The foundation is built upon the principle that you get what you pay for. And modeled on the stock market/investment market belief that what is spent now should yield a return in the future.
So, the top few issues Americans are concerned about are the economy, jobs, and education.
The first four planks on my platform will assist in all three.
1) Repeal the tax law that allows deductions to American businesses on the income tax they pay for their foreign workers. We should not be subsidizing the export of American jobs. In that same vein, any American based company that has more than 40% of its workforce employed in foreign lands, will pay a "foreign employer tax" on each of those employees.
2) Make it illegal to knowingly or unknowingly employ an illegal alien. Offer training and a decent salary to out of work Americans to become Work Force Investigators. Every county can have as many as they need to cover the territory, obviously some will need more than others. First offense would result in a $10,000 fine. Second offense (like drug dealers) confiscation of the business and all its assets, to be sold a public auction, profits split between city, county, state and federal government. (once the demand for this position dies down, the workers can be transitioned into monitoring the visa program below)
3) Provide six month migrant worker visas which would allow the current farm/harvesting crews to continue to work. At the end of the six month period, the migrant must return to where he/she got the visa and reapply. Failure to do so means he/she will never be allowed to have another visa and will be deported.
4) Provide funds for colleges to hire more and pay more salary for nursing instructors. Let's get these people on 2-4 year waiting lists into nursing school. Then expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to every county and to every mother who wants to participate (example, in this county it is limited to first time mothers on Medicaid). Once we have a previous at-risk generation pass through this program, we should see a reduction in use of social programs, child neglect and abuse, and alcohol and drug use. We should see an increase in young mothers finishing high school, delaying subsequent pregnancies, and young fathers remaining involved with their children. This will improve educational results and decrease crime rates.
Yes, I know it is expensive, but we will save much money down the road. More Americans will be employed, paying taxes, and buying goods. This is the key to a strong economy.
Thor sez: Where's the blaming? Where're the put downs? Where're the lies and half truths? You call that a political campaign?
8 comments:
Hm... let's see... with your plan, the American working class would earn a decent living wage while the CEOs and shareholders would rake in slightly less... this would begin to close the gap between the super-rich and the dirt poor... maybe create a kind of "middle" class...
The lesser of two evils is still evil which is why I tend not to vote for Democrats or Republicans. I'm willing to listen once you flesh out your platform a bit more. :-)
Get rid of the IRS. Institute a 23% sales tax to replace
Witholding tax.....no need to file on April 15
Mike, I'm leaning toward "The Common Sense Party" or the "Quit the Bullshit Party".
Anon - I do like the idea of eliminating the federal income tax and instituting a flat tax. The only qualm I have with it is that I used to be a very poor working class mother who at times had as little as $25 a week to feed the family. Sales tax really, seriously, hurt. (Like I used to sell my plasma to buy vitamins for my child because I couldn't afford the best food). There would have to be some layering of the tax rate so that it didn't make the working poor poorer.
Sure it would feel good (for some) to get rid of the IRS. After all, nobody really likes the IRS. But would you really want minimum-wage Walmart employees be our nation's tax collectors?
And you're right, Janet, a sales tax is unfair to the poor. After all, if you make $20,000, you will most likely spend $20,000. 100% of your income is taxed. You make $100,000, you might spend $50,000. Hmmm...
Yeah, a flat tax sounds nice, but it doesn't work the way you want it to. We're stuck with the IRS, we just need to make the tax laws better and, yes, stop giving tax breaks to corporations for outsourcing jobs, among other things. OTOH, I'm not so sure it isn't better for us in the long run to have a true global economy where people in other countries also get to have a middle class. That's one of those things that happens down the road, although it hurts us in the short run.
I think we'd be running into some unintended consequences with some of your proposals. For example, if CA farmers can't hire illegal immigrants and have to start paying minimum wage and all those benefits and stuff, guess whose produce prices go up? Not saying this is good or bad, I'm just sayin'.
Also, I think an employer who can prove a good faith effort to verify citizenship should be given a pass.
Otherwise, let me know when you run for President, I'll vote for ya.
Sharon - that's where the migrant worker visa program comes in. Put them at the border, photograph and fingerprint them, put them on a bus to their first job site. Eliminates the danger of using coyotes to sneak in. Gives us some control over the influx (honest people wanting to work will get a visa, letting border patrol focus on the bad guys). Employers just have to ask for the work visa and know the worker has permission to be working in the country.
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