Issues I care about...
by BRIAN NORRIS

Choosing a a candidate to represent you should be based on picking the person or party with a conviction to do the right things for the greatest good. The person you select should be willing to make and stand behind decisions even if those decisions make pollsters or special interests angry.

I wish more candidates aspired to be that person.

As an elected official, I want people who always look for the best answers from all people, not just political titans or special interests. I believe that the answers to every crisis we face are out there. We just need to ask, then listen, then implement those great ideas.

I want candidate who give a voice to those of who feel betrayed or alienated by the political process. The two-party system is a wonderful example of having a superior distribution system. The problem is found in the product manufactured by each party. Although politicians are well-intentioned people, some ultimately succumb to breathing in too many of their own fumes.

Unbeholden to any party, I want individuals who represent a happy medium, a perspective free from muddied political doctrine. I want officials who leave their egos at the door and will represent my country with an informed heart and mind.

THE ISSUES THAT MATTER ...

Make education our #1 priority. Stupid students = a stupid country. All Americans young and old have a right to get a quality education and to receive training to improve their work skills.

That's why I propose a matching fund; For every dollar spent in Iraq, or Afganistan or Libya, the US should mandate an equal amount for adult training here in America. We must support online learning, distance learning, and at-home education as viable alternatives to ease overcrowding and difficult work schedules.

Give good educators significant raises. Remove tenure privileges and mandate annual performance evaluations. Make parents and communities financially obligated to take part in their children's and resident's education through performance linked tax-incentives and block grants.

 

Focus on taking care of our own people first. We must look in our own backyard. We have millions of homeless, jobless, hungry, handicapped, illiterate, uneducated men, women and children.

We must invest the money to educate them, feed them, find cures for them, rehabilitate them and give them tools to be self-sufficient and productive. We must also assure that our nation's elderly are protected from poverty and malnutrition by providing a safety net and lifting penalties against seniors who choose to work late into their 60s and 70s.

Although I disagree with the decision to invade Iraq, pulling out now would lead to chaos. After the tens of thousands of lives lost and the billions spend since the invasion, we have a moral obligation to leave responsibly. That means giving the people of Iraq a basic infrastructure (roads, industry, utilities) and then leaving the region entirely.

I believe that this democracy is not something easily transplanted to other nations or regions of the world. Respect the possibility that other systems of government, be they secular or intrinsically religious, can co-exist with our own.

We must tend to the needs of our soldiers during and after they have served our country. No soldier should be without access to quality care, job training, counseling and support services that need to reintegrate and function upon return.

 

Support the entrepreneurial spirit that is the backbone of America. We need to find ways to reward those organizations who create jobs and actively contribute to the national community. These strategies include a permanent moratorium on Internet taxes, a reduction in tax rates for the wealthy and middle-class and additional incentives for socially responsible Americans.

The tax system needs to be made simple enough for a high-school graduate to figure out without having to hire a tax accountant. I support eliminating the Internal Revenue Service and income tax entirely!

 

Affordable healthcare for all. Every American deserves to receive quality healthcare at a reasonable cost. That means relying on alternative healthcare, restructuring HMO's and teaching people how to take good care of themselves through good nutrition, proper eating habits and regular exercise. Health education must begin in elementary schools and continue long afterwards.

Make the health care industry one based on a not-for-profit model. Eliminate the unnecessary tests, surgeries and procedures performed daily in an effort to produce profits for the companies who provide them.

If the drug companies want to make it difficult to afford drugs then we need to open the door to safe prescription drugs from countries like Canada. You and I must be proactive in creating a nation of citizens who are mentally, physically and spiritually strong. Because without our health, we have nothing.

 

Equality and protection for all ages, cultures, religions and genders. We must forgive each other for the blunders and arrogance of the past and work towards a policy of uniform standards and practices which apply to all in the name of human rights. Hate crimes should warrant life imprisonment or death because the world is too small for bigots. Affirmative action programs should be eliminated in favor of consistent selection programs based on merit, skills and experience. Equal rights and cultural awareness should be part of school curriculums.

Finally, we must sever economic and political relationships with foreign countries that abuse the human rights of its citizens (That includes China).

 

Keep our citizens safe. No matter how hard the lobbyists of certain industries push, we must insist on the highest level of standards for the nations food, water, drug and financial institutions. There is no excuse why diseased cattle should be introduced into the food system at any level. Or that our nation's water supplies should be so unprotected from potential terrorists. Keep our borders safe and invest the money needed to defend our fragile infrastructure. The United States must set the highest benchmarks for quality, consistency and ethics in the world.

Self regulation is vital and the only realistic option, but the financial and legal consequences of failing to meet these standards must be so harsh and void of loopholes that 100% compliance is the only option.

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All rights reserved. Brian Norris. 414-688-8252. Email info@briannorris.com