Oh-my-lanta!

Bravo! Man, I REALLY like the 10th amendment push (as I've also heard of a handful of states pushing this), & the DOE, impressive.

Goodness almighty I enthusiastically agree with each of those. Let me first say that we could go on for hours, days and surely weeks with policy proposals we believe to be common sensical / effective, so I will go off the top of my head here.

To prevent simply reiterating what you wrote lets say my administration introduces each of those, and I would add:

- Politically
I would push strong in 2010 for the congress to change hands NOT simply for Party but rather anyone on record supporting my proposed agenda, thus assuming I had the votes to give my legislative proposals a chance to pass (in addition to my executive authority changes) I would...

- Afghanistan
A.) immediately respond affirmatively to the request of 40,,000 additional troops.
B.) request an increase, substantially, in defense spending (throwing contracts to increase employment domestically) in order to supply troops in theater AND send a clear signal to both Tehran & Moscow - our lone superpower status is safe for at least 4 more years ... tread carefully.
C.) provide a link for direct communication from the the theater commander McCrystal, to Mullen & myself for streamlined decision making when the CO's sign off is needed, thus speaking to the commanders I'm asking to lead on a regular basis.

- Energy
A.) IMMEDIATELY lift the bans on all federally controlled offshore drilling and make it clear to states like CA that are living off of life support federal dollars that as a condition to fed $ they will lift all offshore state bans on drilling.
B.) Using the bully pulpit of the White House assemble all private sector oil companies that can make possible oil shale exploration and natural gas recovery, and simply ask them what they need to reverse America's status as an importing country of energy, then put together legislation necessary to initiate their request - THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 2010.
C.) Remove any and all executive orders on the construction of nuclear facilities, and (as will be needed) introduce/pass legislation to allow for the construction - moon shot goal - of 100 new nuclear power plants within 10 years. For states like CA that would resist, instead of challenging state autonomy, as I'm an advocate, initiate state referendum ballots to make the deregulation and construction of nuclear plants LAW. I trust the voters to "choose wisely."

- Iran
A.) Immediately introduce crippling sanctions in the UN. This is less for an actualized effect but more to get the attention of our allies - "it's time to deal with this" - and when they don't and we do, we will show the UN is irrelevant, yet again.
B.) Alert the CIA, Israel, our contacts in Iraq and throughout the Middle East that the Iranian resistance (the internal reformers/opposition to the theocracy) will now have the support of the White House. Provide them with all logistical, force building, and Intel needed to make life uncomfortable as possible for the regime. If the French resistance could disrupt and derail the Germans then so can the Persians with the modern day fascists, especially with US backing.
C.) Install the missile defense shield in Poland/Czech Republic.
D.) Publicly announce in Prime Time Israel's right to exist. And make clear in plain language that any nation or group that attempts a second Holocaust will be met by the full weight of our military might.
E.)And add that any nation threatening such actions will face military embargo from NATO. And I don't know if Israel is a part of NATO come to think of it, but if not, sponsor their entry so that the "attack on one is an attack on all" provision applies.
F.) Draw up a military strike plan to destroy their centrifuges, and let the existence of those preparatory plans "leak" to the press.

- Health insurance
A.) real tort reform - caps on jury awards.
B.) eliminate the restrictions on intrastate policies, allowing all insurance companies to compete in all 50 states to increase private competition.
C.) Fulfill my federal mandate to seal the southern border through all humane, YET effective ways necessary to alleviate the untold billions built into the health care costs of treating illegal aliens.

- The Southern border (although addressed in part above)
A.) Complete construction of the federally MANDATED fence.
B.) employ all needed surveillance technology and man power required to make the fence meaningful.
C.) Put together and promote immigrant (assuming the passing of background checks etc) fast tracked citizenship for military service in the US Armed Services.

- Spending / Economic Policy (this is of course in addition to your proposals)
A.) An across the board freeze on all non defense / domestic security (FBI etc) federal spending.
B.) I can't stress enough your eliminating the capital gains & death taxes, along with the across the board tax cuts, although I would add a fundamental overhaul of the IRS - introducing a Flat Tax of 10%. There is no reason an American's income tax form need be longer than ONE PAGE.
C.) Repeal the requirement of "mark to market" company worth listing for publicly traded companies. In the wake of Enron the congress required that companies list what they were worth that day, rather than listing it quarterly so as to balance out their losses/worth. This would bring stability to the market disallowing the added daily dramatic swings in share prices that has been the effect since.
D.) REPEAL SARBANES/OXLEY. This is the 21st century equivalent to the Smoote-Hawely Act. It has virtually relocated the financial capital of the world from New York to London. It is the corporate equivalent to a governmental anal probe.
E.) Reign in THE FED with fundamental reform if not flat out disbandment.
F.) Given less than 11% of the $888 billion of funds in the "stimulus" package has been released, repeal it.
G.) Propose the Tax Payer Protection Act which prohibits any & all "bailouts" of any private sector company, and reallocates all remaining TARP funds back into the general budget (assuming there is any).

- Social Security
A.) The Social Security Reorganization Act. Give younger people the option to opt out if the amount they pay in currently is FROZEN at that rate for the rest of their life. With the provision they relinquish all claims to that money.
B.) Allow workers that wish to opt out COMPLETELY to do so - they no longer pay in, relinquishing all claims on monies already paid in. This is allowed PROVIDED they can demonstrate a an active private savings account (401k's, IRA's etc).
C.) Each of the money revenues provided, without the need to be payed out to those contributors, is used to pay out current benefits.
D.) For workers 50 years and under and opting to remain in the system all monies will be taken out of the general fund and quasi privatized into "safe" market investments. Any 10 year period of investment in the market's history yields a return greater than Social Security currently does.

- Pardons
A.) Immediately issue blanket pardons to any and all CIA et al interrogators already cleared by internal/DOJ investigations so as to guard from any future administration, as well as emboldening those agencies we depend on that we will support them for doing their job.

- GITMO
A.) Leave it open.

- Abortion
A.) Restrict all federal dollars from participation in performing abortions.
B.) Reinstitute the Mexico City law.

- Crime and Punishment
A.) Make pedophilia and kidnapping a federal crime (I believe the latter already is actually).
B.)Propose a minimum 25 years sentence for kidnapping or the sexual assault of a child over 13.
C.) For sexual assault of a child under 13 the death penalty.
D.) Pedophiles are required to only reside in Sr. retirement communities (they'll be seniors by the time my law lets them out anyway), and must have home & property searched weekly by an extremely beefed up parole division - it's time to protect the weakest among us.


Well ... at least that's a start.