The next President of the United States; YOU!

[DaveinJapan]

Okay, so this is a hypothetical for learning and sharing purposes, I'll try to keep it really simple.

A new party has swept into America, led by YOU, and in 2012 (just for the sake of keeping it relatively current) you are now the President and you have substantial majorities of lawmakers in Congress from your new party who, while not a bunch of automatons, basically support your agenda fully and will follow your lead within reason (let's say you've got 60 REAL votes in the Senate, the minority can not stop you from passing legislation).

So keep it relatively current, assume we've still got some wars going on and no significant health care etc., and also for the sake of keeping it real the minority is toothless but vocal, and they hate you and everything you stand for. If you screw up, they will find a way to appeal to the American people and boot you out...so you've got just 2 years to make your move and keep everyone happy enough to re-elect you and members of your party.

What agenda would YOU follow? What would you push for? What would you avoid? How would you pay for it? How would you counter those who are against your agenda?

Feel free to focus on just one aspect (international relations, global warming, medicare, etc...), or the whole enchilada, or anything in between.

[FSogol]

1. Federally subsidize college education for everyone willing to spend 2 years

in either the military, coast guard, peace corps, working for the National Park Service, in the expanded Americorp, or a newly created Teacher Corps which would place teaching aides and assistants in schools across the country. Then on the second day, I would....

[Mari333]

2. I would

cut the defense budget by 2/3.
and have data to back me up, by showing every cent that is mis spent by defense contracters and shady deals.
and I would outlaw lobbyists right off the bat.
and donations to politicians over 100 dollars by corporations.
I would also have huge armed guards protecting me from being offed by Xe mercenaries who are about to lose their jobs.

[DaveinJapan]

3. Works for me. :)

Actually I figured out that you could slash it by even more than 2/3...a full 75% of the budget could be eliminated while still keeping America spending DOUBLE what the next biggest spender puts into their military.

I would assume that the first order of business would be to get out of the war business though. THEN you can make such cuts (in a perfect world).

Thanks for your contribution! Good stuff.

[timeforpeace]

4. Mumble some empty platitudes that sound like promises for hope and change.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. I'm a naturalized citizen

So it can't be me.

Amending that provision in the Constitution would be terribly wrong and evil. I know, because I read something about that on DU.

Not to mention that I'm an atheist.

[Odin2005]

6. Mine:

Regulation and trust-busting of big business.

Re-regulation of the financial industry.

Enact a law protecting the right to unionize

Raise the minimum wage to $10/hr, adjusted for inflation

Raise Capital Gains taxes to 50%

Raise Corporate taxes to 50% for large businesses, 40% for medium-sized business, and 35% for small businesses.

Raise the taxes on the highest income tax bracket to 60%

Enact a Carbon Tax

Simplify the system of tax deductions, get ride of the many deductions that are give-aways to special interests

Start construction of a national high-speed rail system.

Invest in renewable and nuclear energy

Enact a Single-Payer healthcare system

Enact a nation-wide community-based approach for caring for the disabled and mentally ill in their own homes when possible, like in Minnesota. Institutionalization should be discouraged.

Legalize same-sex marriage nation-wide.

Legalize usage of drugs, legalize the sale of marijuana.

Lower the drinking age to 18.

Mandate that states provide special alternative schools and/or homeschool tutoring resources for students that are gifted, that have learning disabilities, and/or have autism spectrum disorders.

Provide subsidies to low income schools.

Subsidize technology and software for schools to male learning more interactive.

provide free 2-year post-secondary education for anyone, free 4-year for graduates with a B grade average.

Enact tariffs on countries that violate labor and environmental standards or engage in currency manipulation.

Increase funding for Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and Green Engineering.

Triple funding for NASA

Cut useless pork projects out of the defense budget.

Make elections publicly-financed

Restrict the activities of lobbyists

Ban electronic voting machines.

Mandate instant runoff voting for elected federal offices.

Eliminate the Electoral College by constitutional amendment.

Make Election Day a national holiday.

[kentuck]

7. First thing I would do is bring home the troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

and tell those countries that our door is open if they ever need assistance from us. They will only have to ask us for assistance. But, our troops have to come home. We will remain your friends.

Then I would attack the job crisis. We need jobs for people, even if they are created by the Government. We, the People, are the Government. I would start this program immediately.

I would be a Democrat but I would not govern as a Democrat. I would govern as an American. We are all Americans.