Joe Weber in 2016 - The Platform

Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

I feel that the progress that has been made in recent years to balance the budget should not go unnoticed. It is incredibly self destructive of our nation to spend more then it has on a yearly basis. To continue the balancing of the budget along with the increase in spending I am predicting, the elimination of wasteful spending and much of the bureaucracy would need to be accomplished. To do this I will immediately begin to eliminate programs by denying funds appropriated by Congress to these wasteful programs and redirect their funds to necessary institutions.

The need for our nation to have a strong military is greater then ever in this day and age. It is in today's world that small, third world countries are beginning to be able to hold off our nations military power with their own small, but effective armies. I believe that a moderate increase in the amount of funds appropriate for the Department of Defense would greatly benefit our nation. Currently our nation only has 1800 fighter jets available at any one given time. With our increasing involvement in global affairs, it has become a problem to provide the necessary firepower when needed in certain parts of the world. If we have 1800 fighter jets now, I propose we spend enough for an increase to 2300 or more, and spending of that sort across the board. I refuse to accept that the greatest nation in the world will get its ass kicked by some two bit, idiotic oppressive dictator with a couple of MIGs and thirteen tanks.

The United States has been pushing it's nose into other countries business for too long. Although I do feel that it is necessary to protect our allies and prevent possible political disasters, there has been too much radical involvement in other nations policies. The current actions in Kosovo and Iraq are certainly justified, but our national policy has become one of "act now and ask questions later". Luckily, we have been able to make the right decisions on where we are involved in the recent years, but it is possible that another Vietnam, or Grenada could happen. Part of this policy is a greater respect by the president for the War Powers Act. This 1974 act wasn't passed on a whim, it was a serious initiative taken by the congress in attempt to control any radical military dispatching of forces by the presidency. As president, I promise to abide by this act, and remove any forces within 60 days. And with the increase in military spending, with a 60 day clock, I'll be able to get in, kick the crap out of any oppressive dictator, set up a new government, and get the hell out before congress has to start approving my actions.

Currently, the United States would have no way to shoot down and eliminate a threat of an incoming missile from a hostile nation. It is true that after the cold war the threat of nuclear war with Russia has been reduced, but the overall increase of a nuclear disaster has exploded to dangerous levels. By creating a missile defense system we, as a nation, place missiles on our shores, but they are completely defensive. The system would be small, but effective in case a situation would arise. Without one, we leave our country open to an attack that could cause catastrophic destruction by a small nation with one powerful weapon.

Some of the worlds most beautiful land exists within our borders, and I believe that as a nation we must strive to protect it. Although there are hundreds of national parks across our country, I believe that it would be beneficial to every citizen if there was a 10% increase in protected federal park land. This increase would allow our nations most treasured wildlife to be protected, as well as creating a large amount of jobs for people looking for an occupation that is both rewarding, and good for the environment. Depending on the amount of money it takes to keep this land beautiful for generations to come, I'd like to protect enough new land that would make John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt proud. 10% might not seem like a big deal, but when considering the total number of protected acres in the United States, it would be a generous increase.

I believe that our nation's war on crime has been not very effective, but it is obviously necessary to continue to try and diminish the amount of criminal acts committed in the United States. It's hard to imagine a public service announcement, a billboard, or a pamphlet that would stop the criminal from today from breaking the law, but a concentration on opportunities given to all of our youth should be able to stop them from turning to a life of crime. I strongly believe, now get ready for this..

I hope your sitting down, that the Death penalty should be eliminated in any way shape or form using any means necessary. I do believe that there are some individuals in this society that should be put to death for their actions, but to me that means there are going to be innocent people put to death as long as it is legal to terminate the lives of our prisoners. As well as it gives the power to take lives to the government which doesn't seem right. It is estimated that the United States has put to death more then 60 people (and that may be a generous figure) that were proven innocent after their executions. It has been proven that the death penalty does not reduce crime in our nation. Look at Texas where the sweet smell of justice often wafts up from the
electric chair. The brutal executions are not causing any decrease in crime. Instead of killing these monsters, I say put them to work. Put them to work doing the worst jobs we can find. Make them build roads, tar roofs, remove septic tanks, anything that would utilize their existence for the good of the nation. Eliminate the Cable T.V. but give prisoners books, and basketballs, as well as shackle them up and make them pick up garbage on the side of the road. Anything, but don't kill them, because we will always make mistakes, and taking an innocent persons life is the worst act a nation can commit against their citizens
.

This might seem like a small detail but I feel that it is necessary to observe what the current government is doing to the people who are feeding the nation. Currently, every day in the United States, we loose more then 100 family owned farms due to bankruptcy. A large factor that contributes to this is the Federal tax thrown onto families who inherit a farm from a relative who has died. Sometimes the tax is just too much to handle. The tax, combined with the huge markups by middlemen are driving the farmer out of business. Selling prices for some farmers haven't been as low as they are today since the depression. The companies who buy the products of farmers and then in turn who sell them to other companies who market the product and sell to the consumer, have agreed to only buy what the farmer has to sell at outrageously low prices. As a strong believer in capitalism, I feel that government involvement in this matter should only occur if it can be proven that the middlemen have created an inescapable monopoly over the farmers, but the least we can do is stop charging the family farmer for inheriting the land his father, mother, or grandparents worked. We owe it to them.

I do not belong to the NRA, but I do feel that it is not guns that people, it is people with guns who kill people. It is difficult to imagine a free nation that does not allow its citizens to defend themselves, and the elimination of guns from our society would only increase stabbings and bring back the bow and arrow. I strongly agree with any type of gun control that allows good, safe, law abiding citizens to purchase, and use firearms. I personally enjoy trapshooting, hate hunting, and cannot stand irresponsible people with weapons, so you can see that I am split on the issue. Background checks? Sure, Trigger locks? Oh for god sakes most definitely. Safety devices and background checks should be used to prevent injuries and the sale of weapons to the wrong people.