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We Need YOU To Shape The Future... In the course of human affairs, there comes a time when some just can't take it anymore and the urge to actually do something becomes too strong. Some of us have reached that point with respect to the current political situation in the US. This board is the result.This is a serious attempt to lay the framework for a third party in the US, one that breaks the current paradigm of liberal/conservative, left/right, pick your polarizer. This party is dedicated to taking a pragmatic stance on improving the life of average Americans and not just catering to special interests. This thread is an experiment. It is intended as an open source tool for like-minded people to build a consensus on the principles and platform of an effective and compelling third party. If successful, the principles and platform should be capable of drawing people from all political sides. The “gang of 14” in the US Senate recently showed that in a evenly divided and polarized political environment, a minority can control the outcome. If you would like to contribute, park your Republican/Conservative or Democrat/Liberal dogma at the door. We are looking for real, pragmatic solutions to solve our country's problems and build a stronger nation. We don't care about the ideology behind an idea, proposal or a concept, just the results. We do strongly discourage proposals and ideas that are just stalking horses for special interests. This thread is moderated to eliminate the distractions of folks that don’t want to make a positive contribution. If you want to troll, bait or discuss conspiracy theories, there are plenty of other boards that cater to that. This isn't one of them. If you can't be an adult and behave, you will be banned. Yes, this is high-handed and even arbitrary, However, it is the way it is. You have been warned. All positive, constructive contributors are welcome and encouraged. The following is meant to be a starting point. Nothing is written in stone, not even the name of the party. In addition, this is a living document, as changes are proposed and we can generate some sort of consensus, they will be incorporated. The exact mechanism of this hasn't been decided, for the moment we will run a poll and see how people vote. That probably will change in the future. ********************************************************* Citizens Party Five Guiding Principles 1. The middle class, and those aspiring to the middle class, provide the vast majority of the effort and innovation that has made the United States the most successful country in human history. However, too much current legislation is designed to support special interests, often at the expense of the middle class. To the greatest extent possible, legislation should be crafted to serve the interests of as many Americans as possible. 2. Pragmatic policy decisions are always superior to ideologically based policy decisions. Both conservative and liberal dogma has valuable insights. But ultimately, every Citizens Party decision will be based on its real, positive effect on the populace, not on ideology. Our politicians will be the representatives of the people, not the self-serving or ideological special interests. 3. The well being of the country is inextricably tied to the strength of its balance sheet. All discretionary spending, from a foreign war to a local road, will require realistic, current tax consequences. The litmus test for any project is if the citizens are willing to pay for it in real time, not debt to future generations. 4. Social law decisions are a local function, based on local social mores. The Citizens Party will uphold and expand states rights, county and municipal rights on all social issues. 5. In international relations, the guiding principle is to lead by example, and where possible, give aid to those that aspire to common principles through multi-national efforts. The Citizens Party will lead a global consensus based on our principle of promoting democracy and social mobility throughout the world. Our military will be primarily defensive, as envisioned by our founding fathers, but will participate where a humanitarian crisis can be prevented. Specific Proposals Energy Conservation – There is no other economic goal that can produce as many positive results in as many different areas. 1. Reduced energy consumption will lower our trade deficit. 2. Reduced energy consumption will lower the price of energy. 3. Lower energy prices will free Citizens discretionary dollars for productive, growth oriented use. 4. Lower energy consumption will relieve our reliance on other nations that do not share our democratic goals. 5. Investments in new energy solutions will create new industries with high paying jobs. The Citizens Party will introduce the following legislation: A revenue neutral national purchase tax and tax credit based on energy consumption. All energy consumption devices (cars, trucks, heating / cooling systems, etc.) will be rated against the mean efficiency. There will be a sliding scale of SIGNIFICANT purchase tax credits for more efficient devices and significant purchase taxes on inefficient devices. For instance, a personal automobile that has an EPA mileage rating that is 5 miles per gallon below the mean would require a $5,000 energy consumption tax, while a personal automobile that has an EPA rating 5 miles per gallon over the mean would get a $5,000 tax credit. The same principles would be applied to solar heat vs. gas or electric heaters, etc. Reduced energy consumption is a number one priority for American Citizens to lower the price and economic drain of the total cost of energy, reduce the trade deficit, free capitol for productive uses, lower our dependence of foreign producers, and create new industries and high paying jobs for the middle class. Budget Deficits – The US economy can never reach its potential for Citizens benefit until we get the federal budget deficit under control. The Citizens Party will propose and ceaselessly work towards a balance budget amendment to the US constitution. Part of this amendment would enforce a real time tax on discretionary spending. Any discretionary project that is passed into law by our legislatures would have to be paid for with a tax increase. And savings from discontinued or sunset projects would immediately lower taxes. In essence, the federal budget would be run with the same discipline as US Citizens run their family budgets. Employee Compensation – The Citizens Party recognizes that every employee contributes to the profits of our great US corporations. In recent years, compensation for top executives has increased dramatically while the compensation increases for middle and lower employees hasn’t kept up with inflation. The Citizens Party will work to ensure that each and every Citizen that works a full time job is paid a living wage with health benefits. Illegal Immigration – Illegal immigration creates artificially high competition for the lowest end of the employment scale. The Citizens Party will propose legislation to curb illegal immigration primarily by arresting, fining and/or incarcerating those that hire illegal immigrants. This will be a major effort with zero tolerance enforcement and strict penalties. Without jobs, illegal immigration will cease to be a problem. Social Security – The Citizens Party recognizes that there may be a shortfall in the funding of the important safety net that social security provides. We also believe that, with the economic variables, no one can project the extent of the shortfall. We will propose legislation with the following elements: 1. Change the COL adjustment to an average of wage and price inflation. 2. Raise the FICA tax for the employer and employee by 1% of wages. 3. Raise the cap on FICA taxes to $200,000 in wages. We believe that these changes will result in a fully funded program. In general, the Citizens Party believes in a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”, not of, by and for special interests. The United States is a remarkable economic machine that spins off billions of dollars in free cash flow each year. It is imperative that that precious resource be carefully invested for the betterment of each and every Citizen. | ||||||||||||
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