Posted: 8/20/2006 5:58:14 AM EDT
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Not a flash game, or a quiz A scenario game... SCENARIO: You have become 'master of puppets' overseeing the development of the United States. It is Jan 21 2008, and your party (Dems or Reps, you choose) has won the national elections - you cannot change the past, only 'shape' the future. You have no DIRECT political power (you cannot appoint or fire officials/judges, make laws (yes, this means you cannot snap your fingers and dissolve the ATF), choose candidates, or any other forms of micromanagement), but you DO have the power to manipulate strategic policy - domestic and foreign. So long as 'your' faction of your party stays in overall power, you control our destiny (this implies, as above, that you start as a D or R - Nothing prevents you from spinning off a 3rd party, but a good case must be made as to how you will make Joe Public keep your people in power thru such a shakeup)... Essentially, you are the human player in 'Civilization', or a super-size version of what the lefties see Karl Rove as... This power is pretty well unrestricted, except for that you 'lose' if your party is thrown out of power. This means you can't flagrantly violate the constitution, nuke the middle east on Feb 1st, or anything that would topple your regime - we are still a federal republic, after all... WHAT DO YOU DO? Enter the game by answering the above... JUDGES... Well, that would be ARF GD - feel free to 'judge' anyone else's entries, but don't do so in the same post as your 'plan'... Have at it... |
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First and foremost, I would work towards reducing (and hopefully eliminating, although I expect that will take many years) the socialism that has crept into our society. It's too late to cancel the benefits of people already receiving Social Security, but it would be carefully phased out for everyone else. Ditto Medicare and Medicaid, WIC, and every other socialist program I could get my hands on. Big push to end the dominance of the public school system. Voucher programs allowing students to attend better public schools, and eventually relying almost entirely on private or charter schools once enough of them have been created to hold all the students (won't take long, once they see that it's economically viable). Break the back of the teachers' unions. Whittle down the gun-control laws and prevent new ones from being created. This won't be an overnight "Yay it's the 1920's again"; I think I'd start with import restrictions ("sporting use" descriptor), then production of new full-auto firearms (still requiring all the permits), work downward from there. Couple this with extremely harsh laws implemented against those who use firearms in crimes; long jail sentences, executions for convicted murderers. Get the criminals off the streets, not the guns. More coming... |
Key point: That's micromanagement... You can't change the laws directly, only 'influence' policy... |
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Ok, Here's mine: FOREIGN: US Foreign policy would be a form of evangelistic-expansionisim. Not in a religeous sense, per say, but the overall goal would be to export constitutional-representative government and unfettered capitalisim (the 2 hallmarks of our civilization) worldwide (but perticularly to hostile regions, eg ME), and to protect US economic and military interests at all costs. We would not intervene in local conflicts for purely humanitarian reasons, but would select targets for 'conversion' based on relative suitability for such and strategic resources/location. The principle would be that if you fix one nation in a region, the rest will eventually be converted. Responses to state-sponsored terrorisim would follow the theory listed above, and pre-emptive removal of threatening regimes would be employed whenever it served US interests. Foreign policy would not be hostile to any specific religeon or group, and would be manifestly secular. DOMESTIC/ECONOMIC: Domestic policy would focus on the belief that the role of government is to provide a stable and fair platform for capitalist economics to operate. Government involvement in the day to day operations of private business would be limited, and supply & demand should be responsible for the setting of prices/wages. Tax policy would focus on efficiency and ensuring that everyone pays, rather than on actual rates (better to tax at 15, 10, and 5%, and get 12, 7, and 3% than to tax at 30, 20, and 10 only to get 10, 9, and 4 after tons of deductions/credits and the cost of collection). In terms of security and crime, policy would favor the victim and society over the criminal. While the literal protections of the constitution would be strictly observed, further accomidations not specifically required would be discouraged. Policy would make a clear distinction between citizens (who have rights) and others who have only privledges. MILITARY: Military policy would focus on a heavy-to-medium force capable of implimenting the foreign policy listed above. With an end to UN-style humanitarian interventions, and a shift towards deliberate pro-active or retaliatory campaigns, the need for rapid-deployment forces would be greatly reduced (If you are going to deliberately attack someone, you can afford to wait the time it takes to move mechanized divisions, as opposed to the 'World Police' role that requires you to get boots to the 'crime-scene' ASAP)... TERRORISIM: Terrorisim would be considered a matter for the military and intelegence communities to handle, and would only be treated as a law enforcement issue if US citizens were involved. These communities would, by policy, have free reign to act against foreign terrorists who threaten US interests - including any and all viable forms of spying/monitoring/investigation, capture & interrogation... In cases involving foreign terrorists on foreign soil, and where it was the best available option, assassination would be permitted. |