ELECTION 2000

9-10-00

Another election is only weeks away.  I will predict, and history will back me, that a small percentage of voters will decide for all of us who will be your next president.  But this is of less importance as compared to the way our system presents our choices.  Maybe this has some bearing on the large percentage of voter apathy.  Reality is that the choices for president this time as in others are made by our two principal parties, the Republicans, and Democrats.  For both parties these candidates are supported in most part by large corporate dollars, and a biased media.  The fact is neither candidate will make sweeping reform that would benefit the majority of American working people.

To make the necessary changes that would benefit most of us, like; world-class education, health care for all, much reduced crime, better wages, more time to live and enjoy our families, the security of a well maintained Armed Forces, and on and on. The president would have to bite the hand the feeds him and demand campaign reform that would eliminate corporate influence on our elections.

Once again I will be voting for who I think is the lesser of two capitalist puppets.  Let’s face it and admit in that our system of government is not democracy, but capitalism.  Large dollar lobbies, choose whom we can vote for.  Yet the real reason this system exists as it does, is because we the people are to stupid as a whole to see whom the true government is.  It’ certainly isn’t, “a government by the people, for the people.”  As our founding fathers intended.

If I were to run for president of the United States I would propose the following, because I am one of a working-class that works long hours to pay my bills and this is what I want to see done by my president.

First, Run and finance the campaign with money only from individuals and matching government funds.  The people should finance the elections not corporations and special interest.  This is one stipulation that would make it near impossible to win.  It would take a huge grassroots movement to overcome media bias bought with large dollars.

Second, I would return democracy to America and Americans.  I would implement an open system of government where the people are interactive in deciding policy though the use of the Internet and 1-900 phone numbers to vote on all issues presented to Congress. And each member of Congress will be held accountable to the people with all the voting records being published widely.  I would put the power of influence back in the people’s hands and out big corporate lobbies, and special interest.  The exceptions would be only matters of national security, or technical secrets.  I would create a People’s government home page with all the current issues posted for voting.  And on pressing issues such as; does Elian stay, or go back to Cuba, Or do we or don’t we get involved in a military conflict?  I would as president present the facts on mass media and ask your opinion, then execute the will of the majority.

Third a system to finance our wants and needs is absolutely necessary.  I would eliminate the IRS.  Don’t get me wrong, taxation is a necessity, but there are better ways that provide us more money to do that which needs to be done.  A consumption tax would be needed.  A nominal fee when voting on issues, (something like 25 to 50 cents per vote), through the Internet or 1-900 phone numbers.  I would tax more heavily corporate profits.  I would tax luxury items.  I would tax cigarettes, and alcohol more heavily.  But no personal income tax.

Fourth, if I would go to people and establish a public code of ethics that would be non-denominational and not religious to set a standard for all Americans that doesn’t interfere with our current separation of church and state’s which itself is very important. These rules of ethics should be amendments to the Constitution much like the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights leads me to my next proposals.  All-American should have the right to the best education on earth.  This can only be done with more, and better teachers, which can be supplied with, better incentives.  All-Americans should have the right to be healthy, not only the ones they can afford it. And this includes teeth and eyes.  All Americans should have full health care and an education through college.

We as Americans have faced numerous problems, which can be blamed on the breakdown of the family structure.  One large contributor to this problem is how much time we spent working.  In many cases both parents work, at the expense of our youth generations.  This is the fault of being underpaid.  We are living in an economy based on illusion.  The facts are, consumer debt is at record highs, while savings is at record lows.  These are ingredients for disaster.  We are not better off today than eight years ago, as our current administration would like us to think.  If I were President I would implement a four-day workweek, and all employees would share the success and failures of the company they work for.  There has to be enough income for one person to support household. This isn’t happening for most by design.  The design of corporate America whose profits as a group could end all hunger of the face in the earth with most of their profit not even touched.  In most cases employees are not being compensated justly.  And minimum wage as it is, is a joke.  Can anyone support a family on five or six dollars an hour?

Neither of our two candidates will make any great improvements in the majority of Americans lives, because the system as it exists won’t allow it.  The last President who stepped on big dollars toes was JFK and we all know how he ended up.  Nonetheless we all need to vote to let the powers that be know we care about our futures.  Just as a low voter turnout says we don’t.