What would your dream America look like

[Carl]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8301233

RM33 (56 posts)       Sun May-09-10 01:51 PM
Original message
What would your dream America look like
   

I am curious about my fellow DU's. If I gave you a magic wand and you had complete control do remake America the way you would like. What economic policies, social policies and foriegn policies would you implement.

Please stay positive. Don't say something stupid like put Conservatives in concentration camps.

I wonder where this will lead?

Warpy  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 02:03 PM
Response to Original message
8. One where a person's work, whether dishwasher or mother,
   would afford that worker a living wage and respect.

One where the Bill of Rights were fully restored.

One where opportunity wasn't allotted by birth, lavished on a few and restricted for everyone else.

One where people didn't live in constant fear that the bottom would drop out and they'd lose everything.

One where adults were treated as adults and allowed to make their own life decisions without government interference.

Finally, an America where the government stands with the people against the powerful.

I don`t live in constant fear...what am I doing wrong?

tularetom  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
9. CEO's would be paid twice what their employees earn
   Health care would be administered through a single payer, government operated system.

Workers would get one month's paid vacation every year.

Money budgeted for school would exceed prison budgets.

There would be no restrictions on use of marijuana and ownership of firearms.

and

The crap produced in Nashville would no longer be referred to as "country music".

doc03  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-09-10 02:08 PM
Response to Original message
10. My dream for America would be the last 10 years were
   were just a dream. When the SCOTUS appointed GWB President it was just about the worst thing ever in the history of the US. When Clinton left office we had a budget surplus, a good economy and no wars. The dim son of GHWB managed to totally reverse the direction of this country in 8 years. Now we have red ink as far as we can see, 9.9% unemployment, two senseless wars and an environmental disaster of epic proportions in the making. All of them can be placed squarely on GWB. I just can't comprehend how on earth Democrats could possibly lose any seats in Congress after the mess GWB and the Republicans has left us. I wish we were like Bobby Ewing when he woke up and the previous season was all just a bad dream.

I will go to my grave laughing at your self imposed misery of President Bush. 

SocialistLez (604 posts)        Sun May-09-10 02:09 PM
Response to Original message
11. Where do I start?
   Edited on Sun May-09-10 02:12 PM by SocialistLez
Everyone who wants a job will have a job.
The job will pay AT LEAST $10-12 an hour, depending on where you live.
We will have a single-payer health care system similar to Canada's or a health care system like Germany's.

The richest 10% will have a tax rate of 80%.
Everyone will be free to join unions.
Big-box retailers will be rare.
100% of our energy would come from renewable resources
We would only go to war if we were attacked first.
We will focus more on diplomacy instead of warfare.

Higher education will be more affordable if not free, at least tuition would be free. Book and transportation vouchers will be available to those who display need.

We would have a national mass transit system.
We would have bike lanes that are physically separate from the car lane.


Everyone will be guaranteed at least 6 paid weeks off from work.
Parental or family leave is 1 year while being paid 60-75% of your salary. I include family leave because I don't want children but if I needed to take off work to care for my mom in her old age, I'd like that choice and including JUST parents is discrimination.

We would break up the monopolies in many industries.
Teacher pay would go up dramatically to attract the best and the brightest.
Every city/town will have curbside recycling.
Styrofoam would be made illegal or at least heavily taxed.

No more "War on Drugs" which is really a war on people of color.
Marijuana would be legalized and taxed.
The prison population would be substantially reduced and we'd have a prison system similar to Norwegians.

Political primaries would change every election year.
Corporations would be prohibited from forming PACs and contributing to political candidates.

We would end the revolving door from lawmaker to lobbyist.


That's it for now....

Enjoy paying 30.00 for a loaf of bread.

Cleita  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 02:31 PM
Response to Original message
15. I would like America's vast open spaces turned back to
   what they were like before the Europeans arrived. Prairies running with buffalo, dams and levees removed and wildlife allowed to return. We don't really need that much space to build and farm in and we have enough cities for that. I would definitely end urban sprawl and dune buggies, ATVs and jet skis in wilderness areas. I'm sure there are some man made places that these things could be done.

Stupid like that should be painful.

Jkid  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 02:44 PM
Response to Original message
18. My dream America would be this.
   There would be a new constitution, based on the best provisions in various constitutions in the world: South Africa, Venezuela, Germany, Japan, Korea, Russia and many others. The constitution would declare that the US is a "democratic, socialist, participatory and self-reliant, multiethnic and multicultural society in a just, federal and decentralized State that embodies the values of freedom,life, liberty ,happiness ,independence, peace, solidarity, the common good, civil peace ,the nation's territorial integrity, comity and the rule of law for this and future generations". The constitution would adopt the proposed Economic Bill of Rights as well.

Starting with this constitution would all reforms in America will shape from, everything from law reform, economic, and social reforms.

caty  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 03:42 PM
Response to Original message
29. Separation between
   church and government. I would want more ethics and compassion in our country and let the selfish and hateful attitudes stay in the churches.

Odin2005  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 06:30 PM
Response to Original message
40. Replace the corporate system with co-ops.
   Edited on Sun May-09-10 06:35 PM by Odin2005
Introduce publically-financed elections, instant-runoff voting, and Proportional Representation in the Senate.

Cut the Pentagon budget by half. This actually won't really affect the military that much because there is so much "Defense Spending" that is just corporate welfare "designing" useless gadgets that will never be used on a battlefield.

Institute a Single-Payer Healthcare system.

Decriminalize drug use, legalize and tax marijuana, ecstasy, and LSD.

Legalize same-sex marriage.

Raise taxes on high-income earners, lower income taxes for everyone in the bottom 3rd of income.

Institute a Carbon Tax

Abolish all sales taxes except for a luxury tax.

Require that all "sin taxes" go to healthcare spending.

Invest heavily in renewables, nuclear energy, and electric automobiles.

Start a nation-wide high-speed rail system

Ban any new offshore oil drilling.

Put a stiff tariff on any country with a poor labor and environmental record.

Raise the minimum wage to $11/hr.

Massively increase education spending. Create a system of alternative schools for disabled, gifted, and/or disturbed students. Invest in using the Internet to aid education. Create a system to support parents that wish to do homeschooling as long as it is religion-free.
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The sad thing is they all believe their economic and socialist fantasies can actually work.

[cavegal]

One where the Bill of Rights were fully restored.

ask this one what they mean by FULLY restored! Idiot 

[The Village Idiot]

What a bunch of morons.

My dream for America would probably hurt their feelings a little.

[NHSparky]

Too much stupid to reply to in a single post.

[blitzkrieg_17]

My dream America? One without Marxists, for sure.

[The Village Idiot]

In my perfect America most of these DUmmies would have already offed themselves. There would be zero welfare (Its called a charity, family or church), no unemployment benefits (we call those savings).

Government would be very small, so small that DC would probably be a ghost town when Congress is out of session, which would be for 2 months a year. There would be very little permanent bureaucracy. The governments only jobs are military to defend the country, courts to try the criminals and a limited prison system (we won't need very many )

The states would oversee the militia and a few other things, very limited in scope and power. All schools and colleges are privately operated. There won't be any NPR or PBS and the government won't be funding leftist organizations like ACORN and Planned unParenthood.

All property owners (they are usually more reponsible than those who own no property) would have a share in America Inc and they would get to choose who runs their state and federal government at regional shareholder meetings.

[chitownchica]

Oh my lord- it's like we just walked in on middle school angst. 

Warpy:  One where adults were treated as adults and allowed to make their own life decisions without government interference.
Chica's response:  Umm- sure.  You would allow the government to wipe your butt if they offered.

Tularetom:  CEO's would be paid twice what their employees earn.
Chica:  Yeah-call me elitist, but I think the CEO of a restaurant chain should earn a bit more than 2x's what a dishwasher makes.  Same goes for any other job out there.

Tularetom:  Money budgeted for school would exceed prison budgets.
Chica:  If that were the case, prisoners wouldn't be able to watch TV, earn law degrees in their spare time, or do all other manner of activities.  Instead, they would all be pushed into a holding cage with no food, no wardens, no facilities -  and based on survival of the fittest, the prison population would decrease dramatically. Oh poor pitiful prisoners that no one understands!  Maybe that's not such a bad idea.

SocialistLez (that name is as great as SuperDuperFarLeft - wish i had chosen one of those for my moles): The job will pay AT LEAST $10-12 an hour, depending on where you live.  The richest 10% will have a tax rate of 80%.
Chica:  See answer to tularetom. CEOs making 24.00/hr and then being taxed 80% - dream on little commie.

[DumbAss Tanker]

In my case, I would have to say there would still be some social benefits like unemployment, workers comp laws, and a limited amount and duration of public assistance for those truly in need of a hand up.  However there would also be a minimum sentence of a year in a penal hard-rock coal mine for theft, and speedy execution for burglary.  There'd also be a Hell of a wall on the border, and anyone who did still get across would be working out of a Federal labor exchange once caught for bread and board, along with anyone who had knowingly hired them, sending nothing 'home,' with the profits of the labor exchange going to fund the necessary social programs and otherwise defray taxes on the law-abiding. 

[dandi]

Odin2005  (1000+ posts)          Sun May-09-10 06:30 PM
Response to Original message
40. Replace the corporate system with co-ops.

Again I have to ask: What's stopping you now? Find some other worker/owners, pool your money and build your ****ing co-op. Show us how it's done. If it's so great, surely people will be forming co-ops in droves.

Oh, you still want someone else to put up the capital and take the risks, then you move in to take it over. Maybe pay off your share piecemeal or have it given to you outright.

DUmmies want all the things successful people have with none of the risk or sacrifice.

[The Village Idiot]

Chica:  See answer to tularetom. CEOs making 24.00/hr and then being taxed 80% - dream on little commie.

exactly, nobody will make any money, half the country is living in shacks waiting for the government truck to deliver their monthly rations and people making $24 an hour are taxed at 80%, even though a loaf of bread would be $30, if you can find one.

[crockspot]

Put all DUmmies in concentration camps.

Sorry, I cheated. 

[chitownchica]

Again I have to ask: What's stopping you now? Find some other worker/owners, pool your money and build your ****ing co-op. Show us how it's done. If it's so great, surely people will be forming co-ops in droves.

Oh, you still want someone else to put up the capital and take the risks, then you move in to take it over. Maybe pay off your share piecemeal or have it given to you outright.

DUmmies want all the things successful people have with none of the risk or sacrifice.

Short answer is Odin is a whiney little college aged emo who has no concept of how the world works.  At least he has his youth (and some mental health issues) to explain his irrationality. 

[The Village Idiot]

Short answer is Odin is a whiney little college aged emo who has no concept of how the world works.  At least he has his youth (and some mental health issues) to explain his irrationality. 

I think most DUers are probably in their 40's and 50's etc

Just mentally childish

[littlelamb]

Perfect America would be rid of Rats and RINO's

[kenth]

It's just another exercise in the childish envy that powers socialism. They're making lists that they think would garner them the most benefits personally. Then they have the gall to pretend to want to be free. Every one of them wants to have laws preventing the wealthy from existing, and wants to live a life of comfort at the same time.

They have lived such enclosed and sheltered lives that they don't have a clue as to what it means to be free. They're always looking for a risk free life. They want to be led around by the nose, and give that power to government in the hopes that it will harness the rest of us because they would rather we all be miserable than see some enjoy the fruits of taking risks.

[Karin]

Good post, kenth.  Among many others, this one jumped out:

Create a system to support parents that wish to do homeschooling as long as it is religion-free.

  You little totalitarian.  How dare you meddle between God and me & mine?   Get away from me. 

The Commie threads like this make my BP go through the roof.  I read an article in the AmSpec over the weekend, about how UK went Socialist in a very hard left turn from Churchill, then 30 years later turned to Thatcher.  War-weary Britain was just plain pooped from 2 wars.  The idea of cradle-to-grave government comfort was too much, so off they collectively went over the cliff.  They embraced all these things that the DUmmies are talking about above.  The country turned into a serious shithole.  It was a great article, highly recommended.  Over at Spectator.org, they say it will be posted soon.  "Rolling Back the Socialist Tide." 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Too much stupid to reply to in a single post.

Yep, no kidding.  I don't even know where to start to respond.

[The Village Idiot]

There was a FReeper on a thread with the same story that mentioned a community center that would not let in christian homeschoolers.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Imagine there's no hippies

It's easy if you try[/singing]

[BlueStateSaint]

Imagine there's no hippies

It's easy if you try[/singing]

No scent of bong water
Or chemtrails in the sky . . .

[VelvetElvis]

My dream America?

One where conservatives like myself can live in freedom under the Constitution as it is written, not as it is imagined by some do-gooder liberal judge, while the liberals are doomed to live under and pay for their own "living Constitution" and all of the perversions that come along with it, without being able to force the conservatives to come along with them into their self-imposed hell.

[blitzkrieg_17]

My dream America?

One where conservatives like myself can live in freedom under the Constitution as it is written, not as it is imagined by some do-gooder liberal judge, while the liberals are doomed to live under and pay for their own "living Constitution" and all of the perversions that come along with it, without being able to force the conservatives to come along with them into their self-imposed hell.

You said what I was thinking. H5 if I still could.

[Chris_]

NO LIBERALS! Nuff said.

[Airwolf]

Their idea of a perfect world,

[The Village Idiot]

Just add a flag with the Obama logo and its perfect