I would like to be your President.

I believe that I would make a very good President of the United States. Not that I am going to run for that office as campaigning, glad-handing and baby-kissing is beneath me, but if the people of America were to simply elect me, I'd gladly serve and give 100%. With respect to my comment on considering campaigning beneath me, I should remind you that George Washington felt the same way and never actually campaigned himself. I have a lot more in common with George Washington also.

Over time, I will post my platform here in detail but for now, I offer the basics of my platform below and will revise, expand and edit as I see fit. I look forward to serving as your president someday.

• Taxes - I believe that the tax burden should be shared disproportionately by our citizens. Those at the lower income levels should pay a higher tax rate wheras those at the higher income levels should be paying a progressively lower tax rate as they move up the economic ladder.

  I will be posting some proposed tax tables later but for now, allow me to illustrate my point with two imaginary taxpayers. One taxpayer earns an income of $30,000 a year and the other taxpayer earns an income of $300,000 a year. Well, under my system, the person making $30,000 a year should pay at a 33% rate and the person making $300,000 a year should only pay at a 7.5% tax rate. By the way, those tax rates are simply for shock value and for the purposes of explaining my plan. Actual tax rates may well be significantly less than that as I intend to shrink the size of our federal goverment enormously (with the exception of the military which will be explained later).

  Why do I propose this "upside-down" tax structure? For the simple reason that the taxpayer at the higher income is contributing far more for the economy of the country than the person at the lower income. As well, the person at the lower level is far more likely to require government services and handouts and should rightfully shoulder a higher tax burden.

  Thus we set up an incentive for Americans to do well and contribute to the economy. As one makes more money, one is "rewarded" for doing so well by enjoying less of a tax burden while those who choose to remain at a lower income are in effect "penalized". So much for welfare queens trying to take advantage of the system. Now they will be penalized for this decision with higher taxes while others who choose to better themselves are rewarded with a lower tax burden.

  That said, allow me to state that senior citizens should pay zero taxes. Our senior citizens have worked and paid taxes all their lives. So once they reach a certain age, they should have the right to retire in comfort (or keep on working) without worrying about being taxed any futher. Currently I would set the age to qualify as a senior citizen at 67 years old but that can be revised upward later should our lifespans continue to increase.

  Consider the following statement backing up my controversial tax plan. When one increases one's income, a "multiplier effect" is put into play that helps the economy grow. More people are put to work to build yachts, luxury automobiles, and mansions. More people are put to work in restaurants, stores and vacation resorts. Under my administration, my tax policy will create millions of millionaires!

  As for those who scream "unfair", consider that in my example, the person paying 7.5% on $300,000 in income is still paying more in net taxes ($22,500) than the person paying 33% on 30,000 ($9,900). My advice to the latter taxpayer is to make more income so that their overall tax burden can be reduced.

  One more thing I will do as president with respect to taxes is to simplify the tax code. All citizens will have a one-page form to fill out each year which essentially asks them to state their total income and pay the appropriate tax at their income level. No more complicated schedules and tax forms to fill out. Taxation should be cut and dry and nobody should be finding loopholes and tax shelters. Taxpayers may choose to have their employers withhold money from their paychecks to pay for taxes but this will now be their choice as I also plan to abolish mandatory withholding of taxes from paychecks.

• Gun Control - I am a firm believer in gun control. For example, it is very important to relax and s-l-o-w-l-y squeeze the trigger. It is also a very good idea to hit your target on a consistent basis.

  As your president, I will encourage all citizens to own firearms and also to know how to properly control them. Of course, citizens may choose not to own and operate a firearm, but they will miss out on my proposed tax deduction for those who own firearms and know how to use them. On that simplified one-page tax form I mention in my Tax platform, I will have a line where a taxpayer can claim a $1,000 firearms deduction. All the taxpayer needs to provide is proof of ownership of a gun and a recent target score achieved at a certified shooting range.

• Crime - There are two types of criminals: Those who can be redeemed and those who cannot. These two groups must be separated and never allowed to mingle together in a prison environment. We cannot have career criminals who are incarcerated for life having any influence at all on those with whom we wish to redeem and put back into society as good citizens. The incarceration of the former should focus on acquiring the job and social skills necessary to be a productive member of society once the prisoner is released. The incarceration of the latter should be considered permanent and focused on being as productive as possible behind prison walls.

  Private corporations should be encouraged to setup shop in both of these prisons with a view to taking advantage of the cheap prison labor to produce goods and services that can be marketed outside the prison with some of the profits being used to keep the prisons in operation so that the taxpayers need not be shouldered with the burden. All costs of the prisons including food, guards, contruction, etc., should be provided for by the profits deriving from the goods and services produced there.

  I believe that when a criminal achieves three felony convictions, that person should be incarcerated for life with no parole. This would necessitate being moved out of the population of prisoners who are considered redeemable and into a population of prisoners who are there for life.

  With respect to the death penalty, it should be reserved for only the most atrocious capital crimes. In those cases, justice should be swift and any appeals should be escalated with the highest priority. In this manner, we prevent convicts from delaying their sentences with years of appeals.

  For those convicts who we have determined to be redeemable and who we have put back into society, no stigma should follow them. Once they have been released back into society, they should have full rights that all citizens enjoy. The right to vote, the right to bear arms, the ability to get a respectable job and so on. We should consider that these people have already paid for their crimes and they should truly get a clean slate so that they can have a fair chance to live a good, productive life. Otherwise, we should not have released them in the first place.

• Imperialism - I believe it is the destiny of the United States of America to extend from the Arctic Circle to the Panama Canal. This would mean eventually incorporating Canada and Mexico into our union as well as some smaller countries such as Cuba and Panama.

  Of course we will only admit new states into the Union who have agreed to honor the Constitution and pledged their allegiance to our nation. During my Administration, I will work towards incorporating our neighbors to our north and south into our union. While I may well not realize the conclusion of this policy during my Administration, I intend to get the ball rolling so that it is all but a done deal by the time I leave office.

  I also believe that over time, English-speaking nations from all over the world such as Australia, New Zealand, India and Great Britain will join our union as states. But that is still very far off and an issue for my successors to deal with.

• Military - As much as I favor shrinking the federal government overall, eliminating entire departments at the federal level, I believe that the United States of America should continue to field a kick-ass military and remain the absolute undisputed superpower of the world. In my administration, no expense will be spared to achieve this end. The rest of the free world depends upon us and we owe it to them to keep the world safe for trade, capitalism and freedom.

  One thing I will do immediately upon assuming office is to ask Congress to double the military budget. For starters, I would like the U.S. Navy to increase its carrier fleet to 32 carriers, giving us at least 24 carrier fleets always on duty with up to 8 carrier fleets in for maintenance at any given time. This will allow us to have maximum control of the seas and give us the ability to project our forces anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.

  My proposal to ramp up the military should not be interpreted as a "free ride" by military contractors. I realize that military contractors have been overcharging our government for decades and I intend to crack down upon this. Any military contractor caught cheating the government will be subject to the most severe criminal and civil penalties that can be imposed, with CEO's and other top executives of those companies joining the likes of Ken Lay (of Enron infamy) in prison.

  Another factor to consider in my military buildup is that military technology often results in innovation in the civilian sector as well. As our military develops ever faster jet engines, better peforming satellites and more durable electronics, just for starters, these technologies will eventually find their way into private enterprises, helping to keep the United States on the cutting edge of technological expertise.

  I will post more on my military platform in the future.

• Interstate Highway System - President Eisenhower did a good job bringing the interstate highway system to fruition and it has generally served us well. But the highway system is now antiquated and overutilized. It is time to overhaul the entire system and restore it to a condition that will carry us through the next century.

  I will propose that the existing system be completely overhauled and rebuilt over existing right-of-ways with one that has a capacity of 16 lanes in each direction (32 lanes total) with a large median strip that can be used for rest areas, restaurants, motels and other businesses. As well, our new prisons can be placed in these median strips making escapes more difficult as well as not imposing them on the general populace.

  Each subset of 16 lanes will be divided as follows (working from right to left): The rightmost four lanes will be dedicated to local traffic only. The leftmost 6 lanes shall be dedicated to interstate traffic (having easy access to the rest stops and motels on the median). Of those six, trucks will only be allowed to use the rightmost three and will have their own on and off ramps (from the right) to access facilities in the median. This separation will increase road safety. Regarding the remaining six lanes, two will be dedicated to emergency vehicles only (including military use) and the other four will be held in reserve for peak traffic hours or to be used as alternate lanes for road construction projects and other maintenance.

  Capping the project off will be a dedicated strip along these right-of-ways to accommodate high-speed railroads for those private corporations who wish to invest in such an endeavor.

  In this manner, we will resolve the problem of congestion in our major cities and will greatly increase the speed and reliability of our transportation system to deliver needed goods to fuel our economy.

  I understand this project is a huge undertaking and will be by far the greatest civil engineering project in the history of the world. But it must be done if our economy is to grow at the rapid rate which I will project should I be elected president. I also understand that many businesses and homes will be displaced by the inevitable eminent domain that must be imposed to accommodate such a massive project. But most of the businesses displaced, especially roadside restaurants, motels and gas stations, will see their business increase once they rebuilt next to the new superhighway being put into place.

• Copyright Law - I believe strongly in the right for inventors and artists to capitalize on their creations but I also believe that copyright laws have been abused. As your president, I will limit copyrights to 25 years. This is sufficient time for copyright owners to benefit from their creations. After that, it is time to put these creations into the public domain. For example, this would mean that compositions by The Beatles, who last released a record in 1970, would now be in the public domain.

  MORE POLICY PLATFORMS COMING LATER...