Now for something completely different

[Camino LS6]

Let's try to take the political discourse up a notch in this thread, shall we?

Forgetting the personalities and parties involved, what do you want to see/expect from, our next president and congress?

Issues only, please.

[Drew Dowdell]

I thought we tried this once already.

For me, it's the national debt.

[ocnblu]

National Security is an important issue for me.

[Camino LS6]

I thought we tried this once already.

For me, it's the national debt.

I think we need a refresher. :AH-HA_wink:

Energy Independence!

[Drew Dowdell]

Ocnblu's depends on both your and my wishes coming true.

[Camino LS6]

Ocnblu's depends on both your and my wishes coming true.

True enough.

[balthazar]

What I want to see, and what I expect to see are a few thousand miles apart.

I would love to see a fiscal conservative tackle waste, corruption, fraud & the U.S. Kickback Association. Medicare/ Medicaid fraud runs $110B per year yet less than 5% of claims are audited. A recent analysis of federal programs resulted in 22% having no discernable benefits or effects on the public whatsoever.

After that, I would love to see term limits across the board (yes: Congress), plus,

> accountability / automatic criminal prosecution of guilty politicians

> an overall reduction in government employees by 25% to start.

> debundling of legislation (ie: the elimination of pork)

> the suspension of all foreign aid until the budget deficit is eliminated.

Like I alluded to; I do not expect to see this from either potential candidate, and in some instances I DO expect that item to worsen.

[Camino LS6]

What I want to see, and what I expect to see are a few thousand miles apart.

I would love to see a fiscal conservative tackle waste, corruption, fraud & the U.S. Kickback Association. Medicare/ Medicaid fraud runs $110B per year yet less than 5% of claims are audited. A recent analysis of federal programs resulted in 22% having no discernable benefits or effects on the public whatsoever.

After that, I would love to see term limits across the board (yes: Congress), plus,

> accountability / automatic criminal prosecution of guilty politicians

> an overall reduction in government employees by 25% to start.

> debundling of legislation (ie: the elimination of pork)

> the suspension of all foreign aid until the budget deficit is eliminated.

Like I alluded to; I do not expect to see this from either potential candidate, and in some instances I DO expect that item to worsen.

Can't argue with you on that. Maybe I should have clarified what I meant by "expect".

I was thinking in terms of expecting something from them in the way you might "expect " your child to do better in school.

[ocnblu]

Drew, you know very well the context in which my post was meant. You and Camino's issues are tangential to mine, not central. Please refrain from trying to "show me the light". Thanks.

[Drew Dowdell]

Drew, you know very well the context in which my post was meant. You and Camino's issues are tangential to mine, not central. Please refrain from trying to "show me the light". Thanks.

I think your issue is the greater goal that encompasses the smaller goals that Camino and I have. What's your problem with that?

[ocnblu]

OK then, I will explicitly spell it out for you in the context in which it was meant: we need a strong military that is ready to protect our interests abroad and keep us safe here at home. Edited October 7, 2008 by ocnblu

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm on board with that.... just fund it wisely/prudently and eliminated spending on many of these crazy military projects.

[ocnblu]

Yes, please, no more "Gay Bombs".

[loki]

Rule of law:

that will solve our debt, increase competition, decrease gov size, get us back to gold/silver, (got $20 on the way)

I guess we'd have to go through all past laws and scrap all that contradict earlier ones...if those early laws are actually legal too.

Edited October 7, 2008 by loki

[Camino LS6]

I don't want to turn this thread into a "wish list", but there are so many things that we could be doing so much better.

I guess I just see energy independence as something whose time has come and I don't want to see another opportunity lost.

It's a strike-while-the-iron-is-hot bit of thinking on my part.

That's why I chose it as my lead issue.

[balthazar]

Nothing wrong with energy independance in the least, and agreed- let's get the wheels turning now.

Unfortunately... with the banks all having lockjaw... I foresee another bad stumble. The Gov sure doesn't have any more $$ to dole out and the private Co's can't get the funding. Anyone who puts a timetable mandate on this to look good is only going to force another 'rescue' bill to pay for it, and as of last year, I already work thru May 7th just to pay taxes.

[DetroitNut90]

A healthy dose of minding our own business would go a long way. Our policy of "bringing democracy" to other nations is like the religious trying to make us all pray to their diety. The end result is the same - the missionaries become hated by the "heathens."

Bite the bullet and allow marriage become an institution between two parties that both give informed consent. The idea by any other name, IMO, is akin to separate-but-equal treatment, which has supposedly been out of practice for some time now. And for heaven's sake, marriage ceased to be a solely religious practice the moment the government stepped in and gave the newlyweds tax breaks and other legal protections. So it's the government's responsibility to either a) guarantee that everyone is equal under the law, or b) rescind the tax/legal benefits of all married couples and return it to being a religious-only practice. Or at least, that's my interpretation.

Fiscal responsibility and stability, on a grand scale. I guess that could tie into minding our own business, since it would eliminate the parts of our budget devoted to "bringing democracy" to the world.

[Camino LS6]

Points taken.

[loki]

Bite the bullet and allow marriage become an institution between two parties that both give informed consent.

no offense, but marriage has always been a religious thing...trouble began once the Gov got into it (mainly for incest reason, right?)... gov marriages are technically "legal unions"...they'd just have to expand what "unions" mean....or get out of the "business".

[Camino LS6]

On that front, seems to me that the gov't should "get out of the businesss".