What would your dream America look like

[RM33]

I am curious about my fellow DU's. If I gave you a magic wand and you had complete control do remake America the way you would like. What economic policies, social policies and foriegn policies would you implement.

Please stay positive. Don't say something stupid like put Conservatives in concentration camps.

[LiberalLoner]

1. I'd make the whole society over into Missoula, Montana. n/t

[Cleita]

14. I've stopped over in Missoula many times between 1964 and 1998.

Am I missing something? I hardly find it a utopian paradise. I mean as far as American cities go, it's no worse than most but there are other places in Montana I would choose over Missoula. Or are you just kidding?

[LiberalLoner]

34. Not kidding. Missoula is actually very progressive. n/t

[LiberalLoner]

37. (Okay, I just really like Missoula...I'm biased, LOL....) n/t

[onehandle]

2. See France.

The burka thing aside, even their Conservative President would be our most Progressive President in history.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Nah. French fries suck

:hide:

[onehandle]

7. Waitress, send that man some 'freedom fries,' on me. nt

[Xipe Totec]

22. With a side of mayo, please nt

[awoke_in_2003]

32. how very Dutch of you

:hi:

[Xipe Totec]

3. Imagine...

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

[awoke_in_2003]

33. Very nice...

hopefully our species will evolve to the point of understanding Lennon's words

[LWolf]

36. My first thought. nt

[Oregone]

4. In the America I see....

"you're stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You will wear leather clothes that last you the rest of your life. You will climb the wrist thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. You will see tiny figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of an abandoned superhighway." - Tyler Durden

[Xipe Totec]

35. America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAoArleLZEk

[movonne]

6. I'm not sure...but I would look at the Nordic countries and take

some of their ideas...

[Warpy]

8. One where a person's work, whether dishwasher or mother,

would afford that worker a living wage and respect.

One where the Bill of Rights were fully restored.

One where opportunity wasn't allotted by birth, lavished on a few and restricted for everyone else.

One where people didn't live in constant fear that the bottom would drop out and they'd lose everything.

One where adults were treated as adults and allowed to make their own life decisions without government interference.

Finally, an America where the government stands with the people against the powerful.

[SocialistLez]

12. I am with you on

"One where people didn't live in constant fear that the bottom would drop out and they'd lose everything"

:applause: :applause:

[Warpy]

13. We're not going to see that one

until it already has. We won't see any of this until Congress is more afraid of angry mobs at the gate than they are of displeasing their corporate masters.

[Odin2005]

41. +1,000,000,000,000!

[tularetom]

9. CEO's would be paid twice what their employees earn

Health care would be administered through a single payer, government operated system.

Workers would get one month's paid vacation every year.

Money budgeted for school would exceed prison budgets.

There would be no restrictions on use of marijuana and ownership of firearms.

and

The crap produced in Nashville would no longer be referred to as "country music".

[doc03]

10. My dream for America would be the last 10 years were

were just a dream. When the SCOTUS appointed GWB President it was just about the worst thing ever in the history of the US. When Clinton left office we had a budget surplus, a good economy and no wars. The dim son of GHWB managed to totally reverse the direction of this country in 8 years. Now we have red ink as far as we can see, 9.9% unemployment, two senseless wars and an environmental disaster of epic proportions in the making. All of them can be placed squarely on GWB. I just can't comprehend how on earth Democrats could possibly lose any seats in Congress after the mess GWB and the Republicans has left us. I wish we were like Bobby Ewing when he woke up and the previous season was all just a bad dream.

[SocialistLez]

11. Where do I start?

Everyone who wants a job will have a job.
The job will pay AT LEAST $10-12 an hour, depending on where you live.
We will have a single-payer health care system similar to Canada's or a health care system like Germany's.

The richest 10% will have a tax rate of 80%.
Everyone will be free to join unions.
Big-box retailers will be rare.
100% of our energy would come from renewable resources
We would only go to war if we were attacked first.
We will focus more on diplomacy instead of warfare.

Higher education will be more affordable if not free, at least tuition would be free. Book and transportation vouchers will be available to those who display need.

We would have a national mass transit system.
We would have bike lanes that are physically separate from the car lane.


Everyone will be guaranteed at least 6 paid weeks off from work.
Parental or family leave is 1 year while being paid 60-75% of your salary. I include family leave because I don't want children but if I needed to take off work to care for my mom in her old age, I'd like that choice and including JUST parents is discrimination.

We would break up the monopolies in many industries.
Teacher pay would go up dramatically to attract the best and the brightest.
Every city/town will have curbside recycling.
Styrofoam would be made illegal or at least heavily taxed.

No more "War on Drugs" which is really a war on people of color.
Marijuana would be legalized and taxed.
The prison population would be substantially reduced and we'd have a prison system similar to Norwegians.

Political primaries would change every election year.
Corporations would be prohibited from forming PACs and contributing to political candidates.

We would end the revolving door from lawmaker to lobbyist.


That's it for now....

[RM33]

17. Cool response Socialist

Is there a country now that does what you say? Or close to it?

[SocialistLez]

25. Thank you

Well, I know the United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't guarantee parental leave. I always knew a lot of European countries gave parental leave where the parents get the majority of their salary when they're on leave. Canada actually has a parental leave policy.

You'd think the European birth rate would be higher because of their parental leave policy and the fact that SOME countries PAY people to have kids....

I think Sweden has physically separate bike lanes. I discovered this when doing research on bike lanes in other countries.

Higher education is more affordable in Canada and Europe, from what I've read and heard.

Norway is somewhat my ideal nation when it comes to progressive policies. At the same time, they're grappling with racism. It's pretty much a majority "white" country and they're not dealing well with brown people.

[Cleita]

19. Sounds good and I believe seventy percent of the American people

want the same things. When the teabaggers scream about taxes, I believe deep down they are screaming about how our taxes are spent. If our taxes were spent on social programs that everyone benefits from, they would be all for it. After all the teabaggers said that they didn't want anyone touching their Medicare. It's a program that they like that works for them and that makes good use of tax money.

The BIG problem is to get real representatives of the people elected back into government and get rid of the corrupt influence of big business. Maybe an amendment to the Constitution separating Wall Street, or big business from government like the separation of church and state (which incidentally needs to be enforced) would be a start. Any candidate with money ties and connections to industry would be ineligible.

[SocialistLez]

24. Yeah. I see your point on the teabaggers

One big reason why some socialists wants programs that benefit everyone is because it's much harder to dismantle a program that benefits everyone.

Teabaggers are upset at their taxes going to help OTHER people who they feel are lazy or whatever.
The book, "Why Americans Hate Welfare" takes the stance that a lot of Americans hate welfare because they feel it benefits lazy minorities.

There are SOME people who feel even Medicare, Social Security, etc. should be dismantled but I think they're in the minority of most Americans.

As much as I'd like to see corporate influence be banned, I still think we can have representational government if people were more informed. That's the biggest stumbling block. A lot of the media isn't digging into the ties between our representatives and corporate influence. When I say media, I mean mainstream media which most people are influenced by.

[Odin2005]

42. They are brainwashed to think most government spending goes to "black welfare queens".

The brainwashing works because there will always be a handful of people that exploit the system and make the news when caught. A now former coworker once told me how the BF of a friend of her's gets SSDI, but gets away with working because he is paid under the counter in cash. Stories like that get repeated over and over and are exploited by the right.

[RM33]

58. Good point

Besides the fact that the tea people feel that they are paying to help the poor. I think that choice is equally important.

I never see Conservatives complain about the public library. Why? Because they don't have to use it. If they want a book that can get it from the Barnes and Nobles. When they heard the words single payer, they went nuts. Sure they will benefit from a single payer system, but because they will be forced to use the system, they became mad as hell. You see the same anger about the public school system. Lack of choice.

I figure, if a program has freedom of choice and can benefit all, then fewer complaints. They ability to opt out is important to Conservatives.

[bobbolink]

30. That's it? So, people who are too old, too sick or too injured to work...

Its ICE FLOE for them?

[Odin2005]

43. And the disabled! Don't forget us!

[bobbolink]

49. I think that ship sailed... a long time ago.

Forgotten? That would imply we were ever on their agenda.

(psst.... too old, too sick, too injured ARE disabled....I just spelled it out for them.)

[Name removed]

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[Odin2005]

55. I wasn't insulted.

:shrug:

[Name removed]

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[Cleita]

15. I would like America's vast open spaces turned back to

what they were like before the Europeans arrived. Prairies running with buffalo, dams and levees removed and wildlife allowed to return. We don't really need that much space to build and farm in and we have enough cities for that. I would definitely end urban sprawl and dune buggies, ATVs and jet skis in wilderness areas. I'm sure there are some man made places that these things could be done.

[Lyric]

16. Absolute equality under the law.

A cease to the upward redistribution of wealth and VASTLY increased social services and public assistance programs, to be paid for with taxes on the rich and a reduction in defense spending.

Multiple viable political parties, representing We The People much better than the Big Two ever could, with a runoff system that requires coalition-building in order to take the reins of power.

Vastly improved public transit systems that are safe, reliable, and clean.

Less focus on building wealth and more focus on living well.

A cease and a reversal of the ominous encroachment of religiously-rooted "morality" into secular government and bureaucratic regulations.

Public ownership of resources, land, and industries vital to national security.

[Jkid]

18. My dream America would be this.

There would be a new constitution, based on the best provisions in various constitutions in the world: South Africa, Venezuela, Germany, Japan, Korea, Russia and many others. The constitution would declare that the US is a "democratic, socialist, participatory and self-reliant, multiethnic and multicultural society in a just, federal and decentralized State that embodies the values of freedom,life, liberty ,happiness ,independence, peace, solidarity, the common good, civil peace ,the nation's territorial integrity, comity and the rule of law for this and future generations". The constitution would adopt the proposed Economic Bill of Rights as well.

Starting with this constitution would all reforms in America will shape from, everything from law reform, economic, and social reforms.

[bobbolink]

31. FDR's Economic Bill Of Rights, where everyone is entitled to a home?

That would be refreshing.

:hi:

[troubledamerican]

46. The New Deal would be refreshing. Glass-Steagall would be a start.

[randr]

20. Pepper Land

[RB TexLa]

21. No tax breaks for getting married or having children. You pay for your lifestyle choices yourself.

[SocialistLez]

26. Hmmm....

I know very few people going around having kids just for the tax break.
At the same time, I think we need to incentive people to NOT have kids and that goes for EVERY country.

Negative population growth is necessary if we want to keep living on this planet.
I don't worry about climate change for the planet's sake, I worry about it for OUR sake.

As far as no tax breaks for getting married....uhm. Sure, why not?
I'd like to get the government out of the marriage business all together.

[Mari333]

23. go back about 400 years. that would be it.

[Morning Dew]

27. Put Conservatives in concentration camps.

:evilgrin:

[PassingFair]

28. Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too...

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

[caty]

29. Separation between

church and government. I would want more ethics and compassion in our country and let the selfish and hateful attitudes stay in the churches.

[Taitertots]

38. Universal National Health care

Ginni coefficient around .1
End the wars of aggression
Prisons that actually help the people inside
Reform to end predatory lending, no interest rate jumps on credit cards
Public transport that is effective and doesn't reek like urine
100% recyclable/reusable packaging and dunnage
Personal vehicles that are powered by environmentally neutral sources.

[Motown_Johnny]

39. I would implement real time fact checking on all debate points and label all opinion pieces

in every media so that people know that it is an opinion being expressed and not a fact.


If that isn't enough then I don't know what is.

[Odin2005]

40. Replace the corporate system with co-ops.

Introduce publically-financed elections, instant-runoff voting, and Proportional Representation in the Senate.

Cut the Pentagon budget by half. This actually won't really affect the military that much because there is so much "Defense Spending" that is just corporate welfare "designing" useless gadgets that will never be used on a battlefield.

Institute a Single-Payer Healthcare system.

Decriminalize drug use, legalize and tax marijuana, ecstasy, and LSD.

Legalize same-sex marriage.

Raise taxes on high-income earners, lower income taxes for everyone in the bottom 3rd of income.

Institute a Carbon Tax

Abolish all sales taxes except for a luxury tax.

Require that all "sin taxes" go to healthcare spending.

Invest heavily in renewables, nuclear energy, and electric automobiles.

Start a nation-wide high-speed rail system

Ban any new offshore oil drilling.

Put a stiff tariff on any country with a poor labor and environmental record.

Raise the minimum wage to $11/hr.

Massively increase education spending. Create a system of alternative schools for disabled, gifted, and/or disturbed students. Invest in using the Internet to aid education. Create a system to support parents that wish to do homeschooling as long as it is religion-free.

[old mark]

44. Co-operative rather than competitive system - pay and benefits more equalized,

with a maximum of maybe 5x from the bottom to the top, including a guaranteed income, retirement and health benefits that worked.
Basic education that emphasized thinking instead of job prep, with free schools to anyone who was able to utilize them - including good trade schools through post doc.
Emphasis on the sanctity of the individual and the worth and integrity of each human life - REAL pro-life!
NO religious influence in politics or government, tax on all church property.
People in the US who REALLY love their country - including it's real ideals, potential and all its people.

That's my starting point and I KNOW I will never see any of it - but you asked for dreams...


mark

[troubledamerican]

45. Greece's "Riot Dog" will be the portrait on my monetary currency

[Mojeoux]

47. Right On for Riot Dog

Dog is God in a mirror.

[midnight armadillo]

48. It would be paved from sea to shining sea

None of those fucking irritating plants anywhere.

[unlegendary]

50. Golly..while this is magic want moment

Anyone who screamed about taxes would have to first bring proof they actually paid any tax that year..$100 a year wouldn't qualify..It's tough to whine that someone else MIGHT be getting 2 cents of YOUR taxes when the vast majority really goes to pay for the stupid wars they backed.. Who do these morons think are going to pay for these wars? No taxes...no wars..That seems simple, huh?
Concentration camps? Wouldn't that mean they can actually concentrate? Kind of an oxymoron..conservative and concentrate should never be in the same sentence. Education camps I could go for when people begin pushing their buy-bull down my throat and wanting laws changed to reflect their religious preferences when they have zero proof any of it ever happened as they claim. Then again.. Heck, it's MY magic want.. Those idiots wouldn't even exist..*poof* ..away with your silliness and your by-bull..bye-bye-buy-bull thumpers!
The only people permitted to carry a gun would have to first prove need and not just a desire to pretend they're tougher than Rambo.
Free food stores everywhere in every town where nobody has to show ID and where they live and their last pay stubs and all the rest of the malarkey some require and NOBODY would have to pray to eat.
NO political ads that have any subjective or made up content. ALL ADS would be first required to prove ALL claims with REAL fact checkers before aired.
Nobody could own more land than they could actually use for something productive and all open land not in use could be used to house anyone on a temporary basis when needed.
Mudslinging TV "talk" shows would be gone.. Oh I could go on and on.. I say we start a new political party and scream, "I WANT A MAGIC WAND...NOW DAMMIT!"

[Greyhound]

51. K&R. Want to read this later. n/t

[treestar]

54. Complete economic safety net

Paid for by the rich and upper middle class - if they go Galt, good riddance.

Stop being world policeman - no more wars - if we don't have enough oil, we come up with another way, or pay the people who have it fair price for it - no wars (or excuses made to have wars) in order to get our hands on it.

Equal treatment for Mexicans as Canadians get. Realistic immigration laws.

Scrap No Child Left Behind and testing and let teachers teach kids again.

Subsidize college for more students.

Subsidize or fund birth control and make abortion a mute issue.

[Festivito]

56. Oh my, I'd have too much fun. ....

Re-emphasize that we are a people, and the people are the governing force behind any representative.

Re-emphasize that we are not perfect nor is our union and that we should never forget: that whatever we do whatever we create, we must acknowledge as imperfect.

Rebuild our justice system to make it more just. It is not.

Allow for national plebiscites when Congress cannot decide an issue or whenever the people petition for one.

Mandate that if a representative or official breaks with the Constitution, continuance as representative requires a vote of the people.

Empanel juries to decide procedural motions of fairness in all parts of society, courts, media, workplace disputes, ... whenever disagreements arise and require on a rotating basis that the people spend a day awaiting a local call of duty at least every, say, five years. Even if you're rich.

... Oh, that's enough for now, I'll start to have too much fun.

[Name removed]

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