If I were President

Mannix · 08-07-2007, 11:58 AM

I'll split up what I'd do with all the power into a few sections. Feel free to provide constructive criticism or post your own ideas.

Military:
First thing I do is withdraw about 90% of our foreign military bases. Totally out of Europe and Japan; the likelihood of WWIII breaking out in those locations is slim to none and they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves now. I'd cut military presence in South Korea to about 50% because there is still the risk of a conventional war with North Korea. Our forces there aren't enough to repel an attack; they're just there as a token deterrent which can be achieved just as well by 10-15,000 people as it can by 30,000, and the locals will have less presence to resent. Totally out of the Middle East. They don't want us there and we have no reason to prop up any of their shitty governments (I'm looking at you, Saudi Arabia). If they want to tear each other apart I'm happy to oblige them and there's no reason for us to be standing in the middle of it. None of these bases serve any greater purpose than a carrier fleet is capable of from a tactical standpoint so we wouldn't be losing much.

From the money we save on deployment I'd set out revamping and modernizing the Navy and re-equipping the Army and providing a greater budget for specialized training - urban, desert, jungle, etc.

In terms of global interventionism; have fun with China guys, we're done.

I'd integrate gays into the military as well. They're citizens and they have the same right to fight and die for their country as anybody else has. I'd push for a modification of the Selective Service Act (the draft) to include women. If not being able to secure federal loans for school or be employed by the government as well as doing jail time in case of a draft while not registered is good enough for a man it's good enough for a woman. Yay equality.

Environment:
Tougher enforcement of existing protection laws and a HUGE budget for R&D for finding alternative fuels for automobiles. Roughly 80% of our consumption comes from that, so if we can get our cars off oil our national production will be able to serve our other needs long enough to in turn replace them as well as having the added benefit of getting us off foreign oil. Eat it OPEC!

Education:
"No child left behind" dies a horrible death. Taking money from schools that need more money is the dumbest idea anybody has ever had ever. I'd also do my damnedest to find a way to make university education universal at the baccalaureate level; kind of like what our grandparent's did with high school when it became apparent that that level of education had become the minimum for decent employment. Private schools would still be open for business just like there are private high schools. More computers in more classrooms. Those $100 laptops would be really handy for elementary schools.

Infrastructure:
Turn our welfare program into a work program not unlike FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. Our bridges/roads/power grid/schools etc are falling apart at the seams and need lots of boots on the ground working on them. Our unemployed boots need work. Put them together and they solve themselves.

Economy:
I'd pull out of the WTO as well as NAFTA. The racists are half right; the Mexicans and Chinese are taking our jobs, just not in the way they think; most of our industrial capacity - factories and jobs - have been exported to those countries as part of these agreements (both directly and indirectly). Charging $20 for a Tickle Me Elmo doll made for $1 an hour by a Chinese kid is much more profitable than charing that same $20 for a doll made by an American working at $10 per hour. Sure, it's making our hyper-wealthy corporation owners even more hyper wealthy and I guess that's nice and all, but it's buggering the hell out of our middle class and poor. The vast majority of our economic expansion has gone directly to the wealthy; it's so bad that minimum wage is now worth even less comparatively than it was 30 years ago. Totally unacceptable. I'd encourage these corporations to bring the jobs back this side by massively hiking up tariffs on goods made outside the US; regardless of whether the company was American or not. I'd also be providing tax breaks for small and mid sized businesses while pushing them up a bit on the big boys and closing as many loopholes as humanly possible. I'd also enforce compliance on large corporations and individuals by conducting yearly IRS audits as called for. I can't well drag them out in the street and shoot them, but having all of their assets tied up for months out of the year just might be as effective. Paying their damn taxes for a change would just be easier than fighting me.

Health Care:
Universal. Call me a commie and you're just going to disappear; I'm the president, I have that kind of power. Everybody needs medicine and should have access to it. Price controls on the pharmaceutical industry; there has to be a reason that meds are so cheap in Canada while being identical in quantity and quality to ours. I'd still allow for private hospitals, much like how we have private high schools now. If you have the dough, great. If you don't we still have your back.

Foreign Policy:
I'd return us to the policy we (more or less) had from Washington to WWII - neutrality. The rest of the world can do their own thing we have our own problems. The UN exists for a reason, we don't need to do their job for them.

Taxes:
Up. Sorry, but we have to pay for all this shit some how. Hopefully it won't be too bad because if all the above worked more people will be working and more people will be working at higher paying jobs. The rich will be pissed, but screw those guys I've never liked them anyway. Besides, there has to be a correlation between Alabama being one of the lowest taxed states and being one of the least educated, employed, and healthy while Washington State is basically the exact opposite while being the second highest taxed state in the union. (It's 2am where I am so no link until after I get up, but all this stuff is on Wikipedia. The article for Seattle will give you a good example on what WA is all about.)

Well, that's about all I have for now. I'll post more if I think of it or you guys give me any good ideas.

So, would you vote for me or give me the old Sic Semper Tyranis?

08-07-2007, 11:58 AM	#1
Mannix Tenacious C Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 991	If I were President I'll split up what I'd do with all the power into a few sections. Feel free to provide constructive criticism or post your own ideas. Military: First thing I do is withdraw about 90% of our foreign military bases. Totally out of Europe and Japan; the likelihood of WWIII breaking out in those locations is slim to none and they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves now. I'd cut military presence in South Korea to about 50% because there is still the risk of a conventional war with North Korea. Our forces there aren't enough to repel an attack; they're just there as a token deterrent which can be achieved just as well by 10-15,000 people as it can by 30,000, and the locals will have less presence to resent. Totally out of the Middle East. They don't want us there and we have no reason to prop up any of their shitty governments (I'm looking at you, Saudi Arabia). If they want to tear each other apart I'm happy to oblige them and there's no reason for us to be standing in the middle of it. None of these bases serve any greater purpose than a carrier fleet is capable of from a tactical standpoint so we wouldn't be losing much. From the money we save on deployment I'd set out revamping and modernizing the Navy and re-equipping the Army and providing a greater budget for specialized training - urban, desert, jungle, etc. In terms of global interventionism; have fun with China guys, we're done. I'd integrate gays into the military as well. They're citizens and they have the same right to fight and die for their country as anybody else has. I'd push for a modification of the Selective Service Act (the draft) to include women. If not being able to secure federal loans for school or be employed by the government as well as doing jail time in case of a draft while not registered is good enough for a man it's good enough for a woman. Yay equality. Environment: Tougher enforcement of existing protection laws and a HUGE budget for R&D for finding alternative fuels for automobiles. Roughly 80% of our consumption comes from that, so if we can get our cars off oil our national production will be able to serve our other needs long enough to in turn replace them as well as having the added benefit of getting us off foreign oil. Eat it OPEC! Education: "No child left behind" dies a horrible death. Taking money from schools that need more money is the dumbest idea anybody has ever had ever. I'd also do my damnedest to find a way to make university education universal at the baccalaureate level; kind of like what our grandparent's did with high school when it became apparent that that level of education had become the minimum for decent employment. Private schools would still be open for business just like there are private high schools. More computers in more classrooms. Those $100 laptops would be really handy for elementary schools. Infrastructure: Turn our welfare program into a work program not unlike FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. Our bridges/roads/power grid/schools etc are falling apart at the seams and need lots of boots on the ground working on them. Our unemployed boots need work. Put them together and they solve themselves. Economy: I'd pull out of the WTO as well as NAFTA. The racists are half right; the Mexicans and Chinese are taking our jobs, just not in the way they think; most of our industrial capacity - factories and jobs - have been exported to those countries as part of these agreements (both directly and indirectly). Charging $20 for a Tickle Me Elmo doll made for $1 an hour by a Chinese kid is much more profitable than charing that same $20 for a doll made by an American working at $10 per hour. Sure, it's making our hyper-wealthy corporation owners even more hyper wealthy and I guess that's nice and all, but it's buggering the hell out of our middle class and poor. The vast majority of our economic expansion has gone directly to the wealthy; it's so bad that minimum wage is now worth even less comparatively than it was 30 years ago. Totally unacceptable. I'd encourage these corporations to bring the jobs back this side by massively hiking up tariffs on goods made outside the US; regardless of whether the company was American or not. I'd also be providing tax breaks for small and mid sized businesses while pushing them up a bit on the big boys and closing as many loopholes as humanly possible. I'd also enforce compliance on large corporations and individuals by conducting yearly IRS audits as called for. I can't well drag them out in the street and shoot them, but having all of their assets tied up for months out of the year just might be as effective. Paying their damn taxes for a change would just be easier than fighting me. Health Care: Universal. Call me a commie and you're just going to disappear; I'm the president, I have that kind of power. Everybody needs medicine and should have access to it. Price controls on the pharmaceutical industry; there has to be a reason that meds are so cheap in Canada while being identical in quantity and quality to ours. I'd still allow for private hospitals, much like how we have private high schools now. If you have the dough, great. If you don't we still have your back. Foreign Policy: I'd return us to the policy we (more or less) had from Washington to WWII - neutrality. The rest of the world can do their own thing we have our own problems. The UN exists for a reason, we don't need to do their job for them. Taxes: Up. Sorry, but we have to pay for all this shit some how. Hopefully it won't be too bad because if all the above worked more people will be working and more people will be working at higher paying jobs. The rich will be pissed, but screw those guys I've never liked them anyway. Besides, there has to be a correlation between Alabama being one of the lowest taxed states and being one of the least educated, employed, and healthy while Washington State is basically the exact opposite while being the second highest taxed state in the union. (It's 2am where I am so no link until after I get up, but all this stuff is on Wikipedia. The article for Seattle will give you a good example on what WA is all about.) Well, that's about all I have for now. I'll post more if I think of it or you guys give me any good ideas. So, would you vote for me or give me the old Sic Semper Tyranis? __________________ Dangerous, mute lunatic.