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The story behind this page: Back in 2010, I posted a series of pages titled, A Tale of Two Cities, which was a metaphorical reference to the United States and the course it has been on for the last 60 years, or so. I eventually replaced them with the this page (Dave for Pres) in 2018, but taking a second look at A Tale of . . . , the pages might have a certain merit all their own, so I decided to repost them, for posterity. The only change I have made to it since 2014 is that I condensed all three pages into one. For a take on current events, go here: Dave's Daily Blog Dave for President of the United States I certainly hope no-one takes me seriously about this—the part about Dave for President—it just seemed like an efficient vehicle for conveying my thoughts. Anyway, here is what I would do (or try to do) as president, i.e., my “platform.” A couple items might sound like science fiction, specifically a sunlight-to-hydrogen economy and genetically modified babies, but I do believe the groundwork for such concepts has been laid. If it seems unlikely that such things could be acheived in even an eight-year term, I would point out we landed on the moon just eight years and two months after JFKs 1961 moon speech. 1/01/2023: Recently, nearly four years after creating this page, I came to the realization that one particular entry (was #19, now #4) regarding a constitutional amendment declaring the Bill of Rights as rights of the individual rights against any sort of intrusion, probably rendered four earlier entries regarding privacy and the 4th Amendment redundant. So I decided it was high-time to reorganize my entire platform, now loosely arranged by priority. 1 A new constitutional amendment providing for an election to be held late in the year preceding every presidential election year, allowing voters to choose two political parties from a maximum ten political parties. The ten political parties will be chosen by the online petition of registered voters to their respective Board of Elections or Sec. of State, to be tallied at a set date preceding the election into a national total. The ten parties with the highest number of signers will be selected for the ballot. And no one will decide or define what constitutes a viable political party except the voters. The two parties, and only the two parties, with the highest number of votes will then choose candidates for the upcoming caucus, primaries, and for any Congressional seat for the next four years; No party will elect, appoint, or promote any official representative or candidate prior to the party election, rather presenting their platform online, in written form; And all US citizens will be guaranteed the right to choose which of the two parties they can vote for during the caucus and/or primary elections on voting day. Note: I might have a simpler solution. I don't know if it is a less expensive one, but simpler. See my "1/19/26 State of the Union" entry. 2 Ensure that government agencies such as the EPA, FCC, and CPB are working for us and not “them.” 3 Restore the Glass-Steagall act and continue pushing for the restoration of other consumer/economic safeguards that have been methodically removed over the last 50 years or so. Deregulation was a big contributer to the recession in 2008-10. Clearly, there are those who would continue to push us down the same path and would like to completely dismantle the safe haven for savers/investers which the Glass-Steagall act helped to create. Some of their deregulatory fiddling was reversed by Dodd-Frank (which is under attack), but I would push for more. revised 8/11/23 4 Push for a US constitutional amendment verifying unequivocally that all civil liberties, including the 1st amendment, are rights of the individual, against any possible private sector, as well as governmental, restrictions or intrusions, with the only exceptions being those involving national security secrets, handling of WMDs (4th A), the safety of many (4th A); and that any monopolies or collusions that threaten those rights be subject to timely breakup; and that no subjective exceptions, such as the words “hate speech,” be included in any interpretation of freedom of speech; and that no type of language spoken or penned by an adult citizen that does not blatantly call for physical harm, or involve deceptive authorship, be subject to removal when conducted in proper public circles; and that no physical checkups be conducted unless associated with the safety of many, and never in an unscheduled fashion unless a justifiable reason exists. This proposal, however, is in no way meant to supersede common law regarding liable, slander, divulging of trade secrets, parental authority, or copyrights etc.Added 2/21/22, rev 1/01/23, 1/01/23, 9/01/23, 2/17/25: A page I put together regarding the erosion of constitutional rights and privacy and what can be done about it: what comes after 5 Push for a constitutional amendment to abolish corporate personhood once and for all and ensure absolute transparency regarding all “dark money” currently being funneled into the US election process. There are those who argue that it is up to the individual to separate fact from fiction, and any such laws would be condescending, which is a good point, but truth tellers can also be drowned out by big money interests. Some degree of balance must be restored. And then, of course, there is the disparity in lobbying resources between big money and the average citizen, which never seems to get fully resolved. added 7/14/19 6 Instead of attempting to appease US corporations with any more lower tax rates, tell them if they do not bring their profits back to the US, declare them, and pay their fair share of taxes on them, they will no longer be allowed to do business in the United States. (The United States is a huge market. If they want to take their business and product elsewhere, I’m sure there will be someone else more than willing to move up and take their place). Incidentally, after doubling between 2008 and 2014, a 2016 estimate put the amount stored in offshore tax havens by US corporations at 2.1 trillion, resulting in a total tax deferment of $620 billion. One can only guess what the amount currently is. rev 11/12/21 7 Institute a personal tax structure more like the highly prosperous mid-twentieth century, when the wealthiest paid a much higher percentage than they do now, and use that revenue to lower cost burdens that have been shifted to the middle class, such as rebuilding our infrastructure, higher education, etc. Also create a graduated tax curve--one that does not clobber a person the moment they make over the poverty level with the same rate as the wealthiest, minus all the loopholes--one that then increases exponentially for extremely high income earners, with the goal of decreasing the likelihood of individuals having a few spare millions lying around to spend on lobbyists and/or election campaigns, or just plain taking the country's wealth from the people and giving it to themselves, other countries, and bankers etc.rev 11/08/20, 1/01/23, 7/09/23 8 Stand up to the oil and coal industry and make energy independence for the US a top priority with emphasis on solar energy to hydrogen research. Once there is no need whatsoever for the US to run trade deficits (which have "taxed" the American people, US farmers included, since 1975 to the tune of some 6.25 TRILLION dollars as of July 2018) and perpetuate dollar hegemony, tariffs will be implemented to correct trade imbalances, counteract unfair trade practices and offshoring etc. A key part of this is to ensure that the bulk of solar technology is manufactured here, and not China, to help offset job loss. added 8/03/18 9 Implement a single-payer health system, and relegate the existing health insurance industry to a much less prominent role. The trick will then be to keep any social-nanny-type restrictions designed to protect the individual from him or herself from creeping in. Modern medicine has gotten very complex and sophisticated and continues to do so, while the population is growing older. The US needs a health care system that is as simple, streamlined, and cost efficient as it can possibly be; not the disjointed, complicated mess it currently is. As large a country as the United States is, it could be the best and the most efficient in the world, by far, as opposed to the least efficient. rev 5/26/19, 6/22/19, 8/07/2020, 11/08/20 10 Make sure the US has a well funded and unhindered genetic research program (unhindered by any goofy restrictions on stem cell research, or embryonic stem cell research, etc.) with the goal of engineering people who are—on average—more intelligent, healthier, have longer lifespans, are less superstitious, and are less violent. This may require genetic samples of many thousands or even millions of people, and the collection of personal data, all of which should be completely voluntary. 11 Make any such discoveries and the gene splicing technology (potentially the greatest tool mankind could ever utilize - if used wisely) necessary to implement it available to the entire planet, and indeed to every person on the planet, so that any couple on earth—regardless of social status—can select the latest and best DNA sequences for their child. (The DNA sequences—a very small percentage of the human genome—would be added to their own to create a unique embryo.) 12 Outlaw the use of credit score to discriminate against any job applicant, and make sure its only legal use is as a tool for banks in the money lending process. A few states have already passed their own laws to this effect, but a national one is needed. 13 In the near term, strengthen the US-Mexican border to stave off any rapid influx of people that may strain health care and other tax-based resources, affect wages and the job market for certain US citizens, include some very bad guys, result in outflow of billions more than brought in, and cause a very unfair situation for those who do respect international borders. Then set a date for any crackdown on any new violaters, as opposed to implementing some Naziesque retroactive campain against long-term illegals. (A more extensive border wall should have been constructed many years ago.) revised 1/19/26 14 Beyond restoring Glass-Steagall, update the rules for banking practices. We all know the shady practices that some banks and credit unions do that penalize the poor: account maintenance fees designed to steal a person’s last dollar so they can impart an overdraft fee on top of that when the account holder writes that bad check, or charging outrageous fees to mail a monthly statement that probably does not cost the bank more than 1st class postage, with the only other option for receiving a statement being to purchase the latest computing device that supports a browser that supports the latest encryption algorithms—all of which requires an internet connection, of course; which exposes their new device to malware and viruses. And then you have some credit card companies and loan agencies still getting away with "murder." An update of Federal rules regarding such practices is long overdue. Such laws at the Federal level would level the playing field for all banks and businesses. 15 New law: With rare exception, all new non-consumable products sold in the US must be in good working condition after ten years of use, unless damaged by “catastrophe” or obvious misuse. Articles of clothing: five years. Purchasers of products that have failed within their respective time frame will then be able to take the product to a branch of the Consumer Protection Agency for a quick inspection to determine the cause of failure. If cumulative data indicates a product prone to failure due to poor quality or a manufacturer’s defect, the manufacturer (specifically the individuals running the company at the time the defective products were made) will then face fines imposed by the CPA and possibly be responsible for refuding all or part of the purchase price to the purchasers. added 1/17/20, rev 11/16/20, 1/21/21 16 Make sure all search engines are severed and independent entities from any web content that they refer to, possessing no vested interest whatsoever in said content, so that they and their operators remain wholly neutral and utilize search algorithms that direct to the best and most relevant information first while excluding nothing. added 2/21/22 17 Restore and enforce the constitutionally guaranteed rights against search and seizure that have been steadily eroding ever since Ronald Reagan’s communistic drug czar, Carlton Turner, began his assault on them. Under my watch, if any US citizen who has lived in this country for 50 years or more, or who was born in the US to parents who have lived in the US 50 years or more, is ever searched without probable cause, including that citizen’s personal property, vehicle or land etc. (excepting emergency situations), at any location inside the US, a US territory, or at any point of entry, the employment of the person who executed or ordered the search will be immediately terminated if a US government employee. 4th amendment violations by the private sector, as well as all levels of law enforcement, will result in fines or possible prosecution. added 7/14/19, rev 9/05/23 18 Mandate that all phone service providers and phone manufacturers devise a way for anyone with a landline, cellphone, smartphone etc. to be able to block calls simply and easily from their phone much like many email services. Enough of this nonsense! The phone system has been digitized for years; phones have been digitized for years; emails can be blocked via a simple program; so why can’t I easily block certain numbers from ever coming through in the first place? Answer: so phone solicitors, bill collectors and crooked bill collectors, along with any manner of other crooks, can sit back, eat bon bons, and harass you. The blocked calls would be diverted to an answering service so the caller could not ascertain that the number has been blocked. added 1/01/23, rev 6/23/23, 2/17/25 Note from the future: Congratulations, I was elected and managed to accomplish my entire list. You, the lower eighty percent of the US population, who voted me in office have now reclaimed much of the wealth that you were tricked (again and again) into handing over to the top 20% (with emphasis on the top 1% or fraction thereof). Your elected officials are now much more likely to listen to you and affect policies that will benefit you, as opposed to only benefitting the corporate elite. While humanity is still divided among races and creeds, there is not near the racism that once persisted. No one can now point to a specific race and claim it to be any more devious, or more prone to violence, than any other. Population control can now be calmly and intellectually discussed. The USs bloated financial sector has been deflated, while much of the domestic manufacturing lost to offshoring has returned, restoring the US to a more self-sufficient production-based economy; a tax scheme, and social credit scheme based on GDP, have been implemented to offset any rapid job loss that may arise due to automation and other factors and ensure that the excess proceeds from all that increased productivity by the young continues providing for the older generations, as opposed to providing for super-rich corporations and super-rich individuals; a strong border is becoming less and less important because all countries of the world are elevating their own societies; the colossal annual pile of tossed-out defective products has diminished; and the US no longer has a trade deficit, allowing a return to the gold standard—a tool to combat inflation, and (ironically enough) a deterrent against trade deficits. Environmental pollution is decreasing rapidly, as fossil fuels have largely been replaced by a sunlight-to-hydrogen economy. And lastly, the threat of nuclear war is something taught only in the history books. last rev 12-20-21 Note from the present: Sorry, but the scenario described above is never going to happen in a million years because there are enough bought-off elected officials at both the state and Federal level to ensure that none those items listed in my platform will ever happen. Due to the collision of population and climate swing, human society will descend further into chaos and authoritarian rule. End note, some advice: Watch out for false prophets—those who would read articles like this and pretend to be a champion of the people, when all they really plan to do is trick you out of the little actual wealth you have left. (Gee, who could Dave be referring to?) No one has a crystal ball to see in the future, of course, and I did not vote for either Presidential candidate last election (2016), but if Mr. Sanders had been on the ballot, my vote would have gone to him. 5/25/18: Whenever you post something on the Internet, you never know if anyone is going to read it or not. I was therefore a bit taken aback by the sudden surge of interest in the recent advances in genetic engineering such as CRISPR so shortly after posting this page. In the original introduction, I used the words designer babies, which I quickly changed to genetically modified . . . I regret using the word designer, as it implies couples ordering up specific genetic traits for their child such as blue eyes or blond hair. I do not support the concept at all; in fact, quite the opposite: I think any genetic changes beyond what is critically necessary to improve health, and mental health, should be avoided to ensure genetic diversity. Secondly, I think it very important that the latest treatment package be available to every human being regardless of social status. In other words, the richest person in the world and the poorest Siberian eskimoe alike would have access to the same genetic upgrades for their child at any given time. I think any other scenario could, and no doubt would, be socially devastating. For more on the subjects of censorship and genetic
uplift, I put together a special page: 8/09/21 In March of 2021, I received the third economic stimulus payment. I had cashed the first two checks, but I decided things had gone too far, and at some point, you have to grow up and practice what you preach. So I promptly sent a letter to the new secretary of the treasury, Janet Yellen, telling her exactly what she could do with the third payment. (Well, you want to be a public servant, you have to be prepared for some flak). I am not accepting the payment because, of course, it is only “funny money” sent out by a government that does not have the money to begin with. I sent the letter because I received the payment in the form of a debit card, rife with potential fees, and yet another gift to the banking industry, as if all the stimulus money in their coffers was not enough. If you have read my platform, then you probably know how I feel about plastic cards, so I will take this opportunity to elaborate: Suffice to say that, in addition to the invasion of privacy and extortion issues that occur when they are forced on people, and indeed they are . . . the rise in popularity of the credit card (more lines of credit) is one of those few things that, in my view, the American public did to help create the present situation, of which there are many names for, plutocracy, corporatocracy, or technocracy being a few popular ones, but if I had to pick the best description, it would be, a nation of debt slaves. And I certainly do not think it is what the founding fathers of the United States had in mind . . . To put it bluntly: The more personal debt the public has taken on, the more corrupt and powerful the bankers, corporations, corporate executives, and government have become, to the point of the public losing jobs, wealth, quality infrastructure, and democracy. revised 9/01/23 So for the US treasury to be passing out credit cards, in my view, only epitomizes the US government’s collusion (democrats and republicans) in this trickle-up, democracy-subverting scheme that rewards the richest and our bloated financial sector while penalizing everyone else. And I think a good analogy to the person overseeing the program—in this case, Janet Yellen—is the financial-world equivalent of El Chapo passing out free crack vials to half the country. And not only does it promote the idea that multiple lines of credit are a necessity for Joe citizen to maintain some basic standard of living, I also suspect there are other agendas, such as a cashless society (see what comes after) Lastly, to be an armchair president for a moment, I think President Biden should have at least requested that anyone not-in-absolute-need-of-the-stimulus-payment not accept the payment. Just how many would have listened, I don’t know. References: I actually came across the following
article, via
Zerohedge.com,
after I had
written all of the above, so not really a reference but a good
article that covers the same general subject, only a
little more analytically. 1/19/26 State of the Union 2025, the year the Tiny-brained, Ugly, Terrorist, Baby-killers passed the Big Beautiful Bill; more benefit cuts for the poor, more tax cuts for the rich, yay! Side note: Yes, I’m a few weeks early, but I decided I had few things to say that could not wait. I might add an amendment or two on February 16th. Higher ideals, and what it means to be a US citizen My grandfather had a favorite saying. Some acquaintances once embroidered it on a throw pillow and presented it to him as a gift. It went: “Life is short, don’t hurry, don’t worry, and don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way.” Now, thing is, my grandfather always seemed to be hurrying and worrying, no doubt why the saying had so much appeal to him. It was an ideal—an aspiration that always seemed out-of-reach. Some would argue otherwise, but in my opinion, there is no question about it: When the signers of the Declaration and the framers of our Constitution sat down nearly 250 years ago, they knew very well they were creating a set of ideals that were above them, and above human tendencies. If they were not, they would have added, “This document only pertains to old white men, of course,” and not left the door open for any possible misinterpretation, but these were smart men; they must have realized how ambiguous and hypocritical such a statement would have been. And it is truly a miracle our constitution did not end up with such a statement, given the fact there were so many who did not really care about setting such ideals. But I don’t think it’s quite enough to state that they were simply creating a document to curb bullying in all its forms. I think the best way to put it is, they were also well aware of the human tendency to resort to certain “solutions” regarding how to control one another that seem logical at first glance, but always end up backfiring and leading to conflict. In short, they were attempting, to the best of their abilities, to “head off” another civil war. But regardless of what the true intent might have been, many people embraced, some quite passionately, the higher ideals presented by the Constitution and took it quite literally. I suppose it is a bit ironic, then, that those higher ideals led to another civil war less than a hundred years later when one side chose to attack those higher ideals instead of embrace them. But to me, anyway, that is what it means to be a US citizen—the embrace of higher ideals, because that is what sets us apart. The other crowd does not. With that said, I think we can elect people who could do a much, much better job looking out for the people of the United States, without sacrificing any higher ideals and generally getting stupid, and I’m sure there are many who agree. A message to ICE: You are not patriots when you go around arresting people who have been in the US for twenty years and have no more a criminal record than some outstanding parking tickets. You are not patriots when you go around murdering soccer moms. Face it, you blew it. Your day is done. If you continue on, you have not just declared war on a state, but you have essentially declared a physical war on higher ideals, the spine of what it means to be a US citizen. And you are doing it for a man who has little, if any, regard for common decency, higher ideals, or respectable behavior. I would advise that you go help Trump build the border wall, or just go home, now, while you can still make it there in one piece, from the sound of things. A better democracy I think I might have a solution to our democracy problem that is simpler than “#1” in my “platform.” First, my proposed solution: All Congressional seats and the office of the presidency must acquire a majority vote of at least 55% . . . of all registered voters, in their districts, in the case of Congressional seats, and 55% of the entire registered voting population in the case of the presidency. Less than 55%? No congressman for that district or state, or no President of the United States until the 55% requirement is met, and any and every candidate who did not make the 55% will not be allowed on the ballot again for that particular election. At the same time, no more electoral college. In the event a Congressman—Representative or Senator—is not elected for a particular district or state, or if a president is not elected, subsequent elections will be held once a month until the 55% requirement is met, and the only voters allowed to re-vote will be the ones who were registered to vote at the time of the failed election in a particular district, state, or nationally. The problem: The media constantly reiterates that America is strongly divided, implying that the public is more or less split down the middle regarding their political views. But it is lie as I see it. Our candidates for the most important positions regarding the well-being of the United States as a whole (Congress and the President) are being picked for us by a minority of what I would call extremists, and elected by a minority. It is really tough to put any exact number on things, but I am guessing the people who actually fully support these ideologies is probably around 20% of the eligible voting population on the Republican side and the same on the Democrat side, with around 60% of the eligible voting population caught in the middle. As far as naming this extremism is concerned, some of which crosses party lines, I think we all know what I am referring to. To put it as bluntly as possible: The most intelligent, less superstitious, moderate, and pragmatic citizens among us are being shut out, forced to either throw away their vote on candidates who can’t win, or not vote at all. And the ones that do vote are forced to vote for the lesser of two evils, or vote for someone they only partially believe in. As a result, the people running the United States are being put there by a minority of the eligible voting population, which is—of course—an even smaller minority of the US population--and in my opinion, it is going to kill us unless we do something immediately to change course and begin electing people that most of us truly believe in. Just so there is no misunderstanding, while I believe it is critical to give more people a say in our Federal appointments, this idea should in no context be taken as a proposal to make it mandatory that someone casts a vote. The fact that voting is not mandatory is, of course, what is going to put more pressure on the candidates to take on a more moderate platform. |