7/19/11 - If I Were Elected President

If I Were Elected President

7/19/11

Remember back in elementary school when you had to write essays for Social Studies classes?   I remember one essay I had to write when I was in 4^th or 5^th Grade on what I would do if I were elected President of the United States.  Well, forty some on years later (that dates me) I decided to write this Heartsong Newsletter on just that subject—what I would do if I were elected President.  (BTW—this came after attending numerous political meetings this past month for both the Republic and Democratic parties—hey, I’m non-partisan what can I say?)  Here’s my list:

·      Remove all of the “De Facto” Government officials and replace them with the newly elected “De Jure” Government officials. (Note: A de facto government is one that maintains itself by a display of force against the will of the rightful legal government and is successful, at least temporarily, in overturning the institutions of the rightful, legal “de jure” government by setting up its own in lieu thereof; whereas a de jure government which comes from the Latin word meaning “legal or lawful” is the  legitimate government of a state and is so recognized by other states and is how the Constitutional Republic was set up—if we could keep it.  It was a government designed “by the people, for the people.”)  I might be a bit prejudice here as I was just elected as a De Jure Representative for Utah.

·      Disenfranchise the Federal Reserve (who are these people anyway?) and STOP printing money altogether!  Actually the Federal Reserve is a quasi-government controlled/privately-owned banking system which is printing faux money out of thin air, and then try to lend it to everyone possible at an interest rate of .25% (yes, the interest rate has gone down from 6% in 2001 thank God!).  Nevertheless, our current National Debt is nearly FIFTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS!! (I don’t think any of us can even conceive of that amount!)  Have you ever played the game of Monopoly? Imagine that one player can print all the money they want as fast as they can.  Before long, that one player will own everything, and everyone else is broke or in debt.  I’m not suggesting we go back to the gold standard (that didn’t work very well anyway as gold is simply a rare, precious metal that we can’t eat, wear or use unless you are into jewelry) but I am suggesting we create a new barter or credit system  that will balance the budget by returning to a goods/services economy.

·      STOP GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON WARS!  Did you know that 54% of your entire tax dollar goes into creating and sustaining wars?!  That’s $1,449 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!  Just think how we could use that money for programs such as sustainable/renewable energy systems, ecology, education, agriculture, housing, elderly and veterans welfare, holistic healthcare, childcare, human and animal resources, space research, etc.  Here’s a good question for you—do you feel safer having MORE nuclear weapons on the planet or LESS nuclear weapons on the planet?  (Duh!  I bet you can guess how I feel!)  I would campaign for a worldwide unilateral disarmament for 2012 (or Mother Earth may take action herself like she did on the Nuclear Energy Plants in Tokyo and Nebraska).

·      Increase taxes on “dirty” energy resources such as nuclear, coal, gas, oil, tar, etc. and provide government subsidies for clean energy resources such as wind, solar, geothermal and water.  If we don’t take IMMEDIATE ACTION to clean up our air, land and water—we will simply POISON OURSELVES INTO EXTINCTION!  It’s getting desperate now as we are killing off animal and plant species at a rate of 50,000 species a year!  This is an increase of nearly 1,000% over the past ten years!  Biodiversity is what makes this planet so unique and vibrant—just try to imagine that 10 years from now nearly half of all of the species will become extinct!  That’s if we don’t change the path we are currently on!  Many scientists blame it on overpopulation along with toxic air, water and land pollution.  I believe it is the mal-distribution of humans on the planet that is causing the problem—like toxic, out-of-control growth of cancer cells in Mother Earth’s body.  Therefore I would…

·      Establish more plant and animal sanctuaries for endangered species along with establishing more National Parks and Wildlife Preserves.  As for the rest of the Government-owned land…

·      Re-enact the homestead act of 1862.  The original Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862  and gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "Homestead" --typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River.  The law required three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title.  If I were president I would re-enact or rather enact a new Homestead Act providing 10 acres of undeveloped Federal or BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to qualified applicants such as honest, hard-working homesteaders, self-sustaining communitarians, welfare recipients, refugees from other countries, migrant workers with large families, inner city transients, etc—pretty much anyone who wants to get out of the inner cities/war zones and onto some farmable land.  I would also enact government subsidies for those wanting to develop self-sustainable communities and encourage large land-owners to sell their land at reasonable prices to homesteaders.  (Especially cattle-ranchers as this is a very economically and environmentally un-sustainable practice.  Besides, beef isn’t very healthy for you.)

·      Open up the borders to aliens (I’m not talking the “space-alien” type) who truly want to come to America to better their lives and not just get  government hand-outs.  Remember what it says on the Statue of Liberty?   This is America’s symbol of Liberty and Justice for ALL!  Diversity is what has always made America strong!

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

·      Regulate the AMA, PHARMA, the FDA, the BAR (British Accreditation Council), ADA, Monsanto, Insurance Agencies, Monopoly Corporations, etc. so that they don’t take advantage of the American Public.  De-regulate grass-roots enterprises such as sustainable energy systems, alternative transportation methods, holistic healthcare, non-hybrid seed growers, green housing, organic farming, etc.  Support Wiki-leaks in exposing the injustices on this planet so that groups like “Anonymous” don’t have to wage an internet war!

·      STOP THE WAR ON ETHNOBOTANICALS AND START A WAR ON CHEMICAL PHARMACUETICALS!  Think of all the money and lives we would save…and perhaps we might all become more enlightened in the process!

So anyway, that’s the list that I started today…and it could go on and on and on…but I’d love to hear from folks like you who have some “good” ideas on “what they would do if they were elected president.”  I would love to hear from you and add them to my list if you’d like.  BTW—I really don’t care if you agree or disagree with my ideas or not—that’s not the point.  The point is starting the process of thinking about and discussing ideas concerning “Recreating the American Dream” that frankly, has turned into a nightmare!