And how do you propose to get your platform accomplished?

What are your priorities for the country?

I would campaign on a platform of beer and boobies. I would accomplish my platform by having a government buyout of Hooters, strip clubs, and all alcohol distributors. All citizens would be given two trips a week to a strip clubs/Hooters and would be given either a keg of their choice of beer or a bottle of their preferred liquor each week.

THAT is hope we can believe in. fgtb76

Socialism. Pure and simple.

Nah, people can drink and go to booby bars as much as they like. We would simply provide a minimal standard of living to American citizens. In a country as prosperous and generous as America, no person should have to live without boobies and beer.

It's boobies and beer liberalism. That's change we can believe in!

For real.

After seeing how the government runs the Post Office, who really wants them running strip clubs? Within a month you'd be seeing this:

I'll finally get around to my platform. Major planks and then specifics.

The major planks in my platorm are:
Energy
Taxes
Mecicare/SS
National Security - including border security


Energy:

Everybody knows I want America energy independent. Here's how to do it.

I would use consumption taxes and incentives on the demand side:
I would increase CAFE to 45 MPG by 2015, and 65 MPG by 2025, and tie it to the vehicles a manufaturer sell, not to the average of the models it offers. I would also have ZEV mandates that each manufacturer must have 5% of their sales be ZEVs in 2015 and 25% by 2025. The only way to meet the 2025 CAFE and ZEV mandates would be with vehicles fueled by means other than fossil fuels, so that takes care of moving vehicle fuels to renewables.

There would be a $100/MPG/year tax on all cars sold that do not meet the CAFE. There would be a $100/MPG/year credit for cars that exceed the CAFE.

The average American drives 12,000 miles per year at an average fuel economy of 21 mpg. That means that we each 571 gallong so fuel each year. I would increase the Federal gasoline tax by $0.50 each year for the next 4 years, bringing the total to $2.18 per gallon. I would then give every American a tax credit of $1142 per year to remove the tax from everyone who consume the average. Those who consume MORE than the average will pay more in taxes. Those who consume LESS will in effect get a tax incentive to do so. This would push consumers to move toward more efficient vehicles and to conserve trips. The tax credit would be sliding, and linked to the average per capita gasoline consumpiton, so that as average fuel use goes down, the tax credit goes down with it.

On the supply side:
I would use the consumption taxes collected to provide incentives for what I would call the "50 Million Solar Homes by 2025" initiative. On average, a 2Kw PV solar system will power a home in the sun belt. At 50 million homes, that's 100 million Kw of home based solar power that needs to be installed. So I would provide tax incentives to get that 100 million Kw of PV installed on rooftops. These incentives would apply to all forms of home produced electricity - wind, solar, microhydro.

I would secure loans to commercial level renewable electricity production, including nuclear. This would mitigate the risks investors face. Banks would be more willing to lend money on major energy projects if the loan was guaranteed. The goal would be 25% of all U.S. energy needs being met by FF alternatives by 2025.

I would provide corporate tax incentives for companies that produce some or all of their own energy. There are tens of thousands of acres of industrial buildings and shopping centers that have flat roofs baking under the sun all day. Give them large tax credits for using that space to generate electricty. Every bit of electricity that's produced locally is less power plant capacity we need.

Provide tax credits to major industrial and agricultural producers to replace heavy equipment with alternative fueled versions as replacement cycles allow. Reducing our personal vehicle fleet fuel demands will provide the needed fuel for our heavy industry and agriculture, but we must also ween heavy industry off of FF as time allows.


Taxes:

Pass the FairTax.

Done.


Mecicare/SS:

Both should be fully funded under the FairTax, espceially as GDP and foreign investment in U.S. markets grows.

Those under the age of 35 will have an account set up in their name that can be managed by the financial planner of their choice. Each month, their share of SS will be applied to the account. They are free to apply any additional private funds to the account that they wish. Upon retirement, the funds are accessible by the retiree just like any other account.

Those over 35 will recieve SS benefits as before.

National Security - including border security:

It's time to end U.S. imperialism. We have 700 based in foreign countries. If that's not imperialism, I don't know what is.

Close the VAST majority of those bases and bring those troops home. We will still maintain the largest, best funded, best equipped, and best trained military in history. And we will maintain the ability to project that power anywhere in the world at a moment's notice. But we will not maintain an active military presence the world over.

Not being a slave to hostile regions to supply us with our vital energy needs will allow us to have a more even handed foreign policy that will remove the need to have such a vast military presence in the first place. An independent America is a secure America.

We will use the billions of dollars saved every year to help fund the tax credits for energy.

We will secure the border with Mexico so that no illegal border crossings occur. If force must be used, then force must be used. But the flow of criminals into the country has to stop.

How do you provide all those tax incentives mentioned in the energy section without bastardizing the Fair Tax out of recognition?

They are just tied into the pre-bate.

All consumption taxes are collected at point of sale, including the gasoline tax. The incentives will simply be included in the prebate. To get it, you must fill out the proper form proving you purchased the PV or wind system, or bought a certain vehicle. If you bought a vehicle that got worse than the CAFE, the extra taxes would be decuted from the prebate.

Gotcha. It still seems to defeat one of the main purposes of the Fair Tax, but I agree with you that this is one limited instance where social engineering through the tax system would be a benefit to the country.

My platform would be to put AEN in office, but without the fair tax part. I would want a more thorough investigation and tweaking of it before it's put into action.

That's why I said we need a state or two to implement it and test it before it becomes law. But I am not against it like some in my party, I just think it needs to be tested, we have jumped into too many things without thinking them through (Iraq, etc) *cough*

A lot of states use a consumption tax instead of an income tax.

In Washington, we pay a state sales tax on every purchase except groceries. Groceries are tax free.

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right. Keep the FairTax exactly as the Bill has it. Straight consumption tax on new goods and services. Stright pre-bate on all taxes up to the poverty level.

In order to get reimbursements for renewable energy and efficiency, you would apply for those credits with the Department of Energy.

You just earned my write-in vote.