US Dividend - A Beginning |
|
Your comments are welcome.
Visit the U$ Dividend Forum. Date/time of composition precedes text segments like this: |
| (2003 0905 1039) |
|
Topic Index |
|
A Beginning |
|---|
| (2003 0824) |
|
I'm inspired by the opening words of the Constitution,
"We the People ... insure domestic Tranquility ... promote the general Welfare ... secure the Blessings of Liberty ...". This speaks to the brotherhood of man and the great disparity of wealth. And, I must cry when a black man is stopped just for being black. And now, when a Muslim man is imprisoned just for being Muslim. Now let's get real and see what we can do that can be done. "General Welfare" must not be welfare to the poor and also not to the rich. "Domestic Tranquility" must not be prison for those we may fear. "Blessings of Liberty" must not be freedom to the criminal. It's often said "follow the money" to find the truth. So, I'll start with the money. Let us pay every citizen a U.S. Dividend. Then stop the income tax and all forms of welfare and entitlements. Let us draw Federal Revenue from all forms of money handling and import/export tariffs. Let us protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that feeds us. Let us impeach judges and arrest officers of law who do not serve justice. Let us implement the Constitution. |
| (2002 1228 2107) |
|
Let's dream a dream together.
Imagine a government that does not oppress the people. The Constitution allows this possibility. With a few minor changes to what the government does and how it does it. Here's a list: Impose a one percent (adjusted annually by Congress) money transfer tax, administered by the banks and exchanges. Eliminate the income tax. Pay a thousand dollar (adjusted annually by Congress) monthly dividend to each citizen from birth. Eliminate all federal welfare and social security. Increase funding for audits and investigations of money handlers. Streamline industrial regulations. Most everything else the government does is mostly done well. |
|
Transparency in Government |
| (2003 0718 0145) |
| All actions and meetings of the Congress shall be published contemporaneously, in video, audio and transcribed, and exists in the public domain available free of cost to all citizens. |
|
U.S. Dividend |
| (2003 0716 0209) |
|
The Federal government should pay each citizen a U.S. Dividend.
And, drop social security, the IRS, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and all other forms of corporate and personal welfare. Federal revenues should come from a sales tax on stocks, bonds and business loans. |
| (1998 0605 1916) |
|
The United States of America is a wealth-producing country.
It is insane to collect income taxes.
This two century-old country is now able to pay its citizens a dividend.
Free enterprise and opportunity are the driving force to our wealth.
We must not dilute this with entitlements that disable.
Everybody must pay their own way, take their own risk and enjoy their own success.
Everybody must profit from ownership and we own this country, so we deserve our profit.
Do the math to see that each citizen should earn a federal dividend of thousands of dollars yearly. Drop the income tax. Keep the tariffs. Dump welfare of all sorts. Convert social security to bonds and end it. Return all government businesses to the people. And, end all attempts to legislate morality. Render to we Caesars what is ours, and to religions what is God's. |
| (1998 0605 1933) |
| When the federal government creates new money it now gives it to the Federal Reserve Bank to lend to the banks. The purpose is to distribute the money into the economy. This is creation of wealth potential. But, it has a flaw. It is not balanced. Half of new money should be distributed directly to the people, the other half to business. This keeps the balance of buyers and sellers. |
| (1998 1101 2038) |
| Humans are persons with curiosity, activity, and the ability to learn from past mistakes. American history is full with mistakes we corrected. Let us not repeat those mistakes. We have still some mistakes to correct, to learn from. |
|
Church and State |
| (2003) |
| We must respect the integrity of human personhood, especially within the domicile. Laws violate this respect whenever police are virtually free to invade the domicile for evidence of morality sins, best left to the religions, such as idolatry, sodomy, intoxication, and even suicide. |
|
On Race and Humanity |
| (2003 0524 2151) |
|
If you have done good,
and you have done evil, and you know the difference, then you have eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and, therefore you are human. |
|
Don't Tread On Me |
| (2003 0512 2111) |
|
The world should know our nature. It should be obvious.
The national anthem. Baseball, football and other competitive sports. Army training in teams. The national slogan, Don't Tread On Me. Our history of willing to throw life and fortune against any enemy. |
| (2002 1227 1900) |
|
If the United States is attacked by a nation we must assume a state of war exists and
we will take appropriate action.
If the United States is attacked by terrorists we must find them and bring them to justice.
The United States commands great military power. We must use our power with great care. We must be seen reluctant to use our power. If a nation has weapons of mass destruction we must respect their judgement. We must be friends to all nations. The earth is threatened by many things. There are diseases, earth changes, weapons and asteroids. We must do what we can to protect the earth. This is not just for us but for all nations. We must cooperate with the United Nations to build a global defense. |
|
The Work Ethic |
| (2003 0522 2359) |
|
What is this obsession with employment?
To hear politicians, everyone should have a job. What are they thinking? Do they forget children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, elderly, students, researchers, explorers, and, last but not least, artists? The obsession with employment is a religious concept gone wild. They forgot the Bill of Rights. The fundamental mistake is an effort to legislate morality. It can't be done -- won't work -- doesn't work. And, there is no enabling concept in the Constitution. Indeed, the Constitution explicitly reserves to the people powers not delegated by the Constitution. |
|
Amendments to the Constitution |
| (2003 0522 0251) |
|
28§1 To insure domestic Tranquility, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
each citizen shall be paid monthly out of the Treasury of the United States
a Dividend with value to be ascertained by Law.
No more than half the Dividend of any citizen may be taken by rule of law.
A person becomes a citizen at birth.
28§2 No citizen shall be required to purchase health insurance. If a citizen without health insurance needs health services beyond means, services which are covered by health insurance providers, that citizen may purchase health insurance from among assigned-risk insurance providers as determined by the states, and that citizen becomes indebted to the insurance provider for as many years as that citizen has not previously purchased such insurance. Insurance providers must not have knowledge of health-related conditions. 28§3 The sixteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. |
|
Not Yet Evolved |
| (2003 0614 2236) |
|
We must remember who we were. And who many are now.
Pain and suffering were commonplace.
You went to a hospital to die.
All this in the last century.
And even now around the world.
What happened? We got aspirin. And penicillin. And many useful drugs. We got good houses, with indoor plumbing, and electricity, appliances, telephone, television. And personal computers. And we got spoiled. But we have not yet evolved. |
|
Personal Wealth |
| (2003 08) |
| I'm not a communist, but really, how much money should be in one person's hands? Perhaps Congress should put a 90% luxury tax on income over a billion dollars per year. |
|
Affirmative Action |
| (2003 0214 2251) |
| Racial affirmative action should end only when determination of race becomes difficult. And, that is now. From the European-American viewpoint, one frequently wrongly identifies a dark-skinned person as African-American. From the African-American viewpoint, one frequently wrongly identifies a light-skinned person as European-American. We must re-direct our affirmative action for those in need. We are populists. The purpose of racial affirmative action is racial and cultural diversity. However, the result is division. |
| (2002 1223 2137) |
|
Dr. King said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Well, we're not there yet, and, until all our children have superior opportunity, we need some form of affirmative action. Quotas must not be enforced by law, but neither should law prevent the use of quotas. Justice should investigate every instance where discrimination appears inappropriate. |
|
Gateway Drugs |
| (2003 0321 2241) |
|
Grass need not be a problem drug. Heroine and cocaine are the problem drugs.
Grass only is a problem drug if it's a gateway drug. Alcohol is not a gateway drug.
We must legalize the use and cultivation of grass, so that grass is not a gateway drug.
The gateway activity happens when associating with drug dealers who sell problem drugs with grass. Next, we must make the problem drugs available by medical prescription. |
|
U.S. Dividend Value |
| (2003 0201 1405) |
|
What should be the guidelines for setting the monthly federal dividend dollar value?
Base it on the living cost of an unemployed artist.
Consider that the dividend represents the responsibility for government to support life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The dividend must be sufficient for the citizen to buy food, shelter, utilities and medical assurance. No citizen should go hungry. No citizen should go begging. No citizen should be desperate. All child citizens need adult supervision at all times. |
|
Choice and Abortion |
| (2002 1223 2123) |
|
We must stop abortions.
Until we do, we must reduce abortions. We must respect women's rights of personhood. We must respect the beliefs of religions. With all these considered, what can we do now? We can scientifically research alternatives. Religions should avoid political activity and concentrate their energies on teaching their members. For now and forever, we can find and offer alternatives while respecting the woman's right to choose, hopefully with advice from her religion and her doctor. |
|
Education |
| (2002 1228 2044) |
|
The educated citizen is essential for a successful democracy.
We must move to a competitive education system. Competition works where communism fails. With our U.S. Dividend to every citizen, including children at birth, the people can afford to pay for education. For competition to be successful, the government must not contribute resources to education. An added benefit is this will result in big tax reduction in the states. The states should regulate their education systems, just as they do with any industry. Realize that religion is present in every school, sometimes explicitly, other times un-declared. The separation of state from church is properly established because the government is not involved and the people individually and freely pick their religion. |
| (2003 0809 1508) |
| An educated electorate is essential for the proper function of a democratic republic. Therefore, the Federal Government has an interest in our educational institutions. Competition is the only demonstrated method to ensure excellence. Furthermore, the function of the Federal department of education shall be to publish evaluations of educational institutions, so that parents and students may wisely choose their schools. |
|
Nation Of Laws |
| (2002 0704 1852) |
|
We have a problem. We're supposed to be a nation of laws, not of men;
but we have become a nation of men who abuse the laws.
When a drunken policeman can ticket an irate citizen who was endangered by that policeman, and the court upholds the ticket, we have a problem. When a manager can twist the words in a pension contract to deny benefits, we have a problem. When the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court says it's okay for policemen to watch a rape and do nothing, we have a problem. When the military can imprison a citizen without court order and not allow legal consultation, we have a problem. |
|
Homeland Security |
| (2003 0809 1526) |
|
The Department of Homeland Security must be dedicated to the security of the United States of America
and must not participate in the prosecution of criminals,
but rather the prevention of criminals from threatening our security,
even if that prevention hinders prosecution.
Therefore, information gathered by the DHS must not be used as evidence in prosecution. The DHS must be able to collect and analyze information needed to prevent threats to our security without Judicial oversite. However, the DHS must not invade the privacy of citizens and must not violate the Constitution. Furthermore, the DHS must not share its information with law enforcement organizations, including the FBI. Finally, the DHS must have unrestricted access to all information gathered by the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. The DHS must have authority to intercept persons and machines in transit on public byways and, with cooperation of law enforcement, confiscate contraband weapons-capable materials. |
|
And Nothing But The Truth |
| (2003 0904 1355) |
|
At a Senate committee hearing sometime in the year 2020:
Chair: "Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Witness: "I do so swear." Chair: "Do you have a statement?" Witness: "Yes, I have." Chair: "The witness will proceed." Witness: "I thank the Chair. My name is John Derrickson. I'm a computer scientist. I wrote the VEDA sentient computer operating system. From my experience with humans and computers, I've discovered that the truth is a slippery thing. The reality of truth depends on the eloquence of the speaker and the understanding of the listener. Furthermore, I am certainly not able to tell the whole truth. Finally, I expect to tell you much more than the truth. Although the Chair did coerce me into taking the oath, I did so of my own free will. However, I did swear and not affirm. Therefore, I am responsible to my God only and not the judgement of the Chair nor any other sentient being. If this is acceptable and agreeable to the Chair, I am pleased to respond to this committee. Otherwise, I must refuse to testify as is my Constitutional right." Chair: "...?" ... to be continued |
|
Capital Punishment |
| (2003 08) |
| Capital punishment is not a deterent to "drug lords" because they are already always under constant threat of brutal attack from their enemies and competitors. Capital punishment is not a deterent to crimes of passion because the criminal acts without reason. Better ten criminals go free than one innocent be punished. Is punishment appropriate in an enlightened society? |
|
We The People Own The Airwaves |
| (2003 09) |
| We the people own the airwaves and they generate a lot of revenue but WHERE'S OUR CHEDDAR? |
|
Failed War On Drugs |
| (2003 0906) |
|
About the failed war on drugs, consider this:
That's it. That's all that needs to be said about the failed drug war. There needs to be a totally new approach to the problem. Surrounded by razor wire, patrolled by armed guards, total control of the movements of the inmates, no fourth amendment and still we can't keep the drugs out. We can no longer afford the folly of this failed drug war. Here's an easy step that a President can take if he's willing to be a leader and advance bold new common sense ideas.
It's that easy. With a stroke of the pen, the illegal marijuana trade is out of business. An endless river of cash is no longer available to the criminal underworld. We are no longer wasting an endless river of cash fighting a lost marijuana war and victimizing the sick and dying in the process. All laws against marijuana outside of the home can stay in place. Providing it to minors or selling it remains illegal. Marijuana comes with seeds that an adult can use to grow a personal supply. This means that the only people that can grow their own, are the ones who now have marijuana or access to it. There will not be a wave of reefer madness sweep across the country from new users running out to the store so they can try it. The people you never see now, who are quietly smoking marijuana in the privacy of their homes, will still be invisible. But, the underground illegal criminal enterprises they now support will be gone. That money will be spent in the above-ground economy and pay sales tax and buy legal goods and services. An army of criminal marijuana merchants and their growers and distributors will be off of our streets. Think about it. One simple stroke of the pen can make more of a dent in the illegal drug industry overnight than 30 years of war by every law enforcement agency on the face of the planet and a mountain of cash ever did. |