Newsgroups: talk.politics.theory,talk.politics.misc
Subject: What am I? fascist, leftwing loon or what?
From: 9051467f@levels.unisa.edu.au (The Eidolon)
Date: 6 Nov 92 12:25:16 +1030
Organization: That damn kid is still here!

I want to know, in American politicospeak, what I am and who I
would be most likely to vote for etc. We have different terms for
different political persuasions, so when I am talking to an
American I want to know exactly what they are calling me;
I am right wing, conervative or left radical or what?

(example: here, a Liberal is a Right Wing Conservative, believe it
or not!!). If possible, I'd like a breakdown on each point and
what that would make me and what party you suggest I vote
for. For all I know, I could be a republican (not likely)
or a Libertarian.

(BTW, I supported Clinton but I don't like some of his ideas that
I have heard but ANYTHING is better than the Kristian Koalition).


I think...

The American way of government seems alot better than the now
outdated Westminster system we have to suffer under. It could
do with some changes like electing on popular vote only and
annually altering boundary lines to keep each district the
same number of people and always trying to marginalize them.

I am a capitalist, atheist, pro-choice, golden rule to be the
only law with everything else derived from it. If a law is
totally victimless, then reppeal the stupid thing.

Bring in a VOLUNTARY national healthcare system that would
not hide behind loopholes. If people choose not to join, that's
their problem (subsidise those who want but can't afford, but since
I'd make it quite cheap this should be almost unnecessary).
Vaccinations to be free and MANDATORY. Bring a blood donation
ad van to high schools - donation is by choice but refusal
without reason is frowned upon. It should be assumed that
fatal victims of whatever agree to body part donations unless
that individual or guardian indicates otherwise. No coercion
in this matter, some take it seriously.

Note: if people want health cover for stuff like road accidents
then they should accept the requirement for helmets and other
safety gear. Those didn't bother to get such gear shouldn't get
covered since driving etc is a privelege, not a right.
(I favour an amount of subsidization of such safety gear).

The same applies to smoking. I'd almost ban it since it also
is an environmental hazard and an annoyance to others so
contravenes the golden rule. You MAY smoke in your own house,
but not in public. Those who smoke should (if they dont already)
have sky-high medical insurance premiums.
Other forms of drug taking would be allowed, but don't expect
cheap premiums either (ie no anti-drug laws but high premiums).

Spend ALOT more money on education - it would come from some
defense cuts and any leftovers from the diversion of now
spare 'drug-war' police money that wasn't used to fight other
crime. Students to get free weekly allowances to study (in
Australia, I'd double Austudy and NO restrictions on who
got it. There's NO WAY I'd bring in these loan things).

I'd slash the dole to subsistence and give them housing
vouchers for any housing trust home instead of payments.
They'd also have to spend atleast 10 hours a week looking
for work and attend some part-time government work like
road gangs or public gardeners).

More money for childcare. All parents should have a first
aid certificate and rudimentary child psychology. Those
who can't handle that DO NOT deserve to be parents, there
is NO right to parenthood.

Place a stiff restriction on 'hidable' firearms but the only
restriction of large guns that you carry on your back is that
you have to have a training course completed. I support
the right to bear LARGE firearms such as shotguns & rifles,
but only those with a job requirement would have handguns.

To help pay for crime fighting, send fines for driving offences
etc skyward and also require large fines for all crimes as well
as increasing jailterms etc. More police are needed.
In the case of false arrest and false seizure, pay any fines
back in full PLUS 20%, as well as large repayments for false
imprisonments. Increase the length of sentences, make life
actually mean jail till death but NO acual death penalty.
All parole time would have to be spent doing community
service eployment. MORE community service employment for
minor offences, and allow a trade between service and fines.
Convictions to be public knowledge.

As for the military, although I am in favour of slashing it's
budget, I would reduce the total number of troops instead of
cutting research. I want MORE money on research.
Some of the remaining troops (as well as the national guard etc)
would be fully trained in all forms of guerillia warfare instead
of this crap about showing the colours.
NO draft. Equal treatment for all who enter, no restrictions
due to sex, colour, sexual prefferences or any other irrelevant
factor - if they can do it, let them.

I favour the total separation of churh and state. Churches should
not go tax free. If they want to do charity work then join the Red
Cross/Crescent (who are mostly non-sectarian, well, in Aus anyway).

NOOO salary capping or other silly ideas about maximum wage.
I'm for a choice between industrial awards OR enterprise
bargaining. I like the idea of employee share plans.
No minumum wages either (I wouldn't bring this in until
all those who could go to uni had the opportunity to do so).

Tax any inheritance over $50k at 100% (farm property can be
taken to $500K, then 50% tax to $1.5M and 100% thereafter).
Gifts in excess of $25k are taxed at 75%. The total value
of gifts recieved for the year would be used, not the size
of individual gifts to stop inheritance gathering by yearly
gifts from rich parents.

Reduce corporate tax, take no tax from new startups for the
first three years and a lower tax rate for profits on exports,
and a HIGHER tax rate for profit on imports. There is no such
thing as a monopoly on luxuries, you always have the choice not
to buy. This does not mean it is ok to illegally smash any new
competition, just that you wont be restricted because you have
most of the market. DO remember that new competition has huge tax
advantages for the first three years so don't jump down my
throat for that.
Increase tax advantages for R&D from 150% to 250%.

Protection: divide the average wage of this nation by the average
wage of the product's origin. Take this result and multiply
the product's price by that number, but ignore it if it's less
than one (in which case there is no protection). Countries
badly affected by this to get more foreign aid, but make sure it
is directed to schools and hospitals only. Other than that,
let the free market do the rest.

(an example: a British product would recieve no duty when
imported to Australia since the wages are just about the same
but shoes from Indonesia can look forward to 4000% duty.
Needless to say the shoes wont do well, so Australia would
GIVE, not loan, more money to Indonesia to build more schools
till their wages came up to scratch.)

Make the 'free market' even freer. Dump intellectual property
laws - patents for finished articles and complete works of art,
not for stupid things like Micrsux's patent of lawsuit presentations
(how pathetic can you get??) or Apple's trashcan (a trashcan is
a trashcan, noone has a patent on a bin so why should Apple have
a patent on the idea just because it's simulated? A patent on the
actual code counts as a work of art, but not the idea behind it).

Also, for each year a patent goes un-improved or un-marketed the
fee to keep the patent should go up ALOT (I would make them alot
cheaper to start with, though). Patents to PERMANENTLY expire
and become public knowledge after 15 year or so to prevent
those destructive patent-and-shelve tactics the oil-companies
use to stop fuel-saving devices being marketed.
A patent would remain dirt cheap to keep as long as a reasonable
effort to market it has been undertaken AND if a significant
upgrade of the patent has been done.

(If it can't be marketed there is NO reason to keep it secret. For
times like that camera autofocus thing occurs, they could either
pay a fortune to keep it, attempt to develop it or let it slide.
If it turns out several years later that it was useful, tough
luck for patenting it before it was fully developed, that's
the risk you take!)

I am an environmentalist as well as a capitalist - how can I make
money if I am too busy choking? Wrecking the environment is like
living on capital. Sooner or later you're gonna collapse.

Equal opportunity, not enforced equality. All children to be
considered equal till their abilities say otherwise. Get rid
of using age to determine education level and use ability
instead. Complete sex education in school BEFORE puberty.
Bring in competency based training - if someone can complete
an apprenticeship in 2.5 years instead of 4, let them.

There is a big difference between justified elitism and
unfair discrimination so there should be schools for children
with exceptional abilties. Any child who can get in should
get in. If there's not enough places, make more of these schools.

Make education and learning fun. The idea that learning has to
be hard so it builds character or whatever is a pile of crap and
smacks of authoritarianism.

When admonishing a child, try to tell them WHY it was wrong (as
well as coming down hard, but not too hard). Try to make them
think for themselves and not take orders blindly.

--
John J McVey, Whyalla, Uni S. Australia    9051467f@levels.unisa.edu.au
Electronic Engineering student & Terror Tekkie!
Any email can be posted unless I state explicitly otherwise.
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|  Obligatory disclaimer: UniSA hates my opinions...  |  \/Darwin o\
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An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it. Marquis
Newsgroups: talk.politics.theory