Mary's Musings

Before talking about any other candidates for President of the United States, I want to outline the views and priorities of Mary R. (myself) for President:

1) Federal government and education --
** edited ** Remove all federal regulations and programs and replace with the following: ** end edited content **
a) give each state a specific dollar amount per school age child in the state; money must be used toward teacher salaries (dollar amount can be based on an average cost of living in the state)
b) states must report on student progress in schools but do NOT tie federal funds to success/failure; state and local agencies MUST be free to address the educational needs that are unique to that area and free to raise their own revenue, provided that the federal government does not already overtax the American people.
The primary failure of schools is that there are too few qualified teachers working in classrooms that are too large. Let the states decide what to do about schools that are failing; federal government can
intervene if states request assistance
c) every school-age child receives a "tax credit" that gets sent directly to the school the child attends for his/her benefit; schools who receive such funds must document that the money directly helps that child's education. When parents can choose the school to which their child goes, the schools will only become stronger and more competitive. This can be a teacher's salary, or a computer that child uses on a regular basis, or books for that child... etc. Schools can be public or private, but must be accredited.

Philosophically speaking, I believe that the education of our children is a matter of public good. It is parents' responsibility, yes. So many parents, however, depend on our public (and private) schools to accomplish this that it is paramount that we put our dollars to work and leave politics out of it.

2) Institute a "fair tax" of some kind. This can take many forms. Fund the federal government from individual wealth but do it in a fair way. People who are trying to earn an honest living but just scraping by should not be taxed at all. Simple formula is as follows:
a) Add up all household income. (a "household" is a group of individuals, living under the same roof, all dependent on the same collective income)
b) Subtract $30K (this is the "household" deduction)
c) Subtract $6K for every person in the household (the individual deduction)
d) Whatever is left is your taxable income. No deductions for interest payments, other crazy stuff.
Just keep it plain and simple. Pay about 10% of your "taxable income" to the federal government.
e) American citizens who live and/or work abroad cannot get out of paying their fair share. This formula applies to all Americans. The rich cannot escape, there are no loopholes, no shelters from paying their fair share as well. The definition of "income" must be broad enough so that the rich who do not technically have a "salary" will pay tax on all interest earnings for that year. Close ALL loopholes.

3) Health Care -- I hate to admit it, but I think Hillary Clinton's health care plan is the kindest solution, and it makes the most sense. We need the combination of a private/public system that people can choose between, it needs to be mandated to try and keep the costs down, and one's insurance must be able to follow you from one job to another, one state to another.

4) Iraq -- Finish the job that was started there. Define the objectives plainly and clearly for all Americans to understand. Objectives must be measurable, attainable, and documentable. The objectives must also include a plan for gradual but steady troop withdrawal beginning only at a point that makes sense from a military strategy perspective.

5) Future of the "War on Terror" and other foreign policy -- This is a conflict that is best fought on paper.
a) trade embargoes and economic sanctions DO work
b) make certain that those who have destructive agendas have no economic means to carry out their plans; expose their leaders and pressure their governments to put them behind bars and remove their access to terrorist network machine
c) every individual living in the U.S. must have documentation (focus on the illegal immigrant problem)
d) peace in Palestine; work with Israel and Palestinian leadership to work toward the formation of an
independent Palestine
e) end market-driven price gouging of farmers in third world countries; make it illegal to import any food item that has not resulted in the farmer getting a "fair price" for the crops he produces

6) Illegal Immigration -- Enforce the laws that are already on the books, but do it at the level of employment
a) If an employer hires someone who does not have legitimate documentation, proving they are employable, impose heavy fines on the employer immediately; all employers must show a paper trail of all pay extended to those in their employ
b) Strengthen border security, either by putting up a physical barrier or training police serving in border regions and granting them authority to deal with migrants
c) Work with agriculture and construction industries on solutions to hiring seasonal and temporary workers.
d) Illegal immigrants who can prove they have been in the U.S. as of a certain date must come forward
register with an immigration office, pay a fine, and take steps to earn legal status
e) Children of illegal immigrants will be immediately documented and granted legal status.

7) Abortion
Ideally, I'd like to see personhood status apply to all pre-born individuals. So, my preference would be
to see all elective abortions cease. Only those in which the doctor believes there is no other choice should take place. So, alternatively I'd like to work to...
establish a point at which the developing fetus ceases to be a "pre-person" and becomes a person with full status as a person under the Constitution to the point of granting health care benefits to the child.
This can be a bipartisan effort. I believe that the American people would overwhelmingly support this idea. It is absurd to believe that passage through the birth canal affords a child all the rights and privileges of being a protected citizen of this Republic. This privilege needs to be granted to all unborn children, but I would settle for 26 weeks. Call it the 6/9 compromise.

8) Energy and the Environment
a) Kyoto agreement needs to apply to all nations if we are to take the findings of scientific community seriously
b) Take steps to reduce CO2 emissions, promote clean air, water and soil as well as a sustainable agriculture policy. Federal money needs to go toward the researching of alternate fuels as well as requiring fuel efficiency standards for automobile manufacturing
c) Make sure what we take out (resources) gets put back
d) Work with conservationist principles; work to protect endangered and at-risk species
e) Encourage and reward institutions and individuals who practice the three "R's": reduce, reuse, recycle

9) Civil Rights
a) individual's rights to privacy should not be trampled on; no warrantless search and seizure
b) individual property rights have been abused under the label of "public interest"; government re-allocation of people's land needs to have stricter regulations attached to it
c) I am in favor of granting two adults of any gender "domestic partnership" status, including health benefits, survivorship benefits, and status of "household" without asking questions about whether they sleep in separate beds or not

10) Sanctity of Marriage
a) marriage is between a man and a woman, for life. I support the DOMA and a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, for life

11) Balanced Budget
a) I support a bill that requires a balanced budget
b) I support a bill that requires Congress to look for ways to cut unnecessary spending, programs that are not working, before raising taxes on the people

These are all important issues to me. There are other issues, and I have opinions about them as well.
I just wanted to get it all written out. Good day!