A Declaration of Policy to the Electorate

[migrendel]

     With the announcement of the Democratic presidential nominee imminent, I would like to explain to the voters who are undecided why I am the correct choice for the nomination, and to ask you to cast your ballot for me. The way I shall do this is by announcing my stand on issues of concern to our nation today.
     The first part of my speech shall have to do with foreign affairs. I opposed the war in Iraq, because I believe it was fruit from a poisonous tree. What that tree stood for was forcing American ways on nations around the globe, in many cases distinctly unsuitably. I make no apologies for this, because I believe the killing of civilians shameless, and I further believe that this paradigm of foreign policy will stir utter resentment around the globe. To remedy the situation, I propose the immediate withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. In addition, I support Palestinian statehood, and support cancelling foreign aid to Israel and recalling our ambassador until they agree to a fair and free Palestine. We must use our economic power to hold this criminal state accountable. However, I would support a dramatic increase in foreign aid spending, at which point it will ultimately reach between 15% and 20% of our national budget. I support a preliminary defense cut of 50% over five years, and might be supportive of future reduction if necessary. The centerpiece of my defense policy will be unilateral disarmament. I support ending the nuclear freeze by starting the thaw ourselves. If a nuclear attack should occur before disarmament occurs, I will adhere firmly to a strategy of no first usage. I also intend to completely withdraw the US from NATO.
     The next part of my speech will deal with the economy and healthcare. I support tax increases, with a new tax graduation from 38% to 78%. I will include both the wealthy and the middle class in my tax increases. However, incomes under $15,000 will be tax exempt. You may wonder what I intend to do with our new bounty of money. It will be used to fund the most comprehensive system of social welfare anywhere in the world. I will consolidate Medicare and Medicaid, and nationalize all health care management and health insurance companies to form a national health service, which will provide comprehensive preventitive care, treatment for illnesses, and dental care. I will in addition fund a national system of pensions which will be payable monthly to all citizens whose incomes are recorded below a certain point. This will guarantee a minimum income for all citizens. I will also defend the current safety net in the interim by actively seeking repeal and opposing reauthorization of the Welfare Reform Act, which will starve citizens at the hands of government parsimony. But perhaps the major overhaul of the economy will be the nationalization of all major concerns. I support, for the record, the nationalization of healthcare, utilities, telecommunications, air transport, steel, mining, oil, shipbuilding, railways, banking, and housing. I do need to elaborate on housing however. My plan would end the housing shortage using government funding. If a person wishes to sell their house, they would have to register it with a local housing authority. The authority, based upon demand and price impact, would evaluate whether the property would be sold. If a person is in need of housing, they could file papers with the authority, and after evaluation, be granted a property in which to live in from those registered. The government would use its power of eminent domain to seize a registered property based upon its fair market value. This will allow for housing to be sold and people to be housed. Finally, on issues of trade, I support enforcing a minimum wage of $6.65 for all contracts made for labor abroad from domestic companies, and I will support a domestic minimum wage of $15.45 to be indexed for inflation by the Secretary of Labor.
     The last section of my speech will be devoted to questions of domestic policy. I will defend reproductive rights throughout the pregnancy, support the availability of condoms and certain pharmaceuticals in schools, and will repeal the Hyde Amendment to force my national health plan to pay for abortion. I will defend the rights of individuals regardless of their sexual orientation, and will support legalized marriages for these people, equal rights in all aspects of society, and will defend the Supreme Court's ruling decriminalizing sodomy. I support the continuance of affirmative action based on race, and would allow for hiring and promotion quotas in certain federal and private jobs, to be determined by the EEOC. I support the right of people to come to this country, and for them to speak their native language, and for the government to accomodate them. I support the complete abolition of capital punishment. I will also support the repeal of sentencing guidelines and will push to lower criminal sentences and defend the exclusionary rule. I oppose an amendment which would erode the separation of church and state by making school prayer constitutional. I would in addition oppose the Pledge of Allegiance, and would refuse to fund all religious based community services and social welfare programs. I support protecting the environment, by meansof opposing Arctic drilling and the Bush Administration's forest thinning proposal, and would support a broad-based regulatory expansion of air and water quality and emissions rules.
      I would be glad to answer any questions about issues I didn't address, but I will conclude by encouraging a vote for me and saying it's on to the nomination and a Democratic victory.

[migrendel]

I would like to tell RealPolitik exactly how I stand on labor. I do think that labor unions are counterproductive because they create demand and prevent the natural adjustment of the money supply, and I feel they marginalize individual worker's voices in favor of a broad ethos, but I would not act to penalize them. I would allow them to partially control private businesses if a majority employee vote favors such control, and I would act to repeal Taft-Hartley, because that law is just mean-spirited. While I am not totally comfortable with labor, I am also not totally comfortable with completely removing its voice from the process.

[migrendel]

I also support reducing the work week to 35 hours, and will institute a wage control system based upon statistical data to determine comparable worth. This system will use information to compare the average wages (considering the variables of education, seniority, etc.) of occupations based upon the male/female ration within the occupation. I will then instruct the Secretary of Labor to modify the standard wages of an individual to remedy the disparity, if supported by empirical evidence.

[migrendel]

I suppose the Finnish socialists just don't have the fortitude to pursue it. They know it's the right thing, they just won't back it because it's not convenient.

[migrendel]

I don't recall any economy that fell apart because of nationalization. One is tempted to say the Soviet Union, but I remind those people that the standard of living dramatically after the fall of the Czar and Kerensky, and since the fall, deprivation has increased and industrial productivity has declined. I suppose much of the resistance to nationalization is a fear of change, but the economy isn't working as it stands. We can only stop the problems that exist by trying new solutions, so I would advise those who denounce Socialism to either help us remake the economy, or put up with unemployment, unfair trade practices, and deprivation.

[migrendel]

First of all, injecting a moral element into this debate is unnecessary, despite the fact that many conceptualize nationalization as indeed the moral response. They see redistributing moribund wealth as the right thing to do.
Also, nationalization would help importing-exporting. Rather than having a litany of companies fighting over a single export market, a single company would lend the nation more economic clout by making the company much more powerful because of its heightened level of control over an economic sector.

[migrendel]

If man is greedy and selfish, let us purge our hearts of avarice.