Political Beliefs

Everybody has them. We all fall somewhere between hating government so much that we don’t want any at all, to wanting a government that controls every part of our lives.

These are my beliefs. I don’t expect anyone to believe the same things. I don’t intend to argue my beliefs with anyone. All comments on this page will be deleted, and not approved.

I came up with this list by imagining what I would want if I were running things. These beliefs support and are supported by my spiritual and ethical values.

Here is my partial ( and developing) list:

• No military spending beyond 30% GDP.
• Universal income will be given to all citizens at 200% of current poverty guidelines.
• Universal healthcare is available for ALL residents, as a safeguard to others.
• Communities will provide clean drinking water and sewer treatment centers free of charge to all residents. This service is paid by taxes and should not be doubly charged by having a water bill. Businesses using freshwater may be charged for its use since many of their customers might not live in the area.
• Covert operations run under CIA and any other clandestine operations will now have a separate budget. There will no longer be a black hole where money disappears under the military budget.
• No corporation may have operations offshore and call themselves an American corporation. By moving operations offshore so that they only have an office, they attempt to avoid tariffs and taxes and take advantage of the Amerian people. To be an American corporation, it must have operations in America. As such, products cannot be assembled elsewhere. It is expected that some components will be imported for use in assembly, but the work must be done in America as much as possible to be considered an American made good. This will provide an immediate boost to employment.
• Tariffs are used to protect domestic industries. All goods produced in the USA will be protected. Goods not produced in the USA will not be subject to tariffs. This will foster domestic industry and product development.
• Larger Retail corporations may only have 4 sites in each state and must divest locations to meet that goal. This is to spur small business which pays the state in which it is based. Corporations like Walmart, Costco and others must divest of other locations. This is a phased divestment, therefore each large corporation with more than four sites will immediately divest of one in each state. They will continue to divest one location every 6 months until there are only 4 sites in each state for the said corporation. This is done to promote small and local business which employs people and provides a local flavor to communities. These local businesses may also only have 4 locations per state. A word about online retailers: they may only have 4 physical plants or warehouses per state. ALL retailers may participate in online sales. All online sales are subject to the sales tax of the purchaser. This entire idea comes from the loss of location-specific feel and homogony of goods. It will foster local business, employ local people, serve to grow the local economy, and allow individual business owners to offer something that the larger stores cannot. Whether that is service, local flavor, or a local specialty doesn’t matter.
• Universal education to the level of best achievement. This is only available to citizens. This allows for education up to and including the first terminal degree. Only one of each level degree is included. Second degrees (second bachelors, masters or PhD) are to be paid for by the student. Current student loans are universally forgiven. Future student loans are at 1% annual compound interest. No bank may foreclose on a home or sue the student – but repayment is expected or future tax refunds will be confiscated and applied to repayment.
• Channel more people into trades and vocational schools – we need plumbers, electricians, carpenters, sheet metal workers, boilermakers, etc.
• Repair roads and bridges under federal control.
• The internet of things (IoT) will continue to grow, so these operations will be supported. Universal fiber optics cable will be installed and internet for all will be available. This includes rural areas. Internet should be free for everyone to access without restrictions at the highest possible Mbps available. There may be speed boosts available for a fee, but a healthy internet speed should be basic for all.
• The USPO will immediately put in place tracking operations so that large-volume shippers pay a slightly higher amount for the volume of deliveries of 1% surcharge beyond 30 shipments per month. This surcharge will be used to offset the capital improvements needed to support this volume of business.
• Seek out alternative energy and support it. Solar and wind batteries need to be smaller and cheaper. Electric cars need to be more available and cheaper. Wind operations need to be more environmentally friendly and usable on a smaller scale.
• Biodiesel fuel support – recycle cooking oil and blend with diesel for cheaper trucking. Make biodiesel fuel available on a widespread basis.
• Immediate rollback of EPA standards to 2016 levels. All industrial operations must file an Environmental Impact Statement every 5 years. All large developments run by corporate entities should anticipate this requirement if natural resources are used or diverted by such developments. Zero-waste facilities are encouraged.
• Most alternative medical treatments are covered under universal healthcare. Experimental treatments must be reviewed and may be covered.
• Corporations and banks are to take the focus off profit and put it on social and environmental responsibilities. To this end, Dividends are more important than stock price, your employees should make more together than the CEO and Board together.
• Neo-nazi, white power, KKK and other racially motivated movements are hereby banned as hate groups. Imprisonment and fines will be imposed for joining or promoting these groups. Hate has no place here. Color is not a true difference or measure of a person.
• Religion has no place in politics. However, being involved in religious groups or other groups that provide values and ethics training in a person’s life is valuable. No one philosophy is greater than another. No differences will be exploited in politics.
• Citizenship is defined as birth taking place within the United States or its various territories, or by having sworn fealty to the United States in a “Citizenship Hearing” and giving up all citizenship claims of other countries. Those found supporting another country’s agendas against the United States will be guilty of treason and imprisoned or executed as traitors.
• Serving the United States in Congress or the Senate is a privilege, not a right. Immediate term limits of 3 terms are imposed. There is no more golden parachute.  Each retiring representative will be eligible for social security and medicare. There is no “for life” healthcare or salary anymore. Furthermore, all retiring representatives are ineligible to work for any lobbying interest, or as a lobbyist for a period of 20 years after leaving Office. No person who has ever worked as a lobbyist, or has determined strategy for such, is eligible for election.
• The Supreme Court is not for life. Each judge appointed to the Supreme Court will need to file a “Request for Retainer” after the first 10 years of service and every decade after that, which will be reviewed against their verdicts by an independent commission of judiciary review. This review will look solely at the verdicts and compare them to the constitution. Members of this review board will serve at the pleasure of the President, but this board MUST be convened every other odd-numbered year.
• Military service to the United States is restricted to citizens. Should non-citizens wish to serve, they will be immediately sworn in as a citizen upon completion of Basic Training. This is a path to citizenship.
• Native Americans are considered citizens for service in the military, UI, and UHC. Other than that, they serve their tribes as emissaries to the United States. Treaties will be upheld, and their land is sovereign. No corporate interest may develop or cross that land without their permission. The natural resources of Native lands are theirs to do with as they see fit.
• Natural Parks are not resource banks. They are nature preserves. These lands are exempt from development for as long as the United States remains. Future designated nature preserves must be approved by the state legislature(s) in which they are located and the Congress and Senate. Only token development may be allowed which improves the visitor experience to these parks and preserves. Other development is not allowed.
• On birthing rights, women’s’ rights: I believe that what a woman decides about pregnancy is between her and her maker. It’s none of my business. By the same token, birth control must be freely available to all women and men who wish to use it. Honest, science-based health and reproductive education should be taught to all children by the time they are 18. If a woman does not wish to have a child for any reason and ending that pregnancy is her choice, an amount equal to non-high-risk pregnancy will be paid for her tests and procedures, with any remaining costs paid by the patient. Until a child is born, we make a lot of noise, but no one ever wants to take care of it after it’s born. So, a woman must feel free to choose without intimidation or coercion.
• Opiate, alcohol and other addictive substance abuse plagues many communities. Let’s de-criminalize the addict and provide real treatment. A repeat user should be handed ever more stringent penalties, though the doctors and pharmacists are just as much to blame as the patients for the over-use of these medications. Criminalizing women unduly for being in the wrong place a the wrong time, does no one any good. A woman is already at a disadvantage coming out of jail and being abandoned by the person she was with. She can’t pay the same fines and still pay for childcare. Childcare in these cases should be provided at no charge until her fines are paid off and she is capable of full-time childcare on her own.
• Election reform: All elections will be held with paper ballots only. No person or corporation may donate more than $5000 per year to all candidates and causes combined. No corporation may make any endorsement or donation of any kind. No religious body shall make any endorsement or donation of any kind. All media will reinstate the “Fairness Doctrine” for their reporting and advertising, so that media does not favor one candidate over another or one cause over another, allowing the electorate to decide for themselves. These media outlets will also provide in-depth opportunities for the electorate to hear the views and opinions of each candidate and discussion about each issue from all sides. These in-depth reports will be taped, unedited, and remain available at no cost to all persons until 12 months after the election.
• No media may be called “News” if it distorts or colors the truth in any way. Report the facts, all the facts, without opinion, or do not call yourself a news outlet. Opinion may be stated but it must be labeled as such.