On the eve of the new year, I am formally announcing my intent to run for President of the United States of America. In a year where much will be decided on sound bites and opinion without fact, where the real issues will go ignored and unanswered, I am joining the race to the White House.
My chances at success are slim. I have no funding. I have no organization behind me. My campaign staff is non-existent, and most importantly, I'm not on a single ballot anywhere at this moment. Uphill? The cliff is sheer and slick to be sure.
But, as an American I have the Constitutionally given right to try, and try I shall.
My platform is below. Much was discussed previously in 2004 and my positions on those issues have not changed.
There is too much government, too much graft, too much corruption, and too little done for us and our children. My intent is to force that change and bring the governing of this great nation under the true control of "We The People".
Abortion:
Support womans right to abortion.
Stem Cell Research:
Support research into ways to do this in an manner not requiring embryonc destruction
Cloning:
Support research into cloning and the development of laws to prevent and punish abuses.
Drug Policy / War:
- Legalize Marijuana and add "sin" taxes to help fund drug treatment programs and health reform.
- Use increased border patrols and higher inspections to minimize trafficking.
Death Penalty:
- Against
Supreme Court:
- Select Judges committed to law, civil rights, and strengthening the Constitution.
State Fiscal Crisis:
- Encourage States to get "Lean and Mean". Cut the fat and reduce "do-Nothing" patronage jobs.
Economy/Taxes:
- Simplify the existing tax system.
- Explore the idea of a combination flat tax and national sales tax.
- Work to encourage technical trades to use American workers rather than farming out their tech jobs to Asia.
- No tax cuts unless they come from a revised tax code.
- Run government like a business, with tight controls on spending and require justification for expenditures.
- Remove 'Special Interest' controls from the budget process.
Election Reform:
- Strong controls and limits on lobbyists, PACs, and SIGs.
- Denounce "Mud Slinging" and "Smear" politicking.
- Level playing field to encourage formation and inclusion of "third" parties, including establishing fair guidelines for inclusion in debates, funding and other "givens" that the 2 majority parties now enjoy.
Education:
- Revamp existing funding structure and encourage private investment into education.
- Tougher standards for teachers and students
- Encourage private sponsorship of technical training
Governmental Growth:
- Return Federal Government to a smaller size
- Become "Lean and Mean"
- Return to a Jeffersonian approach to government.
- Less Government in our lives.
Environment/Energy
- Encourage US Oil Companies to update and modernize their refining capacity by removing financial benefits to their simply pocketing profits and allowing existing facilities to lie unused or unusable.
- No drilling in Arctic Refuge
- Encourage "Clean Air" alternatives such as wind, hydro and solar power, as well as 'fuel cells'.
- Encourage private companies to 'clean up' their local areas. Provide federal funding for water and land reclamation.
- Tighten pollution standards and raise penalties for non-compliance.
- Expand Federal environmental protection coverage in national parks and resources.
- US Independence from Foreign energy imports within 10 years.
- Raise MPG requirements and push for more efficient autos. Goal of affordable, safe and comfortable vehicles with 100+ MPG efficiency within 10 years.
- Increase reuse and recycling initiatives for nation.
- Explore expansion of "Bio" fuels such as BioDesiel, and BioGas, made by recycling of otherwise waste products.
Farming / Livestock:
- Expand funding for conservation and smart farming ideas.
- Encourage farmers to plant and export products rather than relying on Federal Subsidies
- Increase the number of Meat inspectors nationwide and raise the quality of our national food supply.
- Encourage higher usage of true Organic farming, and decrease reliance on chemicals and additives in the food supply
- Increase clean water initiatives
- Increase penalties on polluters to painful levels.
Copyright
- Increase the protections afforded to artists for their works
- Investigate the Music and Movie industries recent actions
Drug Use in Sports and Entertainment
- explore regulating these industries to include requirements for independent third party testing of athletes and entertainers
Gay Rights:
- Full Rights for same-gender relationships including marriage/health/death/family benefits.
- Openly serve in Military
- Ban job discrimination
- Extend hate-crime protections to include.
Guns:
- Do not grant gun makers immunity from lawsuits
- Do not renew Assault Weapon Ban
- Require full background checks at gun shows and other sale points such as pawn shops and flea markets.
- Enforce existing gun laws and prosecute those who lie on background checks
- Homeland Security begins with the 2nd Amendment.
Home Land Security / Immigration:
- Repeal the labeling of US Citizens as enemy combatants.
- Repeal Patriot Act and restore civil liberties.
- Fully Integrate FBI and CIA inside DHS.
- No 'automatic path' to citizenship.
- Tougher 'entry' standards.
- Full patrolling of US Borders by land, air and sea. Create a "Coast Watchers" department to actively monitor coastline.
- Full and complete inspections at US Border crossings, especially the Mexican. Searches for contraband, illegal aliens and safety checks mandatory.
- Fully Fund and Staff the Boarder Patrol.
- Increase crossing capacity to handle added workload.
- Fully Federalize all Airline screener's and use strict enforcement of guidelines.
- Require point to point accountability and observation for all baggage handling at airports and other transport hubs with criminal prosecution for abuses.
- Require all citizens traveling abroad or accessing Federal property to possess an ID that complies with Federal ID requirements. The exact requirements of the system to be decided, with an emphasis on ease of use, low maintenance cost, easy integration with existing ID check systems, and solid security.
Health Care:
- Work to reduce drug prices across the board
- Allow small businesses to 'group together' to help lower premiums.
- Fund federal clinic and medical coverage by adding a 'sin' tax to tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
- Raise standards for veterans care.
- Remove limits on health care. 100% health care coverage for all Americans.
- Remove abuses caused by outrageous markups on services.
Iraq / Afghanistan / Mid East / Military / International
- Convert US role in Iraq to 'Support'. Work to pull out as soon as humanly possible. Reserve right to withdraw if position becomes a quagmire.
- Return US to non-Preemption Policy.
- Return to Afghanistan to finish the hunt for the 9/11 masterminds
- Use Iraqs increasing income from it's oil production to fund it's own rebuilding.
- Continue to train Iraqis to deal with internal threats.
- Punish war profiteers.
- Denounce Israeli and Palestinian atrocities. Act as mediator to find peaceful options. Reserve right to withdraw if situations sour.
- Continue to fund improvements in technology to protect troops
- Against National Missile Defense.
- Reduce deployments overseas. Use Regular military to strengthen our borders.
- Recruit more regular service members and reduce dependency on National Guard to fight foreign wars.
- Create Civilian Defense Force
- No Draft.
- Curb wasteful spending while investing in new equipment and technology.
- Better pay and benefits for service personnel and their families.
- Remove all economic and military support from nations where our presence is not welcome.
- US to focus on economic pressure over military pressure to solve international problems.
- Cease humanitarian, economic and military aid to non-friendly regimes, with priority removal from nations actively engaged in hostile actions against the US or who support their citizens hostility or who either directly or indirectly minimize the effectiveness of US aid to their citizens (IE allow the theft of 90% of food at the docks).
- Increase research into better protections for our troops
- Insist on fully and properly outfitting of troops prior to deployment.
Retirement and Social Security:
- Encourage Private Investment in addition to existing Social Security program.
- Prevent funding of outside projects with SS funds.
- Restrict usage of SS funding to retirement and disability funding only
Trade:
- Require companies moving jobs overseas to give notice.
- Review existing trade agreements and renegotiate those that are excessively unfair to America.
- Encourage additional participation in "Fair Trade"
My chances at success are slim. I have no funding. I have no organization behind me. My campaign staff is non-existent, and most importantly, I'm not on a single ballot anywhere at this moment. Uphill? The cliff is sheer and slick to be sure.
But, as an American I have the Constitutionally given right to try, and try I shall.
My platform is below. Much was discussed previously in 2004 and my positions on those issues have not changed.
There is too much government, too much graft, too much corruption, and too little done for us and our children. My intent is to force that change and bring the governing of this great nation under the true control of "We The People".
Abortion:
Support womans right to abortion.
Stem Cell Research:
Support research into ways to do this in an manner not requiring embryonc destruction
Cloning:
Support research into cloning and the development of laws to prevent and punish abuses.
Drug Policy / War:
- Legalize Marijuana and add "sin" taxes to help fund drug treatment programs and health reform.
- Use increased border patrols and higher inspections to minimize trafficking.
Death Penalty:
- Against
Supreme Court:
- Select Judges committed to law, civil rights, and strengthening the Constitution.
State Fiscal Crisis:
- Encourage States to get "Lean and Mean". Cut the fat and reduce "do-Nothing" patronage jobs.
Economy/Taxes:
- Simplify the existing tax system.
- Explore the idea of a combination flat tax and national sales tax.
- Work to encourage technical trades to use American workers rather than farming out their tech jobs to Asia.
- No tax cuts unless they come from a revised tax code.
- Run government like a business, with tight controls on spending and require justification for expenditures.
- Remove 'Special Interest' controls from the budget process.
Election Reform:
- Strong controls and limits on lobbyists, PACs, and SIGs.
- Denounce "Mud Slinging" and "Smear" politicking.
- Level playing field to encourage formation and inclusion of "third" parties, including establishing fair guidelines for inclusion in debates, funding and other "givens" that the 2 majority parties now enjoy.
Education:
- Revamp existing funding structure and encourage private investment into education.
- Tougher standards for teachers and students
- Encourage private sponsorship of technical training
Governmental Growth:
- Return Federal Government to a smaller size
- Become "Lean and Mean"
- Return to a Jeffersonian approach to government.
- Less Government in our lives.
Environment/Energy
- Encourage US Oil Companies to update and modernize their refining capacity by removing financial benefits to their simply pocketing profits and allowing existing facilities to lie unused or unusable.
- No drilling in Arctic Refuge
- Encourage "Clean Air" alternatives such as wind, hydro and solar power, as well as 'fuel cells'.
- Encourage private companies to 'clean up' their local areas. Provide federal funding for water and land reclamation.
- Tighten pollution standards and raise penalties for non-compliance.
- Expand Federal environmental protection coverage in national parks and resources.
- US Independence from Foreign energy imports within 10 years.
- Raise MPG requirements and push for more efficient autos. Goal of affordable, safe and comfortable vehicles with 100+ MPG efficiency within 10 years.
- Increase reuse and recycling initiatives for nation.
- Explore expansion of "Bio" fuels such as BioDesiel, and BioGas, made by recycling of otherwise waste products.
Farming / Livestock:
- Expand funding for conservation and smart farming ideas.
- Encourage farmers to plant and export products rather than relying on Federal Subsidies
- Increase the number of Meat inspectors nationwide and raise the quality of our national food supply.
- Encourage higher usage of true Organic farming, and decrease reliance on chemicals and additives in the food supply
- Increase clean water initiatives
- Increase penalties on polluters to painful levels.
Copyright
- Increase the protections afforded to artists for their works
- Investigate the Music and Movie industries recent actions
Drug Use in Sports and Entertainment
- explore regulating these industries to include requirements for independent third party testing of athletes and entertainers
Gay Rights:
- Full Rights for same-gender relationships including marriage/health/death/family benefits.
- Openly serve in Military
- Ban job discrimination
- Extend hate-crime protections to include.
Guns:
- Do not grant gun makers immunity from lawsuits
- Do not renew Assault Weapon Ban
- Require full background checks at gun shows and other sale points such as pawn shops and flea markets.
- Enforce existing gun laws and prosecute those who lie on background checks
- Homeland Security begins with the 2nd Amendment.
Home Land Security / Immigration:
- Repeal the labeling of US Citizens as enemy combatants.
- Repeal Patriot Act and restore civil liberties.
- Fully Integrate FBI and CIA inside DHS.
- No 'automatic path' to citizenship.
- Tougher 'entry' standards.
- Full patrolling of US Borders by land, air and sea. Create a "Coast Watchers" department to actively monitor coastline.
- Full and complete inspections at US Border crossings, especially the Mexican. Searches for contraband, illegal aliens and safety checks mandatory.
- Fully Fund and Staff the Boarder Patrol.
- Increase crossing capacity to handle added workload.
- Fully Federalize all Airline screener's and use strict enforcement of guidelines.
- Require point to point accountability and observation for all baggage handling at airports and other transport hubs with criminal prosecution for abuses.
- Require all citizens traveling abroad or accessing Federal property to possess an ID that complies with Federal ID requirements. The exact requirements of the system to be decided, with an emphasis on ease of use, low maintenance cost, easy integration with existing ID check systems, and solid security.
Health Care:
- Work to reduce drug prices across the board
- Allow small businesses to 'group together' to help lower premiums.
- Fund federal clinic and medical coverage by adding a 'sin' tax to tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
- Raise standards for veterans care.
- Remove limits on health care. 100% health care coverage for all Americans.
- Remove abuses caused by outrageous markups on services.
Iraq / Afghanistan / Mid East / Military / International
- Convert US role in Iraq to 'Support'. Work to pull out as soon as humanly possible. Reserve right to withdraw if position becomes a quagmire.
- Return US to non-Preemption Policy.
- Return to Afghanistan to finish the hunt for the 9/11 masterminds
- Use Iraqs increasing income from it's oil production to fund it's own rebuilding.
- Continue to train Iraqis to deal with internal threats.
- Punish war profiteers.
- Denounce Israeli and Palestinian atrocities. Act as mediator to find peaceful options. Reserve right to withdraw if situations sour.
- Continue to fund improvements in technology to protect troops
- Against National Missile Defense.
- Reduce deployments overseas. Use Regular military to strengthen our borders.
- Recruit more regular service members and reduce dependency on National Guard to fight foreign wars.
- Create Civilian Defense Force
- No Draft.
- Curb wasteful spending while investing in new equipment and technology.
- Better pay and benefits for service personnel and their families.
- Remove all economic and military support from nations where our presence is not welcome.
- US to focus on economic pressure over military pressure to solve international problems.
- Cease humanitarian, economic and military aid to non-friendly regimes, with priority removal from nations actively engaged in hostile actions against the US or who support their citizens hostility or who either directly or indirectly minimize the effectiveness of US aid to their citizens (IE allow the theft of 90% of food at the docks).
- Increase research into better protections for our troops
- Insist on fully and properly outfitting of troops prior to deployment.
Retirement and Social Security:
- Encourage Private Investment in addition to existing Social Security program.
- Prevent funding of outside projects with SS funds.
- Restrict usage of SS funding to retirement and disability funding only
Trade:
- Require companies moving jobs overseas to give notice.
- Review existing trade agreements and renegotiate those that are excessively unfair to America.
- Encourage additional participation in "Fair Trade"