Fuck the personalities what about the policies.

Fuck the personalities what about the policies.

There seems to be thread after thread here going on about what Bush or Kerry would do and what kind of people they are – BUT WHAT ARE THE POLICIES?

Do the Republican or Democrat Party’s actually have policies that will deal with the many problems that the US suffers from?

I wonder if people here can discuss the policies from this point WITHOUT MENTIONING BUSH OR KERRY, but concentrating only on the policies of the political party’s they are meant to represent?

 

No takers?

So mainstream politics is all but dead in the US of A!

 

From what I've seen of the democrats policies, I am just left wondering how they plan to do all of it... much of it seems mutualy exclusive.

 

Post your democratic policies then. And then the other sides. Come on, we have to have at least one unbiased fact thread here.

One where people can get facts without shifting throught the bullshit.

 

I find myself aligning with libertarian belief most of the time: smaller government, a non-intervention foreign policy, and ending prohibition are several things I agree with...

However, my number one gripe with the way our government works goes to special interest groups lobbying for congressional policy. I personally think that has been one of the most, if not the most, detrimental thing to our country and blurs the line between any parties politics.

 

I think the president isn't the be all, end all. Everyone blames Bush for things. But they don't realize that the congress and every other part of the government makes decisions too. He has a part of the pie, but it's not the whole pie. So to blame Bush for everything is just ignorant. I think he has done the best he can. I'm not a big fan of both. But the better the devil you know, than the one you don't know.

 

northenlehigh97 has a point... Even if a democrat was elected, even assuming the democrat would be the better choice, republicans still hold the majority in congress... So would it really even be all that different?

 

I agee - except about the foreign policy part. Sometimes you have to take shit into your own hands.

 

smaller government, a non-intervention foreign policy, and ending prohibition


These are not policies they are slogans –
What is small government?

What does non-interventionism mean?

In what way is prohibition going to end?

This is a problem that seems to be common amongst many people they think that a campaign ‘promise’ or 2 second soundbit is a substitute for a well thought out policy.

**

Maybe I’m asking the wrong questions –

What do Americans see as the main problems with the US and how would the US’s main political party’s think they can deal with them?

 

• work out a plan for withdrawal from Iraq
• deal with Terrorism in a way which does not compromise the Constitution, there are OTHER issues in this country, let's not let terrorists "win" by having all our energy and money spent on them
• Make sure reproductive rights are upheld
• A workable situation where families can afford to pay their bills AND raise their own children (ie ONE parent at home full time, use the money for this instead of only talking "child care credit" why can't mother who raise their own children get this incentive?)
• Re-establish good relations with Europe and other countries
• Budget reform
• PUNISH companies who outsource, not reward them
• Make all education federally funded, through the PhD level, the rich and upper middle class are much more likely to go to college due to the price alone, close this gap so all have an equal chance at decent jobs, if they want the education
• Let Big Business sink or swin on their own worth and merit NO MORE corporate welfare

 

Maggie for president 2008!!

 

I accept your endorsement......but only if I can bring Sage into the Oval office with me.

 

Where do I begin? Our education sucks, our kids (and a great deal of our adults) are dumbasses compared to any other modernized country. Our political system is hardly the great democracy it's cracked up to be. Instead we have a bloated, inneficient, impotent bureocracy that couldn't be more incompetent if it were run by baboons (and judging by our president, the Republicans are one step ahead of us on testing that hypothesis). Our tax dollars are wasted, and what's left over goes to poorly designed programs that more often than not do nothing except let the government say "we're trying" (our education and welfare systems are shining examples of this). Our justice system is pathetic and our priorities as a nation are WAY off course.

How do I fix this? First, eliminate the two party system and with it most of the special interests that plague our democracy. Legalize all substances but make a threefold effort to establish a competent FDA-type organization that can effectively test such substances for side effects and other bad stuff associated with their use (and of course tax the fucking shit out of them). Nationalize the education, justice and welfare systems, no more of this "sate's rights" bullshit. What's illegal in one state is illegal in every state, and tracking down criminals that move between states will be much easier. With one education standard for all kids, we'd get a much better idea of who's smarter that who and what areas really need the most help. Everyone takes the same test and assistance can be doled out much more effectively.

Welfare needs to be totally redone. Assistance for everyone who generally needs it, no more single moms getting a shitty $100/week for groceries and daycare for 3 kids, and no more having to submit ridiculous amonts of paperwork just for a measly few hundred a week in government aid. If you need help, you get help. At the same time, those who don't genuinely need it don't get it. Able bodied people with no problems and no kids to look out for get diddly shit from the government, unless they recently lost their job and getting unemployment.

We also need to pull the pharmaseudical industry's dick out of our asshole. I think after the two party system is ended and all former lobbyists have had their balls cut off and been banished to the South Pole we'll see a sharp decreace in the cost of health care and prescriptionj drugs. Health care would become like the postal service, the government will offer an affodable plan for everyone (like the USPS) that's cheap but not fantastic, and anyone who wants additional coverage or employers who want to give thier employees better coverage are more than welcome to use GHI or HIP.

That's all the basic stuff that I can remember. I probably left out a bunch of good ideas I had, but I forgot them.

 

So from Maggie and Max we have -

Iraq
Terrorism
Abortion
Pay
International relations
Deficit
Industrial / corporate relations
Education
Constitution
Judicial
Welfare
Health

And I’m going to add

Environment
Tax

I would ask where the policies of the two major parties are radically different on these points?

 

An Amendment to my platform.

TAX THE RICH!!!!

 

Bad idea. More taxes means less incentive for risks and ventures, which in turn leads to less profit. The top 20% already pay at least 80% of the taxes. While I agree with the idea of a graduated income tax, penalizing anyone who makes more than $200,000/year (as proposed by Kerry) is ridiculous. My parents make over $200,000 per year, and they are far from rich. $1 million/year as a starting point would be more acceptable, at the very least.

 

You don't think making $200,000 a year is rich? I would think the only way thinking $200,000 a year wasn't rich would be very poor money managment.

Bear and I make less than half that, and I consider us "comfortable." Double what we make would BE rich!

But, sure, someone who makes a million a year should pay more taxes than someone who makes $200,000. But $200,000 is still a LOT of money.

 

An other amendment to my platform.
Invest in energy research which do NOT rely on nonrenewable fuels. We have known since at LEAST the 1960s that fossil fuels will eventually run out, and for the most part are horrible for the enviroment. Yet, there has been little to no goverment incentives to research NON fossil fuel sources.

We could be free of the Middle East AND help our enviroment by looking at other sources of energy.