[Rhodes22-list] Politics - chicken - american pie

[Robert Skinner]

Brad Haslett wrote:
> Robert,
> I don't neatly fit the label "right-wing"
> as Slim would like to believe nor
> do I think you fit into a "left-wing" label.
-----------------------------------------------

Brad,

Nor do I, as I have oft repeated.

> What specific things would you
> like to see changed and how do you
> personally wish them to be changed.

Reduction in corporate influence on governmental decisions:

* Limits on the career flow from congressional office to 
  major firms.

* Limits on corporate contributions to candidates for 
  office or political organizations.

Fiscal responsibility at the national level:

* Limits on spending what we don't have.

* Control the sale of American businesses to foreign organizations. 

* TINSTAAFL.  Printing money does not create wealth.

Personal liberty:

* Shifting the balance back toward more personal privacy.

  -  I don't want Walmart selling the size of my skivvy shorts or
     the dollar value of my purchases there.

  -  I don't see any need to allow Bank of America to sell
     information about my credit card purchases. 

  -  There are now transactions where cash is not accepted - you
     must have an identity vis credit card.

* No snooping into my private affairs without court approval. 
  Keep the burden of proof on government, not me.

Sane limits on the power of corporate executives:

* We limit cash transactions to ensure that we track money
  laundering - but allow top executives to walk away with
  vast sums by selling our companies to foreign governments.

* Examine / reduce the tremendous disparity between the
  income of top executives and the guys on the front lines
 of a business.

Rationalize the income / property / sales / ??? tax structure:

* We need to take a careful look at the way we raise money
  to support government functions at all levels. 

  - Sales taxes tend to affect the poorer citizans more than
    the richer.

  - Property taxes drain the value of real estate holdings
    that took a lifetime to pay for.  This is forcing the
    aged out of their homes.

  - While there is general agreement that education is a good
    thing, the tremendous disparity in income levels between
    municipalities make a patchwork of qualities.  The areas
    where education is most needed to break the cycle of
    poverty-welfare often get the short end of the stick.  We
    need to address this issue to elevate both to the real
    level of education across the country and to increase the
    perceived value of knowledge and its use in productive
    persuits.

> What specifically do you want the next President to reverse?
> Provide detail, please.

Brad, we both know that a president cannot unilaterally 
accomplish things.  Recent events have shown, however, 
that he can obfuscate and destroy the tangible and 
intangible wealth of our country.

I look for the next president to follow Patton's dictum, "Lead,
follow, or get out of the way."  

I certainly hope that he or she will exhibit sufficient personal 
charisma and leadership to bring the citizens of this country 
together in:

* Repairing our influence on the rest of the world.

* Fostering cooperation between Americans and countries.

* Improving our investments in R&D.

* Stemming the flow of our productivity into the pockets of 
  the Chinese, Europeans, and Arabs.

* Tightening our nationwide belts to restrain the run-away
  devaluation of our dollar.

It has been pointed out that when those who don't have much 
can vote on parity with those who have wealth, there will 
inevitably be an equal distribution of poverty.  It will 
take real leadership to prevent that from happening.

All the talk about socialized medicine, Marxism, etc. is 
really about that.  The only way to avoid that endpoint for
a democracy is to greatly improve productivity and pride in
accomplishment - and level out some of the worst excesses of 
corporate America.

That is my argument for charismatic leadership.  Otherwise,
we degenerate further into an oligarchy (USA, inc.), and 
eventually into a dictatorship.

/Robert