Platform planks - your ideas for a government reform program.
A dream candidate - who can rise above party politics and lead reform.
First, a bit of background
I n our country it is sometimes possible for a few people to achieve great reforms
in our political system despite all odds. I happened to be involved in one such
coup in the early 1960s. At that time in Georgia we had a dysfunctional system
contrived by entrenched politicians to keep themselves in office.
We had a one-party (Democrat) election process. There was a county unit
plan that gave a voter in a rural county in South Georgia 1,500 times as much
weight as a voter in suburban Atlanta where I lived. Our area had no seat in the
State Senate for four years out of each six. There was no hope that the legislature
would change the set-up.
Atlanta businessman James O'Hear Sanders filed a complaint in the federal
district court in Atlanta challenging the constitutionality of the mechanisms.
I joined in the case and became a constitutional guinea pig by paying an entrance
fee and running for a Senate seat that did not exist. Judge Griffin Bell (later
to serve as Attorney General in Jimmy Carter's cabinet) called me a "seer."
We won the case. The historic court decision required the reapportionment
of both our Senate and our House according to the principle of "one man one
vote." There were similar rulings in other states in what historians now call
the "reapportionment revolution."
Subsequently I was elected to serve in the Senate in one of the new seats
required by the ruling. That also brought some 30 other new Senators into
office and changed the political environment drastically. We promptly undertook
to rewrite the state constitution that had grown to be unwieldy and confusing.
There were more than 500 amendments - many inserted by special
interests.
We spent a long hot summer going over a new streamlined draft. We listened
as top-flight attorneys debated every sentence and every paragraph. We achieved
two things: a new state constitution and a great appreciation for our model,
the U.S. Constitution. It is an amazing document that is short and simple. It has
served well for more than two centuries. Read it!
By now I hope you have seen the similarity between the dilemma that faced
us in Georgia decades ago and the frustration we feel today regarding the
mess in Washington. We have a Congress that is dysfunctional. It cannot reform
itself. We must look to the people and the courts for help.
Here's our dream schedule: Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 - develop a strong enough voice on the Internet
to command attention. Launch our court case.
Summer 2008 and Fall 2008 - sharpen focus on issues.
November 2008 - elect the best candidate!
January 2009 - Begin four-year program of implementing reforms.
By then we will have offended almost every special-interest group known to
mankind - assuring the all-out opposition of hordes of highly paid lobbyists.
Thus it will be difficult to achieve any of the goals we have listed. The odds
against achieving all of them are astronomical. Astute observers will say mine
is an impossible dream. That's probably true.
I'm now 87 years old. Perhaps an appropriate line for my soon-to-be-selected
tombstone would be "At least he tried."
Our national problem - an urgent need for reform Our country has been a role model for the world. For generations people seeking
freedom have come here and sought citizenship. People from many nations
still risk their lives to get here. They sail across shark-infested waters on flimsy
rafts, stow away in steel shipping containers and trek across blazing hot desert areas.
In WWII our military forces led the fight to save the world from domination
by a dictatorship. We provided relief funds and personnel to rebuild war-torn
cities. Ours is still a nation of great strength, but there is cause for concern.
Despite our proud heritage we have in recent years fallen into a slump. We
have allowed political parties and special interests to take over and control
our Congress. Strong and sincere bi-partisan efforts are waning. Political integrity
is slipping.
We are neglecting vital programs in environmental enhancement, alternate
energy development, and science and technology. Our global competitive position
is deteriorating, as is our image around the world.
In areas too numerous to mention our government is simply not responding
- ignoring what the people want it to do. I believe the time has come for the
people to rise up and overthrow the politicians!
Comments: What do you think? Do you agree?
Supreme Court case:
How to free Congress from political parties In September 2007 I published a brief commentary on the 2008 campaign
in Site Selection magazine. I said I was fed up with petty party politics! I don't
want to hear any more about what the Democrats propose to do or what the
Republicans say they will do. They've had their chances and the results have
been disappointing. During the next few months I want to see the emergence
of an independent or bi-partisan candidate who can rise above the party strings
and do what's best for the country.
I want a new leader committed to DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to restore our
political integrity, restore our image around the world, and restore our economic
balance. I know that a successful program will have to include controversial
and unpopular elements. My hero will have to have the guts to make tough
decisions and not worry about being reelected.
However, let's just suppose that, as a result of brilliant leadership by our new
president, my dream does come true! In 2012 we could celebrate one of the
most glorious eras in the history of our country. Carve another figure on Mount
Rushmore!
I'm not alone!
Now I know that I'm not the only citizen with such a dream. From around the
country I've heard from a variety of people who have similar hopes. What
I had conceived as an editorial to vent my frustration now seems to be the
germ of an idea for a political uprising.
This raises an obvious question. What can we do besides complaining? Here
are some ideas: First, we need a viable candidate committed to an unprecedented
reform program. As the campaign heats up and the depth of voter unrest becomes
more obvious, one or more of the current candidates may break ranks with
party hacks and volunteer. Or, a relative newcomer, propelled by an ocean
of support from the Internet, may explode onto the scene. We'll see.
No matter who our candidate is, our goal is a sweeping reform program that
will offend many special interests. Many, if not most, members of Congress
are obligated to special interests that helped fund their campaigns. It would
be impossible to get the necessary votes (218 in the House, 51 in the Senate)
for reform without drastic changes in the rules by which the Congress now
operates. Sadly, we don't have a Congress today that is capable of reforming
itself. Scrap the legislative approach!
SUPREME COURT. Now, let's look at the possibilities if we go to court. The Supreme
Court has nine members - none of whom must run for election. We would
need only five votes to enable reform. Clearly, this is our best chance for action
within a reasonable time frame. However getting help from the court would
not be easy. The Court is not a legislative body. It is not open to any and all
proposals.
The first hurdle is getting on the agenda. Several thousand petitions are presented
to the court each year and the court selects about one hundred to consider.
The court presumes to make its final selection from among cases that are within
its jurisdiction and that are of maximum national concern.
What constitutional questions can we raise that might justify court intervention?
There are several that occur to me. The first has to do with the role of political
parties in the actual governmental process. I think it perfectly OK for political parties
to pick and support candidates of their choice in election campaigns. However,
I don't believe the parties have a right to take part in the mechanics of operating
the government after the election.
Today we are witnesses to an all-out invasion of operations of the House and
Senate by political parties. It starts with the seating arrangement. The Democrats
sit on one side of the central aisle and the Republicans on the other. In each
house there are floor leaders chosen by their parties in closed-door sessions.
They set the calendars for legislative action and manage the flow of action.
They are supported by party "whips" who harass members to vote their way.
These officials - all selected secretly by political parties - are among the most
powerful people in our government, topped only by the President, the Vice
President, and the Speaker of the House. I believe this is unconstitutional!
READ THE CONSTITUTION! You may be surprised to find that nowhere is there
the slightest mention of political parties. Obviously there was no intent by those
who wrote the Constitution to give any governing role whatsoever to political
parties. Further, there is no such authority specified in any amendment to the
Constitution.
I argue that the current position of parties in the management of our Congress
is an illegal encroachment that has become a cancer! Ordinary citizens who
don't wish to be represented by these party-chosen managers have been stripped
of their rights. Our immediate goal should be to cut these political party strings
that strangle Congress - enabling independent-minded members to adopt bi-partisan
reform programs.
SECOND CASE: Another plea we might make to the court is to review the interpretation
of the laws relating to bribery of members of Congress. There are many well-documented
cases of individual members of Congress being prosecuted and jailed for accepting
money from people seeking a lucrative contract or other financial benefit that the
congressman might help them get. However, we are disgusted by cases of wholesale
bribery of members where there has been no prosecution.
A recent CBS Sixty Minutes program documented the browbeating and implicit
bribery of many members by the pharmaceutical industry during the last session
of Congress. Industry giants deployed a horde of lobbyists and spent millions
to get the vote they wanted for specific legislation that would mean billions
for them. I believe this was grossly unconstitutional.
It's fine with me for political action groups to promote ideas, concepts and
principles. It's not OK with me for business firms to pay for votes that give
them specific monetary benefits.
Will the court take a hard look at failures of the Congress involving such alleged
constitutional breaches? Why not, we ask? Isn't this the reason we have three
distinct branches of government, to provide checks and balances?
HELP! We need a good public interest law firm to take up our cause at once
and get results before the next president is sworn in. Winning one or two key
cases in 2008 could change the legislative climate and clear the decks for a new
regime to enact sweeping reforms. We could watch with excitement as a courageous
new president, working with a party-free Congress, again made ours the most
admired nation on earth. That tune you hear is Stars and Stripes Forever! Turn up
the volume!
Comments: What do you think? What are some more ideas regarding constitutional
issues we could explore?
Official Opinion Poll A proposed nationwide poll to be conducted every two years in conjunction
with congressional elections. Issues to be selected and questions to be drafted
by a bi-partisan committee.
Today there is an urgent need to encourage voters to focus on issues rather
than personalities and whims. To many analysts, the biggest threat to our nation
is not international terrorism, the monstrous federal bureaucracy or the budget
deficit. The greatest danger, they say, is the "problem voters" who make up a
large percentage of the electorate.
Problem voters are a civic plague that afflicts every jurisdiction - local, state,
and national.
These are voters who take time off from work, drive to the precinct, stand
in line, vote and then go home wearing a sticker that proclaims that they have
done their civic duty and thus are entitled to feel very good about themselves.
In fact, far too many have gone to a lot of trouble to cast an irresponsible vote and
weaken our political system.
Who are these people who are undermining our society? They are businessmen,
environmentalists, farmers, workers and little old ladies in tennis shoes - and sometimes
you and me. How can they be identified? Here are some types frequently observed:
Ethnic Voters. These are citizens who cast their ballots on the basis of race,
creed or color in direct defiance of the tenets of the U.S. Constitution. In effect,
they say they would prefer an incompetent office holder of their own kind to an able
public servant of another kind. What better way to guarantee bad government!
Straight-Ticket Voters. This is another large group that clings to the unrealistic
notion that all Democrats are better than all Republicans, or vice versa. By failing
to select the best candidates of each party, they assure that some outstanding
public servants will be thrown out and be replaced by less able party hacks.
Label Voters. This group finds it necessary to tag each candidate with a "liberal,"
"conservative" or some other brand, which they think permits instantaneous
identification of friend or foe. They often accept second-hand labels from partisan
groups.
Image Voters. This group evidently believes that all office holders should be
well-educated young professional men, clean-shaven, standing at least six feet,
weighing a trim but muscular 180 pounds, displaying perfect teeth and exuding a
charming TV personality. These voters seemingly will vote for the village
idiot if he meets their superficial criteria.
Male (and Female) Chauvinist Voters. This bloc includes women libbers who will
vote only for a female candidate and male chauvinists who will never vote for
a female candidate no matter how capable she may be.
Special-Interest Voters. No group of problem voters does more damage to
the public interest than these selfish citizens who vote for a candidate simply
because he has done them a favor or promises to do so. Where is the honesty
of the voter who will elect a scoundrel to the county government in trade for a
zoning decision?
Identity Voters. There are a surprising number of voters who must,
above all else, identify personally with the candidate of their choice. A candidate
having the same family name is an instant choice. Next best are candidates
from the same geographic area, graduates of the same kind of school, members
of the same fraternity, followers of the same sports or keepers of the same
kind of pets. What a strange and narrow view!
Superstition Voters. These voters may immediately be attracted, for example,
to the lucky candidate who happens to be number seven on the ballot. Others
attach significance to where the candidate's name falls in the alphabet or how
many syllables there are in the last name. Others will not vote for a man who is
left-handed. Signs of the zodiac are probably the biggest influence with this group,
with much significance being given to time of birth, time of the election and time
of crucial campaign events.
Anti-Incumbent Voters. There are surprising numbers of voters who vote
against all incumbents. This cynical voter actually believes that all politicians
are crooks, and the longer they stay in office the worse they get. At every
election he wants to throw out all experienced people and bring in fresh material.
In effect, this voter favors on-the-job training for governor, senator and other
high officials.
Winning-Side Voters. A number of voters somehow believe that it is humiliating
to vote for a loser. They go to great lengths to be on the winning side, no matter
who the candidates are or what the issues are. These are the voters who can be
stampeded by a well-orchestrated political bandwagon. They apparently are content
to have someone do their thinking for them. Sheep!
Ego Voters. All voters are human, and candidates know it. They know that
a poor record in office or lack of qualifications may be ignored by voters distracted
by personal contacts. Such voters cite as reasons they cast their ballots for a
particular man: "because he asked me," "because he shook my hand," or "because
he wrote me a letter." Conversely, these voters may vote against a man they know
is better qualified because he didn't do any of these things. They, not the candidates,
are the ones to blame for many of the absurd campaign tactics we see!
What to do? How do we get more voters to focus on issues? I think an official
opinion poll would help a lot. I urged this in 1994 in my book The Telcom
Coup. At that time I hoped that Congress would enact enabling legislation.
When Newt Gingrich became speaker of the House I had high hopes that he would
take the lead.
Newt represented the Congressional district in the part of suburban Atlanta
where I lived and I was aware of his creative talents. His "Contract with America"
was a noteworthy bit of political strategy. Unfortunately he encountered personal
problems that led to his resignation before the official opinion poll could be sold.
A great opportunity was lost.
Today we are back to square one. The poll is needed more than ever. We need a
new hero to lead the fight!
Typical poll issues Meanwhile, here are some sample issues on which voters might express views
via an official opinion poll:
Set a flat sales tax and eliminate the federal income tax.
Require a year of national service for those 18-25.
Authorize public whipping as a penalty for minor crimes.
Abolish unions for government workers.
Eliminate tenure for teachers in public schools.
Legalize assisted suicide for terminally-ill patients.
Make English the only official language of the USA.
Clarify opinion on abortion rights.
Clarify opinion on the death penalty.
Establish a national lottery with proceeds going to education.
Some issues may best be handled as multiple choice questions. For example,
number 9 might be phrased like this:
9. What is your opinion of the death penalty? Check one of these three options:
(a) I am opposed to it under any and all circumstances.
(b) I favor it whenever it is decreed by a jury.
(c) I am in favor only in the case of heinous crimes where there is over-whelming
evidence of guilt.
With response from such a poll, our leader would be better prepared to plan a
national agenda favored by most citizens.
Comments: Do you agree? What are some issues you think should be included?
Platform Planks Some platform planks that might be considered in planning a sweeping
governmental reform program during 2009-2012.
Don't shoot! Please don't assume that all proposals listed below reflect my own
personal political viewpoint. What I have attempted to do is catalog proposals
from many sources that, if implemented, might contribute to improved government
performance.
Environmental and development issues
As a prime national objective, eliminate our dependence on imported oil!
Comments?
Require all new electric generating plants to use alternate non-fossil energy
sources such as wind, solar, water or nuclear.
Comments?
Increase the federal gas tax enough to raise the price of gas at the pump to
$10 per gallon on petroleum-based fuel, and use the revenue from higher taxes to
provide incentives for developers to build new fuel plants based on new science
and technology.
Comments?
Eliminate all taxes on gasoline from designated non-fossil sources such as ethanol
made from wastes (not corn), and promote competition to bring lower prices on
these new fuels.
Comments?
Set the speed limit on interstates at 55 mph in all metro areas.
Comments?
Allow mini-cars, tri-cabs and ultra-light vehicles - such as those seen in Hong
Kong and Bangkok - on our city streets and rural roads.
Comments?
Provide substantial financial incentives for those who enhance or provide
special protection for the natural environment and make it financially attractive
to landowners to reserve greenbelts and greenways in and around cities, protect
native plant colonies and wetlands and restore habitats.
Comments?
In planning infrastructure improvements for urban areas, recognize that "green
infrastructure" is a vital component and set standards of open space and green
space per inhabitant.
Comments?
Support the development of resource accounting systems and treat them
as important as GNP.
Comments?
Require recycling of major trash components, such as glass, aluminum
cans, paper.
Comments?
Provide incentives for coastal jurisdictions with impending water shortages
to build seawater desalting plants.
Comments?
Establish national land-use restrictions for coastal areas and ban future
construction on sand dunes and locate high-rise and high-density projects away
from natural areas.
Comments?
For coastal developments require replacement of beach and wetland habitats.
Comments?
The Legislative Branch
Change the congressional pay system to provide a base pay plus two bonuses:
bonus A, based on reducing the cost of operating the Congress, and bonus B,
a larger bonus based on balancing the federal budget.
Comments?
Install staggered term limits so that all congressmen are not eternally running
for office.
Comments?
Make it illegal for unopposed candidates to receive campaign contributions.
Comments?
Ban campaign contributions from anyone who is not a U.S. citizen.
Comments?
Require that congressional districts be drawn, insofar as possible, to include
complete coherent political units such as municipalities and counties and disallow
districts gerrymandered to give some particular group an advantage, thus banning
"snakes" and "ladders."
Comments?
Eliminate secrecy and require every vote in Congress to be a roll call vote
(without pairing), with the results immediately placed online.
Comments?
Require that members of Congress abide by any regulations they set for others.
Comments?
Reduce the number of committees and subcommittees (the House has 300)
and change the rules so that a bill can be referred to only one committee.
Comments?
Cut Congressional staffs in half! (Congress employs nearly 70 personnel
per member.) At the same time, close the Congressional offices maintained
in each district at public expense. (Congressmen got along without local offices for
nearly two centuries. The offices are even less needed in this era of cheap and
easy communications.)
Comments?
Eliminate government programs for getting out the vote. (Voter registration
drives per se do not produce better government. It is the quality of the electorate,
not the quantity, which determines the quality of government.)
Comments?
Eliminate the franking privilege. (Congressional newsletters tell only what
congressmen want their constituents to know. Electronic bulletin boards are
cheaper and better.)
Comments?
The Executive Branch
To control pork-barrel projects and achieve a balanced budget give the President
the authority to defer action and require study of any specific line-item in the budget.
Comments?
Change to a flat sales tax and eliminate the income tax.
Comments?
To expose double-dippers and others misusing the system, set up a government-
wide accounting system for all give-away, benefit, rent-subsidy, entitlement,
home energy assistance, food stamp, retirement, social security, pension and welfare
programs in order to determine how much federal aid each individual recipient gets.
Comments?
As a general principle, cut government programs back to those absolutely
essential for public health and safety, leaving to the private sector the responsibility
for supporting, on a voluntary basis, such things as poetry, sculpture, painting
and other arts and cultural programs - generally those things that are nice to
have but not essential to life.
Comments?
Wherever possible promote competition by allowing private firms to bid for
the opportunity to deliver the mail, operate schools and airports, and run jails.
Comments?
Recognizing that most such loans wind up being gifts, get the government
out of the banking business and eliminate all pure loan programs, such as those for
students, medical personnel, small businesses, depressed areas and foreign aid.
Comments?
Stop requiring the general public to pay for the imprudent risks taken by a few
and require that people who choose to live in disaster-prone areas (beaches,
flood plains, earthquake zones) carry sufficient insurance to cover their potential
losses and are disqualified for any government funding.
Comments?
Phase out public housing and allow groups of tenants that have proven
themselves to be responsible to buy the properties they occupy at attractive
prices on liberal terms. Otherwise sell to highest bidder.
Comments?
Require competitive bidding on all significant government contracts - especially
those for military equipment - and award contracts to the low bidder. Eliminate
expensive special provisions relative to who contractors may hire or which
subcontractors they must use.
Comments?
Get rid of incompetent public servants and require each of the major government
agencies at the cabinet level to terminate the 5 percent of their employees
with the poorest performance ratings each year.
Comments?
Abolish unions for government workers.
Comments?
Standardize all government retirement plans and require the government
pension plans to be actuarially sound in relation to what the employees pay in -
that is, comparable with privately financed pension plans.
Comments?
Require that any rules and regulations mandated by the federal government
for implementation by state and local governments be funded at the federal
level.
Comments?
The Judicial Branch. Constitutional issues
Wherever possible get the government out of our private lives and let individual
citizens decide personal issues - such as abortion, suicide and gambling - for
themselves.
Comments?
Substitute public whippings for jail time for minor crimes. (We must stop filling
up our jails! Canings work in modern Singapore and could solve problems
here!)
Comments?
Stop insisting on perfection in the judicial process! (It is absurd to insist that
every trial process be perfect and, if it is not, to set criminals free.)
Comments?
Limit public payment for the legal defense for indigents to the first offense
and ban funding for habitual criminals.
Comments?
Ban "expert witnesses" who have not witnessed anything.
Comments?
Don't allow change of venue and try cases close to the scene of the crime
where citizens are most interested in seeing justice prevail.
Comments?
Make it illegal for anyone not directly involved in a dispute to advocate
the filing of a lawsuit against someone else.
Comments?
Terminate all affirmative action programs and eliminate double standards
in all government programs. Specifically, abolish such practices as the Department
of Labor's "within group scoring" or "race norming" to rig the results of aptitude
tests.
Comments?
Give local governments strong authority to deal with vagrants, beggars,
street people and others who peddle, sleep or otherwise misuse public areas such
as streets, parks and public buildings.
Comments?
Drop the notion that the legal profession, the medical profession or any other
special-interest group is capable of policing itself.
Comments?
Abolish the contingency fee plan for trial lawyers.
Comments?
Limit product liability to no more than 10 years to enable U.S. manufacturers
to compete better in world markets.
Comments?
When a court decrees the death penalty, make it mandatory to carry out the
execution within one year of conviction.
Comments?
Allow victims to be present and to be heard at every step in the justice
system from trial through to parole.
Comments?
Stop releasing criminals from prison because a judge somewhere decides
that the punishment is "cruel and unusual." (This phrase, inserted into English
law in 1689, was aimed at such things as amputation, boiling alive, disemboweling,
and pulling limb from limb - all of which were used at that time. When the phrase
was inserted into the U.S. Constitution a century later, it was not considered
cruel and unusual to slit the noses or brand the cheeks of criminals. Public
flogging was common, and even minor miscreants were put in stocks or held
under water. Whippings were administered in public places to the accompani-
ment of cheers from bystanders.)
Comments?
Require all law-enforcement agencies and courts to belong to a nation-wide
electronic data base and communications network open to the public and require
that every conviction be entered promptly according to a uniform format so that
those who commit crimes in more than one jurisdiction are easily identified.
Comments?
After three convictions for drunk driving, make the next offense a crime
with a mandatory jail sentence and also make it a felony for any official to thwart
application of this punishment by manipulation of records or other covert action.
Comments?
Allow public prosecutors to make the jury aware of previous convictions
and jail records of those on trial.
Comments?
When any felon is scheduled to be released, require notification of his victims
30 days in advance.
Comments?
When a felon is released after serving a term, set up a schedule for him to
repay the government for the cost of his trial and imprisonment, and until that debt
is repaid, keep him on probation and deny voting rights. (When a criminal serves
out a term, he has not "paid his debt to society." The taxpayers have paid for
him!)
Comments?
Specify that in all cases, the jury should give the benefit of the doubt to law-abiding
citizens protecting their homes, families and property.
Comments?
Punish juveniles to the full extent of the law for their first offense. (The
practice of coddling youthful offenders has produced an unprecedented army of
teenaged felons who do not fear the law. Juveniles should be taught on their first
offense that crime does not pay.)
Comments?
Business and Agriculture
Stop telling private firms who they can hire! Allowing American firms more
freedom will make them more competitive in global markets and keep more
jobs at home.
Comments?
Eliminate the Small Business Administration. The only real help government
can give small business is to get out of the way.
Comments?
Eliminate the Economic Development Administration. Recognize that private
investors can make better investment decisions than government bureaucrats.
Comments?
Free the nation's mail boxes and specify that the mailbox at one's residence
is private property, and the resident can receive private deliveries there.
Comments?
Repeal laws against "red-lining" and let businesses decide what risks to take.
Comments?
Repeal give-away laws that require government units to patronize "disadvantaged
business enterprises" or "historically underutilized businesses" - code for non-competitive
minority-owned firms. Poor immigrants from the Orient who arrive unable to speak
English have long since shown that they can start businesses and succeed without
government aid.
Comments?
Abolish rent controls.
Comments?
Phase out farm subsidies over five years by cutting subsidies 20 percent
each year.
Comments?
Decertify labor unions unless they devote most of their resources to positive
programs such as increasing productivity, enhancing the environment, conserving
resources or otherwise improving the global competitive position of the United
States.
Comments?
Foster technological development by permitting the write-off of all new
equipment as direct expense.
Comments?
Health and Welfare
Adopt aggressive programs for punishing absentee fathers and eliminate
incentives or subsidies for unwed mothers. (Families are the foundation of our
society! We mean real families made up of a man and woman legally married
and their children.)
Comments?
Improve health care by injecting competition and free private citizens to buy
pharmaceuticals from Canada and elsewhere.
Comments?
Require government medical units serving large segments of society to get
competitive bids for supplies and services.
Comments?
Legalize all drugs. (Prohibition didn't work. At worst, this move would remove
one of the biggest sources of money for bribes and corruption in our society.)
Comments?
Confirm that citizens who are terminally ill have the right to die and may
obtain medical assistance in committing suicide via a simple, inexpensive process
with no lawyers.
Comments?
Require doctors who refer patients to various other medical services to advise
patients in advance if they have a financial interest in that service. Also, require
doctors who prescribe certain drugs to advise the patient if they receive compensation
from those drug firms.
Comments?
Confirm that women have unrestricted access to abortion clinics and birth control
medication and services.
Comments?
Provide adequate funding and support for birth control programs, especially
among those on welfare. (On a voluntary basis, provide them with free operations
to prevent further pregnancies.)
Comments?
Require that medical personnel infected with AIDS reveal that to their patients
before treating them.
Comments?
Require the Census Bureau to redefine its definition of poverty level and stop
classifying as "poor" those who are richer than most of the people of the world.
Comments?
For the able-bodied, limit welfare amount and length of time paid.
Comments?
Education
Adopt whatever programs are necessary to prepare our children to compete
with the best around the world!
Comments?
In all public school systems, require uniform nationwide progress tests from
the lowest grade to the highest at least once a year. Place the results on record
openly and promptly. Competition will yield better service and better products
in schools just as it does in the business world.
Comments?
For schools that lag, as shown by testing, extend the school year by several
weeks or months until they catch up.
Comments?
Require basic science and technology courses for every student.
Comments?
Require that all able-bodied young men and women between the ages of 18
and 25 contribute one year of national service. This would be in the form of military
training, except for conscientious objectors who would receive training in health
care or serve in programs such as the Peace Corps.
Comments?
Phase out the student loan program, which has become a giveaway scheme
for many.
Comments?
Give free college or vocational training to needy students who have completed
their national service in a satisfactory way.
Comments?
Break up the education monopoly! Allow students to choose between competitive
schools whether supported directly by taxpayers or by vouchers.
Comments?
Give all high school seniors a special test to determine if they have the basic
reading, writing and arithmetic skills necessary to enter the work force - as determined
by a panel of employers. Make it a crime to award a diploma to anyone not certified
as ready.
Comments?
Eliminate "union" requirements for teachers. Remove the need for teachers
of math and other technical subjects to obtain a certificate based on college
courses in education theory.
Comments?
Inject supply-and-demand factors into support of public universities. For example,
limit scholarships for lawyers and increase scholarships in areas of need, such as
ecology and technology.
Comments?
Eliminate tenure in government-aided university systems. As in private
industry, require every staff member to meet performance standards every year
in order to keep his/her job. Demote or terminate those who fail.
Comments?
Eliminate busing school children strictly to achieve social balance.
Comments?
Require that all school systems teach the basic principles of the American
enterprise system beginning in the elementary grades.
Comments?
World Affairs
Develop and maintain friendly relations with all democratic nations - even if
their citizens elect leaders not of our choice.
Comments?
Remain strictly neutral in the Israeli-Palestine conflict and the India-Pakistan
confrontation.
Comments?
Divide Iraq into three nations - one for Kurds, one for Sunnis, and one for
Shiites - with all to share oil revenues. After this division remove most of our troops
and avoid further ground fighting. Keep several air bases with protective combat
units and rotate their personnel frequently. Our overall strategy should be to use
our superior air and missile strength to prevent any large-scale buildup of terror
regimes.
Comments?
Stop illegal border crossing NOW! If it takes fences and the Army and Navy so
be it! After achieving this goal establish control programs for workers to cross
our borders legally.
Comments?
Reduce the annual immigration allowance from 500,000 to 50,000 until the
nation has a balanced budget and environmental problems are under control.
Revise our requirements for citizenship to give preference to those with scientific
skills, demonstrated leadership ability, or financial strength. Require guarantees
from private sponsors for those unable to pay their way. Stop admitting welfare
cases!
Comments?
Deny civil rights or benefits to illegal aliens.
Comments?
Take the lead in planning and developing true global systems - in such areas
as communications, transportation, energy, environmental protection and population
management.
Comments?
Promote reorganization of the United Nations. Require nations to earn the
right to vote by proving that they can sustain themselves. Put "welfare cases"
on a waiting list. Set a minimum population limit for voting members and require
small nations to group together in blocs to gain a vote.
Comments?
Separate U.S. foreign aid programs into three types: military, economic
and emergency disaster relief. Confine military aid to improving our national security
and use economic aid only to improve our global business competitiveness. Give
disaster aid solely on a humanitarian basis for immediate assistance following such
disasters as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Comments?
Convert to 24-hour universal time. This will facilitate travel planning, communications,
international business, and strengthen the U.S. role in global affairs.
Comments?
A dream candidate:
Finding a leader who can rise above party politics
and lead reform>
Looking over the candidates currently running for President, we see some who worry
us very much. They are the ones who seem to be motivated primarily by a desire
for political power. They seem to be willing to say and do anything that they think
might win the election. If they should be elected, we believe they would start running
for re-election the day they were sworn in. There would be no governmental
reform.
Among the other candidates, which one has the best track record of promoting
and implementing reform? Who has joined with office holders from the other party
to enact needed legislation? Who has stood for unpopular projects or programs
because they were in the national interest? Who, if elected, would focus on getting
reforms implemented rather than running for re-election? Who can be trusted to
fulfill campaign promises? Who is tough? Who has the guts to fight bitter battles
to achieve major reforms?
Whose face, if he succeeds, would we like to carve on Mount Rushmore?
These are the kind of questions that I believe deserve most of our attention
during the remainder of the campaign.
—
PLEASE
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