31-08-2002 23:24									#1
	OK, smarty pants, how would you "fix" America? Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

There seems to be a lot of grousing about the good old U S of A around here. About how we are rabid imperialists, expansionists, meddlers, etc.
So here's your chance. How would you make over the USA to better suit your view of how we should behave ourselves, both domestically and internationally?
I'd like to see someone offer something constructive that still bears in mind the fact that like it or not, how this country changes will have an effect on the rest of the world.
What is your proposal that will make the world a better place without unleashing hordes of opportunistic fascists at the same time?

	31-08-2002 23:31									#2
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Show a bit more humility.

Do what you do at the moment, but at least pretend you are paying attention to what others think.

That is my only criticism, other than that what America does is upto you.

	31-08-2002 23:32									#3
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Establish Pax Americana.

	31-08-2002 23:35									#4
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Only one way to improve America, really....








All Hail Lord Protector Lonestar of North America!

	31-08-2002 23:35									#5
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Edit - Sorry, losing my marbles.

	31-08-2002 23:37									#6
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There must be a little Greek in you.

	31-08-2002 23:53									#7
	Got spare money?

Which poster is it?

Is it Markos?

Or Axi?

Jon Miller

	31-08-2002 23:56									#8
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How would I fix america...?

Duct tape and superglue. Fixes everything.

	31-08-2002 23:57									#9
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How would I fix America?

A gramme of good Afghan brown and a nice clean set of works. I'd tie them off and everything.

	31-08-2002 23:57									#10
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Improving America...

Foreign Policy:

-Close all foreign military bases immediately, beginning with those in the Middle East. Deploy no military forces outside of the Western Hemisphere (and in the Pacific, no naval forces past Midway Island or so).
-Complete, unrestricted free trade with every country, no matter who it is, from Communist China to the UK
-Withdrawal from all foreign military alliances, especially NATO
-Establish a policy of no more conventional wars or interventions, but let it be known that any direct attacks on America will be met with nuclear weapons

Domestic Policy:

-Begin to follow the Constitution EXACTLY as it is written. This means to end gun control, for instance
-Elimination of federal social programs, especially Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, federal housing, federal welfare, etc.
-Elimination of the income tax
-Reduce the military across the board by at least 95% in every area except for ICBMs
-Scrap Echelon and any other federal law enforcement programs used for monitoring citizens without a warrant
-Immediate release of all citizens held without trial

I think that'll do for starters, although I can think of plenty more ways to improve the US.

	31-08-2002 23:59									#11
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so you think that america should be ended or depopulated?

Jon Miller

	01-09-2002 00:01									#12
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Me? Eh?

	01-09-2002 00:04									#13
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yah

MAD will nto work forever (nuclear weapons will not always provide deterrence)

and you would make it so that many would not want to live here (and so would leave)

Jon Miller

	01-09-2002 00:07									#14
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MAD has worked since the 1950s, no reason it wouldn't work today against nation-states.
And there's also nothing mutually assured in most cases - mostly it's just a warning that if someone attacks us conventionally, because we have almost no conventional forces we will simply go to a first-use policy on nuclear weapons. That sounds like deterrant to me.

	01-09-2002 00:07									#15
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There was a similar thread recently, and my response remains unchanged. I'd annex Poland, build a canal between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River, and deport criminals with terms of 20 years or more to Australia.

	01-09-2002 00:10									#16
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Ban guns. Hike taxes and pump the revenues into schools and getting more police on the streets, particularly police from minority groups.

Split the CIA in two, with common access to all facilities. Have each half invistigating, "morally auditing" and controlling the budget for the other. Bonus funding to the half that discovers the other half behaving in an unacceptably crappy way.

Drop those whacky state-specific laws and get some nationwide uniformity in place. Drop age for drinking to 18. Drop age of consent to 16.

Downscale the "war on drugs". Abandon "3 strikes and you're out" and judge according to the crime and the criminal. Drop that star wars rubbish. Get some emissions controls in.

Have every politician accepting more than $50 from a single personal or corporate source publicly humiliated and stripped of office.

That's a start.

	01-09-2002 00:10									#17
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by David Floyd MAD has worked since the 1950s, no reason it wouldn't work today against nation-states. And there's also nothing mutually assured in most cases - mostly it's just a warning that if someone attacks us conventionally, because we have almost no conventional forces we will simply go to a first-use policy on nuclear weapons. That sounds like deterrant to me.

It will work today, but I see no reason to think it will work in the future (in fact, I don't think it will work in 50 years), as such having *the* conventional force is good.

Jon Miller

	01-09-2002 00:11									#18
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quote: Originally posted by David Floyd Improving America... Foreign Policy: -Close all foreign military bases immediately, beginning with those in the Middle East. Deploy no military forces outside of the Western Hemisphere (and in the Pacific, no naval forces past Midway Island or so). -Complete, unrestricted free trade with every country, no matter who it is, from Communist China to the UK -Withdrawal from all foreign military alliances, especially NATO -Establish a policy of no more conventional wars or interventions, but let it be known that any direct attacks on America will be met with nuclear weapons Domestic Policy: -Begin to follow the Constitution EXACTLY as it is written. This means to end gun control, for instance -Elimination of federal social programs, especially Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, federal housing, federal welfare, etc. -Elimination of the income tax -Reduce the military across the board by at least 95% in every area except for ICBMs -Scrap Echelon and any other federal law enforcement programs used for monitoring citizens without a warrant -Immediate release of all citizens held without trial I think that'll do for starters, although I can think of plenty more ways to improve the US.

For a moment I thought you were serious!

	01-09-2002 00:16									#19
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There's a lot of amusing stuff in this thread. Good job SS.

	01-09-2002 00:32									#20
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I'd rename Uncle Sam to Auntie Selma. "I want YOU, to eat these pancakes"

	01-09-2002 00:36									#21
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Sorry for disturbing your merry playing, but I think
less arrogance and more caring about the way other nations think (especially arab nations) would do the most part internationally, and help the US to get what they want as well.
Go on with having fun.

	01-09-2002 00:44									#22
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quote: For a moment I thought you were serious!

I was

Lemme add a few more:

-Decriminalize all victimless crimes - most notably drug use, gambling, and prostitution
-Drop the drinking age to 18
-Drop the age of consent to 16
-Eliminate Selective Service, and amend the Constitution such that there is an amendment SPECIFICALLY forbidding any sort of conscription or military draft
-Amend the Constitution to limit the number of Supreme Court Justices to 9
-Amend the Constitution to SPECIFICALLY state that the Constitution may never be suspended under any circumstances, nor may any civil liberties

	01-09-2002 00:49									#23
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Off the top of my head...

Completely overhaul the electoral system, distributing power more fairly.

Consolidate the smaller states into larger entities.

Take whatever steps necessary to halt the increase in obesity.

Change the law so that the president can be young, and an immigrant.

Invest in energy efficiency now to avoid trouble in the future, and especially lower the need for oil.

Pull the rug out from under the feet of the right who seem to think that they are the sole guardians of America; weaken religious groups, gun-lovers and big business with legislation and taxes.

Slash the military budget.

	01-09-2002 00:51									#24
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One other thing I would do is eliminate political and legal protection for unions. From now on, if they want to strike, that's their right, but they won't receive job security protection.

IE if factory workers in Pittsburgh walk off the job, their employer can fire them for violation of their terms of employment.

	01-09-2002 01:31									#25
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Put Noam Chomsky in charge.

Sorry. I always wanted to see a decent moral humanitarian in the white House. Plus it'd be kinda funny...

Last edited by Clear Skies on 01-09-2002 at 16:37

	01-09-2002 02:21									#26
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Wow, David Floyd for President. You registered with the LP?

	01-09-2002 02:43									#27
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I have many authoritarian aspects in my views...

*Domestic*

- Declare State of Domestic Disturbance (in cities with high crime)
- Order National Guard out to the streets in the US's most dangerous cities and start rounding up domestic troublemakers, such as people in gangs. Sending National Guard out to the streets will maintain national security against international terrorism aswell.
- Maintain consititution nonetheless
- Increase Military Budget
- Increase Civil Services Budget (Education/Health)
- Adopt Regressive Tax Code (Will increase tax revenues in the end)
- Put Drinking age at 25
- Militarize police everywhere
- Keep age consent as is
- Keep military volunteer, as conscripts are more likely to falter in fighting but encourage more people to join
- Have David Floyd be sent to Cuba to display how poorly his political model is working
- Legalize Gay marriages (One liberal thing in my views)
- Remove Religious crap from government (another liberal thing in my view)
- Crack down severely on drugs, prosititution and gambling

*International*
- Drop Nuclear Bomb on Baghdad and have Saddam assassinated
- Open up more international military bases, harass nations that are anti-american
- Free but in some aspects isolated trade to maintain national interests

Floyd you need to see a doctor... your opinions are very messed up.

	01-09-2002 02:45									#28
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Hmmmm....I'm starting to like Floyd's ideas here...hmmm...so what would we do if some big meanie started picking on a former friend (a la Kuwait, UK, etc). Just sit back and laugh?

	01-09-2002 02:49									#29
	Got spare money?

Yes. Nobody likes Kuwait anyways.

	01-09-2002 02:50									#30
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Hey... one of my friends is Kuwaiti...