If I Became President
If I was elected President of the United States one of the
first things I would do would be to schedule a retreat with House and Senate
leaders of both parties and my Cabinet.
We would identify (1) National Security Issues and (2) Domestic Issues
by Priority.
I then would schedule semi-monthly or monthly meetings with
House and Senate leaders of both parties.
Meetings would take place alternately at the White House and at a
location of their choosing. The first
meetings would focus on working through issues that would seem easy to
resolve. We would then move forward to
tougher issues.
Platform and
Positions
Abortion
The matter of abortion is settled law. I believe that abortion matters should be
left up to the states. However, I am
personally against abortion except in certain rare cases (which I will discuss
below) and I would support challenges to abortion and direct that the Solicitor
General to join in those challenges.
I believe that abortion should be permitted in the case of
the likelihood that continued pregnancy would endanger the health and life of
the mother. I also would support
abortion in the case of incest or rape.
I would continue to support funding for women’s health
(clinics) with the exception of abortion, but would permit funding in those
instances when the health and life of the mother is endangered or in the case
of incest or rape.
I would seek criminal sanction against any person who
falsified information to obtain an abortion or to provide an abortion.
Gay Marriage
The matter of gay marriage is settled law. However, I believe that the issue of gay
marriage is a matter that should be left up to the individual states. States issue marriage licenses, not the
federal government. States should
therefore be left to define marriage as they see fit and as determined by the
voice of the people. No court should
overrule the voice of the people on the definition of marriage.
States choosing to not solemnize gay marriages should
recognize those marriages performed in states that authorize gay marriage.
States choosing to not solemnize gay marriages should
provide a legal means of joining domestic partners that will entitle them to
the same benefits of male and female married couples, including tax benefits,
housing, employment, and so forth.
No person, serving either in a civil position or in a
religious ministerial position should be required to perform a gay marriage.
No person, organization, government agency, business,
industry, educational institution shall discriminate against a person for
holding a position or publicly or privately advocating a position against gay
marriage. No person, organization,
government agency, business, industry, educational institution shall
discriminate against a person for holding a position or publicly or privately
advocating a position in favor of gay marriage.
Enhanced Criminal
Penalties
Except in the case of a police officer, fire fighter,
emergency medical technician, or other emergency first responder, no enhanced criminal
penalties should be given because an action took place as a result of “hate” or
because of a victim’s so-called protected class. Hate is hate.
Crime is crime and it is motivated by any number of factors.
Education
How best to educate our children is best left to states and
local communities. However, certain
minimum education standards should be met.
How children get there should be left up to local communities, parents,
and educators. Post-secondary schools
should make their expectations for admission and success clearly known and
should be the backbone of high school student advising.
Not every student should be expected to continue education
at a college or university. We should
put as much emphasis on trade and technical training as we do college education
and encourage employers to provide employee improvement for those who seek it
who enter employment after high school and with no other formal training or
education.
Social Security
Thou shalt not borrow from Social Security funds to fund
anything other than the earnings of those who have paid into Social
Security. Thou shalt immediately return
borrowed money from Social Security to that fund. Any questions? If so, read the first two sentences of this
section.
Welfare
The country has an interest in the welfare of its children
and those who cannot provide for themselves.
Able bodied recipients of welfare will be required to work according to
their education and skill level. Welfare
assistance will be given to those who cannot work, which includes those who are
disabled, aged, or otherwise incapacitated or incapable of working. Those who are capable of working but choose
to not work will be denied welfare assistance.
Those who have children and are capable of working but choose to not
work will be removed from welfare and the children will be placed under
guardianship. Those capable of working
and willing to work but are unable to obtain work will be put to work on public
works projects and at the same time
be enrolled in accredited training or educational programs that will likely
lead to employment. A condition of
receiving welfare and/or being permitted to participate in public works
projects is the continuous passing of drug screening tests.
Veterans Affairs
Any veteran honorably discharged from the military is
entitled to a healthcare system equal to or better than that of the private
citizen. Veterans will be cared for
(housed, fed, employed, educated) before non-veterans, welfare recipients,
immigrants, and illegal immigrants.
Other benefits as currently exist shall
not be denied, curtailed, or abridged.
Immigration
Part I
Immigration rates shall be rolled back to 1975 and shall
remain there unless and until all illegal immigrations have been resolved.
Legal immigrants shall be admitted based first upon the need
of the nation and the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the immigrant
applicant, second upon humanitarian concerns, and third, others wishing to
immigrate to the United States. All
immigrants must undergo a rigorous background investigation, report to an
immigration office on a monthly basis, learn and speak English, and be
gainfully employed.
Part II
Foreign residents and foreign permanent residents who are
not applying for citizenship must be gainfully employed to the extent that they
can provide for themselves and their family all 12 months of the year. They must also pay all state, local, and
federal taxes that any citizen is required to pay. They shall have medial insurance either paid
by their employer or their own policy or the means to pay for their own medical
care. Their minor children shall be
enrolled in school.
So-called “anchor babies” will be entitled to United States
citizenship, but will also be considered to have dual citizenship with the
primary citizenship in the homeland of their parents. The citizenship of their parents shall be
considered as their primary citizenship. Nothing in their citizenship status shall
entitle their parents to any rights and responsibilities other than what are
given them as legal non-citizen residents.
No non-citizen legal resident will hold any public office of any state, local, federal government, school
district, and boards and commissions. No
non-citizen legal resident will be entitled to vote or contribute to any person
seeking elected office.
Part III
Illegal immigrants who have continuously been in the United
States for seven years and (1) are gainfully employed, (2) never been convicted
of a felony, misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, or DWI, (3) and are
sponsored by three natural born United States citizens of good report, and (4)
provide proof of paying taxes for at least five of the past seven years, shall
report to any border crossing within 365 days and apply for admission to the
United States for either citizenship or legal residence. Those who have not paid taxes or cannot prove
that they have paid taxes shall enter into an agreement to pay back-taxes as a
condition of citizenship or legal residency.
Any illegal immigrant who has served in any branch of the
Armed Forces of the United States and has been honorably discharged from the
military may immediately apply for citizenship of the United States.
Illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for
six years and 364 days or less but more than one year shall report to the
nearest border crossing and return to his or her country of origin. Upon the person’s return to the country of
origin, that person may apply for citizenship or legal residency, which shall
be granted upon meeting the conditions outlined for illegal immigrants who have
been in the United States for seven years or more.
Illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for
364 days or less at the time of the enactment of this provision shall be deported.
Part IV
Temporary work visas should be made available to those
seeking employment in the United States in locations and fields of employment
that are difficult to fill by residents.
Second Amendment
The right of the people to own, possess, and bear arms shall
not be infringed. There shall be no
restrictions on the ownership and possession of revolver and semi-automatic
handguns, rifles, shotguns, and rifles except for those convicted of felonies
and domestic violence.
Military
As president I will rely upon the advice of senior military
officers from all five branches of the military to determine strength to
protect the interests of the United States worldwide.
Science and Technology
I would increase funding to NASA and get us to the moon
again as a preparatory step for getting us to Mars. It isn’t that getting to Mars is important as
it is the technological advances that would come as a result of overcoming the
obstacles to get there.
Foreign Policy
I will not apologize for the actions of the United States in
protecting its people and its interests around the world. I will not apologize to the world for United
States Citizens exercising their First Amendment Rights.
Foreign Aid, if given will go first to those
nations with a proven track record of friendly status with the United States.
Humanitarian Aid will be given first to African nations. The Government will not stand in the way of churches and
non-profit organizations in sending humanitarian relief to nations friendly to
the United States. Humanitarian Aid will
be given first to sustain life but with the primary focus on nations receiving
humanitarian aid to become self-reliant.
The United States will provide oversight of aid
distribution.
We will hunt down and destroy any terrorist organization
that threatens the United States or its NATO allies.
The United States will sit on the world stage and make its
presence known. While benevolence will
be a watchword for the United States, we will not be bullied.
The United States will pay its fair share for membership in
the United Nations. It will not cover
the costs of non-paying nations. The
United States will not agree to any action by the United Nations that infringes
on Constitutional, human, and natural rights of its citizens. The United States will use its veto power
to block any action that is contrary to its interests.
When the majority of the citizens of the United States votes
to resign its seat in the United Nations, the United States will affect such
withdrawal. The building, property, and
all offices associated with the United Nations will be seized and become
property of the United States government.
Executive Orders
Executive Orders will be issued for the purpose of
delivering services consistent with good business practices and not with the
intent of subverting Congress and meeting some political goal.
States Rights and
Rights of the People
As President I will work with the House of Representatives
and the Senate to return as many rights to the states and the people as is
consistent with the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution.
