Recommendations for America

Once I am King...

I think judges should have competency hearings for health and sound mind. I do not believe they should have term limits. Long lived judges add some stability to the system and buffer the radical swings in platforms like we see in the executive and legislative branches.

I think any politician or C-suite government employee convicted of corruption should be hung publicly. Same with the person giving the bribe, unless coerced by the politician. I don't care if they are foreign or domestic. Pay a whistle-blower $250k for coming forward if leads to conviction. I suppose an amnesty date will have to be announced so the smart can untangle themselves from everyone-is-doing-it scenarios.

I think the prosecuting entity should not be able to appeal a ruling to a higher court. Only defendants should be able to do that.

I believe there should be no more plea bargaining or judges overturning a jury's verdict. All serious misdemeanor or felony trials should be by jury so real folks can judge real folks.

I do not believe in abolishing the social safety nets like welfare, food stamps, etc. I do believe they should be ran correctly with strong incentives (like mandatory community service) to get off social assistance instead of staying on it. We are a rich country. We can afford to be generous to those that need help.

I believe people on social assistance should have birth control implants paid for by the state and removed by the state once the situation improves. The same for people trusted to self medicate because they are crazy. Also for parents guilty of child negligence.

I believe orphanages and insane asylums should be brought back. They should be well regulated and open to inspection by officials and the media. The orphanages should provide a fine private school education and the insane should get the finest care available.

We should stand beside our allies, but be more careful who we ally ourselves with. No more intervening over human rights and no more patrolling the world's oceans protecting international trade unless our interest are being served. This might evolve into private navies protecting armed convoys. Yay capitalism. Tin cans everywhere!

Citizenship should be conditional based on good behavior for life. If an immigrant performs a major crime, sieze the family's assets and deport them. Offer to put the anchor babies in the shiny new orphanages or the family can take the kids with them with dual citizenship. Deport the criminal when time is served. Don't let them back. This should get these communities to police themselves of radicals. All that aside, I believe in increasing legal immigration if done right. We are literally sucking the best brains out of the world's countries to work here. Hard working tradesmen are valuable in any economy. As we onshore industries from overseas, the demand will outpace domestic training. A certain level of assimilation will be required.

I prefer a national sales tax over a flat tax. We might need to give varying tax rebates to individuals on an age scale to make up for the taxes paid earlier in life so we don't penalize fixed income pensioners with a new sales tax they wouldn't have had to pay otherwise.

Congressmen should get paid the average American wage, Senators and fed judges twice that, President and Supreme Court three times. That should incentavise the government to raise the average wage of Americans.

The energy sector should be let loose to make money as long as they act responsibly. I don't give a shit if we bankrupt every other oil and gas producer in the world with our production. A certain amount of fossil fuel income should be put into green and energy efficiency technology. That shit has merit but is all dicked up with corruption and investor ignorance. That should have Manhatten Project level of priority.

Might as well throw in 2 years mandatory government service for 18 year olds. Military, Forest service, job corps, CCC style labor camps, I don't care. Get a little ownership in the country with sweat equity.

No more federal withholding of taxes. Public interest should get better if everyone had to write a tax check every month for SS and FICA. I wouldn't put them in the sales tax for exactly this reason.

I agree with most of what folks posted above.

I could go all night. I'll leave off for now.

 

Yes, I thought of this and read about this also. However, that is a double-edge sword, right? If it's Democrat then the Senators would be Democrat as previous 1913 (year 17th was enacted) showed this to be the case 98% of the time.

Furthermore, if you think about it, how in hell, can a Democrat Senator be elected by the people of a state when a majority of their House is Republican? I mean the majority of the people have made their preference known to obtain a majority in their House. I have always thought this strange but maybe it is more than strange. I mean, you could play it off as 'democracy at its finest.' Really? Or maybe there is that many independent voters? Again, really? Even though you have a House majority? Never really gave it much thought until now...but what if it's pure and simple corruption, election fraud? Maybe I am getting too paranoid...but to me it doesn't pass the smell test.

Is this a major reason why repealing the 17th and allowing the State legislators to select their State Senators simply that corruption is less likely to occur? Maybe. I am just looking for valid reasons and this seems to me to be a good justification.

Of course, this wouldn't stop all corruption - nothing will. However, this would ensure that the State Legislation majority would be represented at the Federal level more consistently and more in-line with their majority's wants and needs. I never thought much about it until now but I do think there is something to it...and yes, I am paranoid, very damn paranoid but for good reason.

 

the big problem is that it is difficult to get people's attention long enough to get it, and I certainly am no expert. I was confused and didn't see the problem myself, until I finally got it, and boy was I wrong. So definitely do your own research because I am not very good at this.

It's all about who you represent, right? Your representative theoretically represents you, and you can choose to replace him if he does a poor job.
Who does a senator represent? Originally, the state. States were in competition with the fedgov for power, "Checks and Balances". We all agree smaller government is better, but what mechanism causes that to happen? Checks and balances.
Who does a "senator" represent after the 17th? George Soros. They are no longer representatives of the state IN fedgov, they ARE fedgov. Their election matters not a whit to the state, and "the people" don't matter either. Their election is governed by the Soros money spent in your area.
"These" united states became "The" United States with no check on it's growth other than fear of getting caught. O'bama got them over that fear so there is no limit to what they will do.
The Senate was envisioned and acted as a check on the exuberance of the House. Now they are competing with the legitimate representatives of The People to bribe you with your own money.

And if all that doesn't impress you, remember all the other BS that came out of 1913, and just trust that anything they did was communist.

Having said all that, it's a remnant of the time I spent caring about politics. I have gotten over this affliction, and comprehend now that there is no solution, we get the government we deserve and I may yet get to use the Zombie Apocalypse supplies after all. Something like actually repealing the 17th is what it would take to get my attention now, I just don't care otherwise, there's no point. I will vote just to make them manufacture another fake one to beat me, I don't intend to give it to them, but I realize that's exactly what they will do and it doesn't matter.

 

State senators were meant to represent the states interests now its party interests ----time to get rid of the 17th amendment once and for all

 

Great explanation, Idahoser!

 

@Zimmy
King Zimmy, Well thought out post! And, I would support most of these and the others with some fine tuning...

I think judges should have competency hearings for health and sound mind. I do not believe they should have term limits. Long lived judges add some stability to the system and buffer the radical swings in platforms like we see in the executive and legislative branches.
The problem I have with this approach is people simply get old. I am 70-year-old now, and while I am mental sound and could pass the competency, cognitive test, I cannot do the workload I managed even at 60-year-old, just 10 years ago. So, while I definitely support any competency, cognitive testing, I am still concerned about simple mental and physical fatigue. Yes, they do provide stability, but they can also provide instability. For example, Ketanji Brown Jackson, who during her appointment hearings refused define a woman. The thought of her retaining power until she dies, and her corpse is dragged off on the bench to me is unthinkable. After discussions here, I no longer support Term Limits for judges but think a mandatory retirement age is still necessary.

I think any politician or C-suite government employee convicted of corruption should be hung publicly. Same with the person giving the bribe, unless coerced by the politician. I don't care if they are foreign or domestic. Pay a whistle-blower $250k for coming forward if leads to conviction. I suppose an amnesty date will have to be announced so the smart can untangle themselves from everyone-is-doing-it scenarios.
Hanging is not enough for me. Harsh penalties for breaking the law do work as deterrent to crime, seen it firsthand, and this should be the most severe punishment possible. Perhaps, public flogging? Whatever it must be done in public, and it must be so severe that it shocks and bewilders all and 100 lashes would do exactly that. I'm not sure about rewards for whistleblowers, maybe, as long as there is a counter to ensure the program isn't used for devious purposes. Whatever, something needs to be done to ensure: 1. Whistleblowers come forward. 2. The whistleblowers are protected. 3. Very harsh penalties are put in place for corrupt officials.

I think the prosecuting entity should not be able to appeal a ruling to a higher court. Only defendants should be able to do that.
I think this is too simplistic. It sounds good to me and on paper, but I don't think in reality justice can served. However, I do understand what you are trying to do as it has pissed me off to no end seeing the government use, unlimited taxpayer money and taxpayer resources to gain their perverted ends. A good example is the DOJ and President Trump. I do think there MUST be some limiting factor as the way it stands now it cost the government (Federal, State, Local) nothing to drag even bogus charges on and on and on. I think England has a law that if an individual sues another and loses they are required to to pay all court costs and attorney fees of both parties which is a good idea but does nothing to limit government because they simply do not care about the cost.

I believe there should be no more plea bargaining or judges overturning a jury's verdict. All serious misdemeanor or felony trials should be by jury so real folks can judge real folks.
I agreed. Sign me up!

I do not believe in abolishing the social safety nets like welfare, food stamps, etc. I do believe they should be ran correctly with strong incentives (like mandatory community service) to get off social assistance instead of staying on it. We are a rich country. We can afford to be generous to those that need help.
I agree. As I see it, the problem is the government should not be in charge of these programs - period. They have proven they not capable of managing them. Perhaps religious organizations? Dunno. Whatever, much stronger guidelines should be put in place. to include time limits, birth control, removal of voting rights, etc...

I believe people on social assistance should have birth control implants paid for by the state and removed by the state once the situation improves. The same for people trusted to self medicate because they are crazy. Also for parents guilty of child negligence.
This sort of ties in with the above. Agreed.

I believe orphanages and insane asylums should be brought back. They should be well regulated and open to inspection by officials and the media. The orphanages should provide a fine private school education and the insane should get the finest care available.
I assume you mean State run 'orphanages and insane asylums.' Again, I would say the government is unable to manage toilet cleaning correctly so I don't think I could support them in this regard. You got a hard sell ahead of you. I would also think this would fall under the Social Safety Net programs above. My beef is simply who will manage it? Yeah, the money comes from the government in the form of taxpayer funds but who actually can manage it, so it doesn't become, once again, a 'free lunch.'

We should stand beside our allies but be more careful who we ally ourselves with. No more intervening over human rights and no more patrolling the world's oceans protecting international trade unless our interest are being served. This might evolve into private navies protecting armed convoys. Yay capitalism. Tin cans everywhere!
We definitely need to tend to our own knitting and fix our own problems first. Many will say this leaves a vacuum for other countries to fill and I think that is true. The problem is we no longer can fill the vacuum without hurting ourselves. Such is life. Maybe if we after we get our own country back on track we can be more concerned with other countries but for now 'America First'. Also, sometimes I believe we cause as many problems as we fix by our meddling. Again, agreed.

Citizenship should be conditional based on good behavior for life. If an immigrant performs a major crime, seize the family's assets and deport them. Offer to put the anchor babies in the shiny new orphanages or the family can take the kids with them with dual citizenship. Deport the criminal when time is served. Don't let them back. This should get these communities to police themselves of radicals. All that aside, I believe in increasing legal immigration if done right. We are literally sucking the best brains out of the world's countries to work here. Hard working tradesmen are valuable in any economy. As we onshore industries from overseas, the demand will outpace domestic training. A certain level of assimilation will be required.
Amending Amendment XIV will eliminate anchor babies, in fact, most countries have already done this...except America which for all its noise seems to be constantly behind the times...especially when it benefits the nation. Currently, any illegal that is caught is denied a visa for life. I am unsure what you mean by "Citizenship should be conditional based on good behavior for life." Are you saying a Green Card holder which is a legal visa holder who can reside and work in the USA or one that has taken the next step and obtained citizenship has any infraction of the law is to be deported and strip of their citizenship? I do believe, but will have to research it, a Green Card holder who commits a felony is denied citizenship and can possibly be deported as I remember some questions during my wife's naturalization process. Once citizenship is obtained, things are different, you're 100% American and deporting someone because they were charged with driving while over the legal alcohol limit or they got into a punch up about the neighbor's dog during its business on their lawn seems a bit extreme and unfair. "We are literally sucking the best brains out of the world's countries to work here." No. We are not. They freely come here. Frankly, we are not getting enough of the best and brightest due to our stupid, ridiculous, archaic, useless, (insert expletives here) Immigration system. They have no better or less chance to get a visa than an illiterate, deaf and dumb, blind man, without a tongue. Some of the better ones do get Work Visas which constantly have to be renewed and justified by the companies employing them and they are limited. So, on this subject, I think you are misinformed. We can discuss this via personal emails, but I know this rotten immigration system very, very well having been through the process more than once and believe when I tell you it is NOT updated and kept this way for reasons beneficials to certain groups.

I prefer a national sales tax over a flat tax. We might need to give varying tax rebates to individuals on an age scale to make up for the taxes paid earlier in life so we don't penalize fixed income pensioners with a new sales tax they wouldn't have had to pay otherwise.
I also prefer a national sales tax or a combination of the two, but a sales tax might be hard to sell (given the wealthy hold the power); however, if you think about it then a person that can afford more and/or buys expensive items, pays more.

Congressmen should get paid the average American wage, Senators and fed judges twice that, President and Supreme Court three times. That should incentivize the government to raise the average wage of Americans.
IMHO this is extremely difficult to do however not impossible. By raising average wage, you raise the cost of everything, the Cost of Living. However, when looking at real wages vs. real cost of living from 1950 onwards we see that only a small portion of the work force wages kept up with actually raising costs. The upper management. Personally, my economics is not good enough to even offer a solution, but I do agree something needs to be done. Currently, the average salary for Senators and Representatives is $174,000. Considering the government we get for these wages - well - we are definitely overcharged. We should cut all of their salaries to $100,000 and listen to them squeal...but I bet few of them would. Why? Because their salary isn't where they are making the real money. It's coming from simply having the position....

The energy sector should be let loose to make money as long as they act responsibly. I don't give a shit if we bankrupt every other oil and gas producer in the world with our production. A certain amount of fossil fuel income should be put into green and energy efficiency technology. That shit has merit but is all dicked up with corruption and investor ignorance. That should have Manhattan Project level of priority.
Agreed!

Might as well throw in 2 years mandatory government service for 18 year olds. Military, Forest service, job corps, CCC style labor camps, I don't care. Get a little ownership in the country with sweat equity.
I think Germany still does exactly this. It doesn't hurt the country or the young people. Where Germany, Norway, and other NATO countries militaries differ from ours is their professional militaries have better pay and much more opportunities for advance training and education; however, they are much smaller forces and personnel have to commit to staying longer in the service also, like 30 years, no 20-year pensions. The USA military is one of the best deals going when you look at it from a real perspective. Go into the military at 17-year-old, and leave when you're 37 with 50% pension, full medical insurance for life, and a bunch of educational benefits (not sure what it contains now days). It's a hell'va deal when you look at and you can't get it any place else in the world. Plus, you are paid while learning a trade and can retrain into something else in the future.

No more federal withholding of taxes. Public interest should get better if everyone had to write a tax check every month for SS and FICA. I wouldn't put them in the sales tax for exactly this reason.
Even with a National Sales Tax (NST) we still would have State, County and Local taxes so might still have withholding tax... Since SS withholding is based on your earnings, I'm not sure the benefit of not withholding it? I think I need more detail before commenting on this. There wouldn't be any FICA withholding with a NST so that's doable... Are you simply trying to raise awareness?

 

@Idahoser and @BTPost ,

Got it! You know, when I read the XIV was passed in 1913, I almost jumped out of my skin. "Uh-oh", says I, "the same time as the Federal Reserve was created... coincidence?" No friggin way...

Yeah, I think I got it. This sounds so great on paper, "LET THE PEOPLE CHOSE" but in reality, it is simply a means of opening the door to allow big money to purchase government and that's exactly what we got.

Here's the main points that I got out of this:
1. Who does a "senator" represent after the 17th? Answer: George Soros or the money that put him there.
Prior to XVII, Soros would have to bribe or blackmail the entire State Legislation making it not only more expensive but difficult.
2. 1913...definitely need to do more research on what other infamous occurrences happened this year.
3. Is it feasible that voters who elect a majority of State Legislators as Republican or Democrat will elect the opposite party for Senator? Possible - yes. Feasible - questionable...but not likely.

This exercise was well worth the effort. Thank you for taking the time! You too @CraftyMofo !

I will dig more into it but I am now a supporter of repealing the 17th...

EDIT: @Idahoser and I second CraftyMofo, Great explanation! Thank you, again.

 

As I said, make sure you understand from all sources, don't take my word or anybody's.

And XIV would be 14, 17 is XVII

 

OPPS! I changed it. I was talking about XIV also so wrote it instead. Thanks for correcting me! Whew! Good catch!
Interesting exchange plus I learned a lot about the XVII. I've been doing more reading on it...