What is your ideal political party platform?

[Upchurch]

I was getting my morning dose of skeptomasicism on the way to work this morning listening to the radio talk shows. They were primarily talking about Amendment 2 here in Missouri with deals with stem cell research.

It got me to thinking. If I were going to create my own third party, what planks would I want in my platform?

There would be the generic junk like fiscal responsibility, less corruption, and yadda yadda yadda. However, I think if I were going to start my own party, it would be primarily science and scientific education driven. No more of this "its only a theory" BS and pandering to superstition. I'd actually educate children and make the US {or your country here} the economic and technological leaders of the world. I'd give all kinds of funding to NASA and basic research. Heck, I'd make new NASA-type organizations for other fields of research. I'd give presidential/congressional awards to people who come up with really inventive new ideas.

I know it would never fly and would probably cause an even bigger divide between those who think science is anti-God and the sane people in the US. But that's what I'd want, anyway.

[whitefork]

Change the name of the municipality to "Fat City", jackhammer the roads and plant grass, decriminalize drugs, put dishonest dealers in the stocks....

[Darth Rotor]

What is your ideal political party platform?
Ideally, both parties now in power would each assemble on a ten-meter high diving platform adjacent to an empty, Olympic sized pool.

Once assembled, as soon as any of them makes a single campaign promise, the platform would slowly tilt toward the pool . . . :p

DR

[Demigorgon]

They were primarily talking about Amendment 2 here in Missouri with deals with stem cell research.


But Upchurch! Think about the children! The chillrin! Oh wait, they've started using that argument for Amendment 3 now. Umm.....cloning is evil! You're evil!

The first 4 non-residential structures from my house are churches. Those signs don't lie man!

/Demi, also from Missoura.

-o, about the original post. I like your ideas, but too many for me to go through my own.

[Garrette]

Are there enough of us to form a Rationalist Party?

And given the state of the Politics Forum, would we splinter soon after forming?

[Upchurch]

But Upchurch! Think about the children! The chillrin! Oh wait, they've started using that argument for Amendment 3 now. Umm.....cloning is evil! You're evil!
And Amendment 6! Think about the children's tax exemption!


Seriously? Amendment 3? They're worried about the extra tax children will have to pay when buying their smokes?

[Upchurch]

Are there enough of us to form a Rationalist Party?Only if we wanted to form a global politcal party.

Honestly, I think if we could just dump the baggage of the two US political parties, I don't think the majority of the board would be too far apart on the the big stuff.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I dunno.

[firecoins]

- Keep gov't and religion separate. Remove under god from pledge.
- Eliminate FCC & PC. Complete freedom of expression.
- Require everyone to carry a concealed weapon.
- Eliminate McCain Feingold campaign finance and allow as much spending by political canidates as possible. Allow plenty of negative advertisments. Anyone who opposses this is because they sleep with protitutes, hates the troops and comes from low moral backround.
- Flat tax. I don't buy the whole world is round tax.
- decriminalize drugs, pay for treatment as oppossed to law enforcement.
- vouchers for school choice

[Tsukasa Buddha]

- Legalize marijuana
- Remove censorship
- Build a reinforced wall, with a moat filled with sharks, between church and state
- Fix education system (How? Dunno :p )
- Increase environmentalism in some areas (like fossil fuels) and decrease in others
- Fund stem cell research and cloning (Or just remove ban)
- Recognize gay marriages
- Stop the death penalty
- Reduce corruption, and all that good stuff
- Have an all scientist cabinet
- Set dead or alive bounties for Sylvia Brown, John Edward, James Van Praagh
- Find more positions for platform :D

[luchog]

Well, I'm all for the "I pwnz y00 4ll" platform, but I'd probably get tired of ruling the world after a while.

Really, without getting into exhaustive detail, a basic minarchist libertarian platform works pretty well for me. There are a lot of things about the current anarcho-capitalist-leaning stance of the LP that I don't really care for; particularly it's isolationism and unrealistic timeline for decomissioning and privatising government-run services (also have some differences with them re the extent of said privatisation).

[ImaginalDisc]

In general, I like it when capitalism works, and I like it when socialism works. Capitalism should be the basis of our economy, but socialism should form the bedrock of many social institutions. Capitalism is a great way to run the production and distribution of consumer goods, but it's a bad way to run education, for example. Everyone gets an equal share of some things, not many, and if you want any more of anything, you have to work for it.

Socialized medical care paid out of payroll taxes and capital gains taxes. That way, we all pay our share, and the richest 1%, who constitute those who pay capital gains taxes, pay a bit more. Private medical care is regulated, but allowed. That way doctors and other medical professionals can offer services that socialized medical care either can't or won't, like some forms of ellective surgeory. Plus, it allows doctors who get into the professions solely for the money, and many do, to still have a modivation to do so.

Higher pay for soldiers, at least until E5 no longer qualifies for welfare. Full pension for any medical discharges, even if they've only been in a week. I may not agree with the choice to join the military, but our soldiers are treated like dogmeat and they put their butts on the line for next to nothing. They deserve better. Besides, we'll probably get a more professional military if we treat them like professionals, and not like bodies.

Nearly open borders. That is, screening for felons and criminals from other countries, but no deportations or refusal of entry without such a reason. But, immigrants have a higher payroll tax rate until they become naturalized. This hightened tax rate can be raised and lowered to use market forces to adjust immigration rates. I wouldn't support adjusting tax rates based on the nation of origin of immigrants, but I imagine many people would want that if such a system were in place. EDIT: Oh yeah, punative fines for businesses who hire illegal immigrants. This system only work if it's stringently enforced.

Social security could use some refinements, but it's fundamentally fine the way it is.

That's all I can think of that would really sell me on my imaginary party and I'm not really sure what I'd support regarding housing policy, or home insurance ( a big deal in these hurricane prone areas.) Those areas need work of some kind, but I really don't know what.

[fuelair]

Leave well enough alone.
Tax no more than is actually needed.
Education and reasonable security are the priorities.
Don't be the one that starts a war, do be the one that finishes it.
Don't send people to die if a machine can do it.
Don't sweat the small stuff, but take care of it if it starts to grow a bad way.
All people should be free in their beliefs - but not free to act on them at will.
No laws shall be passed that are unnecessary. Your religious views do not make a law necessary. Worry about your conscience not those of others.

[ImaginalDisc]

Leave well enough alone.

That makes a nice sound bite, but what does it translate to, policywise?
Tax no more than is actually needed.
The problem is that people disagree on what needs to be paid for, and how much should be paid.

Education and reasonable security are the priorities.
Don't be the one that starts a war, do be the one that finishes it.
Don't send people to die if a machine can do it.
Don't sweat the small stuff, but take care of it if it starts to grow a bad way.
All people should be free in their beliefs - but not free to act on them at will.
No laws shall be passed that are unnecessary. Your religious views do not make a law necessary. Worry about your conscience not those of others.

Is this a platform, or PR?

[toddjh]

Take the Libertarians, remove the crazy, and scale them back about 60-70%.

[Dustin Kesselberg]

Agreeing with a lot of what has already been said...In order of most important.




Make environmental laws more stringent. Increase funding for alternative fuels. Work with other countries to cut greenhouse emissions down and stop pollution and deforestation and mass species extinction.
Work with other countries to help end world hunger and poverty. Send more aid workers to countries like Darfur and help generate more money for those countries. This should be a world wide effort.
Secure American borders.
Rebuild the wall of separation between church and state in America.
More government accountability.
End death penalty.
Increase government funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Require every claim that is made in any business of any kind be true and if proven to be untrue allow the business to be sued. Require that all new health products get a stamp of approval from the FDA before they can be sold. Meaning products like “head on” don’t exist anymore.
Increase government funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Allow gay marriages.
Provide vouchers for all school students to use on the schools of their choice.
Decriminalize the softer drugs that pose no real risk to society including Marijuana(OTC), LSD(Require Doctor prescription), Anabolic Steroids(Require Doctor prescription), Ecstasy(Require Doctor prescription), . Work on an experiment where all drugs are legalized and American companies produce the drugs in controlled circumstances to see if this ends drug trafficking and the black market illegal drug trade with all of it's violence. This may or may not work but it's worth a try. However decriminalizing marijuana and other soft harmless drugs is very important and will definitely work.

[Charlie Monoxide]

I'll glom off of Dustin's post but add:

13. Once a month, in a public forum, the various elected leaders allow themselves to be asked a series of questions that include a) Have you knowingly lied to the public b) have you taken money illegally from special interests groups c) have you done anything illegal or unethical If any of the answers is "no" and proven to be incorrect, a high voltage jolt to the gonads (or a similar pain inducing site for female leaders) will be administered followed by a good old fashion "tar-and-feathering" as well as all political privileges will be revoked followed by an impeachment.

As incentive to be an honest politician, each year you pass this gauntlet, you will receive double your base salary and a coupon for $100 shopping spree at Target.

Charlie (keeping em honest) Monoxide

[Upchurch]

I'd like to re-emphasize the top ten planks on my ideal political platform


Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research

[Darth Rotor]

I'd like to re-emphasize the top ten planks on my ideal political platform


Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research


Number 10 was supposed to be beer, wasn't it? Many answers to life's questions can be found in the bottom of a beer glass, so it's a form of research. :D

DR

[Dustin Kesselberg]

I do believe the Environment is the most important thing. The people living in poverty conditions world wide and starving is the second most important.

[drkitten]

I'd like to re-emphasize the top ten planks on my ideal political platform


Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research


Of course, my "learned" opponent has his priorities entirely reversed.

They should be


Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education
Research
Education