Interactive: You are elected POTUS. What is your agenda for America?

[DC Al Fine]

1) End foreign wars/trim military
2) Constitutional amendment banning abortion except where the mother's life is threatened
3) Close Guantanomo
4) Secure the border
5) Steal as much money as possible for my family because you know implementing #s 1-4 will get me killed

[Hifly]

-Expand Universal Healthcare (Public Option)
-Cut Defence Spending and close Guantanamo Bay
-Raise Minimum Wage
-Repeal PATRIOT Act
-Repeal the Second Amendment
-Repeal the Death Penalty federally
-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

[traininthedistance]

1: Carbon tax; and both raise the gas tax/peg it to inflation.  Willing to cut the corporate income tax and/or have a repatriation holiday as a sweetener to get this done- it's not a great way to raise revenue in the first place.

2: Staff the Federal Reserve with people committed to a dovish, full-employment monetary policy.

3: Open the borders to everyone except felons and fugitives.

4: Push for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a positive right to vote, not to be infringed by lack of photo ID or ability to get to the polling place on a workday.  Nationwide non-partisan redistricting would be nice, too.  (In a utopian world we could introduce a parliamentary system with PR, but my pragmatist side knows that's several bridges too far.)

5: Establish an infrastructure bank, and shift money from things like ag subsidies and defense contractors to R&D, especially for things like biofuels, thermal solar, and thorium nuclear- but also to science in general.

6: Promulgate DOT and EPA rules to ensure that transportation investments must take into account the impact on water and climate, as well as considering the impact on pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users.  Push for incentives to scrap restrictive zoning and parking minimums in favor of mixed-use and inclusionary models (and parking maximums), even and especially in developed areas.

7: If I still somehow have the confidence of the American people, then look at stuff like making sure no education funding goes to "charter" schools that push anti-facts ideological nonsense; increase arts funding, a whole package of LGBT rights that includes workplace protections and marriage equality; consider lowering the drinking age to 18 and the voting age to 16; all sorts of fun pipe dreams like that.  

8: Reforming the safety net- to move from the patchwork of SS, food stamps, unemployment insurance to a more efficient and broad-based guaranteed minimum income- seems like a great thing to do as well (as would Medicare For All), but I think there's enough contentious stuff on my plate already.  Advocate for it, but leave it for the next administration unless I'm super lucky.

You will note that foreign policy is largely missing from this list.  It's a fairly low priority to be honest, and I feel like I would want to read the security briefings with an open mind.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Some awful ideas here, good thing none of us will ever lead this country in the way the OP described.

Scary

Yes, most all of them would ruin the country while having every intention of bringing about the opposite effect.

Rubbish...

I am farily certainly that most of you would be lucky if unemployment ever got below 12% in your terms.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

-Constitutional Amendment banning Gay Marriage nationwide

Wtf?

[afleitch]

- Nationwide ban on heterosexual marriage because they've f-cked it up beyond all recognition.
- Free condoms inside candy wrappers
- Massive public works programme including the erection of homoerotic statues.
- Construct a mega rocket to the moon containing a few hundred thousand cats and some radiation.
- Establish a super intellieant Lunar cat outpost
- Solve the water crisis in the midwest and Pacific coast by creating the Utah reservoir
- Have China recall the debt in the form of any size able city of their choosing.
- Resign and rise into the sky in a jetpack

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

erection of homoerotic statues.

Heh.

[Hash]

-Constitutional Amendment banning Gay Marriage nationwide

Wtf?

Yeah, did a gay guy kill your cousin or something? You seem good on the other issues, yet you're incomprehensibly reactionary on that.

[Hifly]

-Constitutional Amendment banning Gay Marriage nationwide

Wtf?

Yeah, did a gay guy kill your cousin or something? You seem good on the other issues, yet you're incomprehensibly reactionary on that.

I think I'm going to rephrase it

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

[Hifly]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

[perdedor]

-Constitutional Amendment banning Gay Marriage nationwide

Wtf?

Yes...in spite of the great progressive circle jerk, there are still people that believe in traditional marriage regulations.

[afleitch]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

You must have a little if you don't believe they should be able to get married and actively seek to impose that view on states where the voters or the legislature have decided to enact equal marriage.

The fact I have a husband is worthy of an amendment to annul it. Yet that fact that one in three marriages end in divorce, the average length of a marriage is seven years, people marry, two, three, four, five, six times doesn't merit your attention. It's okay to allow someone to marry and divorce as many times as they want to but won't allow gays and lesbians who have been together for years or decades to marry just once?

Or the fact that people marry for money, for inheritance, under duress, under force, marry after a few drinks at Vegas or marry several times to get new magazine picture deals.

But no; can't have gays marrying. I mean, in my joke post I was being semi serious. Straights have screwed marriage royally; it's cheap and easy and accessible. Business deals have more worth (and longevity) than a lot of marriages. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to take a stab at saving the damn institution?

[perdedor]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

You must have a little if you don't believe they should be able to get married and actively seek to impose that view on states where the voters or the legislature have decided to enact equal marriage.

The fact I have a husband is worthy of an amendment to annul it. Yet that fact that one in three marriages end in divorce, the average length of a marriage is seven years, people marry, two, three, four, five, six times doesn't merit your attention. It's okay to allow someone to marry and divorce as many times as they want to but won't allow gays and lesbians who have been together for years or decades to marry just once?

Or the fact that people marry for money, for inheritance, under duress, under force, marry after a few drinks at Vegas or marry several times to get new magazine picture deals.

But no; can't have gays marrying. I mean, in my joke post I was being semi serious. Straights have screwed marriage royally; it's cheap and easy and accessible. Business deals have more worth (and longevity) than a lot of marriages. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to take a stab at saving the damn institution?

The present day problems with hetero marriages are not corrected by expanding access to marriage. Realistically, we need marriage reform that goes beyond gay rights.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

You must have a little if you don't believe they should be able to get married and actively seek to impose that view on states where the voters or the legislature have decided to enact equal marriage.

The fact I have a husband is worthy of an amendment to annul it. Yet that fact that one in three marriages end in divorce, the average length of a marriage is seven years, people marry, two, three, four, five, six times doesn't merit your attention. It's okay to allow someone to marry and divorce as many times as they want to but won't allow gays and lesbians who have been together for years or decades to marry just once?

Or the fact that people marry for money, for inheritance, under duress, under force, marry after a few drinks at Vegas or marry several times to get new magazine picture deals.

But no; can't have gays marrying. I mean, in my joke post I was being semi serious. Straights have screwed marriage royally; it's cheap and easy and accessible. Business deals have more worth (and longevity) than a lot of marriages. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to take a stab at saving the damn institution?

The present day problems with hetero marriages are not corrected by expanding access to marriage. Realistically, we need marriage reform that goes beyond gay rights.

Or we can just rid ourselves of this notion that government is somehow responsible for ensuring the quality of a person's relationship, and instead treat everyone equally under the law.  Sometimes less "reform" is best reform.

[DC Al Fine]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

You must have a little if you don't believe they should be able to get married and actively seek to impose that view on states where the voters or the legislature have decided to enact equal marriage.

The fact I have a husband is worthy of an amendment to annul it. Yet that fact that one in three marriages end in divorce, the average length of a marriage is seven years, people marry, two, three, four, five, six times doesn't merit your attention. It's okay to allow someone to marry and divorce as many times as they want to but won't allow gays and lesbians who have been together for years or decades to marry just once?

Or the fact that people marry for money, for inheritance, under duress, under force, marry after a few drinks at Vegas or marry several times to get new magazine picture deals.

But no; can't have gays marrying. I mean, in my joke post I was being semi serious. Straights have screwed marriage royally; it's cheap and easy and accessible. Business deals have more worth (and longevity) than a lot of marriages. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to take a stab at saving the damn institution?

The present day problems with hetero marriages are not corrected by expanding access to marriage. Realistically, we need marriage reform that goes beyond gay rights.

Excellent post. Sigged.

[afleitch]

-Constitutional Amendment affirming rights of states to ban Gay Marriage

I still don't understand your dislike of gays.

I support civil unions as an alternative. I have no hostility towards gays whatsoever.

You must have a little if you don't believe they should be able to get married and actively seek to impose that view on states where the voters or the legislature have decided to enact equal marriage.

The fact I have a husband is worthy of an amendment to annul it. Yet that fact that one in three marriages end in divorce, the average length of a marriage is seven years, people marry, two, three, four, five, six times doesn't merit your attention. It's okay to allow someone to marry and divorce as many times as they want to but won't allow gays and lesbians who have been together for years or decades to marry just once?

Or the fact that people marry for money, for inheritance, under duress, under force, marry after a few drinks at Vegas or marry several times to get new magazine picture deals.

But no; can't have gays marrying. I mean, in my joke post I was being semi serious. Straights have screwed marriage royally; it's cheap and easy and accessible. Business deals have more worth (and longevity) than a lot of marriages. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to take a stab at saving the damn institution?

The present day problems with hetero marriages are not corrected by expanding access to marriage. Realistically, we need marriage reform that goes beyond gay rights.

Excellent post. Sigged.

Why? There is nothing substantive about it. If you open marriage up to same sex couples, then you are doing no detriment to marriage at all. In not doing so, but allowing any old marriage to take place as long as it's between a man and a woman demonstrates that you are more concerned over the gender of the participants rather than the validity of the relationship. That undermines marriage.

[Torie]

Yes, perdador should explain his exact reasoning for why while gays can get civil unioned (and get the same federal benefits as marrieds?), they should not be allowed to call that union "marriage."

[Peter the Lefty]

1. A Minimum Wage hike to $11.00 per hour, coupled with a small business tax cut to reverse revenue losses for them caused by said hike.  The legislation would also guarantee an (at least) 2.5% rise in the minimum wage per year (though Congress can elect to increase it by more than 2% at the beginning of a given fiscal year to make that year's increase higher than 2%.)
2. A single-taxpayer health care system. 
3. An increase in social security funding (and liberalization of requirements) to bring us into the modern world.
4. An increase in taxes on the wealthy (with a top tax rate of 65% for those earning $2 billion or more a year), with an end to the capital gains tax loopholes.  And corporate tax loopholes as well.
5. A 50% reduction in military expenditure (with the cuts being designed not to touch body armor, troop weaponry, or anything else that would compromise their safety).
6. Repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act
7. Public works programs to improve our infrastructure and relieve unemployment.
8. A massive public works project to build low-cost housing in slums and rural poor areas alike, and build quality schools there as well (it would also renovate run-down already-existing schools in these areas as well).
9. Meaningful gun control legislation including background checks, restrictions on what kinds of guns are available to the public, etc.
9. Legalization of SSM.
10. Legalization, regulation, and taxation of Marijuana
11. New abortion-related legislation prohibiting states from restricting abortions to any certain time-frame in pregnancy.
12. A public works program to improve our renewable energy capacity.
13. Regulations against food corporations requiring humane conditions for animals (including their natural diet), as well as their means of competition against independent farmers (see Food Inc. for details).
14. More workers rights legislation (these being related to workplace conditions).
These just being the beginning.

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

Yes...in spite of the great progressive circle jerk, there are still people that believe in traditional marriage regulations.

Back up.

This is one of the worst posts I've ever seen.

[Rocky Rockefeller]

Improving National Infrastructure through public works programs
Legalize Marijuana (other drugs still illegal, but scale back if not fully end the War on Drugs)
Education reform (including elimination of tenure and inclusion of School Choice options)
Truly Universal Healthcare (similar to the Canadian system)
Amendment legalizing gay marriage nationally
take abortion regulation out of states' hands, set national standard
Increase funding for pbs and public radio
repeal patriot act, end NSA spying
close tax loopholes, lower taxes on small businesses, hold taxes steady at current levels overall if possible.
Cut Military spending 30%, scale back interventionist policies
End electoral college, institute national popular vote for presidential elections
Actually take accountability for the actions of my administration!

[Rocky Rockefeller]

Oh yeah and immigration reform, secure borders, path to citizenship and such.

[barfbag]

What a dream come true. I plan on posting some of this on the individual politics thread too.

1 Require cars to be hydrogen powered and have breathalyzers to start. Yes we have the technology.
2 Not allow companies to buy their way out of cap and trade.
3 Require congress to have a balanced budget each year.
4 Require all federal candidates use campaign finance reform with limits of $200,000,000.
5 Ban soft money from unions and corporations at the federal level.
6 2 six year term limits for senators.
7 6 two year term limits for representatives
8 over turn Obamacare
9 Begin a don't ask, don't tell policy for pre-existing conditions.
10 Allow adults to remain on parents' health insurance until age 24.
11 Allow health insurance companies to compete across state lines.
12 Limit frivolous lawsuits to $1,000,000.
13 Expand Medicaid to cover uninsured Americans.
14 Grant amnesty status to immigrants going through process and speed up future processing.
15 Create a lockbox for social security owed to our seniors.
16 Lower federal income taxes to 15%, 18.5%, 25.5%, and 28%.
17 Bring back jobs from overseas by lowering the corporate tax.
18 Cut president's salary to $250,000. I got that number from Obama's talking points.
19 Allow parents to choose schools by vouchers.
20 Start more charter and public schools to lower the teacher to student ratio.
21 Turn education over to states, counties, and parents.
22 Encourage states to legalize marijuana to help balance deficits and promote personal freedom.
23 Encourage states to legalize casinos in all states to balance deficits promote personal freedom.
24 Encourage states to end death penalty.
25 Grant all states the right to work instead of forcing unions.
26 Turn foreclosed homes into poor houses.
27 Require fingerprinting for all elections.
28 Leave U.N. and form a new organization of countries with free elections.
29 Stay out of foreign wars.
30 Ensure free trade with sovereign nations.
31 Tax breaks for companies participating in affirmative action.

[Keystone Phil]

Top properties:

Energy: Construct the Keystone Pipeline, push for nuclear energy, allow drilling in ANWR and limited areas offshore

Spending: Campaign for Balanced Budget Amendment (with conditions)

Healthcare: Repeal almost all of Obamacare, pursue tort reform and interstate insurance purchases

Taxes: Eliminate loopholes, slash corporate taxes, other tax reform (still undecided on the Flat Tax, national sales tax, etc.)

Social Security: Phase in raising the retirement age, institute private health accounts

Education: Encourage states to tackle teacher tenure and begin voucher programs (if not already in existence, of course)

Infrastructure: Begin high-speed rail construction project, encourage states to undertake necessary infrastructure projects

[barfbag]

-Constitutional Amendment banning Gay Marriage nationwide

Wtf?

Yeah, did a gay guy kill your cousin or something? You seem good on the other issues, yet you're incomprehensibly reactionary on that.

but it's ok for the other guy to ban heterosexual marriage? A lot of these ideas are crazy but it's still good to exchange ideas.