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What Would You Do As President?

LizardofOz

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I am sure plenty of these kinds of threads have been made but here is mine, and here is what I would do. Basically just imagine you have more control than what is normal for an executive branch, or what you would like to be done if you were president and would like congress to pass. Here are mine with reasons why:

Abortion: made illegal nationwide unless in cases of incest or rape, not paid for by states but the cost will be very low for the victim.

Marriage: Let anyone who wants to marry, marry (of age).

Drugs: Better regulated not allowed to have all these bull**** drugs that are "just enough" because you being cured is profitable for drug companies. It has to have proven very good results.

Recreational Drugs: Marijuana, and by extension hemp growing is made legal, must have a license (that you get from your state) to grow marijuana, hemp is subsidized by government for use in products such as rope, baskets, agriculture needs, etc. The cost of the license will help with state funding.

All government departments are given a stringent look. Specifically a few things:

-The intelligence community will be heavily consolidated to become much more efficient at gathering information, essentially the FBI and CIA will take control of these little extra departments that have been made between 2001 and now.

-Social Security will go a few ways: You can elect to keep your social security payments going for much less back (and less taken out for social security in the first place) if you are already 45+ you are guaranteed the social security promised to you. Under that age you can elect to get a percentage of it back to you over X amount of time in the form of a massive tax break ie you will not have to pay any federal taxes for the percentage you are refunded. This will reduce cost greatly.

-The Department of Defense will be heavily consolidated. Branches of the military will merge, forts and bases will close on foreign lands, and we will instead work heavily with our allies in regions countries we may have problems with including allies such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and so on. This will reduce the cost of the budget for DoD greatly.

-Social programs such as welfare, medical cards, food stamps, etc will be given a good hard look, it will be harder to dupe the system, and more effort will be taken to place these people in work rather than live off the system. This will save tons of money.

-College by way of getting all As in grade school, serving in military, agreeing to do x amount of community service, etc will be free.

-Give massive incentive for companies to do business in America, including foreign companies to do business here. Companies that do business elsewhere American or not get no incentives, and are taxed full amount. This will save money and create jobs.

-Give government consolidated business and agriculture loans for $50,000+ to any business or farmer with a solid plan. If it is to fail, because it was approved by the government they are not required to give the loan back, otherwise the loan can be paid within 15 years.

-Reinvest in transit and rail system heavily. This will reduce our dependency on certain fuels, and cut cost on transporting materials heavily while reintroducing American manufacturing and travelers to the wonder of rails. ;)

-Allow immigrants in by completing a simple test to be American citizens. The immigrant is not entitled to any loans or special incentives that are not entitled to naturalized Americans already. However they are given no tax breaks of any kind and pay full taxes (with no chance of tax return) their first 5 years in the US.

-Make free healthcare

-Give the Department of Agriculture overall an overhaul

-Give the Department of Education an overhaul with much higher standards for what children must learn within science and math before graduating highschool

-Place blockades on China because **** them that's why

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.
 
I like your idea about hemp. Perhaps combine that with slashing subsidies for ethanol, which distorts food prices across the board.
 
I like your idea about hemp. Perhaps combine that with slashing subsidies for ethanol, which distorts food prices across the board.

I am unsure about that, I had always assumed corn was where our ethanol came from. I would like to get the corn seed industry more "fair" as apparently much corn seed comes from one all controlling company that forces farmers into using their seeds. I am not sure how this monopoly was formed. I do know that before the great depression, hemp was our #1 cash crop. I am 100% for revitializing our agriculture indudstry as much as possible.
 
I am unsure about that, I had always assumed corn was where our ethanol came from. I would like to get the corn seed industry more "fair" as apparently much corn seed comes from one all controlling company that forces farmers into using their seeds. I am not sure how this monopoly was formed. I do know that before the great depression, hemp was our #1 cash crop. I am 100% for revitializing our agriculture indudstry as much as possible.

I am unaware as to the structure of the corn industry (though if you're talking about the ACGA, they're more of a lobbying group), however growers of other crops are getting into corn production because compared to other cereals/crops it makes more money per acre because of the subsidies. In addition, the increased price of corn has caused farms that used corn as feed to switch to other cereals, increasing demand on those crops, causing an across the board increase in cereal prices.

Besides, turning food into fuel seems like a counterproductive measure to me.
 
Nationalise the chocolate industry.

As president, I would try to push through a few more amendments to the constitution. I don't know how successful I would be to get legislators to agree to the following amendments:

1) Congress shall not lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may he absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws.

2) Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of sellers of goods or labor to price their products or services.

3) No State shall make or impose any law which shall abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to follow any occupation or profession of his choice.

4) The right of the people to buy and sell legitimate goods and services at mutually acceptable terms shall not be infringed by Congress or any of the States.

5) The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes of persons, from whatever sources derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration, provided that the same tax rate is applied to all income in excess of occupational and business expenses and a personal allowance of a fixed amount. The word "person" shall exclude corporations and other artificial persons.

6) Congress shall have the power to authorize non-interestbearing obligations of the government in the form of currency or book entries, provided that the total dollar amount outstanding increases by no more than 5 percent per year and no less than 3 percent.

7) All contracts between the U.S. government and other parties stated in dollars, and all dollar sums contained in federal laws, shall be adjusted annually to allow for the change in the general level of prices (luring the prior year.)


I would like such amendments to remain unchangeable like the Bill of Rights. Basically, I would support any reform that would separate the state from the economic sector.
 
As president, I would try to push through a few more amendments to the constitution. I don't know how successful I would be to get legislators to agree to the following amendments:

1) Congress shall not lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may he absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws.

"Absolutely necessary" being rather subjective, this will be another fun addition!

2) Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of sellers of goods or labor to price their products or services.
Hey it's like the anti-interstate commerce clause! Interpreted widely enough to overturn any number of safety regulations.

3) No State shall make or impose any law which shall abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to follow any occupation or profession of his choice.
Legalized assassins! Laws against murder abridge my right to kill!

4) The right of the people to buy and sell legitimate goods and services at mutually acceptable terms shall not be infringed by Congress or any of the States.
Translation: No more bans on tainted or untested food/drugs! Woohoo! (after all, who defines "legitimate?")

5) The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes of persons, from whatever sources derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration, provided that the same tax rate is applied to all income in excess of occupational and business expenses and a personal allowance of a fixed amount. The word "person" shall exclude corporations and other artificial persons.
Ok, so you don't like progressive income taxes.

6) Congress shall have the power to authorize non-interestbearing obligations of the government in the form of currency or book entries, provided that the total dollar amount outstanding increases by no more than 5 percent per year and no less than 3 percent.
Sorry South Korea. We'd love to come help you against this invastion from the north but our constitution says we can't spend any more this year :(


7) All contracts between the U.S. government and other parties stated in dollars, and all dollar sums contained in federal laws, shall be adjusted annually to allow for the change in the general level of prices (luring the prior year.)
Ohh...kaayy..

I would like such amendments to remain unchangeable like the Bill of Rights. Basically, I would support any reform that would separate the state from the economic sector.

There's nothing about the Bill of Rights that is particularly unchangeable. Not that any of this is the president's decision :D
 
I took some of your topics and put my own answers in.

Abortion: Leave it alone nationally, but allow States to choose for themselves. Other than in cases of proven rape, proven incest, or endangerment to the life of the mother, abortion is nothing but a grotesque solution to irresponsible behavior, therefore should not be publicly funded.

Marriage: Allow the legal union of any two people of legal age. The specific title of marriage however, is reserved for the union of a man and woman.

Drugs: Allow people who have a deadly disease such as AIDS, or terminal cancer, the right to choose any drug treatment that exists, whether FDA approved or not. Loosen up FDA regs on all drugs and allow people the option to have many more prescribed. Allow people to assume responsibility for their own treatment, and as long as they are informed of the risks.

Recreational Drugs: Tough call... But I would have to say, make weed legal and govern it's usage in the same way as alcohol is. Allow employers the choice to refuse or terminate employment based on it's usage, just as it is now. As for other drugs, they need to remain illegal or we'll end up breeding a society of useless people, and further damage our inner city societies.

All government departments are given a stringent look. Specifically a few things:

The intelligence community: Not sure here. I do like having a bridge between different agencies though.

-Social Security: It's going to have to be basically a glorified savings account. A person can only get out, what ever they have put in plus interest. The money needs to be set aside by the government and be 100% untouchable, giving every person at age 65 the option of getting a monthly check, or all their money at once. If they die before 65, then the money either goes to their spouse, or if there is no spouse, the money is kept by the government and considered as interest for everyone else. Also, every person in America who earns a living must contribute no matter how much they make (no cut off), and there will be a ceiling on who can collect, based on savings, employee pensions and net worth. It's ridiculous that people like John McCain collect Social Security.

-The Department of Defense: Not sure here... I'll pass on this one.

-Social programs such as welfare, medical cards, food stamps, etc: All I can say is, there will be strict limits on all of them. They will be structured as temporary assistance, not as a permanent way of life for people. They should benefit those who are responsible, and penalize those who live irresponsibly. For example, if a single mother with 3 kids is on welfare, and gets pregnant, 100% of the financial responsibility falls on her, not the government.

-College/public education: I think our public schools need to be privatized. Last time I looked it up, it costs the government around $13,000 per year, per student, while private school tuition averages around $9,000 per year and achieves better results. What I propose, is that the government still collect the taxes for public schools, but issue a $12,000 voucher to the parents for every school aged child they have and allow them to spend that money for the school of their choice. A very small portion of the taxes collected for education will be used to fund each states department of education, which will enforce educational standards and track student enrollment and progress. Any voucher money left over after enrollment, can be used for school clothes, school supplies, school lunches or for public transportation for the children to get to school. Privatizing the school system will create an efficiency that public schools are lacking, create competition among schools which will ensure the best possible education for our children, and weed out the do-nothing teachers by eliminating tenure.


-Give massive incentive for companies: I heard that! Cut back on the red tape... Scale back on the number of costly environmental regulations... Cut capitol gains taxes... and give as many economic incentives as needed, to draw big business and industry back to the United States.


-transit and rail system: Except for the few densely populated cities in America, I don't think mass transit will be effective.

-immigrants: We should have a set number of legal immigrants allowed to enter per year, with strict requirement to obtain a green card. I think they should have to prove themselves, by staying out of legal trouble and not be eligible for any government assistance for 5 years. There's more, but thats all for now.

-Free health care: Absolutely not. Only children, the elderly and permanently disabled people should be eligible for free health care. Of course, nobody can be turned away if it's a life or death medical emergency, but they are liable for the costs. Health care is not a right.
 
If I were President....I'd quit. Who wants that POS job? But if it's things that we'd like to change (not that the President could do it all...he's just one guy and Congress holds the most power).

Subsidies would go away, nearly all of them. I'd have to hear a damned good reason to keep any of them, and that reason most likely doesn't exist

Proper regulation of banks and wallstreet

No such thing as "too big to fail", everything can fail and if you act inappropriately in a manner that causes your business to fail....too bad too sad.

Education reform....maybe end the Department of Education. They can't seem to do anything. All public schools should be funded equally as measured in dollars/student.

Homeland Security, NSA, etc. all abolished. FBI and CIA will take up the slack and will be properly controlled

Overhaul TSA so that we're hiring properly trained individuals and that their power is constrained and restricted. Intrusive, aggressive searches can only be justified if the standard search turns something up.

Build a true high speed rail system in America. It will be tough especially in the big cities to plan for this; but well worth it. If it's 5 hours from Denver to Chicago, people would move around more often and it would provide proper competition to the airline industry.

End the tyranny of the FCC

Department of Defense becomes just that. We restrict our military actions to only when there is a direct and valid threat against our sovereignty. Overhaul the bureaucracy to allow dollars to flow to where they need be. Close international bases.

End the abuse of the Executive Order, it must be made plain to see that the EO cannot be used as a way for the President to legislate. It is meant only as a method of sending orders to the agencies under the control of the President

End the War on Drugs

Educate the populace on statistics and how terrorism isn't going to blow them up in their beds at night.

Repeal the War Powers Act, the President is Commander in Chief, but only Congress can declare war.

Reign in the Federal Reserve, make it 100% property of Congress; yearly audits to Congress.

blah blah blah
 
-Allow immigrants in by completing a simple test to be American citizens. The immigrant is not entitled to any loans or special incentives that are not entitled to naturalized Americans already. However they are given no tax breaks of any kind and pay full taxes (with no chance of tax return) their first 5 years in the US.

Why treat them like full citizens except keep all their money? This sounds very authoratarian to me. Either they are or are not full citizens, but I don't understand the motive behind keeping all their taxes. Why motivate them NOT to work while here? I'd easily get around your stupid little law by becoming a citizen, going back to my home country for 5 years, and coming back when I would be treated like a full citizen.
 
As president, I would try to push through a few more amendments to the constitution. I don't know how successful I would be to get legislators to agree to the following amendments:

1) Congress shall not lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may he absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws.

2) Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of sellers of goods or labor to price their products or services.

3) No State shall make or impose any law which shall abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to follow any occupation or profession of his choice.

4) The right of the people to buy and sell legitimate goods and services at mutually acceptable terms shall not be infringed by Congress or any of the States.

5) The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes of persons, from whatever sources derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration, provided that the same tax rate is applied to all income in excess of occupational and business expenses and a personal allowance of a fixed amount. The word "person" shall exclude corporations and other artificial persons.

6) Congress shall have the power to authorize non-interestbearing obligations of the government in the form of currency or book entries, provided that the total dollar amount outstanding increases by no more than 5 percent per year and no less than 3 percent.

7) All contracts between the U.S. government and other parties stated in dollars, and all dollar sums contained in federal laws, shall be adjusted annually to allow for the change in the general level of prices (luring the prior year.)


I would like such amendments to remain unchangeable like the Bill of Rights. Basically, I would support any reform that would separate the state from the economic sector.

You put a lot of thought into this. Your post reminds me of the film LITTLE BIG MAN where the Dustin Hoffman character tells General George Custer to go down in the valley and he will be safe from the attacking Indians. So they play this game where they try to fool each other and Custer says that Hoffman is the perfect reverse barometer of what he should do.

I would oppose each one of those items and they illustrate perfectly what is wrong with modern libertarian political thought.
 
This thread isn't about what someone would do as President, but as supreme ruler. Most of the things that have been suggested would be entirely impossible under anything even remotely resembling the U.S. system of government.

Why not say you'd make people able to fly too? Makes about as much sense.
 
Immigration: No amnesty but no police state tactics to in order to kick them out. Install tougher employment laws which results in self deportation

Marriage: Eliminate all government benefits that come with marriage

Entitlement Programs: Eliminate all programs at the federal level, let the states decide

Drug War: Eliminate it at federal level, let state set their own policies

Foreign Policy: Close all international bases, dissolve NATO, boost defenses at home, end foreign aid

Trade: Eliminate WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA. Individual business are responsible for products they import from other countries, no trade taxes

Airport Security: Fully privatize the airports and let them be in charge of their own security

Taxes: Eliminate the federal income tax, federal corporate tax, death tax, capital gains tax and alternative minimum tax,

Education: Eliminate the department of education, let the states decide

Public Sector Unions: Any benefits and wage raises are subjected to public referendum, eliminate civil service jobs that the private sector can do better

- Eliminate the Patriot Act and all other laws that are in violation of the 4th Amendment
- Eliminate all federal gun laws other than barring people from obtaining nuclear weapons, challenge state gun bans
 
If I were President, I would push for laws, programs or whatever legal changes would be necessary to do the following



1- repeal Taft Hartley.

2- adopt the card check system for joining a union

3- place a high tariff on any products brought into America from American companies who set up shop elsewhere

4- tax all monetary earnings as income

5- institute a mandatory corporate tax system which makes sure that all corporations are taxed and the public shame of companies making billions in profit but evading taxes would be stopped

6- raise the top income tax level to 49.7%

7- pop the 106K cap for FICA tax and tax all income or earnings for SS purposes while freezing benefits plus inflation and place all SS monies into a lock box

8 - bring back the Fairness Doctrine for the public airwaves

9 - get rid of the year by year grade system in public schools and replace it with a simple “learn this lesson and move on to the next one” system

10 - overrule the Citizens versus United decision and its effects

11 - rebuild our national infrastructure

12 - build a high speed rail system across the land

13- institute penalties for corporations committing economic treason against the workers of the USA

14 - drastically lower defense spending and foreign entanglements and wars
 
i seem to remember the president can't really do much except start wars and veto things other than that it is mostly shaking hands and sucking a$$holes. i think it's congress you are talking about.
 
If they made me the supreme leader, I would take the opportunity to totally change the political climate:

First, all laws except for the Constitution and its amendments would become null and void two years from my decree.

Second, representatives and senators would be chosen as follows:


First, anyone wanting the job would have to submit a letter of intent, letters of recommendation, and a resume. The papers would be reviewed by a citizen's committee, chosen much as a jury is chosen, but without all of the BS lawyer challenges.

The top dozen or so contenders would undergo a background check. As long as the had no criminal history, they would be interviewed in TV.

Hold a primary election.

The two or three top vote getters would be invited to a series of televised debates. Questions would be limited to the issues of the day. There would be no TV ads, no political parties, no fund raising, no BS.

Hold a final election.

I'd then decree a general election, with every seat up for grabs, then decree myself a fat pension.


The senator and representatives' first task would be to choose a president, a speaker, minority and majority leaders. To balance that shift of power toward the Legislative branch, the Executive branch would be given line item veto power.


After the election, I'd retire to private life, and let the representatives of the people, not the major donors, remake the laws of the nation.

There you go, a total remake of the political system, no bribes solicited in order to fund negative and misleading campaign ads, no partisan crap, no money corrupting the system.

I wonder how long it would take to mess up such a perfect system?
 
i seem to remember the president can't really do much except start wars and veto things other than that it is mostly shaking hands and sucking a$$holes. i think it's congress you are talking about.

Man I would start so many wars.
 
as cephus points out; most of this is 'were i dictator' stuff.

so, focusing on what the President can actually do, and assuming that I get in a'la Ford, where Biden quits, Obama appoints me, and then he quits himself and I find myself President in (let's say) the next 72 hours:

revoke the Executive Order giving federal employees the right to unionize. Even FDR recognized that public-sector unions were a danger, and the experience in the States is that they are quickly becoming a disaster. re-invoke Reagan's Executive Order on Federalism.

put the extra TARP money to paying down debt. Congress gave it to me, after all. since I can't exactly give it back to them and trust them with it, i will simply purchase treasury bonds and then burn the bonds.

send a balanced budget to Congress that pays down on the debt. they will wail and gnash their teeth (since I will produce a balanced budget through the magical trick of cutting my spending until it matches my revenues), and probably refuse to pass it, but then it will be on their heads and the American people will be able to see once and for all where every Congresscritter stands when faced with an actual tough decision. when they send me a non-balanced budget, I will veto it.

On that note, I would throw my weight behind the measures suggested in the debt-reduction commissions' preliminary report, and combined with a Republican House, make this a very difficult measure for a Democratic Senate (with 23 Democrats up for reelection next cycle) to oppose.

get rid of every single trade restriction I possibly can; with the exception of those imposed for non-economic reasons, such as a refusal to deal with the Burmese thugocracy.

Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution lists the powers of Congress. If it's not on that list, and Congress tries to start doing it, I will veto it. existing unconstitutional programs will obviously have to be sort of grandfathered in; but hey, if my allies (assuming i have any) in Congress want to start reducing them I am all ears.

nationalize multiple units of the National Guard and send them to the Border to actually enforce it. by Executive Order, have ICE start treating employers as "abetters" in the federal crime of illegal immigration.

inform the world on live television that I have ordered American counterbattery to defend South Korea by destroying any weapons platform used to attack it's land, armed forces, or merchant marine. irrepsective of where that platform is located. then i will call China up and tell them that unless they want a horde of (now leaderless) starving North Koreans streaming across the border, they better step in to make sure I don't have to wipe out the Kims.

have the IRS send me, on an annual basis, the median income for an American family after taxes. I will then donate my income in excess of that amount back to the Treasury. I figure this will set a precedent that future Presidents will have a tough time explaining if they aren't following; and possibly continue to give future lawmakers incentives to keep the average American doing well.

announce that I have tossed out the Obama "Withdrawal for Victory" strategy, and intend to keep troops in Afghanistan as long as it takes. that way, it won't take as long.

fire Eric Holder and everyone he brought into the DoJ with him. Immediately send the Gitmo detainees back for military trials, with executions to follow once we have gotten all useful information out of those who rate them.

reimpose the Mexico City policy



via the presidential ability to "set" the Legislative Agenda:

repeal Obamacare. drop the state border restriction, impose a 'loser-pays' tort reform that also costs the lawyers involved, and treat healthcare spending by individuals equally to healthcare spending by companies as far as taxes are concerned.

try to reform the tax code. simplification, simplification, simplification. also, rate reduction. I would love to see the Fair Tax passed, but it's probably not a plausibility. realistically speaking, we've got to start encouraging savings and investment again.

privatize every company that the national government has taken over; to include fannie and freddie by means of selling them off. if we get pennies on the dollar for Freddie and Fannie, then at least that's better than having them exist as permanent black holes.

seek to start selling off things we don't need. the Federal Government owns alot of land we probably don't need, for example. Gold is also at an all-time high (probably a bubble); so let's take advantage of that. on this note, let's start seriously reducing the number of departments in government, and the number of people in the departments. I'm betting this will leave us lots of extra office space, vehicle fleets, etc. that we can put in the yard sale as well.

freeze federal civilian pay. not for a year, not for two years, until civilian pay catches up.

offer Federal Employees an HSA option to mirror what Indiana did.

take the Fed off of it's "unemployment" mandate that it tries to solve with inflation, and reduce it to merely controlling inflation; inflation to happen at a set rate between 1 and 2.5% a year.

repeal the 17th Amendment to give States a voice in Washington again. quite a bit of Federal siezure of power wouldn't have gone through if we had only kept this wise piece of original Constitutional balance.

pass a balanced-budget amendment and give it teeth. for example, allow deficits in emergency situations, but reduce Congress' pay 5% every year that we run one.


and so on and so forth...
 
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Elijah what you propose isn't flawed in theory but incredibly flawed in practice. Your first 3 we already essentially do and it created China the superpower. The rest of what you are saying is essentially giving the government the power not to govern.

Why treat them like full citizens except keep all their money? This sounds very authoritarian to me. Either they are or are not full citizens, but I don't understand the motive behind keeping all their taxes. Why motivate them NOT to work while here? I'd easily get around your stupid little law by becoming a citizen, going back to my home country for 5 years, and coming back when I would be treated like a full citizen.

Quite a few other countries have similar laws and treat immigration the same way. If they go back and come back then they just reset the process. That is why they wouldn't. If it's ****ty enough in mexico for them to come here and work **** work for a few years until they work their way up they can take another hit.

This thread isn't about what someone would do as President, but as supreme ruler. Most of the things that have been suggested would be entirely impossible under anything even remotely resembling the U.S. system of government.

Why not say you'd make people able to fly too? Makes about as much sense.

Perhaps read the beginning of my post?

chevy in general I don't have a problem with what you would propose other than the fact that letting states have so much power in a nation with such things would mean a lot of people having to memorize laws going state to state, and essentially making 50 little countries within the United States. Also if you let the states decide education, people wouldn't be able to read in: Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, New Mexico, etc. So seriously no.
 
This post stood out so much to me, that I just had make a few observations.

If I were President Ruler, I would push for laws, programs or whatever legal changes would be necessary to do the following



1- repeal Taft Hartley.
Giving unions more power and control... Bad idea.

2- adopt the card check system for joining a union
"Since people aren't doing the right thing by voting in more unions, we're going to force them to do the right thing." Taking away the secret ballot and making a persons vote either for, or against, forming a union public, subjecting them to retribution by union reps and their fellow workers, is a really bad idea.

3- place a high tariff on any products brought into America from American companies who set up shop elsewhere
ie, "If we can't getcha through the front door, we'll getcha through the back. Forcing companies who couldn't afford to operate in the US totally out of business is another bad idea.

4- tax all monetary earnings as income
Every kid in America with a lemonade stand is going to love that.

5- institute a mandatory corporate tax system which makes sure that all corporations are taxed and the public shame of companies making billions in profit but evading taxes would be stopped
That's a nice thought, but if it could be done I think it would have been done already. Good luck with that one.

6- raise the top income tax level to 49.7%
Punish success by taking half of a persons earnings. The government knows best how to spend someones money... Right? A person gets a better shake from a loan shark.

7- pop the 106K cap for FICA tax and tax all income or earnings for SS purposes while freezing benefits plus inflation and place all SS monies into a lock box
This one, I like.

8 - bring back the Fairness Doctrine for the public airwaves
"Since the liberal perspective isn't very popular to radio listeners, we're going to make it popular... whether you like it or not!" The government knows best... Right?

9 - get rid of the year by year grade system in public schools and replace it with a simple “learn this lesson and move on to the next one” system
If you want our kids to learn something, get the government the hell out of the education business. Turn the school system over to the private sector, end tenure, and get rid of the teachers unions that protect bad educators.

10 - overrule the Citizens versus United decision and its effects
Screw the constitution!

11 - rebuild our national infrastructure
We need money for that. To get money, we have to encourage the creation of more companies and the expansion of businesses. Raising taxes won't achieve this.

12 - build a high speed rail system across the land
If a high speed rail was a financially sustainable, sound idea, the private sector would have already done it. The government shouldn't be throwing tax payer money away on multi-billion dollar projects, just because they "sound nice" or fit a certain agenda. We don't need another Amtrak.

13- institute penalties for corporations committing economic treason against the workers of the USA
Why don't you just say it... Communism.

14 - drastically lower defense spending and foreign entanglements and wars


In a nut shell, here's how I read your proposals:

We need more unions, and if the people won't vote for them, then I'll pass laws that will force people vote for them... I know what's best for the American people and besides, it's for their own good.

The liberal perspective isn't a very popular choice to radio listeners, so I'll pass a law that either forces the liberal perspective down their throats, or takes away the views they want to hear... I know what's best for the American people and besides, it's for their own good.

Since freedom of speech during political campaigns doesn't work in favor of my agenda, I'll just take that freedom away from private business and restrict what they can say... I know what's best for the American people and besides, it's for their own good.

Greed is bad... Success is bad... I'll punish anyone who becomes financially successful by taking half of their money and spending it the way I see fit... I know what's best for the American people and besides, it's for their own good.​

Communism anyone?
 
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"Absolutely necessary" being rather subjective, this will be another fun addition!

Though I support basic safety inspection laws (and I know we can go ring around the rosie on the meaning of "basic safety"), I do not support scaring the hell out of the country.

Hey it's like the anti-interstate commerce clause! Interpreted widely enough to overturn any number of safety regulations.

You're not making any sense. The proposed amendment refers almost exclusively with price and wage controls (Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of sellers of goods or labor to price their products or services). How can you interpret such freedoms against government-imposed controls to overturn safety regulations? As for the interstate commerce clause, what would it have to do with INTRASTATE commerce?

Legalized assassins! Laws against murder abridge my right to kill!

Sure, let's throw out a perfectly good idea based on a ridiculous technicality. If I really need to broaden the amendment to ensure we're all on the same page, we could add..."except for professions that infringe upon the rights of life and liberty of other citizens." If we added that caveat, are you still against an amendment protecting the individual's right to pursue a profession of their choice? I would think any rational person would support such a right, but perhaps you think the government should assign each one of us an occupation. After all, Big Brother knows best!

Translation: No more bans on tainted or untested food/drugs! Woohoo! (after all, who defines "legitimate?")

In a way, yes! Have you been reading about the DoA's raids on innocent entrepreneurs voluntarily selling raw dairy products to customers who willingly wish to consume such products? Individuals have a right to eat what they want, even if it is untested by the government.

Ok, so you don't like progressive income taxes.

I prefer a flat tax rate.

Sorry South Korea. We'd love to come help you against this invastion from the north but our constitution says we can't spend any more this year :(

First of all, we could do away with so many costly government obligations that would allow us more money to spend on the real purpose of government- national defense. Second of all, I'm in support of a non-intervenionist foreign policy which means I would support South Korea only to a point. We can't go policing the world.

There's nothing about the Bill of Rights that is particularly unchangeable. Not that any of this is the president's decision :D

Did you finish high school? The Bill of Rights is absolutely unchangeable, so long as we don't elect people like you who wish to drag the sacred document through the mud. Second, the president is not a legislator but he sure as hell as significant influence over legislative policy. Did Obama have anything to do with the Healthcare Affordability Act? Did Lincoln have anything to do with the 13th Amendment? You betcha!
 
You put a lot of thought into this. Your post reminds me of the film LITTLE BIG MAN where the Dustin Hoffman character tells General George Custer to go down in the valley and he will be safe from the attacking Indians. So they play this game where they try to fool each other and Custer says that Hoffman is the perfect reverse barometer of what he should do.

I would oppose each one of those items and they illustrate perfectly what is wrong with modern libertarian political thought.

And thank you so much for explaining why!

I'm sorry you think it's such a horrible idea to let individuals be free.
 
If I were President, I would push for laws, programs or whatever legal changes would be necessary to do the following

1- repeal Taft Hartley.

I may have to agree with you on that one.

2- adopt the card check system for joining a union

What's the point?

3- place a high tariff on any products brought into America from American companies who set up shop elsewhere

You want to force me to buy American products by artifically raising the price of imports? Have you learned NOTHING from history? Read the effects of the Smoot-Hawley Act.

4- tax all monetary earnings as income

Why are you so in favor of higher taxes?

5- institute a mandatory corporate tax system which makes sure that all corporations are taxed and the public shame of companies making billions in profit but evading taxes would be stopped

Yea right. Let's tax the **** out of corporations, and only then will they create jobs and expand. Get real.

6- raise the top income tax level to 49.7%

How could you propose such a horrible tax rate for the wealthy? If the average individual can survive on 18,000/yr or even less, then shouldn't we be taking 99% of the wealthy's income? If we taxed 99% of the highest 1%, they'd still have millions left over!

7- pop the 106K cap for FICA tax and tax all income or earnings for SS purposes while freezing benefits plus inflation and place all SS monies into a lock box

How many times has a politician promised to return the SS trust fund? How many times have they followed through with the commitment? Why should we impose excessive taxes to sustain a failed and unconstitutional government program? Why should I pay more in taxes, more in inflationary spending, while receiving less returns during retirement? You call that an investment program?

8 - bring back the Fairness Doctrine for the public airwaves

Or we could just throw out the First Amendment altogether!

9 - get rid of the year by year grade system in public schools and replace it with a simple “learn this lesson and move on to the next one” system

Wow! That sounds like you've given the idea a lot of thought.

10 - overrule the Citizens versus United decision and its effects

Or we could just throw out the First Amendment, altogether!

11 - rebuild our national infrastructure

Yea sure! I'd love to spend my California tax dollars to build bridges to nowhere in Alaska, or churches in Alabama. Since the private sector can do such a better job at building infrastructure, let's give them more power to do it.

12 - build a high speed rail system across the land



13- institute penalties for corporations committing economic treason against the workers of the USA

What the hell is that? More protectionist bull****?

14 - drastically lower defense spending and foreign entanglements and wars

Oh we can't do that! We need to continue nation-building and imposing democracy on the rest of the world!
 
I am sure plenty of these kinds of threads have been made but here is mine, and here is what I would do. Basically just imagine you have more control than what is normal for an executive branch, or what you would like to be done if you were president and would like congress to pass. Here are mine with reasons why:

Abortion: made illegal nationwide unless in cases of incest or rape, not paid for by states but the cost will be very low for the victim.

Marriage: Let anyone who wants to marry, marry (of age).

Drugs: Better regulated not allowed to have all these bull**** drugs that are "just enough" because you being cured is profitable for drug companies. It has to have proven very good results.

Recreational Drugs: Marijuana, and by extension hemp growing is made legal, must have a license (that you get from your state) to grow marijuana, hemp is subsidized by government for use in products such as rope, baskets, agriculture needs, etc. The cost of the license will help with state funding.

All government departments are given a stringent look. Specifically a few things:

-The intelligence community will be heavily consolidated to become much more efficient at gathering information, essentially the FBI and CIA will take control of these little extra departments that have been made between 2001 and now.

-Social Security will go a few ways: You can elect to keep your social security payments going for much less back (and less taken out for social security in the first place) if you are already 45+ you are guaranteed the social security promised to you. Under that age you can elect to get a percentage of it back to you over X amount of time in the form of a massive tax break ie you will not have to pay any federal taxes for the percentage you are refunded. This will reduce cost greatly.

-The Department of Defense will be heavily consolidated. Branches of the military will merge, forts and bases will close on foreign lands, and we will instead work heavily with our allies in regions countries we may have problems with including allies such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and so on. This will reduce the cost of the budget for DoD greatly.

-Social programs such as welfare, medical cards, food stamps, etc will be given a good hard look, it will be harder to dupe the system, and more effort will be taken to place these people in work rather than live off the system. This will save tons of money.

-College by way of getting all As in grade school, serving in military, agreeing to do x amount of community service, etc will be free.

-Give massive incentive for companies to do business in America, including foreign companies to do business here. Companies that do business elsewhere American or not get no incentives, and are taxed full amount. This will save money and create jobs.

-Give government consolidated business and agriculture loans for $50,000+ to any business or farmer with a solid plan. If it is to fail, because it was approved by the government they are not required to give the loan back, otherwise the loan can be paid within 15 years.

-Reinvest in transit and rail system heavily. This will reduce our dependency on certain fuels, and cut cost on transporting materials heavily while reintroducing American manufacturing and travelers to the wonder of rails. ;)

-Allow immigrants in by completing a simple test to be American citizens. The immigrant is not entitled to any loans or special incentives that are not entitled to naturalized Americans already. However they are given no tax breaks of any kind and pay full taxes (with no chance of tax return) their first 5 years in the US.

-Make free healthcare

-Give the Department of Agriculture overall an overhaul

-Give the Department of Education an overhaul with much higher standards for what children must learn within science and math before graduating highschool

-Place blockades on China because **** them that's why

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

Yeah, I would like to be among the ones to point out that the President doesn't have the power to make law, or even the power to initiate bills to become laws - rather, the only power the President has is to execute law. So besides issues directing federal agencies, the President has little power. Much of what you want to be done has to be done by Congress.

sigh I'm getting really tired of pointing out to people that the President is not, in fact, a temporary dictatorship like many people would like to think it is...
 
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