If you were president, or prime minister, or warlord, or whatever Options

[DoomedOne]

I figure everybody gets ideas on what they would try to implement if they got to be the big main dude. Balances of Power aside, what main laws and projects would you implement or at least try to implement.

If I were President, I'd be elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday. Couldn't resist. Anyway, firstly I hate my country's budget. I would make our military budget 1/10th what it is currently and focus most of that money on improving technology and training making instead of recruitment, keeping our aircraft carriers running on securing oil fields. I would put more money into education and being resubsidizing college to help expand the middle class in this country. I would spend a ton of money on technology development to help reduce green gas emission. I would cut the FBI budget in half, and cut the CIA and NSA out of the picture. Furthermore, because global warming will be in full swing populaces around the globe will need to be relocated constantly. A lot of money will have to go into that. It's okay though, if the military budget was cut we'd have the money. Also, public transportation would get a lot of money, too.

I would completely reformat our foreign policy so we have to respect sovereignty. Everything about Foreign Policy will change, especially how we trade with people. I would put a trade embargo on all nations that did not have living-wage laws. I would up our own minimum wage ot a living one. I would invest in study abroad programs because the best way to end racial/regional ignorance (which feeds support of wars in foreign countries) is to justg force people to deal with all types of people all the time.

90% of all undeveloped land would be declared untouchable national forests. Polution laws would go into effect far sgtricter than any we've seen before, pesticides would become illegal as well as synthetic nitrogen and other environmentally damaging addatives. Subsidies would be given to companies that implemented environmentally friendly technology and sold environmentally friendly products. Magnet trains and electric buses would slowly replace cars, etc...

NAFTA would be completely disbanded and rewritten in corrodination with the workers and environmental activists this time around. And if I really could, I'd disband company farms and help family farms replace them.

[Zelda_Zealot]

Well that works for me, you get my vote. Personally, I don't want to be in any position of power, so I don't know what I would do as President. One question, what is NAFTA?

[Dantrag]

NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement.

I actually agree with that one, though I will concede that it has been misused in many cases. (But what hasn't on this earth?)

EDIT: I'll come back with my 'if i were king' post

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Apr 17 2007, 02:25 AM

[Zelda_Zealot]

Gum, how can you misuse gum? Back on topic, what exactly does NAFTA do?

[Lord Revan]

NAFTA is made up of the U.S.A, Canada, and Mexico. We have a trade agreement amongst ourselves. Thus Mexico is our.... second? greatest trading partner. I'm not sure on the specifics, although we had to study it last year.

[Dantrag]

Gum, how can you misuse gum? Back on topic, what exactly does NAFTA do?

put it in someone's hair.

[Lord Revan]

If I were president (United States) I would absolutely be conservitive. Forget the liberals! The auto industry would be pushed to increase public transportation and decrease production of cars. (Come on, most families in foreign countries only have one car as opposed to three).

Hydroponics (in-door agriculture) would be encouraged, and the construction of Agri-platforms on the Pacific coast would become a major project. Prototype solar arrays would be tested for quaility, and space elevators would be invested to replace space shuttles.

I would set up a program within law enforcement that calls for bonuses and incentives for ex-army men to protect the homefront. Fema would be reformed (as of now it's pretty much a joke) with higher standards.
Money would be invested in hightening the living condition of Mexico (Heh, if we're willing to go help countries across the world.... And besides the EU did the same thing with Spain and everyone got something out of it!)

Foriegn languages courses would be incouraged, and the customary system of measurment will be replaced with the metric system (we tried to shift years ago but quit). Stricter use of government money will be required (look at the retirment of all the baby boomers, it will probably ruin our economy with all the insurance we're promising.

...... I'll come up with more later.

[Dantrag]

If I were President...

On the foreign front, I would not pull troops from Iraq, merely because we would be putting them in a terrible situation. I would try to use some funding to build different community type centers over there, in cooperation with their officials. Schools, hospitals, etc. Of course, we would still have to provide some defense, but I think that if the Iraqi people saw some good coming from our occupation, things would be smoother.

On the homefront, I would start by immediately repealing the Patriot Act. It's a terrible violation of our right to privacy. I'd try also to put forth more strict environmental laws as far as factories and automobiles go. I would also put more funding towards the research of alternate fuels.

I don't know how well this would work out, but I would also try to amend the Constitution so that elections were decided by popular vote instead of the electoral college (that would be abolished altogether) It's an outdated system anyway, designed to keep the educated landowners in power and the poor peasants out of it.

That's all I got for now.

[Pisces]

I'd remove taxes from the first $10'000 of income, put on carbon taxes, make it compulsory to pay for rubbish desposal rather than having it state funded, I don't see why small families pay so big buisness can put rubbish in their backyard, decreasing their property value and health. Make people have to pay for any other types of pollution equal to the damage they are doing (soil, water, air, chemical/health). Note this will increase cost of animal products.
Decriminalise using weed, meaning you can still get prosecuted for using weed so its still illegal, but you can't get a criminal record from prosecutions unless your doing something like dealing or supplying, seeing how that goes I would legalise its use for over 18s in cafes and allow it to be sold in small quantities per person for over 20s at liqour stores, still illegal to sell otherwise but obviously legal to grow to sell to cafes and liqour stores. Cafes would require a certain % of their profit to be from food/drink and couldn't sell weed past 9pm. Most of this is aimed at changing the drinking culture rather than to restrict weed.
Ban bottom trawling and put further restrictions on bycatch.
Ban the mining of coal and phase out coal sales, the coal industry is a SOE anyway so its not like I'm crushing any companies, and I'd put subsidies on renewable energy, especially solar water heating.
I'd move the oil to becoming a SOE so I can stop pollution be keep oil if we need it for something like a space project, I'd have no idea how NZ would get money for a space project but I'm thinking ahead.
Invest in developing green transportation technology, biofuel planes etc. This is important for NZ as although currently it takes less carbon to produce food in NZ and shipping it to US or UK than it does to produce food in the US or UK and supply locally, it won't stop the UK and US (err, UK, US isn't that progressive) putting food mile taxes on to reduce their carbon, punishing the good NZ for the actions of their own bad industry. It may shock all you to know that it is possible to power ships without carbon, yes I know, modern magic has allowed ships to be powered by...you won't believe this...WIND!!! Of course instead of sails a series of wind turbines across the ship as well as solar panels on the top to power electic engines.
I'd put a series of moves to ban slave made goods, alternatively I could legalise slavery, but its kinda silly having it in the middle like it is right now. I'd put in measures to increase fairly traded goods.
I'd increase animal rights, especially caged hens; and probably look at way at making meat industry more accountable, no kosher slaughterhouses killing meat in non kosher ways.
I'd put taxes on rainforest wood, and probably make a SOE looking into making a native forest industry (not in areas which already are native forest obviously).
If I were to disregard the public completely I would ban meat completely and use all the extra land as forest.

Oh, and of course I would ban anyone opposing me, declare war on outerspace and put a land claim on all other countries.

This post has been edited by Pisces: Apr 17 2007, 03:59 AM

[Priest of Sithis]

If I were President, I'd be elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday...(Wyclef John)

For real though, I would initiate War, until war destroyed itself, then humanity would revert back to its natural state. Only the strong survive. Leastways, only the strong with guns survive...

[jack cloudy]

Me, president? It would be the end of the world, period. Or the end of me, whatever comes first. I can't handle the press and the resulting stress not to mention I have no useable knowledge regarding politics whatsoever. Oh, and I'll either need sunglasses or ban the use of the flash in cameras.

[DoomedOne]

I kind of want to talk about what I'd do about drugs now.

All, even the most dangerous substances, will be legal, just some will only be legal with a prescription. Coca leaves would be legal in their natural form but the extracted form with the chemical addatives (i.e. cocaine) would remain illegal to purchase and own but there would be no punishment on anyone for owning a personal amount of any drug.

Drug use in public would remain illegal. There would be specific places meant for smoking marijuana, aptly named Joints. The FDA (which I would also overhaul because... it's rotten to the core) would test and control all recreational drugs to help inform the public on safe use and precautions. They'd be taxed and certified so you could make sure of certain things, like that medical marijuana for patients with low white blood cell counts doesn't contain any mold. Growing would be controlled so we wouldn't get Big Cannabis Companies like we have with Tobacco.

[Priest of Sithis]

Presidentiality or whatever you want to call it, is a troublesome thing.

Here are a few things I've thought about that humanity has lost in this day and age:
1)resiliency
2)closeness
3)dependency
4)loyalty, to some extent
5)freedom

These (objects) are what we could regain if an Anarchist State was achieved. However, I am no martyr or activist, simply an observer, and plus the Anarchist State is a paradox. Anyways, humanity is no longer the glorious success of reproduction, it is the gunk that stinks to the bottom of subway cars.

(I have very little faith in our Race)

[Pisces]

Presidentiality or whatever you want to call it, is a troublesome thing.

Here are a few things I've thought about that humanity has lost in this day and age:
1)resiliency
2)closeness
3)dependency
4)loyalty, to some extent
5)freedom

These (objects) are what we could regain if an Anarchist State was achieved. However, I am no martyr or activist, simply an observer, and plus the Anarchist State is a paradox. Anyways, humanity is no longer the glorious success of reproduction, it is the gunk that stinks to the bottom of subway cars.

(I have very little faith in our Race)

I also have little faith in our race, if we can't even feed ourselves when we have the food then we aren't exactly advanced and we still haven't escaped our basic animal instincts, philosophy my boat, sheep have more civil thoughts. But as for your list, anarchism is just tyrany and I haven't seen a good arguement for tyrany yet. Resilience has changed in its manor, don't forget how long people live these days in the developed world. Closeness, I think your ideals about a anarchial state is just ideals, I think you would find that people aren't anywhere near as close as you believe. Depedency, well, what do you call specialisation, or do you mean we have lost the ability to be helpless. Loyality, another thing where reality isn't the same as the ideal. Freedom, the only freedom we have lost is the freedom to use land, the amount of freedom in land use is obviously linked to how many people are using that freedom, in an anarchial state you can not do anything you want, who the hell is going to feed you for sitting around on a computer all day or learning to fly a plane, if you want to move country, you will die on the way.

Another thing I would do as Prime Minister is require a licence to own pet mammals with their genitals intact, any poor doggy walking about with his panda bear flopping inbetween his legs will be assumed to be stray. This is to reduce strays and the animal rights atrocities which go with strays, all land mammals are pests here, we can't have an ecosystem and strays so one has to go.

This post has been edited by Pisces: Apr 18 2007, 04:15 AM

[milanius]

This one's simple.
If I was a Prezzie, I'd thoroughly hamster everything up & leave for Caribbeans with substantial amount of $$$ before my head got chopped off by angry mob.

[GunsnArmor]

If I were president...

First thign I would focus on is polution. Any polluting of plastic, alluminum, rubber, glass, and cigaretts are a fine from 50$ to even 200$ (cigarettes being the highest). I would also invest in making a more efficient and none-polluting feul. Ethanol is not a worhty feul. If all fields in the United States were used to produce ethanol, it would only satisfy 12% of oil need in America. All it does is make the little people poor and ethanol producers rich.

I might invest in battery powered cars. A battery with enough electricity to carry a car as far as gasoline.

Secondly, I'd upgrade all oil factories while in wait for the electric-runned cars. In order to help lower the price and need of gas. I think it would be absolutely needed.

And damnit, MORE COWBELL!!!!

[Channler]

If I Were President

A short essay by Channler.

If I were President, I'd be lying, because I would be a dictator. Its silly to think that people can actually agree on something without the use, or the threatened use, or the combined use of force. Regardless...

People would be made accountable for their decisions. I am in no means saying that we should essential kill people by staving off their supply of food, but force them to actually earn it. You don't work, you don't eat. You don't feed your kids, then face the consequences of effective action. National project would be abound, like FDR's New Deal projects. We would erect statues, and build parks, dams, public transportation, etc. to earn your "living wage". After all, you do not no one should "give" you anything. Public transportation would be completely overhauled, and the Confederate Railways will be abolished.. because they are slow and inefficient.

A fair tax would be established upon the population, not related to your income. It is not right that someone who works hard for their money should have it taken away and given to someone who refuses to work. Equal percentage tax all the same. Big business however will be regulated and severely restriction if they do not comply with guidelines. IE: Oil companies and their "record profits" will loose their "record profits" for price gouging the population.

People convicted of crimes and serving in prison will be required to work in a job suitable to their crime. Petty theft = simple work with regular people. Murder = Any type of dangerous job we can find em'. Prisons will be self supportive by numerous means such as, but not limited too, farming, car repairs, laundry services, etc. By and through this prisoners will be educated and receive money upon their parole.

I do say with great regret, that militarily the budget will be lessened somewhat. Currently there are to many pork barrel projects that have limited use. The wars of the future will not be like that of the past and a new, smaller, better trained and equipped force is needed, not the large soviet era force. Start a SPARTAN program.

Diplomatically I honesty say, your either with me, or your against me. It makes no since to look out for those that want your neck, and therefor we won't. We would pull out of the UN, or threaten them severely with it (note: look and see how much the US pays the UN a year...) if offenders of human rights still get the head of the human rights committees (Chavez? Saddam?.. Thats like making Hitler in charge of it..).

Oh yea, and annex Mexico.. If they really want to come over here, don't worry, we'll come over there. I would shorten up the time it takes to become a US citizen. 10 years is way to long, 1 or 2 with a visa during that time seems great.

Theres prob more but I'm bored.

This post has been edited by Channler: May 30 2007, 09:46 PM

[Dantrag]

I would also pull out of the UN. What it was created for is great, what it actually does isn't so great. First, nobody respects the UN because it's a joke.

Bush went against the UN, nothing happened.

Hussein violated tons of UN resolutions; Bush happened.

Did the UN do anything? Nope. I think that the UN should have some sort of power so that people like Bush don't go rogue and ruin a country.

[Lord Revan]

Two words gentlemen: extraterrestrial intervention. Nothing brings people together like a third tyran... erm, player that kills both original sides. "Tyrants need bigger tyrants to stay in power".... or something like that *goes off to consult the book I read that quote from*

[Pisces]

Channler: Your policies seem extremely right wing and I can't help noticing that you are concerned about high unemployment. Right wing governments increase unemployment and left wing governments decrease unemployment, even in your policies I can see some which will increase unemployment.

I would also pull out of the UN. What it was created for is great, what it actually does isn't so great. First, nobody respects the UN because it's a joke.

Bush went against the UN, nothing happened.

Hussein violated tons of UN resolutions; Bush happened.

Did the UN do anything? Nope. I think that the UN should have some sort of power so that people like Bush don't go rogue and ruin a country.

The UN does extremely good work inspite of the US. If the UN hadn't been there then Hussein wouldn't have been held accountable for anything and invading Iraq would have resulted in a nuclear bomb being dropped on the invading forces. You want power taken away from voters and given to a cooperative of governments? Its not the UN's fault that the US voters don't hold their government accountable for breaches of common sense and good grace.