NO SOLUTIONS MY FAT A$$

Every once in awhile some know-it-all drops onto the site and derides me for not proposing any solutions. I then have to kick their ass and ridicule them. I posted an article two years ago called A Modest Proposal. It laid out my platform for saving this country. Below is the list of my proposals. I’ve added a couple new ones. If you don’t like them, then tough shit. Come up with your own list.

Political System

• Term limits of 6 years for Congressmen, Senators and the President. Serving in Congress is not a career. It is a duty to the country. They are not in Congress to bring home the bacon to their district or State. They are in Congress to ensure that future generations have a country that offers opportunity to live a better life than their parents. A President who doesn’t have to run for re-election might actually do what is best for the country.
• The entire election process would be scraped. It would be transformed into a 3 month publicly financed election. No money from corporations, unions, or individuals would be allowed. Candidates would have 6 debates on public TV.
• Lobbyists and PACs would be eliminated from the political process.
• Every bill before Congress would immediately be put online. The constituents of every Congressmen and Senator would be allowed to voice their opinion by voting yes or no online.
• Every bill that is proposed by a Congressman MUST have a funding mechanism. If the proposal increases costs to the American taxpayer, something else must be cut to pay for the new proposal.
• NO American troops could be committed to firing their weapons without a full vote of Congress as required by the US Constitution.
• Presidential Executive Orders would not be allowed.
• Federal and state government workers would be banned from unionizing. All government unions would be disbanded.

Economic Policy

• The first thing to be done is to abolish the Federal Reserve. It has been around for less than 100 years. The Treasury has the authority to issue the currency of the country.
• The currency of the US would be backed by hard assets. A basket of gold, silver, oil, uranium, and some other limited hard commodities would back the USD. If politicians attempted to spend too much, this basket would reveal their plans immediately.
• The FASB would be directed to make all banks and corporations value their assets at their true market value. This would reveal that the mega Wall Street banks and corporations like GE are insolvent. An orderly bankruptcy of all insolvent financial firms involving the sell-off of their legitimate assets to banks that didn’t screw up and the bondholders and stockholders would be wiped out.
• The Department of Justice, SEC, and FBI would be directed to prosecute every Wall Street criminal to the fullest extent of the law.
• The 16th Amendment would be repealed and the income tax would be scraped. It would be replaced with a national consumption tax. The more you consume the more taxes you pay. Saving and investment would be untaxed.
• A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution would be voted on by the people. If passed, it would phase in over 5 years. This would require a massive reduction in spending. A downsizing of the US Military from $900 billion to $500 billion would be initiated through the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Japan and hundreds of other bases throughout the world.
• The two most worthless departments in the government (Dept of Energy and Dept of Education) would be eliminated. All corporate subsidies would be eliminated. All Federal employees would have their pay slashed by 10% and the workforce would be reduced by 20% over 5 years. Federal health benefits and pension benefits would be slashed.
• The Social Security System would be completely overhauled. Anyone 50 or older would get exactly what they were promised. The age for collecting SS would be gradually raised to 72 over the next 15 years. Those between 25 and 50 would be given the option to opt out of SS. They would be given their contributions to invest as they see fit if they opt out. Anyone entering the workforce today would not pay in or receive any benefits. The wage limit for SS would be eliminated and the tax rate would be reduced from 6.2% to 3%.
• The Medicare system is unsustainable. It would be converted from a government program to private market based program. The rules and regulations would be eliminated. Senior citizens would be given healthcare vouchers which they would be free to use with any insurance company or doctor based on price and quality. Insurance companies would compete for business. Doctors would compete for business. The GAO would have their budget doubled and they would audit Medicare fraud & Medicaid fraud and prosecute the criminals brutally.
• The healthcare bill would be repealed. Insurance companies would be allowed to compete with each other on a national basis. Tort reform would be implemented so that doctors could do their jobs without worrying about slimy lawyers. Doctors would need to post their costs for various procedures. Price and quality would drive the healthcare market.
• The entitlement state would be dismantled. The criteria for collecting welfare, food stamps and unemployment benefits would be made much stricter. Unemployed people collecting government payments would be required to clean up parks, volunteer at community charity organizations, pick up trash along highways, fix and paint houses in their neighborhoods and generally keep busy in a productive manner for society.
• A free market method for stabilizing the housing market would be for banks to voluntarily reduce the mortgage balances of underwater homeowners in exchange for a PAR (Property Appreciation Right).  The homeowner would agree to pay off the PAR to the Treasury (and administered through the IRS) out of future price appreciation on the existing home or subsequent property. The homeowner would be excluded from taking on any home equity loans or executing any “cash out” refinancings until the PAR was satisfied. The maximum PAR obligation accepted by the Treasury would be based on the value of the home and the income of the homeowner.
• The Glass Steagall Act would be reinstituted, forcing a breakup of the Wall Street banks.
• Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA would be wound down and eliminated. Government should have no influence or control over the housing market.
• All Federal and State government pension plans would be converted from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans, just like the private sector.

Education Policy

• With the elimination of the Dept of Education, the education of children would go back to localities. Every child in America would receive vouchers for grade school, high school and college. They could choose any school to attend – public or private. If the private school cost more than the voucher, the family would pay the difference. Excellent schools would flourish, poor schools would be forced to improve or they would close.
• Teacher tenure would be eliminated. Public school teacher unions would be eliminated. Teachers would be judged on their success and ability. Disruptive students would be immediately expelled and sent to juvenile detention centers. This would essentially force public schools to run their operations based on excellence in teaching.
• The real skills of the students would be assessed and those whose aptitude leaned towards a trade would be directed to vocational schools. The rewarding of excellence would become the driving force, rather than equality and diversity.
• The government would exit the student loan business. All Federal subsidies would be eliminated. This drastic reduction in funds will result in a huge drop in tuition, as colleges competed for a much smaller pool of legitimate students.

Energy Policy

• Without the Dept of Energy to block the free market, companies should be guaranteed a fast track approval process to build nuclear power plants ASAP. The approval process for refineries and LNG facilities should also be fast tracked.
• The Pickens Plan to convert our truck fleets to natural gas should be given priority. The government can actually do something to help the market. An upgrade and expansion of the electrical grid could connect to windmill farms built across the Plains, as long as the ROI was positive.
• Increased drilling off the coasts and in Alaska would be allowed with proper procedures in place.
• Fracking would be allowed, as long as proper safety procedures were enforced and the residents adjacent to these wells were fairly compensated for the use of their land. Government authorities would need to put the citizens first versus the corporate interests.
• A national project to create high speed electric rail lines between major cities and light electric rail connecting the suburbs to the major cities would be undertaken based upon ROI. Only lines that could reasonably make profits would be built.
• Subsidies and tax credits for ethanol, electric and other green “solutions” would be eliminated. The market would decide which technologies would work.

National Defense/Foreign Policy

• Elimination of foreign aid to other countries would be implemented immediately.
• Withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East and other countries would take place over 3 years. Amazingly, after we leave the Middle East, terrorism will miraculously decline.
• Conduct free trade with all countries. Make treaties with no countries. Do not bully or threaten any country.
• The US military would be used to defend our country. Any commitment of forces to battle would require a full vote by Congress as the Constitution states.
• The Department of Homeland Security would be dismantled and drastically downsized. The TSA would be eliminated.
• The torture of anyone would be outlawed.
• The use of predator drones to kill or spy on people in other countries and in the U.S. would be outlawed.

Immigration

• If we want to keep illegal aliens from entering the country, then we need to build a fence/wall and use technology to truly seal our southern borders. Illegal aliens are illegal. Their children are not legal. If you break the law, you are punished.
• We should encourage the immigration of smart people to this country. Legal immigrants built this country. We should encourage the foreign students who graduate from our best colleges to stay in the country and work for American companies.
• Illegal immigrants who have been working in this country for five years or longer could apply for citizenship. No Federal or state benefits would be paid to illegal immigrants that have failed to properly apply under this program.
• To help stabilize our housing market, all foreigners who would buy a US property in cash would be guaranteed a fast track to citizenship as long as they break no laws.

Social Issues

• Let people do anything they want. Gays could marry. People could practice whatever religion they want.
• Marijuana should be decriminalized and treated exactly like liquor and beer. The prison population would decline tremendously, saving states billions.
• Wire tapping, monitoring, and spying on US citizens would be outlawed.
• No restrictions would be allowed over the internet. It is the only remaining place to find the truth.
• Personal liberties would be restored. Individual rights would take precedence over corporate and government rights.
• Only modest restrictions on gun ownership would be allowed (criminal background checks). An armed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.