Nuclear Weapons

My policies concerning US-based nuclear weapons, in absence of an alternate major deterrent weapon:

Have sufficient weapons in sufficient numbers and locations to be able to retaliate with a weapon strike on any site on Earth within one hour.

Maintain and replace these weapons as necessary to remain readiness.

Upgrade these weapons when possible to reduce the number needed to maintain full coverage and to reduce collateral damage without reducing efficiency.

If a weapon of mass destruction, that is, a weapon, nuclear or otherwise, with an estimated death count exceeding 100,000 or a destruction radius exceeding one mile, is used on us or our allies:

First attempt to neutralize the weapon prior to detonation or to intercept it prior to arrival at its target.

Second, strike the launch site with a weapon of similar yield. If the weapon was transported rather than launched, attempt to locate the origin and strike that point.

If a launch site or origin could not be located and an organization claims responsibility, strike their headquarters/base of operations/broadcast origin.

The primary goal is to destroy any additional weapons at the point of origin.

Third, use tactical/smaller yield devices on any additional locations controlled by the same force which intelligence reports probably have similar weapons. Take reasonable precautions to limit damage to the confines of the target facility while completely obliterating the entire facility.

The primary goal is to destroy any additional weapons the same enemy may have.

If other countries express concern that we may incorrectly believe them involved in hostile activities, we may simply respond that they need to make sure that we have no cause to do so. If they do not participate in hostile activities, do not permit hostile activities within their borders or by their countrymen, and do not ally themselves with those who do such things, they will have no need for concern. But we will do whatever it takes to maintain our peace and safety.

Political Contributions

Any legal person that is a legal resident of the United States shall be permitted to make political contributions to any political candidate in any desired amount. Such legal persons shall explicitly include corporations and other organizations.

A list of all contributors whose individual contributions exceed $200 or whose cumulative donations exceed $2000 per year and shall be compiled and posted in a readily-usable format on the candidate campaign website within ten business days of receipt of the contribution. The list shall be submitted to the state office of the Secretary of State for posting on an appropriate state website within ten business days of receipt of the contribution. The office of the Secretary of State shall post such lists within within ten business days of receipt of the list. The list shall specify both the name of the contributor and the amount of the contribution, and in the case of organizational persons, the organization mailing address shall also be included.

Voters Shall Be Unable to Vote Benefits for Themselves

Ideally implemented at the state or local level:

Inasmuch as it has been said that,

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a dictatorship. (attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville)

citizens who receive and accept public funds in a personal capacity shall not be permitted to vote in elections for offices which directly influence such funds. Such citizens otherwise permitted or entitled to vote may participate in elections for offices unrelated to such funds.

An individual so banned shall have associated rights, permissions or entitlements reinstated after six months of not receiving such benefits.

Voting records shall record in which elections an individual is and is not permitted to vote. An election officer who knowingly or through gross negligence permits an individual to vote in an election who which the voter is not permitted shall be guilty of enabling and assisting election fraud.

Such records and enforcements shall be strongly encouraged though electronic means.

Examples, for purposes of clarification of intent:

An individual who receives a Federal housing subsidy may not vote for Federal Congress, Senate or President, as these offices create or approve such subsidies.

An individual who received state food assistance may not vote for state house, senate or governor, as these offices create or approve such subsidies.

An individual who lives in locally-subsidized housing or housing for which state or federal funds are directed by local officers may not vote in elections for such local officers.

Random Checks and/or Tests

Government agencies have a reputation, deserved or otherwise, for being unreliable. As such, all procedures shall be tested and/or checked.

All government agencies, departments, and organizations, together with contractor organizations and other government-controlled or directly-employed organizations shall undergo random tests and checks. Non-governmental organizations shall have the scope of tests and checks limited to those directly related to contracted or instructed activities. Test and check failures will be categorized. Unacceptable numbers of failures will result in re-analysis of associated procedures and recommendations of corrections. Critical failures will result in serious punitive action against individual(s) and group(s) responsible.

As examples:

Any security agent monitoring a full-body scanner who does not notice and report a clear and obvious weapon in such a scan shall have his or her employment terminated immediately and without severance or other benefits. Should such a failure occur during a non-test situation, the agent shall be considered for more serious punitive action, including potential charges of accessory to any crime committed and enabled by the failure.

Any security agent who does not notice and report a major security breech shall have his or her employment terminated immediately and without severance or other benefits. Should such a failure occur during a non-test situation, the agent shall be considered for more serious punitive action, including potential charges of accessory to any crime committed and enabled by the failure.

A security screener who looks at the identification of the subject but does not look at the subject shall have his or her employment terminated immediately and without severance or other benefits. Should such a failure occur during a non-test situation, the agent shall be considered for more serious punitive action, including potential charges of accessory to any crime committed and enabled by the failure.

In the event a security monitoring system in a critical security area is non-functional for an extended period of time, any individual associated with the failure who is aware of but has not reported the failure shall have his or her employment terminated immediately and without severance or other benefits.

Any individual who through decision or indecision permits a security monitoring system to remain non-functional and without backup shall have his or her employment terminated immediately and without severance or other benefits, and shall be considered for more serious punitive action.

Auditing

Government agencies have a reputation, deserved or otherwise, for being wasteful and unreliable. As such, all budgets and procedures shall be audited.

All government agencies, departments, and organizations, together with contractor organizations and other government-controlled or directly-employed organizations shall have all finances audited by an independent, neutral, third-party no less than once each year to establish fiscal responsibility. Non-governmental organizations shall have the scope of audits limited to those directly related to contracted or instructed activities.

All current and proposed budgets shall be analyzed prior to enactment. Audits should seek not only accuracy, but waste, over-complexity and favoritism. Reports must be published on a public location on the Internet in a standard format, and must be prominently publicized on the website(s) for the associated government organization(s). Issues noted must be corrected promptly. Issues involving accuracy must be corrected within one month. Issues of waste, over-complexity and favoritism must be corrected in the next annual budget; any subsequent budget which contains issues specifically noted from the previous version may not be enacted, and the committee approving, recommending, or passing such a budget will be cited.

All laws, regulations, procedures and codes shall be analyzed prior to final consideration or enactment, and re-analyzed no less than every six years. Audits should seek not only accuracy, but waste, over-complexity and favoritism, and consideration shall be taken for interaction and inter-relationships with materials not under immediate analysis. Issues of waste, over-complexity and favoritism must be corrected in draft form within one month and must be finalized within one year. Any subsequent versions which contain issues specifically noted from the previous version may not be enacted, and the committee approving, recommending, or passing such revisions will be cited.

Illegal Immigrants

Illegal immigrants are those individuals who were born in another country or who have forfeited United States citizen status. Illegal immigrants must not be confused with those immigrants who have followed procedures established by law to obtain legal residency. Any references to "immigrants" without clarification shall not include "illegal immigrants".

Any individual convicted of illegal immigration shall be guilty of a felony. Such an individual shall be deported to a point not closer than one hundred miles to the alleged point of illegal entry. The court has discretion, but is not required, to order deportation to the individual's home country, provided such point meets above requirements.

Any United States citizen found and convicted of assisting the entry of illegal immigrants shall be guilty of a felony and sentenced to a prison term of not less than five years for the first offense, not less than ten years for the second separate offense, and not less than twenty years for the third separate offense.

Any non-citizen of legal residency found and convicted of assisting the entry of illegal immigrants shall be guilty of a felony, shall have legal status revoked, and shall be deported to a point not closer than one hundred miles to the alleged point of illegal entry. The court has discretion, but is not required, to order deportation to the individual's home country, provided such point meets above requirements.

No foreign national who has been convicted of a felony in the United States shall be permitted to enter this country at any time or under any circumstances, unless such is done under court order, for a pre-specified length of time, and under 24/7 armed guard.

Any individual found entering, or with clear indication of having just entered, this country other than at an officially-designated point of entry shall be presumed to be an illegal immigrant and to be armed and dangerous with similar prejudice as a masked individual departing a bank after tellers have activated a burglar alarm. Any such individual shall be retained by law enforcement authorities for questioning and determination of legal status.

Charitable Contributions Should Be from Excess, Not Debt

Our nation has a long heritage of generosity. But we, as a nation, should not make humanitarian contributions to other nations unless we can afford to do so.

Individuals with sufficient means readily give to the needs of others. In times of many disasters, individual contributions have overshadowed even the huge amounts given by our government.

But as I write this post, our government is out of money. Our government is running at a deficit in the TRILLIONS of dollars. We cannot currently afford to give humanitarian aid out of the federal budget.

Each year, we, as a nation, give billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. We need to stop doing so, until we come to the point that we can again afford to do so out of our excess. It harms our country to borrow money, for example, from China to give to Haiti.

Again, individuals can -- and should be encouraged to -- give to those in need, whether domestic or international. There are many groups that aggregate funds and goods, and then provide them to those in need. A few examples are the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Our government does encourage such contributions though tax deductibility.

You can give to the Red Cross via their website (redcross.org) or by calling 1-800-Red-Cross. As I write this post, we are learning more about the earthquake in Haiti, for which you can contribute $10 directly via the Red Cross' International Response Fund by texting "Haiti" to 90999.

You can give via AmeriCares, either via their website (AmeriCares.org) or by calling 1-800-486-HELP.

Another humanitarian organization is Care. They can be reached either online (Care.org) or by phone at 1-800-521-CARE.

And Operation USA can be reached via their website (opusa.org), by phone at 1-800-678-7255, or by mail at Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

But our government should not give directly until it can do so without further increasing our debt.

(Links for relief organizations are courtesy of Neal Boortz, an Atlanta-based radio host with a website at boortz.com; he has more information on Haiti relief efforts here.)

Cross-posted under Political Thoughts.

No Laws Concerning Special Interests - Either For or Against

Concerns of special-interest groups and individuals should not be enacted into law or tax code, whether the laws or taxes be for or against the interest.

Any taxes on named groups are already illegal, but Congress effectively skirts the letter of the law while violating the spirit by specifying details that limit the scope of a law to only such a group.

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Examples:

Taxes on executive bonuses over some arbitrary maximum and without regard to the individual's total compensation. This was the approach against AIG executives; Congress intended to tax away all of the executive bonuses, even though the bonus was the individual's ONLY income in lieu of any salary, and such was contracted specifically with Congressional approval at the time.

An exception so that members of unions don't have to pay taxes on high-value health insurance plans that everyone else has to pay.

An exception so that Congressional members do not have to use health care plans mandated on everyone else.

A provision that requires the Federal government pay large amounts of the state portions of Medicare and Medicaid that only applies to Louisiana.

A provision that requires the Federal government pay all state portions of Medicare and Medicaid that only applies to Nebraska.

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Many other such laws and codes exist that target specific groups for either favor or punishment. These should be illegal, as was the original intent of the law.