Posted on 05/11/2006 10:02:32 AM PDT by RICAN REPUBLICAN
This is the platform in which my boss from work said he would run on. And I would support him 100% since the Republican party has abandoned many Conservatives like me, I would like to entertain the possibility of how many of my fellow Freepers would possibly vote for someone with the following platform.
• Fair Tax
• Term Limits
• Eliminate Congressional retirement plan as it exists today
• Push a real energy policy that dictates solar, ethanol and geo-thermal technology. o Policy would be phased in during my term and not a 20 year plan as most politician’s plans
• Greatly reduce the amount of money paid into the UN. Use this money to expand the education system in the US.
• Push to have members of Congress paid by their states and not federal funds. o Members of Congress can only get pay raises if their constituents approve by 2/3 vote. o Eliminate Congressional credit union o Members of Congress would reside in home state majority of time and not Washington o Ensure members of Congress hold quarterly hometown meetings.
• Eliminate lobbyists since at its core it is collusion and racketeering which is illegal for citizens and Congress should not be immune. o Bring the insurance and pharmaceutical businesses in line o Eliminate many loop holes today that encourage law suits. Make stupid people accountable again.
• Investigate a standing military whereas everyone serves two years in the service of their choice following graduation from high school. o If you drop out of high school you will serve four years
• Driver’s license would be issued at 16. o The initial cost would be $2500. o Record would be reviewed when 18 and some monies may be refunded. o All licenses would cost $1000 for everyone.
• Drug dealers and child molesters would be put to death
Hmmmmmmmmmm.....ok.
wow does this REALLY apply to every state?
• Eliminate lobbyists since at its core it is collusion and racketeering which is illegal for citizens and Congress should not be immune. o Bring the insurance and pharmaceutical businesses in line o Eliminate many loop holes today that encourage law suits. Make stupid people accountable again.
He gets my vote on that one alone
Also known as "buzzword pushing".
Do we really need government deciding these things?
I'd add one more plank to the platform - hard time in Gitmo for people who engage in egregious abuse of FR sidebars.
Lobbyists represent a whole lot of cross sections including prolifers and gun owners. Without lobbyists we have no voice. Bad idea.
I would vote for NOT placing this in Breaking News.
Yeah, because the only thing wrong with US education is lack of money.
Uh-huh.
Breaking vanity!
OK that's just weird. Statist too.
Well, you'd also have to cut that clause out of the First Amendment that allows people to petition the government.
The solution to lobbying abuses is not to eliminate lobbyists. It is to hold elected officials accountable, because the lobbyist has no power unless the official is willing to be corrupted.
Borders????????
Illegal Immigrants?????????
Where does he stand on this???!!!
Yeah, just rein those suckers in.
Big, bad business, redux.
• Driver’s license would be issued at 16. o The initial cost would be $2500. o Record would be reviewed when 18 and some monies may be refunded. o All licenses would cost $1000 for everyone.
Nope
Doesn't have my vote.
If we eliminate lobbyists, we the people become the lobbyists by way of letters, campaign contributions and votes.
Ummmm, I think I'll vote for someone that has an opinion about the War on Terror. That's still important to me. I don't know about the disgruntled branch of the Conservative party though.
Is there a point to this? Or is it just a money-raising scheme?
Diverting our young women, to turn our military into majority female ? No.
No. Most of these would never see the light of day.
This is a common political ploy, make outlandish promises to voters and then blame the other members of congress for not passing your bills.
Your boss needs help! Could some Freeper recommend a good psychiatrist?
Lar ? Lar Daly ? is that you ?
***Push a real energy policy that dictates solar, ethanol and geo-thermal technology.***
<<<Also known as "buzzword pushing".
Do we really need government deciding these things?<<<
Izzy, you are SO right. Let the market decide. It would be cheaper and more effective.
WELL IT'S SAD TO SEE THAT MOST OF MY FELLOW FREEPERS WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THINGS IN A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.
SOUNDS LIKE MOST OF YOU WORK IN WASHINGTON.
JUST LIKE THE REPUBILICANS IN OFFICE, AFAID OF CHANGE.
LORD GOD HELP US ALL.
NEITHER WOULD THE LEFTIST MORONS
***The solution to lobbying abuses is not to eliminate lobbyists. It is to hold elected officials accountable, because the lobbyist has no power unless the official is willing to be corrupted.***
ABSOLUTELY!
I MENT AFRAID!!!!
***Bring the insurance and pharmaceutical businesses in line***
<<<Yeah, just rein those suckers in.
Big, bad business, redux.<<<
You're on a roll today, Izzy. Keep going.
Hard to hold meetings that way.
Your bosses limit is 0 terms.
Repubilicans,afaid,ment...yer skaring me.
That's just for starters.
Regards, Ivan
JUST LIKE THE REPUBILICANS IN OFFICE, AFAID OF CHANGE.
Insulting your audience is never a good idea.
I'm not afraid of change, but change has to have a point.
Dumping money into education is NOT a policy - it's a band-aid. Liberals like that throw-money-at-it approach, conservatives say that you have to look at what's working and what's not.
I don't think that the Coast Guard needs that many people.
You judge "most of your fellow freepers" based on 25 posts?
Why do you interpret objections to your particular policies as a vote for the status quo?
P.S. you might want to take that piece of chewing gum out from under the CAPS LOCK key.
INGREDIENTS:
* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 3/4 cup flaked coconut
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the wet mixture until just blended.
Finally, fold in the pecans and coconut.
Dough may be a little dry.
Shape dough into walnut sized mounds and place 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Cool on baking sheets.
You are wrong. The leftists make careers in government at all levels. They inhabit every level of the policy making apparatus. Sure they utilize lobbyists, but they don't need them as much as we do.
On the outside chance that you are really interested in discussion of the merits of your boss’s campaign platform, here is a discussion of the merits of each plank.
| Platform Plank (Position) | Merit of Position |
| Fair Tax | Depends on what “fair tax” means. Some people think a confiscatory and redistributive income tax is fair. If by “fair” you mean a flat tax, or a tax based on consumption, the idea is worthy of discussion. A simplified tax code with lower tax rates, elimination of double taxes on dividends, etc. would be beneficial. |
| Term Limits | This requires a constitutional amendment, and the GOP ran bringing this to a vote in the 1994 Contract with America. They kept their promise and brought it to a vote where it would have passed had it only required a majority vote. There was insufficient support to pass a constitutional amendment. |
| Eliminate Congressional retirement plan as it exists today | Many people believe the hoax email that claims that the congressional retirement plan is this massive lucrative boondoggle. While it is probably generous, it is nothing like the urban legend email. While reform is worthy of discussion, this is probably not an issue worthy of a campaign platform in a national election. |
| Push a real energy policy that dictates solar, ethanol and geo-thermal technology. o Policy would be phased in during my term and not a 20 year plan as most politician’s plans | Any national energy policy that dictates the direction of research and development, rather than freeing up resources to be used for the most productive methods and technologies available, is a terrible idea. Policy implementations of this nature take time, so the idea that you could mandate a major change and phase it in within 4 years is naïve at best. |
| Greatly reduce the amount of money paid into the UN. Use this money to expand the education system in the US. | Reducing funding of the UN is a good idea, but expansion of federal funding of education systems is a bad idea. Here’s a better idea. Cut the federal education department budget in half, and then give the entire amount to the states in the form of block grants to use for education however the states see fit (proportioned according to the school age population of the respective states). This would return control over education to the local governing bodies closer to the people. |
|
Push to have members of Congress paid by their states and not federal funds. o Members of Congress can only get pay raises if their constituents approve by 2/3 vote. o Eliminate Congressional credit union o Members of Congress would reside in home state majority of time and not Washington o Ensure members of Congress hold quarterly hometown meetings. |
The state versus federal funding of congressional salaries would require a constitutional amendment, and is not really a good idea. Congress is a federal – not state – position, and the federal government is responsible for paying for it. The congressional credit union does not need to be eliminated, but the members should have to manage their accounts just like every other citizen does. The idea of greater accountability to constituents is good, but mandates such as forcing reps to spend more time in their home states and less in Washington or mandating hometown meetings would not likely do much to achieve this objective. |
|
o Eliminate lobbyists since at its core it is collusion and racketeering which is illegal for citizens and Congress should not be immune. o Bring the insurance and pharmaceutical businesses in line o Eliminate many loop holes today that encourage law suits. Make stupid people accountable again. |
Lobbying is a legitimate activity. Any attempt to eliminate or vilify this activity is worthless and counterproductive. Making congress subject to the same rules they impose on everyone else is a better idea. More regulation of pharmaceuticals and insurance companies will only lead to higher costs and reduced access to treatment and medicines. Tort reform isn’t about loopholes but rather about protecting people from frivolous lawsuits. Tort reform is worthy of discussion and a legislative priority, but it should be proposed more intelligently than it is presented in your boss’s list. |
| Investigate a standing military whereas everyone serves two years in the service of their choice following graduation from high school. If you drop out of high school you will serve four years | Well this idea is a real stinker and a complete non-starter. Our volunteer military has served us well for a long time and mandating 2 years of service for all would be contrary to the whole notion of freedom and liberty upon which this nation was founded. |
| Driver’s license would be issued at 16. The initial cost would be $2500. Record would be reviewed when 18 and some monies may be refunded. All licenses would cost $1000 for everyone. | Why would you want to make licensing of drivers a federal issue rather than a state issue? This is a really stupid idea to make a platform in a campaign. Also, making the cost so high would eliminate most low-income and middle income families from being able to get their teenage drivers legally licensed. |
| Drug dealers and child molesters would be put to death |
What about states that do not allow the death penalty? How do you define drug dealers? Is the kid who gets seduced by the easy money so he sells a few joints to his friends subject to the death penalty? How do you define child molester? If the 19 y/o has sex with the16 y/o whom he has been dating since he was 16 and she was 14 (he just turned 19 and she’ll be 17 next month, so they’re really only 2 years and 2 months apart), would he be in jeopardy of being tried of a federal capital crime? Sorry, but even though I have no sympathy for either drug dealers or child molesters, this is a bad idea to use as a plank in a campaign platform. |
It sounds nice but it will never work that way. For starters, lobbyists do a whole lot more than walk in and say "vote for this" or "oppose that". As legislation is working it's way through the legislature who is going to work on details of regulatory language with legislative staff? Who is going to insist on minor but important technical fixes to bills as they move from one committee to the next?
The public policy process is far, far more complex than what you learned in your 7th grade Civics class. Cards and letters are nice, but a whole lot more goes on prior to actual votes on legislation.
That's what the military needs - people who don't want to serve.
If you drop out of high school you will serve four years
That's what the military needs - idiots.
The world need morons to pick up litter along the highways. More prisons would be nice, too.
Greatly reduce the amount of money paid into the UN. Use this money to expand the education system in the US
Although the UN has too much of our tax dollars, so the the education system. GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!
No vote from me...
"Eliminate lobbyists..."
Uh, his first point would take care of that. Your boss (really you trying to appear like a conservative, but not knowing that true conservatives would actually think beyond stage one) hasn't really thought this thru.
IATZ ping.
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