Exactly the Wrong Solutions
We are opposed to the large scale health care and insurance reforms currently being considered in the House and Senate.
We are retired and paid into Medicare every year since its inception expecting to receive the promised benefits. As “War Babies” I’m sure we paid in the bulk of the costs and now that we are about to begin using the benefit we earned, there are plans to restrict the promised benefits, that’s pathetically immoral and a very dishonest betrayal.
That’s not what we paid for, and it’s not right.
We are opposed to any changes that will:
1. Reduce our already earned and paid for benefits. That’s wasn’t the promise.
2. Limit the ability of others to earn and pay for their own health needs.
3. Make government or any health insurance mandatory or require any monetary fine for not choosing it.
4. Increase any Government interference in our health care choices; or limit our ability to get and pay for the health care of our own choice.
5. Decrease quality and availability of private health insurance or care; or prevent doctors and hospitals from providing whatever services we request and pay for.
6. Pay for the health care costs of those not here legally; or pay for the health care costs of those who chose foolishly not to provide for themselves.
We have worked our entire lives, and sacrificed, and saved, in spite of oppressively high taxes, to provide our own retirement, health insurance, and health care needs.
We expected to use what we earned and saved to care for ourselves. We did not intend to pay for health care for others, certainly not for those illegally here, and certainly not for those who made poor life choices for themselves.
We already provide for necessary care for those handicapped people who cannot provide for themselves; prisoners, military veterans, mentally deficient, and those temporarily incompetent. I think that’s more than enough.
We do favor targeted reforms that will:
1. Force those who receive health care services to pay their own costs.
2. Redefine emergency services to those necessary to prevent eminent death (i.e. hemorrhaging) or severe impairment (i.e. brain damage).
3. Reduce litigated damages.
4. Reduce health care recipient and provider fraud.
5. Reduce the size, role, and constantly growing interference by the Federal Government in the personal health choices of its free and honorable citizens.
30 July 2009
19 July 2009
Bail Out Taxpayers
They need it. They know best how to use it.
Stop Repeating the Mistakes of the Past
The current recession would be over way before now, if in January 2009, $40,000 would have been sent to each taxpayer (100 million had actual tax liability) and each actual American voter (133 million), half of which are taxpayers.
The citizen bailout total would be approximately 6 trillion, 620 billion dollars, or about what they are attempting to waste now. 100M plus ½ of 133M (66.5M) times $40,000; or 165.5M times $40,000 equals $6,620,000,000,000.
Millions of American cars and homes would have been bought. Millions of jobs would have been created. People could afford control of their own health care and “end of life” provisions. They could save money for their own retirement. Help their children afford their own home. Help their grandchildren afford a quality education.
Also, everyone’s Federal income tax rate could be cut in half permanently, and foolish business taxes that are just passed on to consumers hidden in the prices of goods and services could be eliminated, along with ridiculous transfer “death” taxes that are looted from their rightful heirs.
Federal, states, and local revenues would skyrocket. Many new businesses and jobs, and some old ones would flourish. People could actually save money to take care of their personal needs and wants without the interference that must come with, so called, government benefits.
These bailouts will make the old, tired, extremely expensive non-solutions being proposed by the current government completely unnecessary; expanded government health care, unnecessary; new expensive taxes and restrictions on personal commercial freedom, unnecessary; wasteful federal education spending, unnecessary; idiotic business takeovers and financial bailouts, unnecessary; a ridiculous so called Stimulus Act (really thinly disguised social spending) badly planned and under executed, completely unnecessary.
Why then do both major political parties in Congress and the Administration refuse to cut programs and give the citizens back their money immediately allowing the US and World economies to recover?
Well, a lot of reasons. Cutting the government revenue by 40% would cut their power and influence by 40%. The broadcast and print media would lose about $1 billion in advertising sales and bribes. Politicians would lose millions in campaign contribution, bribes, and gifts, about 3 million newly unemployed would need to find real jobs.
Safety nets were in place for these kinds of economic adjustments, but over the past five decades the reserves have been looted to pay for promises of every increasing feel good social programs to buy cheap votes from those willing to take unearned benefits. Together these congressional bandits and citizen and non-citizens thieves have systematically stolen the rightfully resources of good citizens.
It’s time to put these rascals and those that conspire with them, out on the street to earn there own way.
Restore control of the National Treasury to newly elected Senators and Representatives, and yes a President, who understands where, taxes come from and who deserves full and first consideration of where and how it’s held and spent.
Stop Repeating the Mistakes of the Past
The current recession would be over way before now, if in January 2009, $40,000 would have been sent to each taxpayer (100 million had actual tax liability) and each actual American voter (133 million), half of which are taxpayers.
The citizen bailout total would be approximately 6 trillion, 620 billion dollars, or about what they are attempting to waste now. 100M plus ½ of 133M (66.5M) times $40,000; or 165.5M times $40,000 equals $6,620,000,000,000.
Millions of American cars and homes would have been bought. Millions of jobs would have been created. People could afford control of their own health care and “end of life” provisions. They could save money for their own retirement. Help their children afford their own home. Help their grandchildren afford a quality education.
Also, everyone’s Federal income tax rate could be cut in half permanently, and foolish business taxes that are just passed on to consumers hidden in the prices of goods and services could be eliminated, along with ridiculous transfer “death” taxes that are looted from their rightful heirs.
Federal, states, and local revenues would skyrocket. Many new businesses and jobs, and some old ones would flourish. People could actually save money to take care of their personal needs and wants without the interference that must come with, so called, government benefits.
These bailouts will make the old, tired, extremely expensive non-solutions being proposed by the current government completely unnecessary; expanded government health care, unnecessary; new expensive taxes and restrictions on personal commercial freedom, unnecessary; wasteful federal education spending, unnecessary; idiotic business takeovers and financial bailouts, unnecessary; a ridiculous so called Stimulus Act (really thinly disguised social spending) badly planned and under executed, completely unnecessary.
Why then do both major political parties in Congress and the Administration refuse to cut programs and give the citizens back their money immediately allowing the US and World economies to recover?
Well, a lot of reasons. Cutting the government revenue by 40% would cut their power and influence by 40%. The broadcast and print media would lose about $1 billion in advertising sales and bribes. Politicians would lose millions in campaign contribution, bribes, and gifts, about 3 million newly unemployed would need to find real jobs.
Safety nets were in place for these kinds of economic adjustments, but over the past five decades the reserves have been looted to pay for promises of every increasing feel good social programs to buy cheap votes from those willing to take unearned benefits. Together these congressional bandits and citizen and non-citizens thieves have systematically stolen the rightfully resources of good citizens.
It’s time to put these rascals and those that conspire with them, out on the street to earn there own way.
Restore control of the National Treasury to newly elected Senators and Representatives, and yes a President, who understands where, taxes come from and who deserves full and first consideration of where and how it’s held and spent.
17 July 2009
Prisons
Build more quickly
I often hear complaints about the number of criminals in prison. Occasionally there are complaints about the costs, the location, the ethic makeup of prison populations, prison gangs, lack of effective rehabilitation, the wasted lives, the inhumanity and injustice of it all, etc. etc. etc.
Stop whining. When I’m in a discussion about more prisons, I ask two simple questions. Are all those who have knowingly committed crimes against the people or the state in prison?
Why not?
When there is an opportunity to vote for more prison or jail cells, I vote yes, in spite of my fervent crusade to reduce government spending at all levels. There are not enough prisons cells if any convicted criminals are not in prison, or if they are released before they have served their full sentences. Often early releases occur because of supposed overcrowding, or to scare citizens into approving tax increases when revenues are scarce.
These are poor economic times. Crime rates are likely to increase. Build more prisons now, employing those who wish to work, preparing a place to house those who do not, and are willing take what they have not earned.
There is already more than enough tax revenue to put all criminals in confinement for their full terms. It’s just a matter of priority. Cut just a few of the frivolous and unnecessary Federal, state and local programs and invest in more cells.
I’m not bothered by prison overcrowding. I think its part of the punishment. Although I would build enough cells so crowding only occasionally occurs. When it does, no one should be released because of it
Who’s in prison? What is their ethic makeup? I don’t care!
Assuming they were properly convicted, they belong in prison for their full pronounced sentence. Sentences should be absolute. Nothing should ameliorate what a judge has decreed, except for a deliberately deceitful miscarriage of justice. No humanitarian considerations, no health problems, no dying relatives, nothing else should modify their sentence. These unfortunate circumstances too are part of the punishment.
I favor Rehabilitation; although I think it should be an earned opportunity only available after the completion of their full sentences.
While serving their sentence, if they behave well, they should be allowed to learn the fundamental rules of polite society, how to read and write in English, the best students should have more education or training opportunities, or allowed to work at necessary prison functions, developing job skills that may be useful to them, if they ever get out.
The rest can just sit there, or lay staring at the ceiling, or writhe in mental anguish at the terrible things they’ve done, or mull around the yard with the other losers of their sad ilk.
Those who serve their entire sentence have earned the opportunity to attempt rehabilitation. A priveledge earned, not a right. If they continue to behave well after release, more counseling, training and support should be offered for a few years to restart their newly compliant lives.
Those who can’t learn the basic idea of earning rewards by good behavior can sit and rot. All privileges beyond healthy food, safe cells, and critical medical care, must be earned. No TV, no books, no weight room, no rehab, no training, no education, no mixing with other prisoners, no extra exercise periods, and no visitors for those who cannot exhibit self control enough to comply with a few of societies basic behavior rules.
They are criminals. They have committed offenses that have betrayed our trust of them as fellow human beings. They must pay the prescribed price and may earn their way back by proving they have truly learned acceptable human behavior. If not, don’t waste more precious resources on them, use the resources instead to help the small percentage who prove they can learn from their mistakes.
Not all can be saved; most shouldn’t even get a second chance.
I often hear complaints about the number of criminals in prison. Occasionally there are complaints about the costs, the location, the ethic makeup of prison populations, prison gangs, lack of effective rehabilitation, the wasted lives, the inhumanity and injustice of it all, etc. etc. etc.
Stop whining. When I’m in a discussion about more prisons, I ask two simple questions. Are all those who have knowingly committed crimes against the people or the state in prison?
Why not?
When there is an opportunity to vote for more prison or jail cells, I vote yes, in spite of my fervent crusade to reduce government spending at all levels. There are not enough prisons cells if any convicted criminals are not in prison, or if they are released before they have served their full sentences. Often early releases occur because of supposed overcrowding, or to scare citizens into approving tax increases when revenues are scarce.
These are poor economic times. Crime rates are likely to increase. Build more prisons now, employing those who wish to work, preparing a place to house those who do not, and are willing take what they have not earned.
There is already more than enough tax revenue to put all criminals in confinement for their full terms. It’s just a matter of priority. Cut just a few of the frivolous and unnecessary Federal, state and local programs and invest in more cells.
I’m not bothered by prison overcrowding. I think its part of the punishment. Although I would build enough cells so crowding only occasionally occurs. When it does, no one should be released because of it
Who’s in prison? What is their ethic makeup? I don’t care!
Assuming they were properly convicted, they belong in prison for their full pronounced sentence. Sentences should be absolute. Nothing should ameliorate what a judge has decreed, except for a deliberately deceitful miscarriage of justice. No humanitarian considerations, no health problems, no dying relatives, nothing else should modify their sentence. These unfortunate circumstances too are part of the punishment.
I favor Rehabilitation; although I think it should be an earned opportunity only available after the completion of their full sentences.
While serving their sentence, if they behave well, they should be allowed to learn the fundamental rules of polite society, how to read and write in English, the best students should have more education or training opportunities, or allowed to work at necessary prison functions, developing job skills that may be useful to them, if they ever get out.
The rest can just sit there, or lay staring at the ceiling, or writhe in mental anguish at the terrible things they’ve done, or mull around the yard with the other losers of their sad ilk.
Those who serve their entire sentence have earned the opportunity to attempt rehabilitation. A priveledge earned, not a right. If they continue to behave well after release, more counseling, training and support should be offered for a few years to restart their newly compliant lives.
Those who can’t learn the basic idea of earning rewards by good behavior can sit and rot. All privileges beyond healthy food, safe cells, and critical medical care, must be earned. No TV, no books, no weight room, no rehab, no training, no education, no mixing with other prisoners, no extra exercise periods, and no visitors for those who cannot exhibit self control enough to comply with a few of societies basic behavior rules.
They are criminals. They have committed offenses that have betrayed our trust of them as fellow human beings. They must pay the prescribed price and may earn their way back by proving they have truly learned acceptable human behavior. If not, don’t waste more precious resources on them, use the resources instead to help the small percentage who prove they can learn from their mistakes.
Not all can be saved; most shouldn’t even get a second chance.
11 July 2009
Forethought
What Happened to it?
You would think more people would have it, but sadly current conditioning is causing it to be lost as a part of our mindset. Today not having forethought, rarely results in inconvenience, extreme hardship or death. Having it, seemingly benefits only a few of the most astute.
Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as; a thinking or planning out in advance; I include, considering the likely consequences.
I once believed that everyone, to a lesser or greater extent, had it and used it in their daily lives. I now believe that very few have the gift or have been taught it as a skill, and fewer still have any reason to use it daily, or ever.
I believed it was common. I was born and raised in rural settings and harsh climates more than 10 miles from the closest towns. My father taught us as children to anticipate our wants and needs because only weekly trips to town were possible. We learned quickly to think ahead to keep from going two weeks or more without things we wanted or needed. It was common practice among farm neighbors in rural eastern South Dakota to tell others when we were planning to go to town, and ask if they needed us to pick anything up for them. All understood the reality of their circumstances. The winters were harsh and potentially deadly. Often people were trapped in their homes for days or weeks by closed roads from snow and ice storms. If you didn’t think ahead, you could easily freeze to death, or starve for lack of food, or die of minor injuries or ailments for lack of simple medical supplies. Being prepared wasn’t just the Boy Scout motto, it was survival.
When you depend upon farming for your income and for some of the foods that sustain your existence, you saved and protect seeds from previous harvests to plant in the spring. You grew and preserve some foods and stored them for your personal use during the following seasons. You raised livestock to sell and a few to eat, or to collect milk or eggs from, for your own use. You safely stored other supplies, like blankets, or guns and ammunition, fish hooks, poles and line, fuel, hardware, tools, buttons, needles and thread, all of these kinds of things were kept on hand to be available when needed. All of these preparations were taken because of necessity, but considered and acted upon via forethought, and refined and improved by the memories of experiences, some that ended badly for others, learning by their sometimes fatal mistakes.
Next we moved to the middle of the Mojave Desert about 12 miles from the nearest real town. The climate realities were different, but forethought was still critical. Food and water were critical. We didn’t have to worry about freezing to death or growing our own food, but fuel and reliable transportation were critical to getting food, clothes, and medical care. The same kinds of forethought, planning and preparedness behavior were critical again.
Since everything and everyone I knew constantly provided object lessons from daily life, I just assumed that resourceful, caring, serious people everywhere thought ahead, imagined accurately what resources they would need, planned and prepared in advance to meet their needs and desires. That way they didn’t find themselves dying of thirst and out of gasoline too many miles from survival.
I had heard tales of the terrible things that had befallen those who didn’t think ahead. I couldn’t imagine people who were so thoughtless. Then, as my life unfolded and I moved to larger towns and visited big cities, I discovered many people who had no reason to think ahead. Larger places with many more people and abundant supplies nearby whenever needed. As I learned of the still larger world, I found there were places where abundant food grew on trees, and meat could easily be collected year around when desired. Climates where temperatures were moderate all year and housing and clothing could easily be made when needed from readily abundant plants and animals.
These peoples didn’t need forethought at all. Few if any special provisions would benefit them. No one was starving, freezing to death in a couple hours, or dying of heat stroke in a single day. Emergencies were so rare that no preparations needed to be made for them. They were just endured and quickly over, if they ever occurred.
Government systems, social safety nets, and reliance on the largess and caring of the citizens of their communities, and government services have made forethought unnecessary for survival in all but the most remote harsh climates. Even comfort and convenience are available in all but the most remote places, if you have reliable transport and a few personal resources.
Schools don’t teach forethought or even rational thought for that matter, it has been decades since I’ve heard of an elementary or secondary school teaching logic or reasoning, not to mention the determining probability, understanding certainty, or evaluating various potential outcomes.
Creative thinking is assumed to be a talent, and no attempt is made to teach it. If survival, comfort and convenience were the only reason for imagination and forethought then teaching them would seem to be a waste. Of course, teaching it requires knowing of it and the reasons for it, which are widely unknown by today’s so called teachers. So there are few who understand the need, and fewer still who could explain it, and even fewer that can see the need to apply forethought to other life processes like; determining needs verses wants, cause and effect logic, rational decision making , effective argument, advanced preparation, efficiency, or understanding any of today’s complicated issues, and many other modern lessons that make life and human relationships easier, less painful, fulfilling, comfortable and productive, with minimum frustration, anxiety, and stress; basically the good life!
Most of today’s social, cultural, financial, and legal, health and lifestyle mistakes can be traced to ignorance, lack of rational forethought, inability to foresee the probable future using cause and effect deductions. If you do this; that will probably happen.
Only with imagination and forethought can one hope to understand the people and events that whirl about them, and the tragedies that seem to befall them without reason.
Whatever the dilemma, forethought is the beginning of solution.
You would think more people would have it, but sadly current conditioning is causing it to be lost as a part of our mindset. Today not having forethought, rarely results in inconvenience, extreme hardship or death. Having it, seemingly benefits only a few of the most astute.
Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as; a thinking or planning out in advance; I include, considering the likely consequences.
I once believed that everyone, to a lesser or greater extent, had it and used it in their daily lives. I now believe that very few have the gift or have been taught it as a skill, and fewer still have any reason to use it daily, or ever.
I believed it was common. I was born and raised in rural settings and harsh climates more than 10 miles from the closest towns. My father taught us as children to anticipate our wants and needs because only weekly trips to town were possible. We learned quickly to think ahead to keep from going two weeks or more without things we wanted or needed. It was common practice among farm neighbors in rural eastern South Dakota to tell others when we were planning to go to town, and ask if they needed us to pick anything up for them. All understood the reality of their circumstances. The winters were harsh and potentially deadly. Often people were trapped in their homes for days or weeks by closed roads from snow and ice storms. If you didn’t think ahead, you could easily freeze to death, or starve for lack of food, or die of minor injuries or ailments for lack of simple medical supplies. Being prepared wasn’t just the Boy Scout motto, it was survival.
When you depend upon farming for your income and for some of the foods that sustain your existence, you saved and protect seeds from previous harvests to plant in the spring. You grew and preserve some foods and stored them for your personal use during the following seasons. You raised livestock to sell and a few to eat, or to collect milk or eggs from, for your own use. You safely stored other supplies, like blankets, or guns and ammunition, fish hooks, poles and line, fuel, hardware, tools, buttons, needles and thread, all of these kinds of things were kept on hand to be available when needed. All of these preparations were taken because of necessity, but considered and acted upon via forethought, and refined and improved by the memories of experiences, some that ended badly for others, learning by their sometimes fatal mistakes.
Next we moved to the middle of the Mojave Desert about 12 miles from the nearest real town. The climate realities were different, but forethought was still critical. Food and water were critical. We didn’t have to worry about freezing to death or growing our own food, but fuel and reliable transportation were critical to getting food, clothes, and medical care. The same kinds of forethought, planning and preparedness behavior were critical again.
Since everything and everyone I knew constantly provided object lessons from daily life, I just assumed that resourceful, caring, serious people everywhere thought ahead, imagined accurately what resources they would need, planned and prepared in advance to meet their needs and desires. That way they didn’t find themselves dying of thirst and out of gasoline too many miles from survival.
I had heard tales of the terrible things that had befallen those who didn’t think ahead. I couldn’t imagine people who were so thoughtless. Then, as my life unfolded and I moved to larger towns and visited big cities, I discovered many people who had no reason to think ahead. Larger places with many more people and abundant supplies nearby whenever needed. As I learned of the still larger world, I found there were places where abundant food grew on trees, and meat could easily be collected year around when desired. Climates where temperatures were moderate all year and housing and clothing could easily be made when needed from readily abundant plants and animals.
These peoples didn’t need forethought at all. Few if any special provisions would benefit them. No one was starving, freezing to death in a couple hours, or dying of heat stroke in a single day. Emergencies were so rare that no preparations needed to be made for them. They were just endured and quickly over, if they ever occurred.
Government systems, social safety nets, and reliance on the largess and caring of the citizens of their communities, and government services have made forethought unnecessary for survival in all but the most remote harsh climates. Even comfort and convenience are available in all but the most remote places, if you have reliable transport and a few personal resources.
Schools don’t teach forethought or even rational thought for that matter, it has been decades since I’ve heard of an elementary or secondary school teaching logic or reasoning, not to mention the determining probability, understanding certainty, or evaluating various potential outcomes.
Creative thinking is assumed to be a talent, and no attempt is made to teach it. If survival, comfort and convenience were the only reason for imagination and forethought then teaching them would seem to be a waste. Of course, teaching it requires knowing of it and the reasons for it, which are widely unknown by today’s so called teachers. So there are few who understand the need, and fewer still who could explain it, and even fewer that can see the need to apply forethought to other life processes like; determining needs verses wants, cause and effect logic, rational decision making , effective argument, advanced preparation, efficiency, or understanding any of today’s complicated issues, and many other modern lessons that make life and human relationships easier, less painful, fulfilling, comfortable and productive, with minimum frustration, anxiety, and stress; basically the good life!
Most of today’s social, cultural, financial, and legal, health and lifestyle mistakes can be traced to ignorance, lack of rational forethought, inability to foresee the probable future using cause and effect deductions. If you do this; that will probably happen.
Only with imagination and forethought can one hope to understand the people and events that whirl about them, and the tragedies that seem to befall them without reason.
Whatever the dilemma, forethought is the beginning of solution.
30 June 2009
My Political Platform
Cut Federal Spending
This is what I want Congress, the House and the Senate, and the Executive Branch to do regarding the size and scope of federal government. If I were to run for President this would be my platform and if elected this is what I would use my power and influence to accomplish. In some cases I specifically name Departments and programs I would try to cut significantly and the ones I would try to eliminate quickly.
First, the General Platform:
1. Stop deficit spending immediately. Cut all Federal spending by 10% from last year’s authorization.
Limit all Federal budgets to 90% of previous years experience rate, as quickly as possible, cut all programs, cut all planned acquisitions and stop all construction not already underway.
Immediately direct all budget surpluses to retire national debt and restore all contingency funds.
Immediately form a working group to review all off-budget entitlements for reforms that reduce costs by any means. The goal; limit benefit costs to expected revenue, not increase taxes to fund run away benefits. All spending is discretionary.
2. Pay off the National Debt in 4 years.
Eliminate all unjustified programs and projects, including all archaic, bureaus and commissions.
Cut all research by 10%, cut all scientific study by 10%, cut all government travel by 10%, cut all funding for government conferences and conventions by 50%.
Accumulate contingency funds and protect them from erosion from legislation, policy or politics.
3. Stop all foreign aid using American taxpayer money immediately, and direct the saved money to pay down the national debt and lower all Federal taxes. When disasters occur around the world, ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund allowing each citizen to decide if it's a worthy cause; borrowed from Bill Cosby.
4. Do much more to prevent unlawful immigration. Significantly improve border, coast and port surveillance for human smuggling and illegal incursions. Immediately begin searching for and finding illegal immigrants. Begin deporting those determined to be illegal immigrants using travel and transport contractors. Allow legal children to remain in the US in the custody of legal relatives, in an institution, or return with a parent to their country of origin until the child can legally chose national citizenship.
5. Limit Senate and House sessions to 6 weeks in mid-summer, except for declared National Emergencies. The remainder of the year they should have real full-time jobs. Reduce their benefits, staff, privileges and pay. Eliminate their special insurances. Prohibit them from having any benefits, paid for by tax money, not also available to any taxpayer.
All new laws will be vetoed if;
A. they do not list at least two existing outdated laws that are being simultaneously cancelled;
B. they contain exceptions to this law or any Federal laws;
C. they do not show conclusively a source of available funding which could not otherwise be used to retire debt or offset any Federal taxes (i.e. income, excise, fuel, etc.) or fees.
6. All Departments and programs not specifically enumerated in the Constitution, or its subsequent lawful amendments, or decreed specifically by Federal Appellate Courts or the Supreme Court; will be cancelled, disband, closed and their facilities, equipment and property used by a lawful department or program, or sold at public auction within one year with all proceeds retiring Federal debt or reducing all Federal taxes.
7. All Federal tax exempt organization, activities, clubs, associations, education institutions, advocacy groups, religions, churches, schools, or individuals will be reviewed and required to prove which funds and activities are eligible for tax exemption. All activities and funds found not eligible for exemption will be immediately taxed. Taxes due will be immediately payable, and all previous years of suspected Federal Tax fraud are subject to audit and payment or attachment, regardless the statute of limitations.
8. A moratorium on the creation of any new national parks or protected lands or protected species of any kind until all surplus Federal lands, or any Federal lands combined exceeding 15% by area of any state, are sold to taxpaying individuals at an otherwise unrestricted public Internet auction. Use the revenue to immediately pay down the “National Debt” only.
9. 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can; borrowed from Bill Cosby.
10. Use the Internal Revenue “Collection” Service to collect taxes only. Stop using it to redistribute wealth, grant favors to rich donors, or failing businesses.
Greatly simplify individual, business, and corporate income tax calculation and remittance. Seriously consider eliminating Income Taxes, replacing some of the lost revenue by a low national sales tax with no exemptions, and the rest by spending cuts. Severely limit tax exemptions. Greatly reduce the number and then restrict allowable amount of individual and business deductions, for instance, restrict the home interest deduction to the average interest on the national mean priced home regardless of purchase price; no regional variations.
Stop taxing business processes and activities. It just artificially increases the price of goods and services and costs potential employees jobs.
Stop taxing the transfer of wealth to rightful heirs. The deceased have all ready paid enormous taxes while they lived.
11. Tax all political contributions regardless their source. Prohibit political contributions of any tax exempt money.
Prohibit political contributions by Unions, except as determined by and apportioned to political parties or candidates by a vote of the members, then only if taxed. Allow individual members to elect to prohibit any political contributions from their dues.
12. Review all Federal licensing, permitting and approval processes and fees, with emphasis on eliminating, reducing or consolidating any and all. Fees cannot exceed provable administrative and process costs.
13. There is no such thing as non-discretionary Federal spending, all Federal spending is discretionary.
Cancel all new Social Security benefits begun after 1950. Stop all Medicare benefits originated after 1984. If that doesn’t balance revenue with predicted outlays forever, then reduce benefit levels until there is a projected surplus forever.
Put all entitlement programs back on the budget, there is no such thing as “Off-budget” for any Federal spending.
14. Next, departments, bureaus, commissions, agencies, programs and activities I would want cut entirely and immediately.
A. Department of Education; National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; Stop providing federal aid to Universities; completely unnecessary, violates 10th Amendment.
B. National Public Radio; Public Broadcasting System - completely unnecessary, competes unfairly with duly licensed and authorized private enterprises, violates 10th Amendment.
D. National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; Commission of Fine Arts; completely unnecessary, violates 10th Amendment.
F. Natural Resources Conservation Service; Conservation Reserve Program; Energy Information Agency; U.S. Geological Survey; Maritime Administration; Marine Mammal Commission.
G. International Trade Commission; Economic Development Administration; Historic Whaling and Trading Partners Exchange Program; International Trade administration; end farm subsidies, most of which go to the wealthiest 10 percent of farms; eliminate all direct corporate welfare payments; Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Trade and Development Agency; Market Access Program; Export-Import Bank; Repeal the Davis-Bacon and Service Contract Acts.
H. Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, AmeriCorps; Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation; State Justice Institute; East-West Center; Legal Services Corporation; Minority Business Development Agency, and Many others.
I. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program; Rural Utilities Service; Essential Air Service Program; Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; Agricultural Research Service.
J. Non-emergency international food programs; U.S. Institute of Peace.
K. Eliminate all federal advisory committees and commissions spread across 52 agencies, and many, many others.
15. Next, significant changes in needed programs like the following:
Restrict federal housing assistance to those with the greatest need;
Stop funding research that directly benefits private industry;
Enact user fees that recover all the costs of programs from identifiable users;
Require farmers to pay a larger portion of their crop insurance premiums;
Raise flood insurance premiums on repeatedly flooded lands;
Limit Congress's franking privilege to non-election years to prevent taxpayer funding of campaign mailings;
Verify parent income of school lunch recipients, 20 percent of current school lunch participants are ineligible.
And many, many more.
Note: some of the above courtesy of The Heritage Foundation.
This is what I want Congress, the House and the Senate, and the Executive Branch to do regarding the size and scope of federal government. If I were to run for President this would be my platform and if elected this is what I would use my power and influence to accomplish. In some cases I specifically name Departments and programs I would try to cut significantly and the ones I would try to eliminate quickly.
First, the General Platform:
1. Stop deficit spending immediately. Cut all Federal spending by 10% from last year’s authorization.
Limit all Federal budgets to 90% of previous years experience rate, as quickly as possible, cut all programs, cut all planned acquisitions and stop all construction not already underway.
Immediately direct all budget surpluses to retire national debt and restore all contingency funds.
Immediately form a working group to review all off-budget entitlements for reforms that reduce costs by any means. The goal; limit benefit costs to expected revenue, not increase taxes to fund run away benefits. All spending is discretionary.
2. Pay off the National Debt in 4 years.
Eliminate all unjustified programs and projects, including all archaic, bureaus and commissions.
Cut all research by 10%, cut all scientific study by 10%, cut all government travel by 10%, cut all funding for government conferences and conventions by 50%.
Accumulate contingency funds and protect them from erosion from legislation, policy or politics.
3. Stop all foreign aid using American taxpayer money immediately, and direct the saved money to pay down the national debt and lower all Federal taxes. When disasters occur around the world, ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund allowing each citizen to decide if it's a worthy cause; borrowed from Bill Cosby.
4. Do much more to prevent unlawful immigration. Significantly improve border, coast and port surveillance for human smuggling and illegal incursions. Immediately begin searching for and finding illegal immigrants. Begin deporting those determined to be illegal immigrants using travel and transport contractors. Allow legal children to remain in the US in the custody of legal relatives, in an institution, or return with a parent to their country of origin until the child can legally chose national citizenship.
5. Limit Senate and House sessions to 6 weeks in mid-summer, except for declared National Emergencies. The remainder of the year they should have real full-time jobs. Reduce their benefits, staff, privileges and pay. Eliminate their special insurances. Prohibit them from having any benefits, paid for by tax money, not also available to any taxpayer.
All new laws will be vetoed if;
A. they do not list at least two existing outdated laws that are being simultaneously cancelled;
B. they contain exceptions to this law or any Federal laws;
C. they do not show conclusively a source of available funding which could not otherwise be used to retire debt or offset any Federal taxes (i.e. income, excise, fuel, etc.) or fees.
6. All Departments and programs not specifically enumerated in the Constitution, or its subsequent lawful amendments, or decreed specifically by Federal Appellate Courts or the Supreme Court; will be cancelled, disband, closed and their facilities, equipment and property used by a lawful department or program, or sold at public auction within one year with all proceeds retiring Federal debt or reducing all Federal taxes.
7. All Federal tax exempt organization, activities, clubs, associations, education institutions, advocacy groups, religions, churches, schools, or individuals will be reviewed and required to prove which funds and activities are eligible for tax exemption. All activities and funds found not eligible for exemption will be immediately taxed. Taxes due will be immediately payable, and all previous years of suspected Federal Tax fraud are subject to audit and payment or attachment, regardless the statute of limitations.
8. A moratorium on the creation of any new national parks or protected lands or protected species of any kind until all surplus Federal lands, or any Federal lands combined exceeding 15% by area of any state, are sold to taxpaying individuals at an otherwise unrestricted public Internet auction. Use the revenue to immediately pay down the “National Debt” only.
9. 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can; borrowed from Bill Cosby.
10. Use the Internal Revenue “Collection” Service to collect taxes only. Stop using it to redistribute wealth, grant favors to rich donors, or failing businesses.
Greatly simplify individual, business, and corporate income tax calculation and remittance. Seriously consider eliminating Income Taxes, replacing some of the lost revenue by a low national sales tax with no exemptions, and the rest by spending cuts. Severely limit tax exemptions. Greatly reduce the number and then restrict allowable amount of individual and business deductions, for instance, restrict the home interest deduction to the average interest on the national mean priced home regardless of purchase price; no regional variations.
Stop taxing business processes and activities. It just artificially increases the price of goods and services and costs potential employees jobs.
Stop taxing the transfer of wealth to rightful heirs. The deceased have all ready paid enormous taxes while they lived.
11. Tax all political contributions regardless their source. Prohibit political contributions of any tax exempt money.
Prohibit political contributions by Unions, except as determined by and apportioned to political parties or candidates by a vote of the members, then only if taxed. Allow individual members to elect to prohibit any political contributions from their dues.
12. Review all Federal licensing, permitting and approval processes and fees, with emphasis on eliminating, reducing or consolidating any and all. Fees cannot exceed provable administrative and process costs.
13. There is no such thing as non-discretionary Federal spending, all Federal spending is discretionary.
Cancel all new Social Security benefits begun after 1950. Stop all Medicare benefits originated after 1984. If that doesn’t balance revenue with predicted outlays forever, then reduce benefit levels until there is a projected surplus forever.
Put all entitlement programs back on the budget, there is no such thing as “Off-budget” for any Federal spending.
14. Next, departments, bureaus, commissions, agencies, programs and activities I would want cut entirely and immediately.
A. Department of Education; National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; Stop providing federal aid to Universities; completely unnecessary, violates 10th Amendment.
B. National Public Radio; Public Broadcasting System - completely unnecessary, competes unfairly with duly licensed and authorized private enterprises, violates 10th Amendment.
D. National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; Commission of Fine Arts; completely unnecessary, violates 10th Amendment.
F. Natural Resources Conservation Service; Conservation Reserve Program; Energy Information Agency; U.S. Geological Survey; Maritime Administration; Marine Mammal Commission.
G. International Trade Commission; Economic Development Administration; Historic Whaling and Trading Partners Exchange Program; International Trade administration; end farm subsidies, most of which go to the wealthiest 10 percent of farms; eliminate all direct corporate welfare payments; Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Trade and Development Agency; Market Access Program; Export-Import Bank; Repeal the Davis-Bacon and Service Contract Acts.
H. Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, AmeriCorps; Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation; State Justice Institute; East-West Center; Legal Services Corporation; Minority Business Development Agency, and Many others.
I. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program; Rural Utilities Service; Essential Air Service Program; Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; Agricultural Research Service.
J. Non-emergency international food programs; U.S. Institute of Peace.
K. Eliminate all federal advisory committees and commissions spread across 52 agencies, and many, many others.
15. Next, significant changes in needed programs like the following:
Restrict federal housing assistance to those with the greatest need;
Stop funding research that directly benefits private industry;
Enact user fees that recover all the costs of programs from identifiable users;
Require farmers to pay a larger portion of their crop insurance premiums;
Raise flood insurance premiums on repeatedly flooded lands;
Limit Congress's franking privilege to non-election years to prevent taxpayer funding of campaign mailings;
Verify parent income of school lunch recipients, 20 percent of current school lunch participants are ineligible.
And many, many more.
Note: some of the above courtesy of The Heritage Foundation.
27 June 2009
Artificial Fertility
Unethical Medicine
Human women have birthed children for around 80 million years without medical assistance. The human race had grown to more than 1.8 billion by 1920, the dawn of modern medicine. Today billions are spent on hospital child birth, infant care, premature rescue, fertility treatment, implantation, and artificial insemination. The world population is 6.4 billion and estimated to double to 12.8 billion in about 40 years. Recently, deliberate high-count multiple births have made the news with as many as 8 births from implanted eggs from one birth event.
This idiocy must stop! We are wasting medical resources that ailing, sick and infirm people need. More than enough women are capable of having children without any hospital care or medical assistance. Not every female needs to give birth to a child, not every male needs to father a child. Those who cannot produce children naturally should move on to other meaningful contributions. There are currently millions, perhaps a billion surplus children worldwide, in need of adoption. If someone wishes to be responsible for a child’s growth and development into a constructive, productive, useful adult, then many potential human adults are available.
Many who can have natural children should not. Just because you can reproduce, doesn’t mean you should. Many couples capable of producing children are not fit to educate children, provide for them financially, or serve as good examples. There is plenty of willing biological baby factories and sperm donors; more unwitting participants are completely unnecessary.
Quality is another matter. Survival of the fittest and natural selection don’t necessarily eliminate undesirable characteristics quickly enough; often they successfully reproduce before fate eliminates one or both of their characteristics from the gene pool.
I’m not proposing a license to reproduce. I’m proposing that artificial fertility, medically assisted conception, fetal rescue (except to save the mother) be eliminated as medical procedures and prohibited from any kind of insurance coverage.
I’m also proposing that hospitalization for child birth be eliminated except to save the mothers life. For most of human existence women have given birth to healthy offspring without any assistance. For thousands of years women have given birth with a little assistance from an experienced mother, often her own, or mid-wives, paid and volunteer. It worked well. Today many still come into the world in this way.
Some would say extraordinary efforts should be made to save every fetus and every newborn. I say that’s not the natural way. A potential person and existing persons are not the same, and should not be treated the same medically. Not all conceptions should survive, not all born should survive. Some are ghastly genetic errors, some are horribly flawed, some, if they survive, will need extreme medical support for basic life-like functions.
Some say the world may miss out on some great contribution by the loss of one of these potential humans. I guess the argument is that we should save every flawed fetus or newborn, because one of them may become a brilliant, useful, loving contributor to all mankind.
I doubt it. Those things happen very rarely; Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Jesus Christ, Louis Pasteur, Mahatma Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates etc. Most non-viable fetuses and newborns will never become an independent human life. And some of those who may survive are at least as likely to become terrible humans; Hitler, Charles Manson, Clyde Barrow, John Wayne Gacy Jr., Bernie Madoff, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi or some child molester, mass murdering terrorist, or other subhuman creature.
As sad as it maybe to lose a fetus, newborn, or a child, it is more terrible to waste medical resources on artificial fertility enhancements, when humans already proven viable, self sufficient and productive are awaiting medical resources to continue their productive, thoughtful, loving lives.
Stop the foolish waste of medical resources on fertility enhancements, hospitalization only to rescue fetuses, and extreme care for newborn survival. Sadly, some must be allowed to perish.
There are millions of recently born viable humans making their own way toward wondrous adult human beings, many with very little help from anyone.
Human women have birthed children for around 80 million years without medical assistance. The human race had grown to more than 1.8 billion by 1920, the dawn of modern medicine. Today billions are spent on hospital child birth, infant care, premature rescue, fertility treatment, implantation, and artificial insemination. The world population is 6.4 billion and estimated to double to 12.8 billion in about 40 years. Recently, deliberate high-count multiple births have made the news with as many as 8 births from implanted eggs from one birth event.
This idiocy must stop! We are wasting medical resources that ailing, sick and infirm people need. More than enough women are capable of having children without any hospital care or medical assistance. Not every female needs to give birth to a child, not every male needs to father a child. Those who cannot produce children naturally should move on to other meaningful contributions. There are currently millions, perhaps a billion surplus children worldwide, in need of adoption. If someone wishes to be responsible for a child’s growth and development into a constructive, productive, useful adult, then many potential human adults are available.
Many who can have natural children should not. Just because you can reproduce, doesn’t mean you should. Many couples capable of producing children are not fit to educate children, provide for them financially, or serve as good examples. There is plenty of willing biological baby factories and sperm donors; more unwitting participants are completely unnecessary.
Quality is another matter. Survival of the fittest and natural selection don’t necessarily eliminate undesirable characteristics quickly enough; often they successfully reproduce before fate eliminates one or both of their characteristics from the gene pool.
I’m not proposing a license to reproduce. I’m proposing that artificial fertility, medically assisted conception, fetal rescue (except to save the mother) be eliminated as medical procedures and prohibited from any kind of insurance coverage.
I’m also proposing that hospitalization for child birth be eliminated except to save the mothers life. For most of human existence women have given birth to healthy offspring without any assistance. For thousands of years women have given birth with a little assistance from an experienced mother, often her own, or mid-wives, paid and volunteer. It worked well. Today many still come into the world in this way.
Some would say extraordinary efforts should be made to save every fetus and every newborn. I say that’s not the natural way. A potential person and existing persons are not the same, and should not be treated the same medically. Not all conceptions should survive, not all born should survive. Some are ghastly genetic errors, some are horribly flawed, some, if they survive, will need extreme medical support for basic life-like functions.
Some say the world may miss out on some great contribution by the loss of one of these potential humans. I guess the argument is that we should save every flawed fetus or newborn, because one of them may become a brilliant, useful, loving contributor to all mankind.
I doubt it. Those things happen very rarely; Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Jesus Christ, Louis Pasteur, Mahatma Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates etc. Most non-viable fetuses and newborns will never become an independent human life. And some of those who may survive are at least as likely to become terrible humans; Hitler, Charles Manson, Clyde Barrow, John Wayne Gacy Jr., Bernie Madoff, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi or some child molester, mass murdering terrorist, or other subhuman creature.
As sad as it maybe to lose a fetus, newborn, or a child, it is more terrible to waste medical resources on artificial fertility enhancements, when humans already proven viable, self sufficient and productive are awaiting medical resources to continue their productive, thoughtful, loving lives.
Stop the foolish waste of medical resources on fertility enhancements, hospitalization only to rescue fetuses, and extreme care for newborn survival. Sadly, some must be allowed to perish.
There are millions of recently born viable humans making their own way toward wondrous adult human beings, many with very little help from anyone.
25 June 2009
Don’t Fight Global Climate Changes
Prepare for Them
Don’t waste effort and resources trying to manipulate future climates; the history of science facts shows few notable successes. People have been trying to start rain, bring rain, or make rain by various means, even scientific methods, with very little success. Even today with our best science, we can only make it rain when the precursors are perfect for seeding, and then not very often. We do not know how to diminish large storms, stop deserts, start rain forests, melt polar ice caps, change the earth’s rotation speed, cool the molten core, stop volcanoes, or move the sun, nor can we have any predictable effect upon climate or atmospheric temperatures globally.
Other weather, temperature and climate interactions are far less well understood. Atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics have made some progress the past thirty years, but there is still very little data upon which to determine the impacts of human activities beyond the sources and interactions of a few of the most harmful contaminants, little has been learned regarding others, like atmospheric heat. Human produced heat can easily be estimated accurately. Heat from other sources like solar radiance, volcanic lava flow and magma temperature migrations are much less well known.
Much less data is available to support the conjecture that global climate changes are induced, made worse, or triggered somehow by greenhouse gases from human activities. Evidence exists indicating six to twelve percent of this planets greenhouse gases may come from all human activity combined. Far more comes from terrestrial sources like volcanoes, swamps, jungle and forest rot, and animal gases, urine and feces. Greenhouse gases, their causes and effects, human contribution, solar radiance, magma and volcano impacts, cyclic astrophysics are far from the settle science that some have implied. Incidentally, there is no such thing as “settled science” science is never settled, just a demonstrable fact with a percentage probability, based on the current state of knowledge.
The world should not be picking an uninformed fight with air or sea temperatures on this planet, bankrupting world economies to attain a scientifically unsubstantiated goal.
So what should the world be doing about impending global climate changes? First, do no harm. Second, do much more scientific study and analysis of existing data before determining a culprit or culprits. Once we are sure what is taking place, change the models and back test it to see if it replicates historical fact. If not, do not proceed, something is wrong with your process facts and the model or both. Once your model is right develop many courses of action and test them. Pick several of the best ones and try them in small measurable test circumstances, look for negative consequences not just hopeful outcomes.
While the reliable modern science is underway, governments and cultures should decide what provisions and systems they want to invest in to protect human life from extreme future conditions. Things like super insulated living structures, mega heating and cooling systems, artificial environments for food production and long-term food storage facilities, solar screens, ice barricades, or adjustable sea walls. Medical and life system and infrastructure decisions and long term investments must be made. Societal value changes regarding disease, famine, mass migrations, forced relocations, handling increased death rates from freezing, heat stroke; plant species survival and available food and diet changes; and animal behavior, food source and migration changes; and a host of legal and economic systems that will need vastly different processes and reactions. National defense, border protection, commerce, wealth protection, and personal security will all change substantially.
These program changes and provisions cannot wait until the last moments to be financed and tested. Contingency funds must begin being set aside, preserved and adjusted. Vast efforts made and resources sequestered and secured exclusively for these purposes only, for long periods into the future, so they are there to meet the most severe impacts to planetary life forms from global climate changes, warming or freezing, as they occur.
Don’t waste effort and resources trying to manipulate future climates; the history of science facts shows few notable successes. People have been trying to start rain, bring rain, or make rain by various means, even scientific methods, with very little success. Even today with our best science, we can only make it rain when the precursors are perfect for seeding, and then not very often. We do not know how to diminish large storms, stop deserts, start rain forests, melt polar ice caps, change the earth’s rotation speed, cool the molten core, stop volcanoes, or move the sun, nor can we have any predictable effect upon climate or atmospheric temperatures globally.
Other weather, temperature and climate interactions are far less well understood. Atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics have made some progress the past thirty years, but there is still very little data upon which to determine the impacts of human activities beyond the sources and interactions of a few of the most harmful contaminants, little has been learned regarding others, like atmospheric heat. Human produced heat can easily be estimated accurately. Heat from other sources like solar radiance, volcanic lava flow and magma temperature migrations are much less well known.
Much less data is available to support the conjecture that global climate changes are induced, made worse, or triggered somehow by greenhouse gases from human activities. Evidence exists indicating six to twelve percent of this planets greenhouse gases may come from all human activity combined. Far more comes from terrestrial sources like volcanoes, swamps, jungle and forest rot, and animal gases, urine and feces. Greenhouse gases, their causes and effects, human contribution, solar radiance, magma and volcano impacts, cyclic astrophysics are far from the settle science that some have implied. Incidentally, there is no such thing as “settled science” science is never settled, just a demonstrable fact with a percentage probability, based on the current state of knowledge.
The world should not be picking an uninformed fight with air or sea temperatures on this planet, bankrupting world economies to attain a scientifically unsubstantiated goal.
So what should the world be doing about impending global climate changes? First, do no harm. Second, do much more scientific study and analysis of existing data before determining a culprit or culprits. Once we are sure what is taking place, change the models and back test it to see if it replicates historical fact. If not, do not proceed, something is wrong with your process facts and the model or both. Once your model is right develop many courses of action and test them. Pick several of the best ones and try them in small measurable test circumstances, look for negative consequences not just hopeful outcomes.
While the reliable modern science is underway, governments and cultures should decide what provisions and systems they want to invest in to protect human life from extreme future conditions. Things like super insulated living structures, mega heating and cooling systems, artificial environments for food production and long-term food storage facilities, solar screens, ice barricades, or adjustable sea walls. Medical and life system and infrastructure decisions and long term investments must be made. Societal value changes regarding disease, famine, mass migrations, forced relocations, handling increased death rates from freezing, heat stroke; plant species survival and available food and diet changes; and animal behavior, food source and migration changes; and a host of legal and economic systems that will need vastly different processes and reactions. National defense, border protection, commerce, wealth protection, and personal security will all change substantially.
These program changes and provisions cannot wait until the last moments to be financed and tested. Contingency funds must begin being set aside, preserved and adjusted. Vast efforts made and resources sequestered and secured exclusively for these purposes only, for long periods into the future, so they are there to meet the most severe impacts to planetary life forms from global climate changes, warming or freezing, as they occur.
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