With this year being an election year and the first open race since the 60’s, many friends and family are asking me where I stand on the current issues and who is my favorite candidate. I wanted to a take a few lines to outline my political stance here –
1) Foreign Policy – immediate and total military withdrawal from
2) Healthcare – Universal, single-player, not for profit system where everyone is covered, everyone gets treatment regardless of economic status, race, age, nationality or citizenship. Eliminate Medicare & Medicaid and insurance companies. The money saved from the reduction of the military should easily pay for this. I would also create incentives for healthy living by providing cheaper fresher foods to the poor, putting physical education back into our schools, etc. I might even give free gym memberships to every adult over 18. Cap frivolous lawsuits and malpractice. Planned Parenthood and Family Planning will get increased funds. I am not saying the government will fund abortions, just sex education, birth control. Abortion will remain legal. Cover yoga or other health classes, massage therapy and acupuncture with national insurance.
3) Economy – Abolish current income tax system and establish a single rate, consumer based sales tax, called a fair tax. Probably be about 25 cents to every dollar spent. This would be Federal and State. Revenue would be divided by population. Goods and services will get taxed but not food. I would break ties with NAFTA and the WTO, nationalized energy sources such as electricity and natural gas. I would bring our jobs back to the US by banning the production of US goods outside the US, eliminate all farm subsidies, give incentives to small businesses and farms, and fight to limit large corporations and break up monopolies. I would also re-establish the CCC or something similar to stimulate job creations and tackle some of the many public works projects this country needs – the repair and maintenance of National Parks, our interstate system and our power grid to name a few. The work week would be reduced to 35 hours a week and minimum paid vacation would be increased to 4 weeks a year. I would increase minimum wage to at least $9/hour.
4) Immigration - I would also put in place a system of fast tracking immigrants that are already in the
5) Social Security – privatize it with governmental oversight.
6) Gay marriage – legalized and officially recognized.
7) Nuclear Energy – eliminate all nuclear warheads and nuclear factories by 2020.
8) Gun control – pistols and rifles only. All automatic and semi-automatic weapons are banned.
9) Democracy – eliminate the Electoral College altogether and make elections multi-party elections. Ballots will be paper and must be signed by the voter. Eliminate computer voter machines. Roll back many of the provisions of the Patriot Act and return to a society that has more civil liberties than it does restrictions. Eliminate campaign financing altogether. A public fund will be made available for those wishing to run but no private money will be taken by candidates or officials. Supreme Court justices will have a limited 8 year term, not a lifetime appointment. Limit Senators and Representatives to 3 terms of 3 years each. No lifetime appointments or unlimited re-elections for any position in the government. Move all the primaries and caucuses to a 3 week window in March.
10) Environment – set a cap on the # of gasoline automobiles created in and imported into the
11) Education – all public education from pre-K to Bachelor’s degree will be free. There will be school uniforms. More after school programs and targeted programs for at-risk youth. Sex education and evolution will be mandatory curriculum by the 6th grade. Increase funding for Head Start. Eliminate No Child Left Behind. Bring back PE, Arts & Music into public education. Create more Charter schools and increase availability to alternative private schools such as Waldorf & Montessori. Eliminate vouchers or forced busing. You go to the school that’s closet to you, unless you want to pay for a private school. Pay teachers 25-33% more than they make currently.
12) Impeach George W. Bush & Dick Cheney and send him to the International Tribunal for Crimes against Humanity.
There is plenty I’m not talking about and I haven’t really even thought through all the details or consequences. This is just a 30 minute off the top of my head monologue.
The only candidate that really resonates with me currently is Denis Kucinich. Now unfortunately, he is not getting the media attention or traction that I hoped he would. Be that as it may, I will vote for him in the
That’s it in a nutshell. I’m a progressive, populist, some would say socialist loon, definitely not in touch with reality and I’m positive you will find plenty to flaw in my thoughts. But that’s why I typically don’t talk politics with anyone anyway.
