I know we have a president and not a king, but since the one we have acts like a king and treats us as his subjects, I figure I can get away with that, too. Here are highlights of how I would run things.
At the end of every fiscal year, each agency would have to make a public report of how much they spent, what they spent it for, and where the money came from (borrowed, taxes, printed out of thin air, etc.). Whatever they can't account for and anything determined to be wasted would be deducted from all future agency budgets.
The tax code would be simplified such that any high school sophomore could successfully complete a household tax return. Each year, random students would be selected nationwide to complete sample returns and if they could not do it and in less than two hours, the tax code would have to be revised until they could; and/or the schools would have to do a better job of teaching basic arithmetic and budgeting.
Failing a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test would result in a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail for the first offense - no plea bargains allowed. Loss of a driver's license would be part of the second offense penalty, which would also increase the jail time by a factor of 10. The sentence for each subsequent offense would increase by a factor of 10, plus additional penalties for driving without a license.
Child molesters would receive a minimum of three years incarceration for the first offense. Aggressive counseling and behavior modification therapy would be given during that time. Second offenders and child rapists (first offense) would receive a minimum 10 years in jail/prison and a life sentence for a subsequent offense. All jail/prison time would be in general population.
White collar criminals - embezzlers, perpetrators of fraud or anyone else who steals more than $100,000 from anyone - would be incarcerated with all other criminals. There would be no more minimum security facilities - federal or state.
Voters would have to produce a government photo ID and would sign their ballot with a fingerprint. Voting fraud would result in loss of all future voting privileges and one year in prison (first offense) and 10 times this for any subsequent offense.
The number of lawyers would be limited to a defined percentage of the population.
No one under age 16 could be tried as an adult for anything.
No worker could be forced to join a labor union; union dues would be no more than .1 percent of a worker's pay. Union officials/officers would serve voluntarily without compensation, other than modest reimbursement for travel and meals (at White Castle rates). Company management would be required to allow union officers to spend 5 percent of their time (with normal pay) on union business.
All federal executive agencies and programs would have to trace their authority to a specified or enumerated power in the Constitution. All federal legislative actions would have to cite a specified or enumerated power in the Constitution for any and all new legislation. Congress will be required to rescind at least two outdated legislative acts for each new act they put in place.
All appointed, elected and other federal government personnel (president on down to the lowest level employee) would be enrolled in social security. No federal pension or retirement program - other than the military - could exceed the national average salary for a teacher with a master's degree and 10 years of experience.
All federal and state courts would be prohibited from issuing judicial orders that implement a remedy. They could only recommend specific action to a legislative body.
The federal government could only budget expenditures for 80 percent of anticipated income until the federal debt is reduced to less than 35 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
Food stamps could only be used for dairy, eggs, vegetables, bread, cereal, hamburger, chuck roast, pork chops, chicken, baby formula, diapers and personal hygiene products.
All government assistance recipients would have to pass random drug tests to remain eligible for assistance.
And now you know why I will never be president or king.
Actually, I don't know why anyone would want to be king, or president. I believe anyone who sincerely wants to be president of the United States should be immediately disqualified from consideration on the basis of lack of intelligence (doesn't understand what he or she is signing up to do) or mental health (delusions of grandeur), or both.
Well, that's what's been on my mind.
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