Making America Great Again--Your ideas on how to improve the country we love

[UKHistory]

Hey all,

We have sparred on here especially since Trump was elected. What I am asking for in this thread is for your ideas, as detailed as you can make them, to improve our great country.

We all love America even though we have strong views on how to improve our country. I want to read your ideas. I want them to be as specific as possible.

It could be the usual run those liberals traitors out of office in every state or charge those conservative fascists with treason. But that is not productive and kinda beneath the civil discourse that has made this community so good.

I am talking big laws, regulatory changes, trade policy stuff or local issues like I really need roads paved in my neighborhood or a stop sign put on Fern Street. What will make it better? I'd love to know.

I will start with issues that are important to me.

1) Increase the number of U.S. citizens exercising their rights to vote in local and national elections. Included in these measures would be the moving of local elections in off years to be held on the weekends with the national election to be designated holidays. Casting a vote should be celebrated across the land.
2) A Constitutional Amendment prohibiting state laws that suppress the voting rights of U.S. Citizens convicted of felonies that have been released from prison.
3) Immigration reform and border control that reduces illegal immigration with heavy fines on businesses that hire illegal aliens but encourages immigration through legal means.
4) Greater financial investment to tribal communities--funds must be safeguarded and dedicated to community growth.

Off the top of my head.

You are welcome to comment on my ideas and one another. But I also want to hear what is important to you.

[Crazy4Blue]

Term Limits (too much prolonged power is not good)
Wellfare reform, stop just giving money away and keeping people poor. Teach trades to those in poor areas.
I would love to see the Police and Inner City leaders talk on a regular basis
We need to do something with the Media and set boundaries - they are out of hand

[StuBleedsBlue2]

1) Reestablishing corporate prioritization to meet stakeholder needs over shareholder needs
2) A lean, efficient federal government in which it's primary function is to ensure the health and safety of its citizens
3) De-politicalization of our judicial system, ending lifetime appointments, minimum criteria for selecting judges. A balanced Supreme Court, varying in size if necessary, where a unanimous court selects the "deciding vote". Term limits for justices.
4) Universal basic income to ensure every family can live, indexed by the cost of living where they live
5) Reduce state's ability to receive federal funding unless funds are used to maintain minimal quality of life standards, greater reliance on state taxes.
6) Federal hate crime laws
7) Expanded access to voting
8) De-couple healthcare and employment
9) Tax the churches OR remove them from the political process
10) End citizens united
11) New alternative minimum wealth tax indexed to GDP OR a 10-year "catch-up" tax
12) Consumption taxes for households making over $X dollars, indexed for geography
13) National focus to reduce systematic racism
14) Washington DC is a state
15) Age cap for political offices (President 35 - 70)
16) Major lobbying reform


That's a start.

[Darryl]

Nice thread:

1. Reduce cost of college by 50%. Any person who has made payments on student debts for each year they were in school would have all debt forgiven (or the college would be responsible)

2. Eliminate all foreign aid. Eliminate all foreign intervention. Drop out of NATO, remove soldiers from the Middle East, Korea, Germany, etc. Use those trillions of dollars for rebuilding bridges, roads, etc.

3. Use money from the above to supplement every able bodied, WORKING person’s income so no one is in poverty.

4. Implement a Roosevelt type CCC program to improve inner cities. Hire only people from those neighborhoods, teaching them skills to build homes, schools, etc

5. Trump needs to send billions of dollars to these destroyed cities to rebuild homes, businesses, etc.

6. Deploy walking Policemen in neighborhoods so people there get to know them.

7. I am okay with Universal Health, Insurance Companies are beyond rich.

8. Make it a felony to desecrate the flag.

9. Have serious talks about reducing black racism, white racism, all types.

10. Make it a misdemeanor to be a Democrat.....

Darryl

[StuBleedsBlue2]

Darryl, a good portion of your list is either straight from, or one degree away from the progressive platform. I don't disagree with any of your spending recommendations, but the source of that spending we differ. For your #2, I'm more for reducing, not eliminating. I'm more focused on tax reform, ending corporate welfare and tax loopholes.

I am curious as to why you wouldn't want unabled-bodies people to have a non-poverty income.

I did leave out infrastructure. That may be a top 5 on my list.

[Darryl]

Darryl, a good portion of your list is either straight from, or one degree away from the progressive platform. I don't disagree with any of your spending recommendations, but the source of that spending we differ. For your #2, I'm more for reducing, not eliminating. I'm more focused on tax reform, ending corporate welfare and tax loopholes.

I am curious as to why you wouldn't want unabled-bodies people to have a non-poverty income.

I did leave out infrastructure. That may be a top 5 on my list.

My niece is a huge liberal; she says in many ways I am more liberal than she is.

I definitely want services for disabled/homeless/veteran folks. As rich as this country is, no one should ever be homeless. My wife gets mad at me because I am always handing money out to people at red lights.

Darryl

[Catonahottinroof]

When folks start to realize how much money has been pissed away in the Middle East over the last 20 years, they realize their health care, college etc was attainable....

My niece is a huge liberal; she says in many ways I am more liberal than she is.

I definitely want services for disabled/homeless/veteran folks. As rich as this country is, no one should ever be homeless. My wife gets mad at me because I am always handing money out to people at red lights.

Darryl

[Doc]

Hey all,

We have sparred on here especially since Trump was elected. What I am asking for in this thread is for your ideas, as detailed as you can make them, to improve our great country.

We all love America even though we have strong views on how to improve our country. I want to read your ideas. I want them to be as specific as possible.

It could be the usual run those liberals traitors out of office in every state or charge those conservative fascists with treason. But that is not productive and kinda beneath the civil discourse that has made this community so good.

I am talking big laws, regulatory changes, trade policy stuff or local issues like I really need roads paved in my neighborhood or a stop sign put on Fern Street. What will make it better? I'd love to know.

I will start with issues that are important to me.

1) Increase the number of U.S. citizens exercising their rights to vote in local and national elections. Included in these measures would be the moving of local elections in off years to be held on the weekends with the national election to be designated holidays. Casting a vote should be celebrated across the land.
2) A Constitutional Amendment prohibiting state laws that suppress the voting rights of U.S. Citizens convicted of felonies that have been released from prison.
3) Immigration reform and border control that reduces illegal immigration with heavy fines on businesses that hire illegal aliens but encourages immigration through legal means.
4) Greater financial investment to tribal communities--funds must be safeguarded and dedicated to community growth.

Off the top of my head.

You are welcome to comment on my ideas and one another. But I also want to hear what is important to you.

1) I see no value in "increasing US citizens exercising their right to vote". If you want to vote, fine......and if you don't or are not inclined to go thru even the slightest of inconveniences to do so, then fine
I am not a fan of get the vote out for no other reason then to have more voters. More informed voters? Sure but simply more voters, nah.... But also insure all who vote have a right to vote which means valid identification. If you cant put forth the effort to get an ID, why is your vote so important?

2) term limits on all congressmen.

3) mandatory federal income taxes on all. If you got no skin in the game and none of the money spent is yours...why not support any spending? Its not out your pocket. Even a 5% tax universally would be adequate

4) Balanced budget. Our biggest enemy is not Russia or China...or even Donald Trump. It bankruptcy

5) STOP the unrelenting investigations. Both sides need to grow up. If you side loses, tough it out and vote in 4 years

6) Border security

[Catonahottinroof]

Unfortunately, the bar has been set lower on investigations and the next democratic president will deal with the same thing once the GOP has a majority to do so...

1) I see no value in "increasing US citizens exercising their right to vote". If you want to vote, fine......and if you don't or are not inclined to go thru even the slightest of inconveniences to do so, then fine
I am not a fan of get the vote out for no other reason then to have more voters. More informed voters? Sure but simply more voters, nah.... But also insure all who vote have a right to vote which means valid identification. If you cant put forth the effort to get an ID, why is your vote so important?

2) term limits on all congressmen.

3) mandatory federal income taxes on all. If you got no skin in the game and none of the money spent is yours...why not support any spending? Its not out your pocket. Even a 5% tax universally would be adequate

4) Balanced budget. Our biggest enemy is not Russia or China...or even Donald Trump. It bankruptcy

5) STOP the unrelenting investigations. Both sides need to grow up. If you side loses, tough it out and vote in 4 years

6) Border security

[StuBleedsBlue2]

Unfortunately, the bar has been set lower on investigations and the next democratic president will deal with the same thing once the GOP has a majority to do so...

What'll be different than last time?

I have no problems with investigations. I actually think we don't have enough. I think everyone that runs for any public office at any level should be subject to full scrutiny.

I have problems when elected leaders resist OR if it overtakes business as usual.

[CitizenBBN]

What'll be different than last time?

I have no problems with investigations. I actually think we don't have enough. I think everyone that runs for any public office at any level should be subject to full scrutiny.

I have problems when elected leaders resist OR if it overtakes business as usual.

And this is why no one competent runs for office. it always overtakes normal business, it's designed in fact to do just that, and no sane person would tolerate this kind of "investigation".

Bc it's not scrutiny, it's a witch hunt. There's a huge difference. Scrutiny is looking at a person's record when you hire them, getting references in political terms, then judging them on the job they do.

FDR wasn't under scrutiny for his polio, in fact the press considered it rude to bring it up. Kennedy was certainly never "scruitinized" about his womanizing. Abe Lincoln's wife was unstable certainly later in life but even while he was POTUS.

No great leader, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, could have or would have stood up to such "scrutiny". Thus we have these dumbasses we have today, b/c only people willing to be utterly hollow, never say anything they actually think ever to anyone in public, and only have the safe opinion to appeal to their "core", will ever survive this process.

B/c these days if you don't have some dirt, you just invent some. A good accusation of sexual misconduct is a political favorite, and that's easy to drum up.