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Edited on Mon Feb-07-05 08:28 PM by WLKjr
I agree totally that a "New Deal" type plan is greatly needed. I don't know if you noticed it or not but in the new budget plans AMTRAK is not even dealt a share of money from what I understand. This infuriates me to even type that. It's okay to give the airlines corporate welfare but don't give money to the railroads to help them do more business and do it more efficiently.
The number one problem that concerns me at the moment is education in this country. I say this becuase I believe that this is the beggining where problems start. When you have an large uneducated, unskilled population, many problems and crisis arise. Crime, teen pregnancy, abortion, drug use, homelessness, jobless, and poverty. When you have a highly skilled and highly educated workforce, these all decline dramatically because of a basic consensus among a people. Everyone, democrat or republican, green or independant, all want the same basic things; A home, a good job, and a little bit of money in the bank. The Economy does benifit from this more than anyone can even begin to comprehend.
The number two problem that concerns me is the lack of conservation going on in our country today. If you want to have tax relief, why not do a little bit of cohersing into starting to recycle things heavily. I am talking tax exemptions, refunds, whatever you want to call them, to anyone who recycles large amounts of materials. We have to face facts, The World is not using it's resources efficiently enough and there is a mass mis allocating of resources happing every second of everyday. I am talking setting up natwide recycling centers in everytown across the U.S. and having a way to provide 'tokens' of sorts to turn in at will for cash refunds. I realize this is already being done in most areas, but it should be on a larger scale and with a incentive to participate. Not only would this drive down the cost of production for goods made here in the US, but more profit could be made at the reduction of cost in materials, and not in the paychecks and jobs of US workers. I know for a fact this would put fire in the belly of wall street. Secondly, the nationwide promotion of alternative fuel vehicles, primarily Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles and Highspeed Rail service. I would make it a priority to service every major city in the US with highspeed rail access by the end of my first term. I would work with congress and the american public to get this done. We would make it very cost effective for the consumer so that getting a train ticket between LA and NewYork roundtrip would be cheaper than buying a plane ticket one way. I would personally promote this way of travel by taking the train across the US for all of my travel as neccessary. I also have some things that I would throw in here for farmers, big and small.
I would also work with congress and the american public to create a new national public works initiatve that would be an inscentive to any young person wanting to attend college or university OF THIER CHOICE free of charge. One example of this public works project would include what I like to call the (when I am president) The National Highway and Waterway Beatifcation Act of 2030 witch would clean up our Highways and Waterways by cleaning up trash and planting vegitation and trees along our highways and waterways all across the U.S. Not only would this provide ample work for our nations younger generation but it would put money into thier pockets and also pay for thier college. Details of this plan are still being worked out in my mind at the moment, but I have a lot of vision for this project and believe it would be a great thing. I would also like to protect another million acres of land in the U.S.
As for jobs, I would also start many other public works projects across the U.S. I would set forth a goal along side the Highspeed Rail goal by to have everyhome in America equipped with wireless and fiberoptic communications for Telephone, Internet, and Televison service and would work with companies to make this affordable to even those who are not fortunate enough to have it now. I feel this would increase the speed of information across the U.S. and would also be a boon to education by making people more aware of thier surroundings and the world. I would aslo have nationwide urban beatificaition and updating in our cities. New Schools would be built in place of old ones, new homes and new stores, new roads and new water/sewer/power access, and much much more.
In order to keep jobs in the U.S., we have to become the great innovators and producers we once were. Here is where I come back to why we need to spend more and more on education everyday. I would provide incentives for companies to keep operations here, like getting invovled with recycled materials and giving refunds for using recycled materials. I have more incentives that are in the works for keeping companies here in the U.S.
I would make Healthcare no longer a matter of pay or die, but treat healthcare as a basic Human right. Health care would be free for those ages 0-18 and ages 65+. Cost would be minimal for those employeed at the time of need. Unemployeed workers would fall into the free category.
I would end homlessness and poverty in this country of ours. There is no reason EVER in the land of plenty that someone should be homeless or starving or jobless. The greatest thing you could ever do is to give someone pride in themeselves. I would get those who fall through the cracks back up on thier feet again, provide them a place to stay and help them get back into the work force, and back into school. Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. (There is a little bit of faith in me, but it's personal) Poverty would be a thing of the past by the end of my first term.
America would see a unprecidented period of peace and prosperity under my lead. Countries would admire us again as diplomacy would reign supreme. You cannot promote democracy at the point of a gun. You promote democracy by being a good example of it's principles and it's peoples determination. But that also means to speak softly and to carry a big stick. I would never let our nations security be number 2 on a list, it would be and always would be first priority. I belive the defense force of tommorow will have to be light, highly skilled, highly mobile, hi-tech/low-tech, and surgically precise.
Phew, my fingers hurt, and I am tired. Should I mention I would be the first president from Ohio in over 100 years by that time and one of the most popular??? :)
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