My Platform
Aug. 7th, 2003 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tugrikSince an amazing number of friends have emailed, IM'd or chatted with me on the mu* about my run for governor (heh, right), I figure I should state what my goals would be were I elected. :)
My first one would be a double-punch: Try to fix some of the unemployment woes while at the same time reducing our percentage of oil-dependancy. I'd start up some huuuge public-works projects, like the nation has done in our depressed-econcomy past. Instead of bridges or dams or whatnot, I'd be putting unemployed Californians to work building alternative energy systems: solar convection towers, ocean thermocline generators, additional windfarms and the installation of solar roof-panelling on all public and government buildings. There's a lot of research out there that shows that alternative energy systems can be efficient and profitable once done at a large enough scale. For example, the cost of thin-film solar would come down immensely if a customer as big as the State of California were to buy enough to ramp up manufacturing. We're in a unique position to do that.
Next, I'd change some of the tax code for vehicles. The licensing, registration, environmental-impact and other fees would scale quickly with the size, weight, and inefficiency of the vehicle. You want to drive your Hummer H2 in stop-and-go traffic, getting 6mpg and blowing fumes, go right ahead! Just be prepared to pay an even healthier share when the fees come due, to help offset the problems your consumption is causing. With luck this will help sell more efficient modes of transportation (smaller cars, hybrid cars, motorcycles, decent forms of public transit, etc). The flipside of this is that I'd be even nicer to the folks who already drive hybrids, compacts, motorcycles and pedalbikes. A little carrot on one side, stick on the other, with the bulk of most midsized, decent-efficiency cars right in the middle getting normal treatment.
A more nebulous one is that I'd try to get the government out of the religion business. Marriage is a civil contract that should be binding between the two people who want it, not just between 'two genders under the eyes of god'. Religious groups wouldn't get state sponsorship simply for being a religion. There's a bunch of these types of shouldn't-happen mixes going on; too much of our goverment is tied up subtly enforcing particular religous beliefs. Leave that to the churches, not the government.
There's more, but this is a good start for something flytyped while noshing chinese food at the work-desk. :) Free potstickers for everyone! *passes out goodies*
My first one would be a double-punch: Try to fix some of the unemployment woes while at the same time reducing our percentage of oil-dependancy. I'd start up some huuuge public-works projects, like the nation has done in our depressed-econcomy past. Instead of bridges or dams or whatnot, I'd be putting unemployed Californians to work building alternative energy systems: solar convection towers, ocean thermocline generators, additional windfarms and the installation of solar roof-panelling on all public and government buildings. There's a lot of research out there that shows that alternative energy systems can be efficient and profitable once done at a large enough scale. For example, the cost of thin-film solar would come down immensely if a customer as big as the State of California were to buy enough to ramp up manufacturing. We're in a unique position to do that.
Next, I'd change some of the tax code for vehicles. The licensing, registration, environmental-impact and other fees would scale quickly with the size, weight, and inefficiency of the vehicle. You want to drive your Hummer H2 in stop-and-go traffic, getting 6mpg and blowing fumes, go right ahead! Just be prepared to pay an even healthier share when the fees come due, to help offset the problems your consumption is causing. With luck this will help sell more efficient modes of transportation (smaller cars, hybrid cars, motorcycles, decent forms of public transit, etc). The flipside of this is that I'd be even nicer to the folks who already drive hybrids, compacts, motorcycles and pedalbikes. A little carrot on one side, stick on the other, with the bulk of most midsized, decent-efficiency cars right in the middle getting normal treatment.
A more nebulous one is that I'd try to get the government out of the religion business. Marriage is a civil contract that should be binding between the two people who want it, not just between 'two genders under the eyes of god'. Religious groups wouldn't get state sponsorship simply for being a religion. There's a bunch of these types of shouldn't-happen mixes going on; too much of our goverment is tied up subtly enforcing particular religous beliefs. Leave that to the churches, not the government.
There's more, but this is a good start for something flytyped while noshing chinese food at the work-desk. :) Free potstickers for everyone! *passes out goodies*
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 02:44 pm (UTC)(I like the platform, though.)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 03:01 pm (UTC)The sliding fee scale for them that I support would start to sound like cash registers. $kaChing!$ :)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 03:21 pm (UTC)Church and state.
Date: 2003-08-07 03:45 pm (UTC)Don't overlook the "yankee in king arthur's court" lesson [book version].
no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 03:46 pm (UTC)Re: Church and state.
Date: 2003-08-07 06:38 pm (UTC)Not to mention preachers don't get any tax breaks anymore. They're considered 'common law' employees. Meaning? They get to pay for both the employee Social Security tax -and- the employer SS tax. And they can no longer count off business expenses as if they were self-employed. They were royally screwed over by the IRS a few years back.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 07:21 pm (UTC)Though you do realize that because your proposals are sane, compassionate, directed towards long-term growth, and sensible, you'd be daemonized as a "liberal" and a "typical Californian out of touch with reality"?
no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-07 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-10 03:35 am (UTC)