Originally Posted by Cowboy6622

And you just know at some point in there, the OnStar people have to chime in and tell you how they've already contacted 911.

Originally Posted by KidSpace

Originally Posted by KidSpace

Originally Posted by 03JGMonte

wouldnt mind having those airbags pop outta my steering wheel

Originally Posted by JuniorCar

We'd be driving around trying to hit everything...

Originally Posted by mousehousemoparman

A few members have some questions about what I think. One thing I think is that I don't have all the answers. Some of my answers will sound like I am in favor of isolationism. This is not the case. I do however feel that we need to run this country as you would a household or small business. For example if you lose income, most reasonable persons would cut expenses, and if things are not right in your own household you don't go trying to run someone elses.
As far as Afganistan is concerned we should have had that job done long ago. I think completely pulling out of there is a mistake unless the Afgan government wants us to leave. I think the country is unstable and terrorism will continue to be a threat there. I think we should have a permanent base there, but I don't feel we should be where we are not wanted. The same statements would also hold true for Iraq.
I would continue to keep the base open in Guantanamo Bay. I think it is important for the Cubam people to know that we still have a presence there. I would also work with the Cuban leadership to reestablish tie with the nation both socially and economically. The isolationalism that has been in place for the last fifty years has done nothing to the Cuban leadership but did harm the people. This will help both countries and help with the unemployment here. It will create jobs by trading with Cuba.
About taxes, tariffs, and trade. I would nullify all the free trade agreements except with Canada and possibly Mexico. I would start taxing heavily all the rest of the imports. That should start a renewal of manufacturing here in the USA. This will reestablish a middle class in this country and it will also help with the unemployment issues. For the time being I would leave taxes as they are with the exception of the tariffs. This will also help with reducing the deficit that we owe to China and would stop the USA from funding Imperialistic China. I feel China is an enemy to the world and the USA and not an Allie. The goods that they ship to us are inferior to what we used to produce as well. I would also look at each and every federal agency to see what they do. The ones that are not needed, not effective, or have not done what they were established to do would be eliminated or down sized. Many of the duties of the federal agencies would be passed back to the states. Some of the departments that I would start with are the EPA, the Dept. Of Energy, the NHTSA. The US Border patrol will be absorbed by the US Military, most likely the Air Force and they will patrol and secure our borders in conjunction with the Coast Guard. I would also look at our US possesions and territories such as Porto Rico and either make them states that contribute to the well being of the country or give them their independence.
I don't have any issues with our current energy usage. I have a problem with how we get our energy. I would encourage the adaption of wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear energy. I would like to see solar panels and a wind turbine in every yard in America. That would reduce the need for fossil fuels. I would also allow drilling for oil domestically. We have enough oil to satisfy our needs for years to come without. Buying foreign oil would be eliminated.
In years past the middle class paid the majority of the taxes. The middle class and their taxes went away and this is why we have as big an issue as we do now. O do feel that every American should pay taxes. I would work to close the loop holes for the rich. I would also work to eliminate double taxation. In the past the rich paid no taxes and the poor paid no taxes. I would develope a plan where everyone pays a fair tax. Not certain at this point what the taxes will be.I would not tax business inventory. I would tax profits or sales and dividend payments to shareholders.I believe you are talking about the Reagan administrations Trickle down economics and the New Deal policies of FDR. It answer this I must first say that Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism only work on paper. Human greed is the down fall of all three. To come up with something that works we need to use parts of all three. As far as I am concerned the current economic situation we now have is a result of Reagans Trickle down economic plan. For the last thirty years we have allowed business to do as it saw fit with few limitations. The economic disparity has grown between the classes, the rich have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer, and the middle class has all but been wiped out. Big business has taken their business to where ever they could generate the most profits and filled their own wallets. I would implement many of the new deal policies to put the unemployed back to work rebuilding public works projects. This would also end the welfare free hand out. No work equals no check.
As far as what presidents have influenced me, I would have to say the early presidents like Washington and Jackson because I think the country should be run as our forefathers intended. They didn't intend to have an elite class of rich. They didn't intend to have career politicians, they didn't intend for the lobby system we now have. It was supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We need to return to that doctrine. FDR also because his policies ended a depression . We are not far from being in another. JFK because he inspired many Americans to get involved. Bill Clinton because he proved that presidents are human. Bush and Obama because of their inept policies I want to get involved and reverse what they have screwed up.
I don't agree with the Bush doctrine or policies. I do understand that they were put in place for the safety of the nation but any policy that takes away the rights, freedoms, and privacy of law abiding citizens is wrong. As in the justice system it is better that a guilty man go free than an innocent man spend time in jail. I have to research the Monroe Doctrine as I don't remember it from my Hhigh school days.
As far as the middle east is concerned; those areas of the world have not been able to coexist peacefully since before the time of Christ. Nothing we can do is going to change that. We got involved because we want their oil. If we are no longer dependant on their oil then as far as I am concerned they can blow themselves off the face of the earth and I wouldn't care.that part of the world will never be stable and we have wasted way to many resources trying to stabilize it.
Health care needs reform. The first thing we need to do is remove insurance companies from the mix. I believe they are the ones who have screwed it up. Health care should be between the doctor and the patient. Why do we need another money robbing institution involved in it. Anything insurance companies have gotten involved with is screwed up and it all needs reform. In the old days insurance was a good idea. Life insurance had whole life policies that provided benefits and could be used as a savings account. Now for the most part they only offer term life policies that only pay in the event of death and have lots of restrictions. Automobile policies; the insurance companies have hijacked the National Hiway Traffic and Safety Administration in order to dictate how cars are built and more in the excuse that it will keep rates low. When was the last time your car policy was reduced?
I don't have an issue with second and third world countries having nuclear policies for energy production. I do have issues with them having nuclear weapons but I think it is something that should be handled by NATO and the United Nations. We at this point in time can no longer be the worlds police force. Maybe one day in the future we could and should return to that but not now.
I would also work to institute term limits for all elected offices. Our forefathers never intended for us to have career politicians not the gravy train of perks and benefits that it has become.
I will now address where I would increase spending which I think would be offset by the cuts that I have made elsewhere and also I believe that in order to reap benefits you must first invest in the future. Much the way we did in the fifties and sixties. I would return the military to the levels it was at in 1980 before all the base closures and cuts. Teddy Roosevelt one said walk softly and carry a big stick. There are not many who will come up against a large well armed and well trained military. It is one of the things that made the usa a super power. Defense spending also leads to new technologies that work into other facets of society. The military would take over the role of securing and defending our borders. This would also curtai some of the drug trade and the illegal immigration issues. In other countries if you cross a border illegally you are subject to be shot or imprisioned. Why should we be different?
I would invest in infrastucure improvents. Mass transitan and our crumbling highway system. We need to build hundred year roads not ten years roads.
I would. Also invest in education. We currently have an education system that is lacking in many areas. I would improve on those and extend what we have. We currently make up to grade 12 free for every citizen. I would change that to 16 with testing to begin at grade 10. If you don't pass the tests and are there just to waste time and take up space then you should be out in the work force.

Originally Posted by oneslowmonte

A few comments from my viewpoint, as sort of a rebuttal.

Firstly, I do not see how trade with Cuba would benefit America very much. They are a poor country that I do not feel could afford much of anything from America. It may help on the consumer side of things because their cheap products could possibly compete with China's but besides that it seems less beneficial. Just more unfair trade.

I don't disagree with taxing imports more, I feel that this would help with the currency rates and the costs of production that are unattainable with the minimum wage in America.

This is absolutely a PR nightmare. Even if you feel this statement to be true, you will lose much more support running on a statement like this than you would gain. They may have different outlooks than the United States but they have willingly lent us trillions of dollars. There is interest on these loans but we agreed to it. As an ally to the US, I do not feel that it would be a good idea to alienate them and attack them verbally for no reason. This statement was the most glaring of the wall of text for me.

I do not see states being able to effectively govern themselves and would certainly not expect them to enforce the outlooks here. As an example, South Carolina would be much more likely to have looser child labor laws, and West Virginia would have very low environmental policies due to their coal mining industry.

Likely running as an independent, that statement would easily lose you most of the votes you would be hoping to receive. If we were able to decrease oil consumption that much, we wouldn't need to increase our oil drilling, especially in places that would harm the environment, like Alaska.

I like this statement, I support it fully. Nader would do the same

NATO would be unable to do anything, unless a participating country was attacked. The UN however is one of the best ideas and worst executed plans ever. The backalley politics and alternate interests rules the UN and most likely always will. The Big 5 need to step back and let the rest of the world have more of a say. That way if the interests of one of the Security Council are in jeopardy and the other 14 disagree with that country, the will of the many will outweigh the need of the few. I don't see the UN being revised anytime soon so I don't see this being a good idea.

World Military Spending
Heres an article of our current military expenditures. I honestly feel that if it is not cut to the bones we will end up like Soviet Russia, the people will be forced to rebel against the government because the military expenditures are pushing everyone further into poverty.

Originally Posted by mousehousemoparman

I'm sorry. I don't understand most of your rebuttal. Would you please clarify. The two parts that I did understand were about Cuba and building the military. There are a lot of ties to Cuba here in Florida. Repairing the relationship with Cuba may not be a boost to the entire nation but it would be a boost to the economy here in this region.
As far as military spending is concerned you need to keep this in mind. In your lifetime all you have seen is cuts in military and social spending, while at the same time the politicians have liberally taken care of themselves and their special interests.
Before the attacks on 9/11/01 the last attack on US soil was the attack on Pearl Harbor to officially begin the US involvement in World War Two. The last battle on US soil prior to that was the US Civil War. The reasons the battles have not been on the shores of the USA is because of a strong military and no one dared bring the battle here. I am confident that if the military cuts had not been made we would not have been attacked on 9/11. Freedom is expensive but I believe is worth every penny to not have our children deal with war here. Many of the technologies that we experience daily is because of military research and spending as well as space exploration. I wish you could have seen the programs that this country funded back in the sixties. Our politicans continue to throw our money away like they have a blank check. Our politicians will quickly send millions to another country for some type of aid but put the screws to American citizens time and time again. By putting our spending in line we will have no problems funding the military and the space program.