For what it’s worth, I’ll trade my 2008 vote for president for all of the following:
-Elections reform. Do away with party primaries. Instead, have three rounds of voting. In the first round, everyone votes his conscience. In the second round, pick from among the top seven choices made in the first round. In the third round, choose from the top three choices made in the second round.*
-Term limits: Presidents serve one term only, five years long.*
-A public, low-cost health insurance option for all, not tied to employment, not limited to mainstream providers (i.e., certified midwives would be fully acceptable), and funded by cuts in military spending. I also like The Freakwenter‘s idea for subsidizing medical school tuition.*
-A more broadly free market (i.e., no government subsidies or military protection for corn or oil corporations). As part of this free market economy, we need a quick, smooth process for obtaining documentation both for currently undocumented and future immigrants. Providing a legitimate way for people to “enroll in society” enhances the potential for achieving physical security as well as workforce availability and stability.*
-A refocusing of the purpose of our military might to surviving domestic disasters and ensuring border security (again, check out The Freakwenter‘s views, this time regarding “Military and Foreign Policy”).*
-The criminalization of terrorism. We should forget the “War on Terror” as has Britain.*
-Simplification of the tax code to a graduated income tax figured by parabolic formula, with no deductions.*
-NO NCLB or federal regulation of public education. Distribute equally (per capita) federal education funds to local public school districts and community colleges. The free market and local democracies will do the rest.*
-The decriminalization of many of the drug offenses that are filling prisons way too full, way too quickly, way too unnecessarily. We should spend the money instead on good rehab programs and educational scholarships for at-risk youth.*
*I reserve the right to change my mind and edit this post (or remove myself completely from the political arena) as better ideas come along.
