Economy

  • The economy and financial status of our nation are our most critical political issues, as most other of our national issues are dependent upon the financial and economic strength to support them (military, health care, Social Security, Medicare, education, etc.).
  • Our endangered economy and fragile financial condition must be treated with utmost attention, as they may currently present the greatest threat to our national security and American way of life.
  • The combination of our national debt (over 9 trillion dollars), federal budget deficits, trade deficits (in spite of a very low value of the U.S. dollar), and credit crisis present a very serious recipe for economic disaster if not addressed immediately.
  • Even if we can politically justify our existing global presence, we do not have the economic strength to sustain our current military and police efforts around the world at existing levels, because we simply do not have unlimited financial resources.  We must immediately prioritize our existing worldwide commitments and reduce the economic hemorrhage of our global expenditures before we bankrupt the nation.
  • Immediate and drastic measures need to be taken to refocus our resources and political will domestically, enabling us to prioritize our attention on the economy and national financial condition.
  • The federal budget needs to be balanced and we need to “live within our means.”  The first step in this process needs to be conducting a formal reassessment of the true value of all existing federal programs and expenditures.  All government waste must be immediately eliminated as we begin running our government like an efficient non-profit business enterprise focused upon constantly delivering real value to its customers (We The People).
  • International trade policies need to be developed to promote the retention and expansion of domestic jobs, as well as to generate trade surpluses. 
  • Economic development initiatives must be implemented to promote entrepreneurial and small business development around the nation, and tax incentives must be continued for large corporations that maintain and create more domestic jobs.

  • Affordable housing needs to become a national economic priority.  Much of the current mortgage crisis is exacerbated by the fact that many working class families simply cannot afford to pay high mortgage costs on their limited incomes.  This is an increasingly serious problem for many new home buyers even with two income households.

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Education

  • Education needs to receive far more attention politically with a whole new focus upon taking advantage of some major opportunities in formal Education that are currently undeveloped or underdeveloped such as:  1) increased cooperation between schools and community businesses to enhance the relevance of learning and the application of knowledge in the “real world;”  2) the opportunity to activate students’ heart passions and life dreams and to provide a formal game plan to achieving those dreams;  3) redefining learning with a passion for learning as a “life-long process;”  4) daily reinforcement of personal discipline, critical thinking, cross-cultural exposure, and character development as major keys to success and personal achievement;  5) a real-life environment where personal responsibility can be engendered in combination with personal rights.
  • We have dumped all of our social problems into the classroom and have unfairly expected teachers to create scholars out of many students who have neither an appreciation for nor interest in learning.
  • It is our responsibility as parents and citizens to ensure that our teachers spend their time teaching rather than “babysitting” disrespectful, undisciplined, and disinterested students.  This focus upon allowing teachers to actually teach is called our “No Teacher Left Behind” Policy.
  • We need to develop with each student an Individualized Learning Plan for several reasons:  1) so that students will begin to take greater personal responsibility for their education and their futures; 2) so that educational experience can be more personally relevant and directed toward specific objectives and goals; 3) so that education can be an intentional, self-directed experience rather than an imposed governmental requirement.
  • International perspectives and viewpoints need to be incorporated into all of our educational curricula to broaden students’ awareness of the increasingly global world and marketplace in which they are living and will be competing.
  • Learning should be increasingly focused upon using applied knowledge in potential “real world” contexts as much as possible, with secondary emphasis being put upon the acquisition of mental information needed to pass an exam.
  • Alternative learning models and environments (on-line, homeschooling, alternative high schools, etc.) should be available to all those interested in seriously pursuing alternative education, provided academic standards of progress are maintained.
  • Exemplary teachers, administrators, and school districts should be rewarded financially and socially to promote creative educational improvement and superior academic learning.
  • While we are asleep here in America wallowing in our self-centeredness and pleasure-seeking, the rest of the world is providing superior education at primary and secondary levels and displacing us by garnering an increasingly larger share of the international economic pie.

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Energy

  • We must immediately make energy independence a national priority and begin to decrease our dependence upon foreign oil imports for economic and political reasons.

  • Increases in recent energy costs have had a significant economic impact on most Americans including record-high gasoline and diesel costs as well as increasing heating and cooling costs for homes and businesses.  Government should do everything within its power to influence and direct efforts to restore energy prices to historically reasonable price levels while developing energy independence.

  • Significant tax incentives and governmental assistance need to be provided to promote and develop every type of alternative energy.

  • Renewable energy solutions should be given favorable consideration as they provide sustainable sources of long-term energy independence.

  • Governmental support should be provided to establish alternative energy infrastructures (such as hybrid fueling stations, energy distribution facilities, and technical maintenance centers).

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Family

  • The nuclear family has always been and will always be the central building block of any society and nation.  As we strengthen the role and effectiveness of families, we will only strengthen the foundation and viability of our nation.
  • Even the best of governmental programs will never come close to providing the degree of attention, nurturing, and love that families can provide for their members.
  • Special tax incentives, targeted practical relief, and elevated social honor should be granted to mothers and others who sacrifice personal fulfillment and financial gain to spend their lives taking care of the young, the ill, the handicapped, the disabled, and the aging.  The social and financial benefits to America of such a new focus will far outweigh any costs expended to promote this renewed family focus.
  • An aggressive social endeavor highlighting the emotional, financial, and societal benefits of strong families should be implemented throughout our educational system and general culture.  Particular emphasis should be given to addressing the real heart issues and consequences of rampant selfishness and egocentric lifestyles that are primary causes of many divorces and family breakups today. 

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Foreign Policy

  • We need to restore our credibility and reputation as a nation of global hope and light to the world, and as a national culture that nurtures the world’s most creative, visionary, and compassionate leaders who constantly promote and defend true justice throughout the earth.  
  • The “art of true listening” needs to be practiced more intently by America in our foreign policy negotiations.  The arrogant posture in which the United States has often conducted foreign policy must be replaced by a more sincere interest in learning and understanding the real concerns and perspectives held by other nations.  This does not at all mean that we must agree with other nation’s viewpoints as a result of listening better, and there will continue to be situations where we are hated and despised because of jealousy or differing viewpoints.  But it will at least ensure that we no longer endanger ourselves unnecessarily because of volatile situations arising from arrogance and ignorance.
  • We must maintain a strong military as well as our national sovereignty so that we can defend America and protect Americans around the world against attack.
  • America has too often used or threatened to use military force to coerce other nations into adopting the American position on political matters.  Military force (or even the threat of it) should be used very carefully and only as a last resort after all other options have been exhausted in situations where American lives or interests are clearly endangered.
  • National trade policies need to be carefully analyzed and reviewed by a much larger group of capable and affected individuals before being implemented.  Renewed emphasis must be placed upon the impact on American jobs and workers, fairness and reciprocity of trading terms, and the preservation of American competitiveness in the global economy.  

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Health Care

  • The so-called national health care crisis is actually a national health crisis compounded by a national commercialization of health care crisis.
  • We have the best health care available in the world, but the political issues surround the availability, access, and affordability of health care.  Current political solutions focus upon WHO should pay for the exorbitant cost of health care (federal government, employers, patients, etc.) without addressing the tort risk, greed, and profit incentives inherent in the current health care delivery system with its spiraling costs. 
  • Current health care in America is following the general trajectory of American culture in that it is largely focused upon treating and managing symptoms while ignoring root causes of sickness and disease. Furthermore, current health policy ignores or underestimates the extent of mind/body/spirit interrelationships in health matters. 
  • We need to open up the medical delivery system beyond allopathic medicine to allow lower-cost alternative health care options (alternative medicine, naturopathy, herbal medicine, etc.) and let the patient decide what healing modality and type of medical care they want to pursue.
  • If America is serious about providing health care to all, then a less expensive option to providing affordable health care for all might be to consider providing health care as a public good offered by non-governmental, non-profit providers (like a community water district or a member-owned public utility).
  • We need tort reform to minimize and restrict runaway medical law suits and uncapped personal injury claims.

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Immigration

  • No law should be passed which provides “amnesty” to illegal aliens who have entered our nation illegally.  This would formally sanction “breaking the law” and undermine our whole system of laws and legal justice in our nation.
  • We need an effective system of border patrol to minimize illegal entrance into our nation, or the whole integrity of legal immigration becomes compromised and meaningless.
  • Legal residency or immigration should be tailored to meet specific existing economic and industrial needs (such as agricultural labor).  In addition, America must be sensitive to unique social and political needs and provide amnesty to individuals from select situations where immigration to the United States remains their only hope of sanctuary and survival (Darfur refugees, etc.). 
  • The Fourteenth Amendment should be clarified or amended to grant automatic birth citizenship to individuals born on U.S. soil if the child’s mother or father is a U.S. Citizen. 
  • We need the federal government to lead the way to a national resolution of current immigration issues, rather than forcing states to take the initiative in the absence of an enforceable, national immigration policy.  

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Iraq War

  • Regardless of the political merits of remaining in or withdrawing from Iraq, or of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the “Surge” of American troops in Iraq, we do not have the financial resources to sustain the Iraq War indefinitely.  Any prolonged involvement in Iraq at current levels seriously increases our chances of national economic disaster or even bankruptcy in the near future.
  • A clear short-term maintenance strategy in Iraq must be implemented with a clearly defined exit strategy from Iraq over the next few years.  If we wish to retain a continuing presence in Iraq for a longer rather than shorter maintenance period, then we must define and delineate a clear and sustainable economic benefit (to the nation, not just to private corporations) that more than offsets the exorbitant costs of remaining there.   Without a clear political and associated financial plan to withdraw gradually from Iraq, we must significantly reduce our national expenditures on the Iraq war to a level justifiable in the context of all other current national needs.
  • Regardless of our approach in the point above, we need to acknowledge that we as a nation cannot continue to police the world indefinitely, whether for political or economic reasons.   We must constantly reassess the “opportunity cost” of every dollar spent in Iraq in the context of all of our other competing domestic needs.
  • Without having access to top secret information pertaining to Iraq and the Middle East, it is difficult to accurately access the true risks and benefits of our continued presence in Iraq.  However, without a more comprehensive and justifiable explanation for remaining in Iraq than is currently presented in the media, we need to begin bringing our troops home as soon as possible. 

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Middle Class

  • The erosion of the Middle Class in America presents a very serious threat to the long-term survival of our nation.
  • A reformation of political processes must take place to allow creative and practical ways for America’s Middle Class to participate effectively in shaping national priorities and policies.  Current political access and involvement is largely limited to making phone calls to one’s Senator or Representative with functionally little if any impact on anything that matters, while special interests and lobbyists are heavily influencing and sometimes dictating national policy.
  • Personal tax rates and policies must be carefully developed to ensure that incentives remain for middle class individuals to increase their personal productivity and well-being.  Burdensome tax rates and increasing pressure upon the Middle Class to absorb the financial and social irresponsibility of the nation and its leaders’ decisions will effectively stifle or doom the nation.
  • National economic models and social objectives should be established upon the premise of maintaining a broad, strong and geographically diverse Middle Class.  

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National Security

  • National Security in the current political dialogue has been largely defined in military and border security terminology.  A new, more comprehensive definition of national security must include protection against potential threats to:  1) our economy and economic viability; 2) our national food supply; 3) our energy independence; 4) our historical and cultural values.
  • National sovereignty and a strong military will be preserved and maintained to defend America and protect Americans around the world against attacks.
  • Effective border control will become a major pillar of national security.
  • Terrorist organizations and militant groups that routinely use terror and fear to manipulate and torment Americans and others will risk their very lives.  A potent and effective ideology for dealing with terrorists around the world should be “To the merciful, America will be merciful, and to the ruthless America will bring swift justice” so that terror and tyranny will be ultimately destroyed. 

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Poverty

  • There is a tremendous amount of human potential, energy, and vision locked up in the prisons of poverty and hopelessness that needs to be released and channeled toward productive societal contribution and meaningful personal fulfillment.
  • Current political paradigms for helping the poor and needy are severely inadequate in that they are primarily based upon financial assistance alone, and only create a system of perpetual dependence upon government.  A new vision for effective assistance to the poor and needy includes addressing the psychological, emotional, and spiritual obstacles in the hearts of the poor, and in activating their stifled dreams and passions that have been annihilated by hopelessness.   We need to address all of the factors that contribute to perpetual poverty so that we can truly “help the poor help themselves” out of bondage.  As the old adage goes, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach a man how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”
  • We need to clearly distinguish between two types of poverty and treat them differently:  1) poverty that is the result of greed, injustice, and oppression inflicted by others on the poor person; and  2) poverty that is the result of personal irresponsibility, carelessness, and laziness by the poor person.

  • In the case of poverty caused by injustice, we need to do everything we can socially and politically to eliminate the factors that have caused poverty.  In the case of poverty caused by irresponsibility, we need to be absolutely sure not to interfere with life’s corrective consequences that teach us how we need to apply ourselves and make wise decisions so that we can make meaningful contributions to our families and the world around us.  We only cheat society and the individuals in this group when we enable them to continue in their selfish path by subsidizing their laziness and irresponsibility.

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Rural America

  • A Rural America Initiative should be implemented nationwide to encourage and enhance economic development throughout rural America.

  • Community grants should be provided for infrastructural improvements (broadband, roads, utilities, etc.) to enable rural communities to attract new enterprises and industries in order to diversify their economic bases.
  • Technical, creative, and financial assistance should be given to family farms (not only to large corporate farming operations) to enable them to effectively compete financially so that the historic American lifestyle and work ethic can be preserved.
  • Significant efforts must be made to ensure that prime agricultural land remains in production for generations to come in order to maintain national sovereignty of our food supply.

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Social and Other Issues

  • There is a pervasive form of moralism that has divided our nation by elevating morality (what and who is right and wrong) above love and concern for our fellow Americans.  There is nothing inherently wrong with asking moral questions or in attempting to maintain a moral rather than immoral social order, but we have made idols out of social and political morals to the point that we have destroyed national compassion and unity.

  • The sanctity of Life should be upheld and preserved everywhere possible within our society as it is a quintessential value of American life that differentiates us from many other countries around the world, where there is often little or no regard for human life.
  • Every attempt should be made to provide a loving and nurturing environment for every fetus to enter life as a newborn child.  Greater attention must be given to minimize or eliminate the root causes behind “unwanted pregnancies” so that individuals can avoid the very painful and unfortunate situation of having to decide whether or not to terminate a pregnancy.
  • The unhealthy hypersexualization of our culture must be addressed, especially in regard to young people who are currently being encouraged to engage in sexual activities for which they are in no way prepared emotionally or practically to take responsibility.   
  • The right to “bear arms” to protect ourselves is a Constitutional right that must be preserved.   Individual citizens must possess the capacity to protect themselves against criminal burglars, assaulters, and murderers who will always be able to gets arms illegally to attack innocent citizens. 
  • The timeless institution of marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman should be honored and esteemed as a preferential foundation for family life.
  • Regardless of one's beliefs regarding the homosexual lifestyle, gay men and women should be allowed to live in America without fear of unwarranted attacks of hatred and violence.  Like every other American, gay men and women should be treated with love and respect as fellow citizens with great personal gifts to offer our nation.

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