You 2020: Platform

[Doctor Cringelord]

Congratulations, you are running for President in 2020. State your platform. You do not have to be indebted to any one party line, you can pick and choose as you see fit.

Here is my 2020 platform:


-Negative Income Tax. All people below the poverty line (in their given place of residence) receive a credit or minimum payment. This would be monthly or bi weekly payments. Once Congress has passed this and I have signed it into law, we will look into dismantling the more expensive welfare programs. Those above the poverty line will be subject to a tiered progressive tax system. No prison time for victimless crimes.

-close Guantanamo and any remaining prisoners to be granted due process and trial immediately

-will not open borders but will end current enforcement policy. Refugees and illegals currently here will be allowed to stay as long as they apply for citizenship.

-Abolish sales tax on most non luxury items and goods.

-destroy the private prison industry. End mandatory minimum sentencing. End three strikes for nonviolent felonies. Research into which rehab programs have lowest rates of recidivism. End death penalty.

-Universal Healthcare.

-tax credits for worker owned businesses.

-no pipelines. Push for research into alternative energy sources. Look into offshore, floating nuclear plants, which are remarkably safer and practically meltdown proof.

-add department of science as an official office with secretary of science as an official cabinet position. Clone Carl Sagan or Einstein and appoint them secretary of science. Add department of Spirituality and Faith, appoint one of my old religious studies professors as Secretary of Spirituality. Their role is working to establish unity and common ground among people of all belief systems, atheists included.

-Public University tuition will be free. Lower income students subject to tax credit for certain expenses like books, etc. Will set up commission to work with private universities on making them more accessible and affordable to lower income individuals.

-Election and term reform. Preferential ballots. Term limits for Congress. Presidential term changed to single 6 year term. 20 year limit for SC Justice terms. Paper trails for all electronic voting machines. Make Election Day a National Holiday. “Essential” employees of any business need to be granted shorter shifts and opportunity to leave work to vote. Upon release from criminal punishment, immediate restoration of voting rights. Make presidential debates open to candidates polling above 2%

-Pull troops out of all foreign involvement. Military budget redirected towards research and technology to bring military into the 21st century. Focus on actual defense and not turning military into police force in nation building ventures. No more nation building.

-abolish NSA.

-reform Federal Reserve

-end qualified immunity. End civil asset forfeiture.

-work with Hawaiian and Lakotan independence movements toward establishing them as autonomous republics.

-change status of marijuana on day 1. Push for legalization. Pardon all people serving time for marijuana related offenses and expunge records of those who have already been convicted and served.

-push for amendment protecting all people’s marriage rights.

-push for ERA

-add fathers and boys rights platform alongside women’s and girls and trans rights.

-preserve 2nd amendment, but that right is forfeited if convicted for violent crime

 

[ceecee]

I would vote for you, happily.


I will also ignore the inevitable House and Senate blockade of like 99% of your platform.

 

[Vendrah]

Congratulations, you are running for President in 2020. State your platform. You do not have to be indebted to any one party line, you can pick and choose as you see fit.

Here is my 2020 platform:


-Negative Income Tax. All people below the poverty line (in their given place of residence) receive a credit or minimum payment. This would be monthly or bi weekly payments. Once Congress has passed this and I have signed it into law, we will look into dismantling the more expensive welfare programs. Those above the poverty line will be subject to a tiered progressive tax system. No prison time for victimless crimes.

-close Guantanamo and any remaining prisoners to be granted due process and trial immediately

-will not open borders but will end current enforcement policy. Refugees and illegals currently here will be allowed to stay as long as they apply for citizenship.

-Abolish sales tax on most non luxury items and goods.

-destroy the private prison industry. End mandatory minimum sentencing. End three strikes for nonviolent felonies. Research into which rehab programs have lowest rates of recidivism. End death penalty.

-Universal Healthcare.

-tax credits for worker owned businesses.

-no pipelines. Push for research into alternative energy sources. Look into offshore, floating nuclear plants, which are remarkably safer and practically meltdown proof.

-add department of science as an official office with secretary of science as an official cabinet position. Clone Carl Sagan or Einstein and appoint them secretary of science. Add department of Spirituality and Faith, appoint one of my old religious studies professors as Secretary of Spirituality. Their role is working to establish unity and common ground among people of all belief systems, atheists included.

-Public University tuition will be free. Lower income students subject to tax credit for certain expenses like books, etc. Will set up commission to work with private universities on making them more accessible and affordable to lower income individuals.

-Election and term reform. Preferential ballots. Term limits for Congress. Presidential term changed to single 6 year term. 20 year limit for SC Justice terms. Paper trails for all electronic voting machines. Make Election Day a National Holiday. “Essential” employees of any business need to be granted shorter shifts and opportunity to leave work to vote. Upon release from criminal punishment, immediate restoration of voting rights. Make presidential debates open to candidates polling above 2%

-Pull troops out of all foreign involvement. Military budget redirected towards research and technology to bring military into the 21st century. Focus on actual defense and not turning military into police force in nation building ventures. No more nation building.

-abolish NSA.

-reform Federal Reserve

-end qualified immunity. End civil asset forfeiture.

-work with Hawaiian and Lakotan independence movements toward establishing them as autonomous republics.

-change status of marijuana on day 1. Push for legalization. Pardon all people serving time for marijuana related offenses and expunge records of those who have already been convicted and served.

-push for amendment protecting all people’s marriage rights.

-push for ERA

-add fathers and boys rights platform alongside women’s and girls and trans rights.

-preserve 2nd amendment, but that right is forfeited if convicted for violent crime

This is more US context, right?
But when I compare politician in my country that I had to vote for president, I would vote on you too. Although I dont buy the marijuana stuff that much (but the arguing behind of it is at least reasonable) and a few items, its looks decent.

 

[Luminous]

"If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve." I am not qualified and would rather someone who would do a better job is elected.

Unrelated side note: Threads like this is why I don't think you're so-blind, Officer Ed Powell, in case that interests you since I recently typed you in The Member Above You thread.

 

[Lark]

Universal basic income, universal basic services, beyond that I would not introduce much change to the status quo and just try to appoint able managers to public office, try and rebalance responsible and representative government with the assistance of civil society, free association, spontaneous order.

Try and engineer greater pluralism in welfare, politics, public life, public services, markets etc.

Decentralize and strengthen public, private and social resilience for dealing with catastrophic weather, pandemic disease, crime and demographic shifts. That would be it mainly as those are the things I think it could be possible to get a public mandate for.

There are other things I'd like to see but they are, lets say, a lot more idiosyncratic maybe.

Finally, I've got a thing about reforestation, the greening of cities, the integration of power generation within new builds and the capacity for all householders to sell or share personal surpluses to national grids, investment in new forms of transport with a view to decline in private car ownership, or at least private car use.

Alongside this changes in food production, which would, as far as possible, whether urban or rural devolve it household leave too, not a fan of faddish or PC diets, I would like to see over fishing end, restocking of ocean food reserves, reduction in meat production and consumption, I'd like to see the commercial farming of sea weeds for food.

I'd like to see voluntary biometric ID schemes which would allow people to engage in their own eugenic or bio-hygiene with more complete information to avoid inherited illnesses and also to develop much greater awareness of how their individual, family and social decision making will have demographic consequences. I think this is poorly understood presently.

I also would like to see reform of how data is harvested, sold, shared to give individuals and NOK more control of who profits from it and to stop monopolization of this by commercial medical interests. The future should be one of completely personalized, tailored medicine.

The creation of many more schemes in which people have to opt out of rather than opt in to, like some organ donation programs presently, I think would be a very good idea. I've got concerns about so called "libertarian paternalism" but where pro-social behaviour, choices and the positive economic spill over and externalities are evident its really hard to argue with it.

Finally, I would like to see reforms which would increase the wealth of individual households, that each household would have a variety of income streams, assets and resources rather than simply paychecks, in order that everyone isnt two or three paychecks away from rough sleeping, food banks and shit like that. This is part of the resilience in the face of crisis such as pandemic disease thing.

Part of this would also involve reduced working weeks, changes to pattern of study/training/learning and working, to allow for polymaths to emerge more often, people to perform a variety of roles in their workplace, neighbourhood, community or simply to just study and leave everyone else alone. That's adult life I'm talking about but I would like to see more deschooling of society, more home schooling, more diversity and pluralism in schooling and education of children. What starts out in childhood could set a pattern for later life, I would like to see a pattern in which people could take regular gap years all their days, work a year, study a year or two, travel, maybe have kid and raise them the first three years directly (or maybe just do nothing, its their individual decision).

The sorts of paradigms I favour for public life are participatory democracy, participatory economics, mixed economies of worker controlled production and consumer controlled enterprises. A big thing is avoiding any sort of monopoly power and making good on all the promises to date of consumer sovereignty, individual sovereignty/self-government and personal responsibility, which are all the preserve of the few due to lack of means and cultures fostering deference and servility. That said, while I can see a point to that, I dont think blue prints to which societies and economies must conform are necessarily a good or feasible thing. They arent impossible either which is equally important a point to make, basic rules, such as contract law, tort law, consumer law, business law, all exist already.

Finally, and I've no idea how government alone could achieve it but I definitely would like to see the eradication of controlling vice, drugs are an epidemic worldwide, poisoning elites and public alike, so is vice, its why trafficking, slavery, sexual violence etc. are prevalent and resurgent. The whole creeping legalization, decriminalization and permissive approach to it isnt making it all go away or any less of a problem at all. Its all just excuse to ignore it until its too big a problem to do anything about. Some of this is about influencers and trends, at the minute it seems there's clashing cultures of total abstinence or total binge, which are two sides of one toxic bad penny for the most part.

 

[Red Memories]

I might try to do this but I'm so bad at...doing this kinda thing. This may take me several days to write up. XD

 

[Virtual ghost]

"If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve." I am not qualified and would rather someone who would do a better job is elected.

Congratulations, you have completely missed the point of the thread.

 

[Luminous]

Congratulations, you have completely missed the point of the thread.

Gee thanks.

 

[Luminous]

Congratulations, you have completely missed the point of the thread.

Also, just how did I miss the point? I'm saying I wouldn't run. How is that not relevant to the point of the thread? Not running is just as relevant as having a platform if running.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Also, just how did I miss the point? I'm saying I wouldn't run. How is that not relevant to the point of the thread? Not running is just as relevant as having a platform if running.

Fundamentally this is the open-minded thread that is basically asking what is politically important to you. Therefore what would you push through in the case you are in the position to do so. Of course that most if not all people here aren't qualified for some higher office.

 

[Tomb1]

Every City A Las Vegas

Vice galore...

 

[Luminous]

Of course that most if not all people here aren't qualified for some higher office.

Not being qualified doesn't always stop people from running, or winning.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Not being qualified doesn't always stop people from running, or winning.

But the question was: On what platform would you run, not why would you run or not. But ok.







So here is my list for my local big chair.



Mass anti-corruption campaign since this is the main problem in this country that makes everything else harder.

These are turbulent times so the country has to be food self-sufficient, what isn't too hard to do in physical sense but it require changing positions on imports.

Making sure some of our diaspora comes home, in order to fix bad demography that got wrecked in catastrophic 20th century. Taking some people from around EU is an option.

Clearing all the remaining ruins from the last war so that this isn't constant reminder. Require more EU money for these areas since this is specific set of problems that other members don't have.

Increase absorption of EU money into concrete regional projects.

Try to actively scale back consumption of various substances. There is no reason to have many people stuck in this.

Abortion is legal but mostly phased out through health education.

Make education more goal based.

Better and bigger budget for healthcare and education at the cost of less important things.

Build and further expand education and healthcare infrastructure.

Make sport clubs fully private, there is no need that the government spends money here or is heavily involved.

Fix contradicting laws and holes in them.

In general taxation wouldn't go down but quality of spending should go up.

Remove all truly pointless bureaucracy, there is some.

Make court processing faster and more focused on conclusions.

Create website that places informed complex counter explanations to most common conspiracies.

Investing more money into bazaar style markets, which are selling local fresh food. Since more people will buy there.

Further phasing out of dangerous chemicals in food. Remain GM food free country.

Try to scale back the fast food industry that is getting impactful. Especially since in this country this isn't even that cheap food source and it drives health problem.

Further increase in renewable energy creation. Create dense infrastructure for electric cars and other transport innovations.

Make more buildings energy efficient, especially public ones.

Continue repairing and upgrading infrastructure in general.

Try to find a way to make ship building financially sustainable. Since that is surely possible.

Spend 2% of GDP on military, for our own sake.

Actively help democratization of countries further to the south-east. Since those aren't democracies even at face value. Make sure they all have economic development and find a way into EU.

Continue to lower public debt.

Clamp down on text-book family violence. Try to phase out prostitution, which isn't too developed or legal but there is no need to keep people this low.

Clear separation of the state and church. Try to phase out religious fanaticism, which isn't that common but it shouldn't be in the mix none the less.

There are many countries out there with which we are totally economically and historically neutral, try to make some new friends and partners.

Fixing a number of smaller issues regarding elections and appointing officials. Keep the limit in how much money you can spend in campaign.

Keep guns illegal.

Keep the voting in prisons. That does more good than harm.

More educational and practically useful info on the public TV. Try to reduce imported shows that are on basis of guns, it is the end of the world and reality TV in general media space.

Reforestation of certain areas and making sure there is more wild fruit around the country.

More of sewer purification facilities. To protect surface and ground waters.

Increase crop safety from droughts, parasites and extreme weather. Since the damage is climbing with years.

Replace most of the pipes in the water distribution systems. Some of them are getting old.




All of this I can explain in more detail but there is no need for that. However it all comes down to fix, purify, educate, expand.

 

[Lark]

Not being qualified doesn't always stop people from running, or winning.

Yeah, I would say that is definitely a fact, what is happening in the anglo-sphere is almost an illustration of this fact.

I always think of it as a hangover or legacy from earlier, more primitive days characterized by greater scarcity, greater hardships and class conflicts. Times of more widespread ignorance and absolutist leadership and elitism.

Like some people think that's a great idea, that its a model of government and society that's gotten the world this far, the problem is in its denial or challenge by vagaries. The people who support this model are either open about supporting privilege as a social institution or they have some sort of cover story or facade and rationalization for it as the best of all possible worlds.

The idea is that the norms fitting anyone to leadership are uncommon, the preserve of a few and in fact that is a good thing and should stay that way. Any threat to that thinking or traditions rooted in that are not simply threats to privileged persons or status but the entire human race, spontaneous order, society, demographic "hand over", continuity, nation, whatever the criteria may happen to be.

The thing about it is that whether, as I feel has been the case, the body politic, public, masses prove to be easily manipulated with catchphrases about race, prejudices (Edmund Burke said to rely on popular prejudice rather than reason as it was surer and "realpolitik" rather than "idealpolitik") elitism, privilege, limited (as opposed to participatory) democracy is really vulnerable to assault.

Any system, whether it is rooted in popular sovereignty, the "commander's baton in the haversack of the least of the infantry" (Napoleon) or "community like a ship, everyone/anyone prepared to take the wheel" (Ibsen), is only going to be as good as the individuals who make it up, culture/binding norms etc. However, I think there is definitely something to be said for the democratic, mass model rather than the limited, preserve of the few model.

For instance there are fewer targets in the later model, its easier to hijack by, for instance, hooking the principle players on drugs, blackmailing them in some fashion etc. (which has been the practice internal to some of the political parties in westminister, the New Right in the UKCP thought reputation could have a premium and that some forms of blackmail should not be prohibited by law, and I would suggest goes beyond the national boundaries now, ie Russian attempts to blackmail Trump with footage of his engaging in activities with prostitutes).

I think in order for democracy to survive its going to have to qualify more and more people for public office, it cant remain the preserve of elites. Although that said, I dont know if democracy will survive, it could survive in name only, I think we are seeing that happen too. Schumpeter had a lot of ideas about that and his books elaborate the conservative view of limited democracy fairly well. I dont hold the view that participatory democracy in actuality requires constant mobilization, which results in fascism (in practice if not in name) as often as any utopian or beneficient social order, but there's risks involved.

Centralization, the few, the elect, all those ideas, they've been tested, they cant cope with catastrophic weather and pandemic disease, for instance, and I see that sort of thing, along with the susceptibility of individuals who think they arent accountable to anyone to degeneracy, as how limited warfare and contention between rival states or super powers, will work in the foreseeable future.

 

[anticlimatic]

Policy is the prerogative of the legislature, I don't understand why we have presidential candidates rattle off a list of policy concepts they have very little long term control over, except that wedge issues help to maintain the political status qoe. Things more pertinent that I'd rather know about a candidate:

As commander in chief, how competent are you as both a strategist and tactician?

What are your morals? How do you feel about humanity in general and the US's role in those morals?

What are your thoughts on the founding, constitution, and the current strengths and weaknesses of the American system?

Which aspects of American culture do you favor, and which do you oppose?

How skilled are you at negotiation and compromise? What are some examples?

 

[Tellenbach]

The biggest problems facing the USA are leftist/Democrat policies, so my platform would be policies that increase individual liberty and decrease government authority.

1) School choice. Gone are the days when poor families are stuck in lousy, failing schools. Each child will get a school voucher of $10,000 to spend on which ever school they choose to attend.

2) Drastically reduce malpractice lawsuits by instituting a loser pays system. Next, get rid of Medicare and all government involvement in healthcare. Let the marketplace dictate prices, not government subsidies. It is ridiculous that hospitals and doctors are allowed to charge $100 for a tylenlol pill and downright stupid to let hospitals charge for services without telling the customer what the prices are.

3) Eliminate the minimum wage and restore property rights. Why should businesses be forced to pay a certain wage for work? That's a private contract between the employee and employer and has nothing to do with the government. This will reduce unemployment and give more opportunities to teens and unskilled laborers.

4) Let businesses decide who they want to do business with. If a cake shop doesn't want to bake you a damn cake, they shouldn't be forced to bake the damn cake. The same goes for Youtube/Facebook/Twitter; these corporations should be allowed to discriminate against conservatives. They are private entities and they should be allowed to discriminate against anyone for any reason.

5) How do you reduce crime? By restoring the family unit and eliminating all the Democrat policies that encourage the dissolution of the family unit. This means getting rid of generational welfare dependence and instituting caps on food stamps. If you are healthy, you need to work, even if it means picking up trash on the road.

6) Immigration is to be decided on skills and ideology. For every socialist/commie immigrant we let in, we let in one conservative or libertarian.

7) No more decades long appeal processes for death row inmates. You get 3 automatic appeals within 3 years and then you're toast.

8) Repeat violent offenders will be castrated in a humane manner so that they are better able to control their impulses.

9) There will be a term limit of 8 years for House members and 12 years for Senators.

10) Finally, all income taxes will be eliminated and a Fair Tax put in place. No more filing of income taxes; the only taxes you'll ever see are sales taxes.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Legislation banning Democrat sunscreen. Ever notice how these bottles always say apply liberally? Why not ever "apply conservatively"? These companies should not be able to sell such biased products. UV rays are a hoax anyway. Like people can really get skin cancer. Everyone knows cancer is just for the lungs and testicles.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Policy is the prerogative of the legislature, I don't understand why we have presidential candidates rattle off a list of policy concepts they have very little long term control over, except that wedge issues help to maintain the political status qoe. Things more pertinent that I'd rather know about a candidate:

As commander in chief, how competent are you as both a strategist and tactician?

What are your morals? How do you feel about humanity in general and the US's role in those morals?

What are your thoughts on the founding, constitution, and the current strengths and weaknesses of the American system?

Which aspects of American culture do you favor, and which do you oppose?

How skilled are you at negotiation and compromise? What are some examples?

As President you will still be able to suggest legislation to congress. Assume your political allies will gain a majority in congress, giving you a mandate.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

The biggest problems facing the USA are leftist/Democrat policies, so my platform would be policies that increase individual liberty and decrease government authority.

1) School choice. Gone are the days when poor families are stuck in lousy, failing schools. Each child will get a school voucher of $10,000 to spend on which ever school they choose to attend.

2) Drastically reduce malpractice lawsuits by instituting a loser pays system. Next, get rid of Medicare and all government involvement in healthcare. Let the marketplace dictate prices, not government subsidies. It is ridiculous that hospitals and doctors are allowed to charge $100 for a tylenlol pill and downright stupid to let hospitals charge for services without telling the customer what the prices are.

3) Eliminate the minimum wage and restore property rights. Why should businesses be forced to pay a certain wage for work? That's a private contract between the employee and employer and has nothing to do with the government. This will reduce unemployment and give more opportunities to teens and unskilled laborers.

4) Let businesses decide who they want to do business with. If a cake shop doesn't want to bake you a damn cake, they shouldn't be forced to bake the damn cake. The same goes for Youtube/Facebook/Twitter; these corporations should be allowed to discriminate against conservatives. They are private entities and they should be allowed to discriminate against anyone for any reason.

5) How do you reduce crime? By restoring the family unit and eliminating all the Democrat policies that encourage the dissolution of the family unit. This means getting rid of generational welfare dependence and instituting caps on food stamps. If you are healthy, you need to work, even if it means picking up trash on the road.

6) Immigration is to be decided on skills and ideology. For every socialist/commie immigrant we let in, we let in one conservative or libertarian.

7) No more decades long appeal processes for death row inmates. You get 3 automatic appeals within 3 years and then you're toast.

8) Repeat violent offenders will be castrated in a humane manner so that they are better able to control their impulses.

9) There will be a term limit of 8 years for House members and 12 years for Senators.

10) Finally, all income taxes will be eliminated and a Fair Tax put in place. No more filing of income taxes; the only taxes you'll ever see are sales taxes.

See I'd do the opposite, push to eliminate most forms of the sales tax, retain an income tax, but expand the system to include negative income tax for anyone under the poverty line. Libertarians like Friedman supported a NIT, I'd think you'd be on board with this. When I'm President and you head the congressional libertarian caucus, I will be counting on your support, telly. You will be working with congressman Lark, leader of the congressional socialist caucus. I will unite the pro liberty libertarians from the right with the civil libertarians on the left and run as a member of the Union Party (Lincoln's 1864 party resurrected). Common ground will be found on their mutual distrust for the police state and corporate cronyism.

 

[anticlimatic]

As President you will still be able to suggest legislation to congress. Assume your political allies will gain a majority in congress, giving you a mandate.

Don't dodge my questions, Canidate Powell.