If I Were Running the Country....
Were I in charge of the nation, here is the list of issues I would place high in my agenda:
Continue Fighting Terror - with more human intelligence personnel. That is one of the major components we lacked on 9/10, and probably one of the ones we still lack today. We need to infiltrate radical cells and mosques, especially in Europe. Europe is the front line in the War on Terror once Iraq fully stabilizes, as the attacks of 3/11 and 7/7 have demonstrated. We also need to work on encouraging democracy, not just generally, but by specifically targeting Islamic nations where is can happen. We shouldn't go in by force, but use a pressure/reward system. Rewards include things like WTO membership, etc. Target countries include: Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia
Keep One Eye on Iran - Iran worries me more than any country right now. The Persians have not been conquered since the 13th Century, and the geography explains why. Now, they have a nuclear program, and a radical government in both the President and the Ayatollahs who hates the West. However, the Iranian people, from every impression I have gotten, while they may resent the US from years of brainwashing, do not hate us. It is not possible right now to liberate the Iranians, but the Iranian government could seriously hurt Iraq (since Saddam invaded in the 1970s-80s), and Israel. We need a Western policy on Iran, as right now, the potential for them to get nuclear weapons is high, upsetting the balance of power in the region, and causing the bomb to get into the hands of radical Islamists.
Lessen Dependence on Foreign Oil - I realize that most of our foreign oil comes from Mexico and Venezuela. However, some of it does come from the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia) and that is a security issue. However, there are several reasons why we should try to reduce dependence, as well as several ways to do it, and several benefits. First is that energy is a highly regulated industry, and oligopolistic. An oligopoly is an industry in which there are several competators, usually because (and this is true in the case of oil) the industry takes a lot of capital to get started in. Also with energy, the vast amounts of government regulation hamper our ability to create a more competative energy market. The oil companies are a powerfull lobby, but who are their biggest competators? It is currently impossible to build an oil refinery on the U.S. coast, which leaves the big companies in charge. Nuclear power is in a straightjacket, and if the problem of safe waste storage is solved, it is the safest, cleanest way to produce fuel. We also need to encourage alternative energy use and development. The only reason Chevron has an incentive to develop alternative energy right now is for PR and the forecast that we keep using up so much of the world's oil (yet keep finding it at a reasonable pace). While if Chevron were ran long-term, they would use some of thier profits to develop more alternative energy uses, and try to capture a marketshare for the future. No alternative energy endeavor should be taxed, whether in development or at the point of consumption.
Simplify the Tax Code - Right now, it is so complex and so full of loopholes it makes me sick. Ideally, I want to go to a flat-tax system, but I think cleaning up the current system is an admirable start. By elminating loopholes placed in the tax code by lobbyists, and ensuring that people pay the taxes they should under the basic percentages, plus strategic tax cuts (see above). Then, cut taxes. The less tax people have to pay, the more money they are taking home. If you make minimum wage, you should pay zero in taxes. Reduce the tax burden on everyone, if possible.
Reduce the Size of Government - Still working on this one. It will be a later post. Use the money saved to begin to pay down the deficit.
Those are the basic outlines. I need to do some research before I figure out the last one.
Continue Fighting Terror - with more human intelligence personnel. That is one of the major components we lacked on 9/10, and probably one of the ones we still lack today. We need to infiltrate radical cells and mosques, especially in Europe. Europe is the front line in the War on Terror once Iraq fully stabilizes, as the attacks of 3/11 and 7/7 have demonstrated. We also need to work on encouraging democracy, not just generally, but by specifically targeting Islamic nations where is can happen. We shouldn't go in by force, but use a pressure/reward system. Rewards include things like WTO membership, etc. Target countries include: Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia
Keep One Eye on Iran - Iran worries me more than any country right now. The Persians have not been conquered since the 13th Century, and the geography explains why. Now, they have a nuclear program, and a radical government in both the President and the Ayatollahs who hates the West. However, the Iranian people, from every impression I have gotten, while they may resent the US from years of brainwashing, do not hate us. It is not possible right now to liberate the Iranians, but the Iranian government could seriously hurt Iraq (since Saddam invaded in the 1970s-80s), and Israel. We need a Western policy on Iran, as right now, the potential for them to get nuclear weapons is high, upsetting the balance of power in the region, and causing the bomb to get into the hands of radical Islamists.
Lessen Dependence on Foreign Oil - I realize that most of our foreign oil comes from Mexico and Venezuela. However, some of it does come from the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia) and that is a security issue. However, there are several reasons why we should try to reduce dependence, as well as several ways to do it, and several benefits. First is that energy is a highly regulated industry, and oligopolistic. An oligopoly is an industry in which there are several competators, usually because (and this is true in the case of oil) the industry takes a lot of capital to get started in. Also with energy, the vast amounts of government regulation hamper our ability to create a more competative energy market. The oil companies are a powerfull lobby, but who are their biggest competators? It is currently impossible to build an oil refinery on the U.S. coast, which leaves the big companies in charge. Nuclear power is in a straightjacket, and if the problem of safe waste storage is solved, it is the safest, cleanest way to produce fuel. We also need to encourage alternative energy use and development. The only reason Chevron has an incentive to develop alternative energy right now is for PR and the forecast that we keep using up so much of the world's oil (yet keep finding it at a reasonable pace). While if Chevron were ran long-term, they would use some of thier profits to develop more alternative energy uses, and try to capture a marketshare for the future. No alternative energy endeavor should be taxed, whether in development or at the point of consumption.
Simplify the Tax Code - Right now, it is so complex and so full of loopholes it makes me sick. Ideally, I want to go to a flat-tax system, but I think cleaning up the current system is an admirable start. By elminating loopholes placed in the tax code by lobbyists, and ensuring that people pay the taxes they should under the basic percentages, plus strategic tax cuts (see above). Then, cut taxes. The less tax people have to pay, the more money they are taking home. If you make minimum wage, you should pay zero in taxes. Reduce the tax burden on everyone, if possible.
Reduce the Size of Government - Still working on this one. It will be a later post. Use the money saved to begin to pay down the deficit.
Those are the basic outlines. I need to do some research before I figure out the last one.
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