You are now the President of the United States of America.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

I'm surprised nobody said to lower the 15% bar for presidential debates tbh

Then we get kooks like Stein and Johnson eligible

[Delibirb]

Then we get kooks like Stein and Johnson eligible

Stein was nuts but Johnson was reasonable enough.

 

At the very least it's another person to compare answers with, to either solidify your support with a candidate (in the case of that person agreeing with your ideal pick) or helping you to recognize their less preferable positions (in the case of that person offering a better answer to one or more issues that don't necessarily align with your ideal pick's opponent, but are better than your ideal pick's).

 

And if they're able to get a bit more attention thereby decreasing the blind partisanship that bogs down modern elections, that's just icing.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Stein was nuts but Johnson was reasonable enough.

 

At the very least it's another person to compare answers with, to either solidify your support with a candidate (in the case of that person agreeing with your ideal pick) or helping you to recognize their less preferable positions (in the case of that person offering a better answer to one or more issues that don't necessarily align with your ideal pick's opponent, but are better than your ideal pick's).

 

And if they're able to get a bit more attention thereby decreasing the blind partisanship that bogs down modern elections, that's just icing.

I mean credible 3rd party candidates make it on their own merit. Like Ross Perot

[cr47t]

I mean credible 3rd party candidates make it on their own merit. Like Ross Perot

He (Perot) would not have been able to get in the debates, which was crucial to his rise in 1992, if they had that 15% bar back then

 

They (those who back the 15% bar) say you shouldn't be in the debates if you can't win, but you can't win if you can't get in the debates. Catch-22

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

Now I'm curious as to whether Trump could have won without having participated in one of the Presidential debates. He pulled the stunt in the GOP race and didn't suffer too much for it.  

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Now I'm curious as to whether Trump could have won without having participated in one of the Presidential debates. He pulled the stunt in the GOP race and didn't suffer too much for it.  

Well yes, he won the next primary, but he also hosted a public charity event for vets and made sure that got attention. 

 

He handily lost the 1st debate, but it was a good way to air out wikileaks against HRC

[vla1ne]

first and foremost is welfare reform, it's a waste of money as it is now, and it's insanely strong incentive for no working at all. i'd go so far as to say it actively attacks those who rely on it whenever they so much as attempt to get jobs. fix the system so that it does not remove benefits for those who work, instead, it should reward them for working more,(not infinitely, but within reason) and penalize them less the more they work. that way people who work long hours, trying to make enough money to feed their families, can hold their jobs, accept extra hours when their check alone won't cut it, and have extra income allowing them to save up should they need to.

 

another thing is to revamp the prison system, if possible, as it stands, prison is a cycle that does nothing but chew up innocents, and spit out criminals, i would attempt to change prison from the current state, which is better defined as indefinite years in an empty cell with no progress, to a learning facility, that greatly encourages and rewards taking alternate paths to crime, and punishes stagnation. implement educational programs for those wishing to learn, create jobs based in prison, that accumulate finances for the (hopefully eventual) release of prisoners, that way people don't simply leave jail with no way to get back up, and establish former convict job system, that way those who became criminals due to trying to survive, would have some way of standing up in society that's guaranteed t be there for them upon release. hopefully meaning a smaller return rate on prisoners. not a perfect idea, but unquestionably better than the system we have in place now.

 

next up would be health care reform, i know very little about the health care system, but i know enough to know i don't wanna go to the hospital in america right now. i'd expand my knowledge of the system, and after that, i'd make some changes, hopefully for the better. i wouldn't go for a complete overhaul, because i don't believe the system calls for that, but i would add a few tweaks to it her and there.

 

immigration reform is the next thing i'd likely take a crack at, focusing on mexico mostly, but overall i'd reform the system to allow immigrants easier time coming and staying legally, while reinforcing current immigration laws, and cleaning out any corruption of the system. along side this, is foreign policy, and to that, mexico is truly in need of dire assistance. instead of the middle east, i'd relocate much of our power to assisting mexico, clearing out the crime, and removing both the drugs and the drug lords. honestly, the duterte approach is likely needed to handle the problems that mexico faces at the moment. cartels hold more power than politicians, the regular citizens live in heaps of trash, literal heaps of trash, and drugs/cartels are the unquestionably greatest threat in mexico today for or against anybody. the wall trump's proposing looks nice, but it's not a project that can be done in 4, or even 8 years, not properly anyways, i'd prefer to keep that particular idea on the back-burner, stretched out over multiple presidencies, one section at a time, slowly, as to not burn through the budge rushing things. all the while, slowly cleaning up mexico alongside it's police force and military. they're our neighbors, and they look like hell, i see no reason not to help clean them up.

 

yes i spelled it wrong on purpose

educatiuon reform would come next. (or before, or simultaneously, no real order to them actually) i'd probably see if i can't put laws in place, granting teachers larger salaries, and implement teaching regimens that would, instead of promoting mere repetition, encourage thought, and curiosity, not sure what those would be honestly, but taking a look at the lead set by private schools, and the debate topic on the funding in relation to public schools, i believe it would be best to encourage competition among not only the teachers, or those in charge, but the students themselves. a student who's fired up about learning, is clearly going to be better off than a student who's apathetic to their situation. likely implement more school curriculums that foster a competitive (but nonviolent) feeling among the students of different schools, especially in regards to school listings. reward the schools who do higher, and possibly even provide monetary compensation to students of the top scoring schools in each district, encouraging study above other, less savory recreational activities. also, i think more assistance in schools in general, for the language, math and science areas. these are indeed the cores of education, and ensuring that students don't fall behind here would be the best idea imo. again, not quite sure where to aim exactly, but the general idea, seems like it should hold well enough as a first try. 

 

i would definitely make sure nasa would come back, with proper funding and all as well. the earth's a nice place, but it won't last forever. humans need to dream bigger. and the best start to that, is reopening the place where human dreams can be pushed the farthest.

 

 

there's more that i could think of, but that'd be a good star as far as i'm concerned. besides, others have said a lot of the things i was thinking in other areas.

[Halubaris Maphotika]

[spoiler=Congressional Policy]

 

-Limit the terms of United States Senators to two instead of three.

 

-Eliminate the 22nd Amendment

 

-Institute legislation that permanently increases the number of representatives within the House to 450 while limiting the number of seats one Political party can hold within the House to 130. This means that the House will contain up to 4 Political Parties, with standard Majority House practices remaining.

 

-Create "President's Questions", a public service in the similar vain of Britain's "Prime Minister's Questions". The difference is that President's Questions would commence every two weeks, and would run for an entire hour.

 

-Limit the amount of US Senators for one political party to 30. This means that at least 4 political parties will be represented in the United States Senate.

 

-Increase salary for Senators to $190,000 (president pro tempore and party leaders receive $215,000). 

 

-Increase salary of Representatives in the House to $190,000 ($250,000 for the Speaker and $215,000 for their party leaders).

 

-Make it a Federal Crime for any member of the House of Representatives, or Senator to accept any amount of money from a Private or Publicly Traded business whether as a payment, or donation.

 

-Institute legislation forbidding PACs and SuperPACs from donating their funds to the campaign of any government official.

 

-Make being a "Faithless Elector" of the Electoral College a Federal Crime with up to five years in Federal Prison for committing a faithless vote from an Electoral College member.

 

[spoiler=Domestic Policy]

 

-Decriminalize Marijuana across the United States.

 

-Establish a National 15$ Mimimum Wage.

 

-Repeal Dodd Frank and reinstate Glass Steagle.

 

-Create a national, defined wage for Public Defenders at $95,000 a year.

 

-Eliminate the United States Penny from currency rotation.

 

-Pardon Edward Snowden

 

-Have all Public News organizations be put under review every four years in order to establish whether they are unbiased or not. Organizations in television news that do not meet certain standards will be relabeled as "Entertainment" and be barred from Press Conferences.

 

-Create a small camera that is to be hooked up to the uniforms of all United States police officers in every state. This camera is not to be turned off until the end of the officer's shift.

 

-Establish Google as a monopoly and apply all anti-monopoly legislation to the corporation.

 

-Nationally recognize and legalize Prostitution in the United States. Require all prostitutes to be 21 years of age or older and apply workers rights and a minimum wage to prostitution as well.

 

-Legalize euthanasia while requiring the consent of the three members of the patient's family (this can include wife/husband).

 

-Federally investigate the FDA under charges of potential cronyism and corruption.

 

-Establish Chinese and Spanish as Nationally recognized secondary languages.

 

-Establish a new 9/11 Commission that will re-investigate the terror attacks of 9/11 and establish a primary cause and factors resulting in the failures of the previous commission.

 

-Re-open the case of the Chris Benoit double-murder suicide and fully establish a cause and result of the crime.

 

-Federally apply History and Cultural studies to future SATs and apply them to all national standardized tests.

 

-Make registering to be an immigrant completely free. At the same time, Habeus Corpus would remain into law.

 

-Reestablish Internet privacy laws.

 

-Eliminate the Death Penalty

 

-Decrease taxes to poor and lower middle class payers by 20%, decrease taxes on middle class by 10%. Increase taxes on high middle class by 2%. Increase taxes for millionaires by 15%, billionaires by 25%.

 

-Replace the word "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, to "the constitution".

 

-Establish a Federally Funded and recognized rating system for Video Games, replacing the ESRB in the United States. All Video Games will be legal, but will be rated for Children [C], Everyone (E), Adolescents (AD), Age 18+ (18+), and 21+ (21+). Video Games which refuse classification will be banned from sale in the United States.

 

-Have the people of Hawaii vote to establish whether to remain a state of the US or become their own independent city-state. If they vote no to state-hood, they will be made a city-state, allowing them to form their own Government separate from the Federal Government. They will not be bound by laws determined by the Federal Government. They will still be required to use the United States dollar and all currencies used in the broader United States, and they will not be allowed to have any senators or representatives within the US House or Senate. No person in Hawaii can run for President. Whether Hawaii forms their own presidency, house, and senate will be left entirely up to them, without Federal interference.

 

[spoiler=Foreign Policy]

 

-Release embargo and any restrictions on Cuba.

 

-Refuse to recognize Palestine as a separate State.

 

-Implement dramatic sanctions on North Korea and declare it to be a no-fly zone. Refuse to recognize North Korea as a separate state and recognize the country as part of Korea. At the same time, recognize the South Korean government as the default Korean government.

 

-Establish sanctions on the following Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and Egypt, on grounds of potentially harboring terrorists with knowledge of their activities, various violations of basic human rights, and threats against the State of Israel.

 

 

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

[spoiler=Congressional Policy]

 

-Limit the terms of United States Senators to two instead of three.

 

-Eliminate the 22nd Amendment

 

-Institute legislation that permanently increases the number of representatives within the House to 450 while limiting the number of seats one Political party can hold within the House to 130. This means that the House will contain up to 4 Political Parties, with standard Majority House practices remaining.

 

-Create "President's Questions", a public service in the similar vain of Britain's "Prime Minister's Questions". The difference is that President's Questions would commence every two weeks, and would run for an entire hour.

 

-Limit the amount of US Senators for one political party to 30. This means that at least 4 political parties will be represented in the United States Senate.

 

-Increase salary for Senators to $190,000 (president pro tempore and party leaders receive $215,000). 

 

-Increase salary of Representatives in the House to $190,000 ($250,000 for the Speaker and $215,000 for their party leaders).

 

-Make it a Federal Crime for any member of the House of Representatives, or Senator to accept any amount of money from a Private or Publicly Traded business whether as a payment, or donation.

 

-Institute legislation forbidding PACs and SuperPACs from donating their funds to the campaign of any government official.

 

-Make being a "Faithless Elector" of the Electoral College a Federal Crime with up to five years in Federal Prison for committing a faithless vote from an Electoral College member.

 

[spoiler=Domestic Policy]

 

-Decriminalize Marijuana across the United States.

 

-Establish a National 15$ Mimimum Wage.

 

-Repeal Dodd Frank and reinstate Glass Steagle.

 

-Create a national, defined wage for Public Defenders at $95,000 a year.

 

-Eliminate the United States Penny from currency rotation.

 

-Pardon Edward Snowden

 

-Have all Public News organizations be put under review every four years in order to establish whether they are unbiased or not. Organizations in television news that do not meet certain standards will be relabeled as "Entertainment" and be barred from Press Conferences.

 

-Create a small camera that is to be hooked up to the uniforms of all United States police officers in every state. This camera is not to be turned off until the end of the officer's shift.

 

-Establish Google as a monopoly and apply all anti-monopoly legislation to the corporation.

 

-Nationally recognize and legalize Prostitution in the United States. Require all prostitutes to be 21 years of age or older and apply workers rights and a minimum wage to prostitution as well.

 

-Legalize euthanasia while requiring the consent of the three members of the patient's family (this can include wife/husband).

 

-Federally investigate the FDA under charges of potential cronyism and corruption.

 

-Establish Chinese and Spanish as Nationally recognized secondary languages.

 

-Establish a new 9/11 Commission that will re-investigate the terror attacks of 9/11 and establish a primary cause and factors resulting in the failures of the previous commission.

 

-Re-open the case of the Chris Benoit double-murder suicide and fully establish a cause and result of the crime.

 

-Federally apply History and Cultural studies to future SATs and apply them to all national standardized tests.

 

-Make registering to be an immigrant completely free. At the same time, Habeus Corpus would remain into law.

 

-Reestablish Internet privacy laws.

 

-Eliminate the Death Penalty

 

-Decrease taxes to poor and lower middle class payers by 20%, decrease taxes on middle class by 10%. Increase taxes on high middle class by 2%. Increase taxes for millionaires by 15%, billionaires by 25%.

 

-Replace the word "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, to "the constitution".

 

-Establish a Federally Funded and recognized rating system for Video Games, replacing the ESRB in the United States. All Video Games will be legal, but will be rated for Children [C], Everyone (E), Adolescents (AD), Age 18+ (18+), and 21+ (21+). Video Games which refuse classification will be banned from sale in the United States.

 

-Establish Hawaii as a "City-State". Allowing them to form their own Government separate from the Federal Government. They will not be bound by laws determined by the Federal Government. They will still be required to use the United States dollar and all currencies used in the broader United States, and they will not be allowed to have any senators or representatives within the US House or Senate. No person in Hawaii can run for President. Whether Hawaii forms their own presidency, house, and senate will be left entirely up to them, without Federal interference.

 

[spoiler=Foreign Policy]

 

-Release embargo and any restrictions on Cuba.

 

-Refuse to recognize Palestine as a separate State.

 

-Implement dramatic sanctions on North Korea and declare it to be a no-fly zone. Refuse to recognize North Korea as a separate state and recognize the country as part of Korea. At the same time, recognize the South Korean government as the default Korean government.

 

-Establish sanctions on the following Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and Egypt, on grounds of potentially harboring terrorists with knowledge of their activities, various violations of basic human rights, and threats against the State of Israel.

 

-Establish Hawaii as a "City-State". Allowing them to form their own Government separate from the Federal Government. They will not be bound by laws determined by the Federal Government. They will still be required to use the United States dollar and all currencies used in the broader United States, and they will not be allowed to have any senators or representatives within the US House or Senate. No person in Hawaii can run for President. Whether Hawaii forms their own presidency, house, and senate will be left entirely up to them, without Federal interference.

 

What if HI wants to join the US as a state

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

(We've been a state since 8/21/1959. It would appear some of you either forgot this, or think otherwise based on the note I made about the sovereignty movement. It is a real thing, but has not been publicly talked about.)

 

You realize that most of the native Hawaiians here actually want to remain part of the United States, right? It's only the select few who want to form their own government, however whether/not that entails a complete split is unclear (or if it just amounts to something similar to what Native Americans have at present; Rubio touched on a little bit of this when queried, so...).

 

As I've probably said before in Icy's thread, the activists are in the MINORITY and breaking apart would do us far more harm than good. (Even Icy says he fears what'll happen, and he has a greater claim to this than I do [he's native Hawaiian, while I'm not]. Also wouldn't go well with our Congressional delegation if they can no longer represent us, and also would be a slap in the face to everyone who pushed for statehood in the 1950s if we were to lose that.

 

(Sen. Inouye would curse in his grave after the half-century he served.)

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

(We've been a state since 8/21/1959. It would appear some of you either forgot this, or think otherwise based on the note I made about the sovereignty movement. It is a real thing, but has not been publicly talked about.)

 

You realize that most of the native Hawaiians here actually want to remain part of the United States, right? It's only the select few who want to form their own government, however whether/not that entails a complete split is unclear (or if it just amounts to something similar to what Native Americans have at present; Rubio touched on a little bit of this when queried, so...).

 

As I've probably said before in Icy's thread, the activists are in the MINORITY and breaking apart would do us far more harm than good. (Even Icy says he fears what'll happen, and he has a greater claim to this than I do [he's native Hawaiian, while I'm not]. Also wouldn't go well with our Congressional delegation if they can no longer represent us, and also would be a slap in the face to everyone who pushed for statehood in the 1950s if we were to lose that.

 

(Sen. Inouye would curse in his grave after the half-century he served.)

What's the split? Brexit style 48:52?

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

What's the split? Brexit style 48:52?

 

http://fusion.net/why-some-native-hawaiians-want-to-declare-independence-1793855248

 

(88-30 in favor of declaring the start of a new nation, out of elected delegates, but then it splits into the two groups above: take something similar to Native Americans [and stay in the US] or outright declare independence.)

 

From this article (yes, it's a year old, but that's as recent as you can get right now), the minority want that secession. Not sure if some of the Hawaiian studies professors here are for it; I know one retired a few years ago and she was very anti-American (though she was born on the mainland, so...); another is still here and is an activist, though how extreme he is, I don't know. 

 

Perhaps I should've said that a good chunk of them would like to have more control over how they govern their own affairs/culture, but not outright break away from the union. Some do, but that's a vocal minority.

 

I cannot say what the actual consensus is among them in general right now, either in this supposed government or not, considering this hasn't been in the news lately (or for quite a while otherwise). Would assume there is still discussion about it behind closed doors. But yeah, there are some who are fine with this being a US state, because in actuality, activists will have an extreme uphill battle to fight for complete independence, considering we host the Pacific fleet and various other government operations; the former I don't see our current president being willing to fork over. 

 

I shouldn't be talking about this as I'm not native Hawaiian and have no say in what they do or not (that, and native ethics is not my field of interest), but it's something that has come up much more frequently recently (it's been ongoing for much longer). If you look at the statistics for native Hawaiians being disenfranchised here (for example, one of my neighbors waited over four decades to get Hawaiian homestead land), it might give you a look into why this is a hot topic.

 

[For more information (at least the backstory of what happened), you can defer to Icy's thread on native sovereignty; he technically made that thread because of what I wrote here.]

 

====

Back to the original topic, I mentioned this as something to address if I were President, but not top priority because dealing with the country as a whole and any external affairs would take precedence. 

[Halubaris Maphotika]

I should have specified that I would let Hawaii vote and decide on the course of action. They could stay a state if they wanted to.

[cr47t]

Looked at The Laughing Man's post. My opinion on them is lot of them I agree with (mainly the ones that would help limit/end the ridiculous antics of the 1%), and a lot of them I disagree. Perhaps most of all I disgaree with this item as I feel it would be a dastardly blow to our American culture:

 

-Nationally recognize and legalize Prostitution in the United States

I can't imagine a scenario where tons and tons of people would NOT be in an outrage over this. At the same time it plays into the heavy sexualization that has made itself a key part of our Amiercan culture (and that, in my opinion, needs to be removed).

[Delibirb]

Looked at The Laughing Man's post. My opinion on them is lot of them I agree with (mainly the ones that would help limit/end the ridiculous antics of the 1%), and a lot of them I disagree. Perhaps most of all I disgaree with this item as I feel it would be a dastardly blow to our American culture:

 

 

I can't imagine a scenario where tons and tons of people would NOT be in an outrage over this. At the same time it plays into the heavy sexualization that has made itself a key part of our Amiercan culture (and that, in my opinion, needs to be removed).

There certainly would be uproar. But, I too am in favor of something like it.

 

The legalization would need the provisions which he provides just below that bullet point, and they would need to be well thought out and effective, but I think it's a positive, both in terms of the social order, and in terms of protecting people who are in this line of work, illegal though it is, and for one reason or another, are unsafe.

[Halubaris Maphotika]

Looked at The Laughing Man's post. My opinion on them is lot of them I agree with (mainly the ones that would help limit/end the ridiculous antics of the 1%), and a lot of them I disagree. Perhaps most of all I disgaree with this item as I feel it would be a dastardly blow to our American culture:

 

 

I can't imagine a scenario where tons and tons of people would NOT be in an outrage over this. At the same time it plays into the heavy sexualization that has made itself a key part of our Amiercan culture (and that, in my opinion, needs to be removed).

Of course there would be an uproar, but there would also be support. I am not concerned with either of those sides. I am concerned with the young women who throw their life away into prostitution, with no health benefits, no stable income for their services, no guidelines protecting their health and well being, and pimps guiding their every move and fixing them into the lifestyle with no way of getting out.

[cr47t]

Of course there would be an uproar, but there would also be support. I am not concerned with either of those sides. I am concerned with the young women who throw their life away into prostitution, with no health benefits, no stable income for their services, no guidelines protecting their health and well being, and pimps guiding their every move and fixing them into the lifestyle with no way of getting out.

 

I personally think that instead of legalizing the practice, we should take steps and do what we can to prevent those young women from falling into that lifestyle. As for the pimps; I would find a way to make illegal the "fixing them into the lifestyle" and do other steps to prevent such things from happening, as making something illegal isn't going to solve the problem all by itself (hence my first statement).

[Halubaris Maphotika]

I personally think that instead of legalizing the practice, we should take steps and do what we can to prevent those young women from falling into that lifestyle. As for the pimps; I would find a way to make illegal the "fixing them into the lifestyle" and do other steps to prevent such things from happening, as making something illegal isn't going to solve the problem all by itself (hence my first statement).

We've tried this over a million times. The fact remains that people still do it no matter what. To be quite honest (I have talked to prostitutes before) not all of them do it because they have no other choice. Some are nymphomaniacs who just enjoy sex. America has been a sex oriented nation since the 1950's, sexualization isn't a bad thing, it's simply a reality. It is also nobody's, or the government's, business to tell women what to do with their own body.

[cr47t]

(1)America has been a sex oriented nation since the 1950's, sexualization isn't a bad thing, it's simply a reality. (2)It is also nobody's, or the government's, business to tell women what to do with their own body.

• The reason I bash America being sex oriented is because, in my opinion, it is way too sex oriented.
• I personally believe you are taking that statement out of context. Prostitution has been established as against the law (EDIT: in at least a few countries) for practically thousands of years, and observing those years, that ban has generally been benign to the vast majority of women (and of people in general) at most points.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Prostitution has been established as against the law for practically thousands of years, and observing those years, that ban has generally been benign to the vast majority of women (and of people in general) at most points.

Well that's untrue. Prostitution is legal in many countries, and at least one state off the top of my head.

 

It isn't made illegal to help women. It is illegal because of melding between law and religion-based morality, so as to preserve sexual purity. If your beliefs fit these, that's fine, more power to you, but subjective morality like this shouldn't dictate the law.

[VCR_CAT]

Well that's untrue. Prostitution is legal in many countries, and at least one state off the top of my head.

 

It isn't made illegal to help women. It is illegal because of melding between law and religion-based morality, so as to preserve sexual purity. If your beliefs fit these, that's fine, more power to you, but subjective morality like this shouldn't dictate the law.

 

The primary reasons I can see for legalizing prostitution have nothing to do with the moral values of "But it's mah body". The reasons I can see is that the sex trade, as it is now, is a fricked up place full of people taking advantage of desperate individuals. Making prostitution legal severely damages their operations. It adds regulations (and hopefully health standards) to those that want to undertake it as a business, including minimum wage. It would offer these people a better chance at a properly paying job without the threat of abuse or worse at the hands of a pimp. I'd imagine that the big porn companies would want to get in on this, and having that in competition with small pimp rings in an honest business environment is going to be no contest. In short, the real benefits of legalizing prostitution, like legalizing marijuana or something else in the gray area, is about lowering crime rates and adding regulation to an otherwise criminal community that would mean less people are being taken advantage of.

 

Like, in all honesty, I would rather see women pursue more ambitious careers and shoot for greater things, but I can't tell them what to do with their lives. It's not going with my own morals to have these sorts of things legal, but all we have to gain by having them be illegal is the illusion that it makes us look morally better. The prohibition should have taught everyone that making something illegal on a purely moral basis accomplishes basically nothing but make things worse for everyone.

[8corners]

I'm going to take a different tack than many posts here, since Presidents DON'T get to make laws.   They can propose them, influence public opinion and sometimes Congress' opinion, but they don't make laws.

 

First thing I'd do is to propose a national campaign centered around the idea that within the United States, "there is no 'them'."  Way too much of our polarized political wrangling is neck-deep in some weird kind of game of winners and losers where there's "my side" and "their side".  If you looked at my politics and some of my relatives', you'd think we could never get along in any conversation at all.  But in fact, we like each other and respect each other pretty well, and if you followed us all around for a day, you'd see that we mostly care mostly the same about most things.  But in political and social issue conversations, the demons are always "them", the "others" that are against you.  We'd be better off making a part of each debate the requirement that one side (debates as a staged two-sided conversation, not "one side" as if there's 2 groups of people in the country) proposes a set of circumstances and a proposed law/regulation/social norm.  And then the other side has to commit to how they themselves would want that law/regulation/norm to be if they themselves were in that circumstance.  

 

We're all out of practice in being empathetic to others, and it's dividing our culture and politics and rendering us far less functional than we used to be.  I think fixing that is the responsibility of someone at the highest level.

[cr47t]

Know it's not my thread, but bump because its been somewhat an interesting thread.