none of us will ever get this type of power. And some say no more US bases over seas. But you have to have allies and if you are the most strong military nation you will have to at least provide aid that you pay for to them if you dont guess what?And as to bases in Japan and South Korea what do you think China would do if they knew that we where on the other side of the Pacific? You need tohave some military bases overseas to have some established forces the guy that dosent like you will crush them or they will side with him aginst you in since time of Ancient Egypt even it has been very important to show all comers that you have a military force that will protect its intrests and some things that you nation needs to survive will come from another nation and you have 2 options to have this you either have them as an ally or you control that nation yourself if you dont the guy that doesnt like you will. We thought being isolationest was so great in the 1920s-1941 and look what good that did us we still got into a war. As to SS if people used it the way it was meant to be used there would be no problem it was never supposed to be the only or primary source of money for most retires. To solve this we can do what they do in some asian nations they require by law that every working person put a certain amount of there money into a secure form of savings(it is thier money not the govs so they get all of it) we do not do that here.

[August]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

Just leave other nations alone. Their problems are their problems. We can't fix them or mitigate them without pissing off the whole world(and harming our economy), so just let them be.

That's fine with me Lance but while I see your point of helping others it makes no sense to me to do it at the expense of our own people. Besides pollution does not recognize international borders. There is a reason we enacted our environmental laws and I don't see how letting our business leaders bypass them by moving plants overseas helps anyone in the long run.

Quite frankly, it is not your money because your generation didn't take it back.

What? Hey just because I don't exercise a right does not mean I surrender it. What you're advocating is to spend my money but not your own. If the Federal government can crap out trillions of dollars to bail out car companies it can also return my money.

Under my plan, current generations, including my own, would be giving up 20 years' worth of SS taxes to support the entitlements that older generations were promised. And you still want interest?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul is partly what got us in this mess already.
That money was taken with a promise that it would be paid back, with interest.

Unbelieveable. I thought I actually had a plan that would satisfy the AARP, but I can't even get it past you!

I'm joining AARP this year.

However, the federal government has no power to prohibit political parties within the states, so have fun banning that inevitable mess.

Political parties within a state is fine. Out entire political system is based around states so i see them as a natural extension of that.

[Letum]

When I become Prime Minister with a huge majority and popular support
I will disband the democratic process to ensure I could keep power indefinitely.

Home Affairs
Any sign of discontent or opposition would be dealt with swift execution or
torture. I would stir hatred against any slightly unpopular minority group
and then persecute them whilst appearing to my supporters to be saving
the country from said minority group.

Culture
All media, including TV, the internet and books would be banned unless it
was either made by people answerable to me or has been checked by
them.

Foreign Relations
I would keep most foreign relations hostile to keep the people united in
their support for me as protector of the country. If possible I would
enter a low risk, but protracted war, preferably against the minority group
mentioned above.

Economic Matters
All unions would be banned. Most business rules would be abolished,
especially monopoly rules. Service industry will be discouraged. Social
spending will be abolished with the exception of pensions and
education (Education falling under the same rules as media anyway).
Military spending will be increased many times over.
All national debts will be declared void.
20% of GDP per year will go towards my vast mausoleum which will
replace the city of Coventry.

[Stealhead]

@ August I sort put that into words wrong. I know that WWII was goona go down anyway. what i am saying is that we due to a public that largely supported not getting involved was a bad thing. If wed have said we in this too when England and France declared war in 1939 it could very possiably shortened the war by years. I mean the military knew for many years that some day we would fight Japan in the Pacific. And they also knew that sooner or later wed would have to fight Germany as well. So what i really should have said is that the general publics desire to "stay out of it" hurt rather than helped us.Bottom line to me is like it or not we are the world power right now and to have said power you have got to be in places. And I no dumb dumb either I was in the Air Force and the Army and have been overseas including Iraq. In fact Id say that being in the military over the years is what helped me to understand how the world works some say love everyone or just saty in your nation it just dosent work that way. the only way to insure that you are safe is to have your power on display where it needs to be.And we dont always get it right we dont always pick the right place the right time but you cant always be right. That is what got us WWII they let Hitler do things way back in the 30s they could have said hey buddy you better chill out but they did not. All things that happen in the world have an effect on the rest of it.

By the way your pic there you have the old kit when was that late 60s 70s early 80s? Hard to tell by the small pic. Looks alot like Grenada got a buddy that was an Airborne Ranger he was in that back in 83.

[August]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

By the way your pic there you have the old kit when was that late 60s 70s early 80s? Hard to tell by the small pic. Looks alot like Grenada got a buddy that was an Airborne Ranger he was in that back in 83.

That was taken in '82 at Hanscom AFB in Massachusetts. I was stationed at Ft. Devens with the 10th SFG.

[Freiwillige]

Originally Posted by Letum

When I become Prime Minister with a huge majority and popular support
I will disband the democratic process to ensure I could keep power indefinitely.

Home Affairs
Any sign of discontent or opposition would be dealt with swift execution or
torture. I would stir hatred against any slightly unpopular minority group
and then persecute them whilst appearing to my supporters to be saving
the country from said minority group.

Culture
All media, including TV, the internet and books would be banned unless it
was either made by people answerable to me or has been checked by
them.

Foreign Relations
I would keep most foreign relations hostile to keep the people united in
their support for me as protector of the country. If possible I would
enter a low risk, but protracted war, preferably against the minority group
mentioned above.

Economic Matters
All unions would be banned. Most business rules would be abolished,
especially monopoly rules. Service industry will be discouraged. Social
spending will be abolished with the exception of pensions and
education (Education falling under the same rules as media anyway).
Military spending will be increased many times over.
All national debts will be declared void.
20% of GDP per year will go towards my vast mausoleum which will
replace the city of Coventry.

From the high chancellor : "England Prevails!"

"Remember, Remember the fifth of november, the treason and gunpowder plot. I see no reason the fifth of november ever should be forgott"

[Letum]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

From the high chancellor : "England Prevails!"

"Remember, Remember the fifth of november, the treason and gunpowder plot. I see no reason the fifth of november ever should be forgott"

Consider your self on The List.

[Freiwillige]

V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villian by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengence; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

V: I'm quite sure they will say so.