Consumer
Elder Statesman
A. Minimalist and largely Isolationist foreign policy.
1a. Out of Iraq, Afghanistan, S. Korea, Europe, and Japan (naval base).
2a. Reduce naval forces to 4 CBG's, reduce amphibious forces to what is necessary to support one Marine EU division. Keep submarine (SSN, SSGN, SSBN) forces the same or increase slightly as they are very cost-effective.
3a. The Air Force has actually been consolidating aircraft types pretty well. Accelerate retirement of the F-16 force in favor of F-35's. Retire the B-1. Re-engine the B-52's. Keep force levels at where they are at.
4a. Subsidies and other economic incentives for policy actually give a good return on investment. However, cut off Israel as it's militarily strong and wealthy enough, and our support causes a friction point with the Islamic countries for no real material gain.
5a. Match tariffs with competitors. If a country doesn't have a tariff, we don't have one with them. If they slap one on to protect themselves, we match it. Make it more or less automatic.
B. Social Security cut-off. If you are under 40, tell 'em now you WON'T be getting any SSI now so we can make plans. End taking SSI the tax when the SSI money will cover for the next 40 years the expected population. Get the government out of the insurance business.
C. Same goes for Medicare. Scrap government involvement in the insurance industry.
D. Simplify the Income Tax code (flat tax probably). Increase "use taxes" to make up any short-fall. However, with a reduced Military and other entitlement programs gone, we should be ok.
d1. Pay down our debt as soon as possible. This will make foreign influence on our government policy less of a factor.
E. Enforce the 10th amendment. I.e. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
E1. Add a new amendment: whenever a state's population exceeds 10 Million, that state will be divided so as to better serve the populations. P.S. the population of NYC is 8 Million, more or less.
There are some things the Federal Government should be doing. Hanging on to the national parks, BIG research projects (like NASA), regulating interstate commerce. Finally, it should be acting as an arbiter between state's laws in areas where the constitutionality of a law is at stake (i.e. gay marriage).
Note: I didn't touch immigration. That's a federal issue, but not a constitutional one as laws already exist for it, they are just not uniformly enforced.
Just My two cents.
1a. Out of Iraq, Afghanistan, S. Korea, Europe, and Japan (naval base).
2a. Reduce naval forces to 4 CBG's, reduce amphibious forces to what is necessary to support one Marine EU division. Keep submarine (SSN, SSGN, SSBN) forces the same or increase slightly as they are very cost-effective.
3a. The Air Force has actually been consolidating aircraft types pretty well. Accelerate retirement of the F-16 force in favor of F-35's. Retire the B-1. Re-engine the B-52's. Keep force levels at where they are at.
4a. Subsidies and other economic incentives for policy actually give a good return on investment. However, cut off Israel as it's militarily strong and wealthy enough, and our support causes a friction point with the Islamic countries for no real material gain.
5a. Match tariffs with competitors. If a country doesn't have a tariff, we don't have one with them. If they slap one on to protect themselves, we match it. Make it more or less automatic.
B. Social Security cut-off. If you are under 40, tell 'em now you WON'T be getting any SSI now so we can make plans. End taking SSI the tax when the SSI money will cover for the next 40 years the expected population. Get the government out of the insurance business.
C. Same goes for Medicare. Scrap government involvement in the insurance industry.
D. Simplify the Income Tax code (flat tax probably). Increase "use taxes" to make up any short-fall. However, with a reduced Military and other entitlement programs gone, we should be ok.
d1. Pay down our debt as soon as possible. This will make foreign influence on our government policy less of a factor.
E. Enforce the 10th amendment. I.e. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
E1. Add a new amendment: whenever a state's population exceeds 10 Million, that state will be divided so as to better serve the populations. P.S. the population of NYC is 8 Million, more or less.
There are some things the Federal Government should be doing. Hanging on to the national parks, BIG research projects (like NASA), regulating interstate commerce. Finally, it should be acting as an arbiter between state's laws in areas where the constitutionality of a law is at stake (i.e. gay marriage).
Note: I didn't touch immigration. That's a federal issue, but not a constitutional one as laws already exist for it, they are just not uniformly enforced.
Just My two cents.
hprazz:
