Cross posted to: http://leftake.com/
I want to bring sanity back to Washington.
We’ll start balancing the budget at the very top. If elected I will immediately take a half cut in pay. If I can’t live on $100,000 there must be something very wrong. The half cut in pay will extend to all higher-level government employees. Everybody making more than a $100,000 takes a cut.
I’ll start with half, but I’ll negotiate.
I think that if there’s belt tightening to do it should start at the top. I will cut government waste by cleaning house. All redundant boards and commissions and agencies will be cut. Everything will be reorganized and streamlined. No more five boards and agencies to over see one thing.
Next, all lobbyists will need to pack and leave town. There will be no more lobbying by paid professionals. You got a proposal or cause, submit it in writing. If there is a meeting between special interest and lawmakers it will be conducted in public, with witnesses, maybe even on web cast, so the people can watch their representatives in action.
Next we’ll collect and publish all historical records of the CIA, NSA, and FBI. Me, I’m thinking nothing over ten years remains secret. Then we’ll take a good look at the Pentagon and the military and clean up their act. We’ll draw down troops and bring ‘em home. Not all of them, we should maintain a presence in the world at large and we would clean up the messes we’ve made.
All congressional staff and perks would be cut and brought in line with what your average office supervisor has. How many aides do you guys really need? You can’t drive your own car? Really? No more freebies, you guys should have to pay for your haircuts and shoeshines just like the rest of us. A new rule is that senators and representatives have to do their own reading, and there will be a test. No more paying a staffer to skim the bill and give you the high points. Maybe if you guys have to read ‘em you’ll quit making ‘em so wordy. From now on, there will be one item per bill. No riders, amendments, or additions, no more hiding things in a mass of words. That should reduce the reading load a bit.
All state functions will be scaled down. We don’t need big showy dinners and meetings. We don’t need to put on a show. In this time of worldwide financial crisis we should set the example of how serious, responsible adults act. When money’s tight you do without the frills.
If elected, I will stop all subsidies to big business and industry. In a free market you sink or swim on your own, no more bailouts. You guys say you want a free market, we’ll make it one. All financial institutions and banks have thirty days to publish their accounting records for the past five years on line. If you expect people to give you their money, they should be able to see what you are doing with it.
If elected I will increase the staff of the IRS, I will give the internal revenue service some teeth and point them toward big business and industry. No more funneling money off shore, if you have a corporate presence in this country you pay taxes on all income, I don’t care where it was made. I want the tax records reviewed and I want all monies owed, with interest. I want the tax records of every single person making more than $100,000 ($200,000 per married couple) for the last five years reviewed and I want the money owed, with interest. I want the tax records of every person who has held an elected position in the past ten years reviewed with a fine-tooth comb and I want all monies owed, with interest.
With the money saved from all that I would balance the budget (actually, I’d pay someone else to figure that out.) I would start a program like the WPA. We’d have a work force cleaning this country up and repairing infrastructure. I would clean up, repair and fund all public schools, establish free health clinics and food pantries and extend light rail from coast to coast.
If elected, I will abolish welfare and establish workfare. If you want money and support, you gotta pass a drug test and work for it.
I would revive and strengthen the EPA and give them the mandate to make this country clean up its act and work towards a sustainable existence. I would fund research into truly sustainable energy. Not cash cows like ethanol.
I would require all federally funded food programs to obtain the majority of produce and meat from local U.S. sources, with small farmers and ranchers given preferred status. All federal supplies and provisions would be manufactured and produced in this country.
We can make America truly great.
Well, that's a start.
Whatcha think? Do I stand a snowball’s chance?
