A Cohesive Strategy is What is Needed
1) ECONOMY: Beyond the short term stimulus package there is a need for improved long term performance in the economy for growth. This requires improved competitiveness through Tort reform, education, healthcare insurance, immigration and tax reforms. Independently each of these programs is not the most crucial but together, and they are interdependent, they are the most crucial socio-economic issue facing the US.
- The energy policy must be about developing all sources of energy except for OPEC oil. The focus should be plug-in hybrids (and natural gas for trucks) along with nuclear energy.
-TORT REFORM, so that most if not all of the punitive damages go to the government not to the Plaintiffs, because it is the government not the victims that should punish, and certainly not the lawyers.
IMMIGRATION REFORM: Having improved significantly border control; increase by about 100,000 people, the immigration to US, through H1B level IV visas, of doctors, lawyers, bankers, executives, engineers, (and simplify that process) and thus help bring the wages down of some excessively compensated professions, (helping in reducing Health Care costs as well.)
- EDUCATION REFORM: SCHOOL VOUCHERS: A minimum of 40% of per student cost, mandatory school voucher to whomever student qualifies for it and chooses it. Not paying any percentage of the costs of those that do not want public schooling and cannot afford all the costs of private schools is too stupid for the health of both the public and private schools.
-HEALTH INSURANCE: Health care costs will never be reduced as long as health care coverage is a cost plus system as it is now. Offer a government health insurance (through an organization that breaks even) that covers 70% or so of health care costs, no deductibles, no tricks and traps. Allow patients to visit any certified physician with online records; online billing.) The patient thus has some clear stake (at a direct 30% stake) in reducing health care costs.
Offer 2,000/yr tax deduction per year, per family to those that are not insured due to a pre-existing condition and those that are not covered by corporate health insurance.
Subsidize and/or mandatory health insurance for all US citizen children.
2) WMD-TERRORISM Renegotiating to amend the NPT (with the most critical determinant being the negotiation with China):
a) For non proliferation of enrichment and reprocessing facilities. A moratorium on any not fully operational new enrichment and reprocessing plants, (including of Iran) is the most critical world military safety item. Did you know that the NPT currently allows enrichment and reprocessing facilities in any nation so long as they claim that these facilities are not for the purpose of nuclear weapons? And such facilities exist in Germany, Japan, Netherlands and Brazil among others? Once one has these facilities they are less than six months away from being able to have nuclear weapons. So that saying “we don’t like you nor trust you” is the essence of the argument with Iran; not a solid legal argument.
b) for an IAEA bank being a reliable source (not the only source) for the supply of fuel for nuclear energy plants; and for the increased oversight, control, and disposition of all fissile materials by IAEA and
c) For measured verifiable WMD and nuclear warhead reductions by each nuclear weapons state,
Restructuring the UN, as described in the next Chapter, will help a lot; Longer term a verifiable proportionate military expenditures reduction, Treaty is necessary. There are only 20 or so uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing facilities globally. Fissile materials are quite limited, and easily controllable down to the gram; not doing so criminal insanity. To do so requires a renegotiation of the NPT.
3) DEFENDING DEMOCRACIES: Establish an economic alliance to include all democratic nations, including (in sequence), North America, EU, Japan, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Australia is the most critical defense initiative for democracies. Expanding free trade within that alliance should more than offset trade reductions with dictatorial nations such as China and those within OPEC. This will be a result of appropriate import tariffs for Chinese and OPEC products.
Not recognizing that the standard by which free people should evaluate their actions is “what is best for the democratizing nations” is a major lapse in “common sense” among free humans. In terms of sequence, the increased political, military and trade alliance among nations that are democratic must be the first item because it is a prerequisite to all others.
There is a lot of chatter about the Georgia-Russia conflict and the implications for the West-Russia relations. Over two years before this occurred here is a quote: ” The foreign affairs and trade policy treatment by the US of Russia that moved towards democracy as compared to the treatment of China that did not, has been terribly stupid and to the extent that Russia reverts back towards dictatorship it will be to a large extent the fault of the very stupid decisions by the last three US Administrations that supported the communist-fascist Chinese and not the Russians that attempted democracy.” (p. 298, The World Anew,2006, by Paul Zecos that maybe found at http://www.Amazon.com )
4) GLOBAL WARMING: Renegotiating the environmental Kyoto accord by adding China and India in the accord with reduced emission reduction commitments by them is probably the most critical very long term action for the survivability of humanity and of many other species. Establishing a carbon tax (for things such as cars and SUV’s with less than 30 m/hr mileage and private jets); for the “demand” side and cap and trade for national objectives and for the “suply” side (which domestically is best implemented by limiting it to utilities, refineries and iron and steel industry,) are the most critical strategic actions required domestically on this issue. The specifics of that renegotiation are discussed in the next Chapter however they are not achievable until items 1 and 2 above are achieved.
5) DEFENSE: MISSILE DEFENSE: Continued deployment of the anti-ballistic missile program, not in Eastern Europe, that does not need it and antagonizes Russia unnecessarily, but as near to the claimed potential threats as possible such as in Cyprus or Afghanistan is critical. This is central to moving Russia from aligning with fascist China. Fascist China is without question the major strategic threat of the free world.
ANTI TERRORISM: Defense against terrorism is not war because the terrorist are hiding; you can’t have war without knowing where the enemy is; it includes battles in which significant military forces maybe needed and must be quickly accessible, but it is not a war. It is not a police action because it is too big and within foreign, not too friendly, nations and laws, for police action; even though it should include police action. The primary instrument for anti-terrorism is indeed offense rather than defense. It is by a covert, with strong intelligence to clearly identify the enemies, and thus probably through the CIA, (with increased Congressional oversight), commando force, (coming from current special military forces), in civilian attire, (connected to an expanded NATO Global anti-terrorist intelligence agency as well) of probably no more than 20,000 operating primarily in Pakistan, secondarily in Afghanistan and Iraq; and also in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
Conflict against international terrorism is profoundly different than the wars that the military was and is designed to fight. The primary difference is that the combatants are dressed as civilians in civil settings. In winning modern wars the “moral” high ground and the “story” being disseminated to the public is critical. Having the military or police, dressed as such, operating in civil theaters, while a terrorist sometimes shows up, is by definition a losing “moral” impression to the public, becomes a police state, and a losing proposition. Conflict with international terrorism unfortunately, requires adjustment of our defensive combatants to be in offense, in the nations where terrorists operate, but mostly in civil attire and form. Increased presence in Afghanistan is necessary; the Taliban are now operating mainly out of Pakistan.
For as long as there are not at least 3000 US or NATO covert forces in Pakistan; preferably with the private approval of the Pakistani government, in exchange for the approx. $1.5 billion assistance they get for fighting terrorism; chasing Bin Laden primarily and other terrorist groups and the Taliban secondarily, nothing is being done against the center of terrorism.
It is expected that the governments of these nations will publicly refuse and deny the presence of US forces within their territory as part of their national sovereignty. Covert forces are called so because they are unacceptable politically or diplomatically as overt, yet are a necessary structural adaptation to the strategies of the terrorists. As a result regarding these covert operations, even though the public may not know for many years and thus is unable to judge whether anything substantive is being against terrorism, unless the covert forces as above are operating in Pakistan, nothing substantive is being done against the center of terrorism.
Strategic re-positioning of missile defense stations and the restructuring of how terrorism is to be fought, without affecting defenses against major wars, is the most significant strategic US military defense initiative.
6) DEFENDING US DEMOCRACY: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: Changing the laws on campaign finance to have all federal Senatorial, House and Presidential elections to be publicly financed, mostly through free ad time for Candidates, in the licensee’s of public air waves, is the most significant action to restore and preserve US democracy.
In terms of sequence this is the first domestic agenda item that should be implemented. The current campaign finance reform (that was the major “accomplishment” of Sen. McCain’s last Presidential Campaign) has left enormous amount of private money with self-only interest in the elections. The result is that the new definition of the best way to screw up any idea is to give it to the US Congress. Other than the example of Campaign Finance reform that came out as screwed up as it went in, is the current “global climate change bill” in the Senate. I have been advocating cap and trade for a long time until I saw this cap and trade bill, (about 500 pages of screwing everyone and their mama with bureaucracy.) It is truly disheartening. Campaign finance reform that takes all the money out of politics is a prerequisite to everything else because without it Congress will take each and all ideas and screw them to the point that they might as well never been offered.
7) WEALTH DISTRIBUTION: A one time re-distribution of some wealth (about one and a half-trillion dollars) through a small (average of about 15%) one-time tax, on those with net wealth of over 10m net, directly to the most vulnerable 70 million, current US citizen children, (all of the lower and middle class) at about $25,000 per child, without the government keeping any of it, and without increasing but rather, because of the reduced need for governmental programs, significantly decreasing (by over $50 billion/ year, through cuts and attrition) ongoing government spending; is the most critical social action within the US and within other nations that have the political will.
This action will automatically solve a series of structural imbalances that are now manifested in different ways. For example, the above action will automatically solve the current housing crisis as over 110 million US citizens will have significantly higher equity to allow them to maintain their homes.
Without this action the US economy is extremely likely to get into an economic depression, because the governmental spending and increased income taxes by the Democrats will lead there; and the socio-economic problems and increased military spending caused by the Republicans will also lead into a depression.
TAX REFORM: Changing the tax code to reducing income taxes of only the middle and lower class and simplifying the tax code as shown, and adding an equivalent in revenue Value added tax (a point of sale tax of about 20%, for not-manufactured here goods, with the exception of those goods coming from democratic nations) is the most significant trade initiative for the US. Strategically, increasing free trade and the economic, political and military ties with democratic nations must be done synchronously while having a regularly shifting targeted tariffs, taxes and barriers to entry structure, responding to the political actions of dictatorships, for products from dictatorial nations; specifically with China and the OPEC nations in mind.
Simplification of the Federal tax code would be extremely useful; I suggest the following:
Rate Income tax bracket One-time wealth tax Estate Tax Cap. Gains (years)
0% < 25k/yr < $10 mil., net 4
10% < 100k < 100 m 3
20% < 200k < 200 m 2
30% > 300k > 300 m > 30m <1 ord. income
The idea, in terms of fiscal policy, is to reduce the need and the overall government expenses. In terms of annual revenue it is to be revenue neutral at the same assumed growth levels, however encourage higher growth, through lower income tax rates for everyone but more so for the middle class. To shift some of the revenue, 20%-30%, to import taxes from dictatorial nations and to carbon tax. There is no reason for marriage advantage since it must be the same as civil unions and any other contractual cohabitation arrangement, so it is an income tax per individual. The deductions must be few and relating to incentives needed in the current circumstances; primary residence mortgage interest deduction, (divided by the number of adults using it, if more than one person uses the deduction,) $2,000/family health insurance, 50% of charitable donations. Capital gains down to zero for holdings of over 4 years.
Corporate tax should have the same structure as personal income tax; with the brackets at 25k; 1m; 20m; 300m. Reduce corn-ethanol subsidies and annual requirements; they are a stupid incentive; significantly reduce taxes on sugar cane imports of ethanol from Brazil as part of a broader trade agreement with Brazil. Gradually eliminate, in 4 years, all corporate subsidies, credits, deductibles, and tax breaks, (including for not repatriated profits) including for oil companies, agricultural and pharmaceutical subsidies. (As an example of not self deceiving, “pharmacy,” means poison, in recognition that some poisons used in appropriate amounts and frequency kill other poisons that have gone out of balance in the body.)
Linear 10 year depreciation of all capital investments; LIFO inventory accounting for all companies with notes for those that believe that a better valuation would be different. Production tax credits of alternative energy and R&D expenses.
No other Federal Taxes, except a 20% or so VAT; Value Added Tax; (a sales tax for imported goods only with the exception of Democratic Alliance nations). I am not clear as to the least wrong form of this tax; having it be a sales or import tax for products imported from non-democratic nations would make it most useful.) A carbon tax (additional; on imported oil (or maybe a gasoline tax) and on C02 high emitters, i.e. non-hybrid cars; on cars with gas mileage of less than 40m/gallons, private jets, and yachts) of 20% should also be implemented. I think you will find this tax structure a lot easier, more effective; more efficient and doing what you need it to do for both the government and the economy.
As of June (and more so now in October) 2008, the world economy is teetering on the brink of recession, according to the UN. While the economy of dictatorial China is growing at about 8% and of the mostly dictatorships of OPEC at about 6%, the economies of democracies are barely at less than 0%. There is a very urgent need for unified strategic action of all major democracies, as per item 2, above, to politically engage and economically contain China and the other, mostly in OPEC, dictatorships or else face another utterly catastrophic (proxy) war as the oppression and destruction arising from these dictatorships keep increasing.
9) NON-DISCRETIONARY SPENDING: Restructuring Medicare and Social Security to significantly increase their solvency and reduce unfunded liabilities, is the most critical long term economic, action of the US federal government. In the case of Social Security this is involves both lifting the current 90K limit of contributions to social security and a later, by a couple of years, retirement age. For Medicare the key issue is the same as in Healthcare which means that the system cannot be a cost-plus system; it is bound to be extremely costly.
10) GLOBAL POVERTY: Establishing a $500 billion Marshal like plan by the US-Europe-Japan (and other wealthy nations) to help the 70 or so poorest democratizing nations through funding the infrastructure, institutions and organizational structures, of a tax free trade zone (with targeted preferential import tax treatment by the donor nations) within each poor nation, is the most critical action to reducing global poverty and avoiding humanitarian disasters, epidemics and pandemics.
These last two items do not relate directly to any specific part of the 10 dimensional problem but are experimental triggers to start the transformation and improve the cultures, the “air,” that enabled these problems.
11) PEACE: Establishing, one and only one, Independent from all national governments, fully and verifiably unarmed, Anti-violent Democratic city and preferably State, within each nation; or in at least just one nation, if not many nations want it; as God’s, not of any nation or people’s or religion’s, land. Such an unarmed anti-violent, including by its government, Independent Land for God, is highly desirable in each nation, yet it is already necessary for Old-Jerusalem; (defended only by Israel, when and only when so asked formally by Jerusalem’s government. My recommendation is for the whole West Bank to be such an unarmed State.) The governance of such Independent Lands of God should be suited particularly for children and their parents and families. The surest path to peace is to start out in peace. All other paths including “peace through strength” delay war but are not peace. This is the most critical spiritual, Liberty, Peace and Love enhancing action. None of the previous items do anything to improve the spiritual state of humanity that is the most significant issue as to development. Other than the action as above, no governmental action can do anything about love, faith and divine inspiration, anything about the most important things in life, other than not being a major obstacle, (as both the tyrannical atheist in China and the oppressive theist in Islamic nations are.) This subject is discussed in Peace: God’s Kingdom on earth.
The reality on the ground makes the two State solution that almost everyone is pursuing for the Palestinian-Israel problem, unrealistic. The two State solution envisions a Palestinian State that includes the two quite separate territories of Gaza and the West Bank side by side with Israel. Neither history nor political reality nor geography support such a two State solution.
The Palestinian-Israel problem requires a three State solution. It requires an immediate recognition of a West Bank as an independent State under Abbas and his government that is assisted in having all the internal security (police) forces it needs but no military forces. It’s security from external forces is to be guaranteed by Israel, when and only when asked so formally by the Palestinian State, with its capital where it is now or elsewhere in that State but not in Jerusalem. The borders “practically” the pre-67 borders. All Palestinian and Jewish refugees should be allowed to move into that State and compensated. Palestinian and Jewish refugees that do not want to move to the West Bank Palestinian State should be given nationality rights in the neighboring States (nations) in which they currently live. Gaza must remain a relatively autonomous region under Israeli occupation until terrorism is credibly denounced and Israel’s right to exist recognized; at which time negotiations for its independence may resume.
12) Democracy cannot survive without community ethics that are concentrated on the common good. Given the dominance of the profit corporation in public life, until there are ethical elections in the choice of the Ethics Committee Chairperson in the Boards of “public” corporations, corruption will dominate these dictatorships and they will be a force for fascism, benefiting fascist regimes such that of China and OPEC, not for Democracy. I will subsequently define what “ethical elections” means given that Boards of Public Corporations seem to act confused about it. The kind of controls for executive compensation and for golden parachutes for CEO’s and hedge fund managers has already started getting imposed in the finance industry and unless the Boards of the rest of the industries get on Board fast they are in for major troubles.
It is not information or knowledge that are lacking, it is the correct understanding that is lacking. The difference between knowledge and understanding is the difference of giving fish to someone vs. teaching them to fish.
Dealing with all the other issues of the world, other than the above, will not solve anything; it will only be a waste of time until these issues are resolved, because these central issues are the sources of all other issues and to the extent some secondary or tertiary issues are resolved they just re-manifest themselves in different form. But even if all other issues in the world get solved not resolving even one of the above mentioned can be enough to trigger the whole series of apocalyptic destructions. So, don’t waste your time with any of the other political issues of these times.
These threats are not imaginary, nor distant nor overestimated. Their resolution is not difficult to achieve once the public is made aware of the solutions. The job of government is to provide an environment conducive to life, liberty, well being, happiness and prosperity for all; (in the priority as listed) while providing almost equal opportunities for each. The above most critical challenges if resolved as I suggest, not only dramatically reduce the risks but also become by far the greatest strategic opportunities for economic, social, political and spiritual development in the world.
Only once the overall strategic solution is understood, the short-term real life 4 dimensional urgent (shorter term) problem arising from: China trade; OPEC oil (and cleaner energy policy); Iraq war-terrorism and Iran, can be solved in a way that is consistent with the strategic solution above.
China trade; (and Chinese influence in N. Korea, Sudan, Tibet and underlying force allowing Iraq and Iran to be such significant issues), energy policy for reducing prices and pollution; (affected mostly by the explosive demand in China caused by very stupid US trade policies); Iraq war-terrorism; and Iran (nuclear proliferation- Middle East stability); that in their full effect, drag down this economy by about $1.3 trillion/yr, already. Oil (energy) is at about $300 billion annually; China net trade deficits at about $700 billion/year considering all the costs including interest costs, increased energy costs, pollution, retraining for lost manufacturing jobs; and military defense costs; Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan at about $300 billion and Iran is at lower costs now but climbing rapidly. Thus, their combined drag on the US economy is about -10% annually and increasing; which will break any economy fast, unless reversed fast. The plan above reverses these trends.
The execution of the plan is as important as the plan itself so the capacity of Obama to in a non offensive, not threatening way implement it, is crucial. Good luck.
Author: Paul Zecos
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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