If I were a POTUS Candidate

• by Gitabushi

Here are a few of the planks of my platform:

Socialism requires 100% participation to work. If anyone is exempt, there is no equality, and someone is exploiting the system. However, the basic nature of humanity is to disagree. Different values, different goals, and different experiences result in a wide variety of opinions on any topic, and on all topics.  In fact, some people will disagree with the majority just to assert their individuality.  Therefore, there will never be 100% support for Socialism. Which means that enacting Socialism can only be done by force.  As such, Socialism is antithetical to the principles, norms, standards, institutions, and traditions of the United States. I will work with the finest minds in the nation to find ways for you to attain the sense of security you falsely think Socialism provides.

Socialism is a poison pill in a candy shell. Unnecessary and untimely death accompanies its ascendance into any government.

Capitalism, for all its flaws, harnesses the power of selfishness to improve everyone’s lives. The free market cannot sidestep the laws of physics and supply/demand, but the combination of Capitalism and Free Markets have lifted more people from poverty than any other system, by several orders of magnitude.

Free Market Capitalism offers you choices.  You may not like the choices. The choices you want might not be currently available to you. But with Free Market Capitalism, you always have choices for the mix of effort, comfort and risk you feel comfortable with.

Free Market Capitalism’s biggest failures occur when someone manipulates information to deceive. Failures also occur when the government picks winners and losers.

I will work with the finest minds in the nation to use government power only to ensure you have the most accurate information possible, and not make decisions for you.

Abortion is a tragic and unnecessary act that results in the death of a unique human being.  Nevertheless, a vocal minority in the United States considers it a vital right, and the US political system is designed to protect minority rights. I will work with the finest minds in the United States and abroad to create a society in which no one feels abortion is necessary ever again. Until that day arrives, I will work to limit abortion to comport with reasonable standards of responsibility and accountability.

Taxes are an unfortunate necessity.  However, centuries of history demonstrate that rather than raising taxes to provide services, governments provide services as a pretext to raise taxes. It is a simple fact that government wastes money. Merely paying the salaries of bureaucrats lowers the value of tax revenue spent in services, and most of the services provided by government would be better accomplished if the money had not been taxed in the first place, and for expenses individuals cannot afford, via charity.  I will work with the finest minds in the United States to cut spending to create surpluses that pay off our debt, and then can lower taxes.  My eventual goal is the elimination of all income taxes, so that all the federal government requirements are funded through corporate taxes and some necessary tariffs. Although the federal government should not interfere in State processes, I will work with states to eliminate property taxes, to fulfill the American Dream of owning property, rather than just renting it from the local government.

Self-Defense is the most basic, fundamental right that underpins all the benefits of liberty in the United States.  As such, I will work to remove many of the infringements made on the Second Amendment that actually work to make individuals and society less safe.  We will move cautiously, to ensure that citizens of all races and economic levels are able to peacefully exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Citizenship is a valuable status, and should be seen as such by all residents in the US.  I will work to reform the Permanent Residence system to discourage de facto dual citizenship. I will work with the finest minds in the United States to emphasize and strengthen the benefits of citizenship to encourage every resident of the US to seek citizenship as soon as possible. For example, perhaps income taxes could be levied only on Visa holders and Permanent Residents, but not US Citizens.

Illegal Immigration will be halted. I will use every power available to me to end and reverse illegal immigration. E-verify will be mandatory, I will work with Congress to pass laws encouraging collection agencies to seek repayment of education and medical costs incurred by illegal aliens, illegal aliens will not be able to obtain driver’s licenses, and we will halt the unConstitutional practice of Illegal Alien Sanctuary Cities.  The IRS will be ordered to take action against stolen identities and Social Security Number fraud. This will result in increased prosperity and employment for US Citizens.  Once our borders are secured and illegal aliens are unable to live comfortably in the US, I will work with the finest minds in the United States to increase legal immigration and guest worker programs that serve the needs of the poorest Americans.

Medical Care is a source of worry and instability in all societies. The demand for medical care is unlimited, but supply is finite. No one will ever be able to obtain the quality and quantity of medical care they want. Most government medical care systems provide an illusion of care by lowering the quality of care to increase the quantity.  The bottom line is, to the government, you are a statistic. Your life has the most value to you and to your loved ones.  The decision for medical care for you and your loved ones should be a decision made only by you, with the input of your doctor, based on what you can afford.  If you include an insurer in the process, you potentially can afford more care, but you also subject yourself to the restrictions of what the insurer will improve, and they will always attempt to limit their costs.  This is even more true if the state or federal government is involved, with the added burden of administrative waste.

It is painful to recognize that you cannot afford all the care you would like to have. It is painful to have someone close to you die when there is treatment you cannot afford.  However, there is no solution that doesn’t involve gross inequality, or allow the politically-connected better care at the expense of everyone else.

As such, your medical care can only be based on what you can afford. If you want more care, you need to save more. If you cannot save more, you must earn more by working harder. If you cannot earn more by working harder, you must find ways to increase your value to employers to earn more. If you cannot increase your value to employers, then you must develop rich relationships with family, and decide among yourselves how to pay for the care your family wants.

If these solutions are not acceptable, then you must rely on charity or insurance.

There are no solutions, only trade-offs, and you will not be able to get all the quality medical care you want.  It is better to understand that now.

I will work with the finest minds in the United States to establish a nationwide, true Catastrophic event insurance that provides a defined level of care (i.e., generic drugs and cost-scaled treatment).  I will also work with Congress to provide incentives for corporations and universities to research new medicine, techniques, and technology, and to ease the rules for voluntary experimental medical care. The rich will continue to underwrite experimental medical treatment for the benefit of all.

 

Okay, that’s all I can think of right now.  What can I improve?  What other topics should I address?  Maybe future installments of this will address Free Speech absolutism and National Defense.