Dictator for the day.

originally posted by: Bone75
I would ban all forms of currency, give mostly everyone local jobs, and make the fruits of our labor free to all of our citizens.

I would end homelessness, poverty, and hunger.

I would legalize all drugs, but I wouldn't require anyone to produce them. Grow your own, knock yourself out, just don't try to use them as currency. Same goes for alcohol and tobacco.

I would make all this possible by requiring 30 years of civil service from all citizens. The standard work week would be 3 eight our shifts a week, each day you miss is tacked on to your retirement date and each extra day worked comes off of your retirement date. Additional time bonuses will be awarded to people who are able to eliminate jobs in their field through innovation and automation.

It would be alot for folks to swallow in one day though.

And why aren't you contesting for elections?

I'd vote for your policies, the kind of policies I long to see...

Peace

originally posted by: Bone75

originally posted by: Metallicus

Why would anyone want to work in your little dystopia?

Why wouldn't you?

Lack of pay. My efforts don't benefit me so why work at all. Forced labor / slavery working without pay. Government telling me how many years I have to work (again, slavery). Basically a miserable Government slavery system with no pay and no incentive. Unless your plan is to get everyone so depressed they just give up. Requiring civil service is slavery.

Most people just want to be free.

a reply to: nonjudgementalist

So filling with cannabis smoke ok? but tobacco not ok?

What if it is purely natural tobacco with no additives, and even organic?

I would make it a law that everyone must drive a pink car. It would be a pink car nation.

a reply to: LightAssassin

Smoking anything would be illegal.

originally posted by: InnerPeace2012
a reply to: nonjudgementalist

Dictator for a day

I'd get rid of the idea of dictatorship all together, and promote democracy.

Peace

Weve tried that it didn't work

a reply to: nonjudgementalist

Muahahaha! The world would not be ready... I'd be the emperor you all need & deserve, but not the one you'd want.

My first law would be to ram through my revised Constitution. This Constitution would abolish the Senate, abolish Presidential elections, and make me the Emperor for life. The House of Reps would still exist, but it would be largely ceremonial. State & local democracies would stay in place & be able to govern as they have governed, as long as they stay loyal to the flag. My flag, that is.

Puerto Rico, Guam, and the other US territories would finally get equal treatment in the federal government by attaining Statehood. My Constitution would also replace the Supreme Court's members with random people selected by me. Their terms would last for no more than 6 months, with me being able to replace whoever I want, whenever I want. Oh & all of DC's NGOs, PACs, and lobbying firms would be liquidated.

Then I'd immediately nationalize all necessities, including utilities, ports, the Fed Reserve, healthcare, and many many many other things. I'd implement price controls so everyone's money could stretch much further. Patents for all essential things would be revoked, while patents for "wants" would be kept in place. I'd mandate a strong social safety net which would guarantee all citizens a free basic dorm, food supply, healthcare, and the right to attend community colleges for free (or training for certifications or the equivalent). In other words, I'd immediately end homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of healthcare. People can work for the things beyond that. Oh, & we'd redirect at least 80% of the Defense Dept's budget to enhancing our electric grid (renewable energy ftw), building high speed rail, & similar things.

I'd push through a quick wave of Human Rights reforms. All humans would be treated equally & have equal obligations as long as they lived in our territories. Women's rights would now include things like the right to travel alone without being raped or molested; the right to equal pay; and the right to have free contraceptives from the time she first goes through puberty. In other words, women whould be able to decide when they become pregnant. Plus, we'd strive to perfect healthcare so there's never a choice between the woman's life or the child's life (bye bye abortions). Hate crimes, sex crimes & rape will have zero tolerance policies.

Then I'd start purging the snakes. We'd start a campaign of investigations unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Law enforcement, politicians, judges, military leaders, intelligence agencies; none would be spared & public litany for those convicted would become the norm. All snakes in positions of power would be calmly advised to flee the country or face the music. All banking & defense firms that have ever defrauded the taxpayers would immediately have their assets frozen, contracts nullified, & facilities nationalized (this would be determined by the rate of past legal settlements for crimes so bye bye Goldman Sachs).

Then there's foreign policy. I'd start pushing my reforms to the entire world, starting with the already left leaning countries. I'd pull our military out of nearly every other country; instead sending food, building supplies, and advisers to implement my plans. The goal would be to end world hunger, all global wars, and all global homelessness. I'd also pull the US out of the UN Security Council for a time, thus allowing the rest of the world to push through their agendas without our constant meddling. It would take time to pull our military out of many places, so I'd personally negotiate the terms to end those conflicts & potential conflicts. My critics would be surprised to see that a slightly power crazed visionary with the world's most powerful army would prove to be quite the decisive negotiator (muahahahaha!!1!).

I'd end most of the War on Drugs, instead focusing on treating the addictions. Maryjane would be legal to grow & do whatever you want with it, but I'd have no tolerance for the other stuff (hemp counts with mj). That would be my deal with the public; do what you want with cannabis in exchange for abandoning the other stuff. Or else (and I'd say it with a really majestic face, so they'd know I was serious).

Then I'd have a pleasant but short talk with our Wahhabi, Persian, and Zionist "friends". 4 minutes later, everyone would exit the room & have a press conference. Many of them would be sweating, woozy, or visibly trembling; but I'd explain to the crowd that they were simply starstruck from having met me in person. Anyway, the Wahhabis would announce that they were exiting Mecca in favor of an international consortium of Muslim safekeepers. The Wahhabis would also announce that they were converting to a pacifist form of Wahhabism & would go back to Najd, where they'd become hermits forever. The Zionists would announce a 2 state solution with a strong Palestine, effective immediately.

I wish I could type more, but it would be lunchtime by now. I'd relax in my bed, eat cantaloupe, and contemplate what to do before sundown. Perhaps I'd have to have a talk with those radical Buddhists in Southeast Asia, south Africa's ANC leaders, Turkey's Erdogan, & Egypt's Sisi...

EDIT: If you're wondering how I'd end the War on Drugs while still outlawing non-cannabis drugs, it's simple. Drug use would have the same laws as alcohol & tobacco. But the War on Drugs programs would be abolished, along with their mandatory minimum sentencing & the such. Users would simply be mandated treatment courses so they can either break their addictions or learn to control them like people control their caffeine addictions.

a reply to: nonjudgementalist

1) Fire myself from the position.

The reason? No individual, nor small group thereof, has any business running a country. Only the great mass of the people have the right to do that. They are supposed to do it through their elected representatives, but as we know those representatives are professional liars, and do not operate in the interests of their constituents, the people under their governance.

I refuse to be the lesser of two evils, refuse to accept hegemony. We WILL have direct democracy, or we will have tyranny. No appeasement, no middle measure, no grey areas. One or the other, not a disgusting, corrupt hybrid. I would fire myself and insist that the people run the affairs of state by constant voting on the ISSUES, not for parties, policies, not personalities.

For the people, by the people. That is the only acceptable change in leadership which needs to occur.

originally posted by: InnerPeace2012

And why aren't you contesting for elections?

Well... the left won't have me because I'm a Christian and they'll fear I'm trying to set up a theocracy... and the right won't have me because they'll fear that I'm the anti-christ.

Quite the conundrum isn't it?

Plus there's that whole Bill of Rights/Constitution thing.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
and insist that the people run the affairs of state by constant voting on the ISSUES, not for parties, policies, not personalities.

With this I whole-heartedly agree (well except that I consider a policy an issue worthy of a vote).

originally posted by: Metallicus
Lack of pay. My efforts don't benefit me so why work at all.

I'm guessing you overlooked the part where I would make the fruits of our labor free to all citizens? Is that not payment enough for your service? How could your paycheck possibly benefit you more than a blank check?

Forced labor / slavery working without pay. Government telling me how many years I have to work (again, slavery).

How would you like to see foodstamp and welfare recipients dealt with in this country? Would you force them to work or would you cut them off and let them sink or swim?

Basically a miserable Government slavery system with no pay and no incentive.

Look at the labor requirement again, a 20 year old person could work 6 days a week and retire by the time they're 35. I'd say that's a hell of an incentive. Not to mention the time bonuses for eliminating jobs.

Most people just want to be free.

Then shouldn't we should be eliminating jobs rather than trying to create more and more of them? Perhaps you and I just have a different understanding of freedom?

originally posted by: nonjudgementalist
a reply to: Ksihkehe

One is a medicine the other is a poison. Big difference.

There is no difference. There is only a change in perception. Today what is medicine and tomorrow what is poison are often the same thing. It's all BS because we just don't know.