Financial Shakeup this weekend

[emayer]

I'm glad to hear that the thread has generated interest, and would encourage evryone to contribute.  Undoubtedly, there are some great ideas lurking out there!

I follow the gist of the prior responses but must comment that the founding father's created the electoral college to ensure proportional State representation.  If this did not exist, national elections would be determined by the States of CA, NY, FL, and TX.

Of all the feedback I found the "Vote the Bums Out!" campaign to be the most plausible to implement.  (I think this is a great internet project for Wayne, can we get a vote!)  We saw this during the past PA elections following the secretive salary increases.  As it stands now, I'm not convinced there is enough public outrage against the Federal gov't.  The Feds manage to put forth a few crumbs periodically to keep the herd at bay...

If our candidates really wanted to implement "change" that would lead to a durable foundation to the regrowth of this country they should consider the following unpopular measures:   (feel free to add/comment!)

Restructure/ simplification of tax code with incentives for saving.

Eliminate the pathetic stimulus package (too late).

No intervention in stabilizing the mortgage crisis.  Allow free market forces to play this out.  A harsh and costly lesson indeed on the scale of the Great Depression, but one that will likely strengthen individual's and governmental fiscal responsibility moving forward.

Review all international trade agreements to ensure equity/ compliance.  Impose sanctions as necessary.

National preventative care coverage.  Concept is not to provide universal healthcare, but to have a salary based contribution to ensure that all citizens have access to routine yearly screening/ examination.  This will ultimately lead to a healthier populace and decrease the overall burden on the healthcare system which is presently based on treating in a reactive manner rather than a procative/ preventative model.

True border security.  Enforce exisiting immigration statutes.

Mandate English as the official national language for all government activities.  Disallow government funding for non-English speaking charter schools.

Reprioritize education.  Emphasize the sciences and mandate the learning of a second language (early in schooling) with proficiency benchmarks.  Consider the elimination of local control of schools with consolidation perhaps at a State level.  Incentivize the creation of specialty "trade" colleges to establish a more educated workforce.

Consider the creation of industrial zones with loosening of some environmental restrictions in these dedicated areas.  Alternatively, taxation of industries within these areas can be reduced to assist in environmental compliance.  Geographic consolidation will permit companies to collectively address environmental issues further reducing cost burden.

Aggressive pursuit of alternative energies including the reintroduction of nuclear power. 

-I apologize for the length of this message, I jotted these ideas down as a basis for discussion realizing that further refinement is needed...  See you all at GITMO!