Solauren wrote:I decided to do a semi-thought out post (as in I could go into more detail, but I choose not to for lacking the needed knowledge of the American Legal system, Consitution, etc)
Oh, and so you know, if doing something would be illegal, in the words of Darth Sidious/Palpatine 'I will make it legal'
You're not Palpatine. You're not even Nute Gunray.
Federal-State Powers
The Federal government has the right to over-rule or revoke any state law. For example, if Texas banned gay marriage at the state level, the Federal government can go "WRONG" and revoke it for them, without needing the courts to do so
And the states will just roll over and take this will they? Who exactly is "the Federal government", if you're not even going to bother with the pretext of the courts overturning the laws? You've just reduced the states to administrative districts with no sovereignty whatsoever without even a whisper of Constitutional justification.
The Federal government can also over-rule the decisions of the courts (except for the supreme court, maybe) except the Federal courts going 'unconstitutional'. i.e. The courts go 'Okay, you can leave that there', the Federal government can go 'wrong'. Same if they say 'remove it'.
Rule of law? Separation of powers? What's that? Your cure is worse than the disease.
Non-legal point: Judges that do the unconstitutional route a lot will be removed.
Well hey, while we're at it, let's throw out judicial indepdendence. You realize you've basically established a dictatorship and we're only on your third point.
Taxes, Government spending, Economy
This section of my changing would probably require a lot of thought and effort to consider before hand. However, if feasible....
Non-legal point: I'd have the IRS audit themselves, then all levels of government, and cut out the trash first. This includes over-paid jobs, duplicate jobs, etc. This should free up some money to shore up schools
Nitpick: the General Accounting Office, not the IRS, is in charge of auditing the Federal government. As the IRS is an agency of the executive, there's a conflict of interest in using it to audit other executive agencies. The GAO answers to Congress.
Semi-Legal Point: If there was a way to remove all private accounting firms and replace them with a 'Federal accounting service' that was run like a private corporation, I'd do that. Let's avoid any more Enron style accounting
What the hell does this have to do with stamping out fundamentalism? I'll leave you to figure out the problems with having an enormous government agency replace all private accounting firms to solve problem that the market has already taken care of (never mind your assumption that an enormous government monopoly answerable to nobody will be less prone to corruption than competing private firms).
Flat-Rate tax on everything, both Federal and State (all State taxes rates would be the same). Including services. Hell, even prostitution would be taxed. And all at the same rate.
I've already addressed the problems with letting the Federal government control the states (at this point, why are you even bothering with states if they have no control over their tax rates or legal codes?). What purpose does it serve to set every tax exactly the same? You've allowed yourself no flexibility anywhere, and you can't avoid undertaxing some items and overtaxing others. And what does any of this have to do with religious fundamentalim?
Non-legal point: I'd have the IRS look into the price of essential items (i.e Gas, power, food, water, etc) and audit to find the real price of all these things. Prices that are higher then total cost from start to consume would have to be lowered. The max selling price of any produce is now cost from start until it reaches the shelves (or gas pump etc), x3. (If the average mark up on products is less then that, then it would be the average).
The IRS isn't remotely qualified to make this kind of determination. By the way, comrade, do you know what happens when you set artificial caps on commodity prices, essential or not? They disappear from legitimate market channels.
For a lot of things, like Gas, this might cause prices to plumit, while allowing for comfortable profit margins.
I heard one report that Gas actually costs, in total, once construction of extraction platforms (oil rigs) is paid for, about 15 cents a gallon before it hits the gas pumps, when it's price goes up by 600% or more. While I have no idea if this is true, if it is, Gas would be 45 cents a gallon now.
This would be turned into a law if it showed that a lot of things would become cheaper. If not, well, the stuff that would not be cheaper would not be covered by this law. Either way, I just made living cheaper.
It's only cheaper if you place zero value on your time, because everybody's going to spend hours in line waiting for whatever scraps make it into the stores and gas stations, while black marketeers make huge profits selling commodities at their actual market rate.
<snip a few non-objectionable ideas
Law Enforcement
The Church: All religions would be told that have a variable amount of time to hand over all documents and individuals within the church that have been protected, shielded, (etc) when accused or a crime that were not turned over to the police. Fail to do so will result in the arrest of all people involved in those kinds of decisions and paper keeping, etc. (i.e The priest in the church down the street would be left alone, but his superiors might end up in shackles). The Catholic church would be given 60 days, followed by other religions every so often. The length between each would depend on a few things.
Do yourself a favor and look up "due process" and "equal protection", both of which these ideas ass-rape.
There would be no keeping this secret. It would be a total airing of all dirty laundry. And if the church higher ups don't like it, I'd put a gag order on them so they can't talk about it in the media.
Wonderful. Did you even read the part in the original post that said you couldn't violate the Bill of Rights?
i.e if the Pope were to complain, then any comments the Pope makes about it would be banned from American Media.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Also, religious comments against laws would be banned from TV. Why? Separation of Government and God. By the same token, The Government will not talk about religious dictates. We just care they are obeying the law.
You do realize that other than PBS, television isn't part of the government, right?
Same Sex Marriage Note: Marriage would be removed from the law as a reference, to be replaced with 'Civil Legal Spousal Union'
Why bother? I used to have this same idea, but it's really not that great. Marriage is marriage, why bother with a legalbabble replacement, especially when everybody knows what it really is?
<snip long discourse on legalizing polygamy>
Marriage comes with a number of legal privledges that would be wide open to abuse under such a system. I'm all for same-sex marriage, but those legal rights should not be extended to more than two people in a union.
Narcotics less harmful then Tabacco and Alchol. (i.e Marijuanna, but nothing that can kill you from an easy accidental overdose, even if that's the only risk). All substances like this would be tightly regulated, and would not be avialable at the corner store. This includes cigarettes.
Why? It's nobodys business what grown adults chose to put in their bodies. The current system requiring a liscense to sell age-restricted items like alcohol and tobacco is fine.
Legal age to 'marry', drive, vote, move out from parents, drink, narcotics, get tattoo's, body piercings: 18
(note: Giving a tatoo to a minor is the crime. If the minor has one, it's up to the parents to get it removed. The kid is not allowed to say 'No!', if need be, the parents would have the right to have the kid escorted to a removal location, i.e the hospital, via the police and put under anstetic to do this. Same with body piercing (giving it). Body piercing is easy to counter. Tattoo's and Piercings are allowable with parents permission (including proof of being there parent) notes don't count, but parental pressence does.
What the hell does any of this have to do with eliminating fundamentalism? And what's your justification for giving the Federal government authority over something so minor and mundane as the legal age to get a tattoo?
Abortion I would leave alone/totally legalize under current anti-reproduction technologies. However, if you get an abortion, the aborted fetus becomes property of the state and can (and will) be used for Stem Cell research. If you don't like this, you don't get an abortion. Going over seas to get an abortion (and thus avoid this) could be a fine/jailable offense.
Jesus Christ, so you have a right to abort a baby but no right to decide what happens to the corpse? And now you're going to punish people for actions they commit outside your jurisdiction? Forget going overseas to get abortions--the people are going to be going overseas to get away from the fucking dicatorship you've set up.
If technology were to allow it, I'd make temporary/reversible sterilization Mandatory when you turn 14. If you don't get 'fixed', you can't go to school, get a job, or get most legal rights when you turn 18, until you do. Since home schooling = jack shit now (i.e. no equaliviency testing, you have to go via class, except under special circumstances, like mental or behavioral problems), and you can't get a job of any kind (including paper routes) legally, or drive, or drink, or get or us credit card, thing alone should be enough to make most teenagers get 'fixed'.
Forced invasive surgery? You do realize it's considered a basic human right to REFUSE TO LET THE GOVERNMENT PRACTICE SURGERY ON YOUR BODY??
If later in life, you want kids, and the 'fix' can't be reverses, the government will pay for all attempts to convicie or adopt. i.e your shooting blanks cause 'uncle sam' made ya get it snipped and ya want kids, well, we are paying for the proceedures to make it so you can have kids. You got fixed and now can't carry kids, we'll pay for the surragate mother, or whatever is needed. Fair is fair. We made ya get fixed after all.
Oh, wonderful. Your benevolence and munificence knows no bounds. "If the government screws up when it forces you to undergo invasive surgery, we'll pay to fix it." Here's a better idea: don't be a fucking Nazi and force everyone under the age of 18 to be sterilized.
Abortions at that point would only be allowed in the case of rape and mental and medical problems. You got yourself able to reproduce, now deal with it. You don't want kids, then get fixed, or use protection.
Huh? You said further up that abortions are totally legal. Not only are your ideas awful, they're not even consistent.
Against my religion: Tough luck. It's the law. Do it or get out of the country.
Oh, they'll be getting out, all right, to get away from you. Assuming there simply isn't a coup.
Passing a STD to someone, even if you didn't know you had it, depending on how long you were infected, is a punishable crime. STD testing would be mandatory every 6 months while in school or holding a government office/job. Private companies would be required to arrange it every 12 months.
First offense/1 infection while you knew (depending on severity) would result in jail time. Severe or multiple infections (even if 1st offense) would result in execution. Severe infections: the ones that are lethal, like AIDS.
Oh, so now accidentily passing along a disease is a death penalty offense. Wonderful. And what the fuck does this have to do with stamping out fundamentalism?
Claiming religion/god as a reason behind a crime could not be a sanity defense, and would get you double time.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
You're now doubling people's jail sentences for WHAT THEY SAY.
No executions if crimes were religiously driven. Why 'reward' someone that thinks they are getting a martyr's death? A slow, rotting, honorless death is much better for them.
So if someone blows up an abortion clinic, they get life without parole. But if someone else passes syphilis through a broken condom or because he didn't know he had it, they get death. You're a loon.
To Encourage Rational/Intelligent Thought
If you can't afford (or don't want to pay for) post-high school education, the government can pay for it. To get this, you have to give military service.
The amount of time you give in the military gives you money towards college/university/post-secondary school.
i.e if you give 2 years military service, normal pay + $2000 a year towards your education that you don't a have to pay pack.
This is considerably less than the money the military already pays towards college educations for service members. $1000 a year will barely pay for books.
Only eligible for education grant money in this way if under 30.
So a career non-com can't decide to go back to school? Why cut it off at 30?
Also, while your giving military service, correspondence with colleges and universities (at discount rates) would be offered. Sure, it might take longer, but it didn't cost you a thing.
Longer? Try practically forever, with all the other demands on a serviceman's time.
While in the military, you'd have stuff like the scientific method, theory of evolution, etc, grilled into your head until you could qoute it and debate it from memory. "It's against my religion" gets you a slap across the face and 1000 push ups or something.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
And why the fuck are you wasting time and money teaching biology and evolution to soldiers. Biology and evolution are for school. The military is for teaching how to break things and kill people.
To have the right to vote: Must pass the same test immigrants to to become citizens. This would be expanded to include stuff like the scientific method, evolution, etc.
The immigration test tests knowledge of civics and government, which are relevant for citizenship. Evolution and scientific knowledge are not.
Other rights that might be deniable if you don't pass; Driving, owning property, owning a firearm, having kids (see my fixing idea above). This test would be waved if you have a few years military service.
Say it with me now: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable[/i] rights..." Unalienable: as in, you don't have to pass a fucking test to gain them.
Education
Under the control of the government. No more seperate schools.
I won't even ask where you're getting your justification to shut down all private schools, because I know you don't have one past your maniacal desire to have absolutely everything controlled by Washington.
No religion in the classroom.
Already illegal in public schools.
Security in the school: Bullying gets ya tossed in jail. It's now called 'assault'
Fine idea, not a Federal matter.
Cameras in the classroom, as well as other areas.
In bathrooms: The cameras would be at face level, and not aimed into stalls. There would also be a security guard in each bathroom. (Same sex as the bathroom in question. In this cause, guard could be 'teacher not teaching a class right now). If there is no guard in the bathroom, it's locked.
If the camera goes out or is covered/blocked (sensors and someone monitoring the camera) the bathroom is immediately locked down and more guards are sent to secure it.
Who the fuck pays for all this? Why is it necessary? What the fucking fuck does this have to do with eliminating fundamentalism?
All schools now have uniforms. You can only get a uniform by being a student. All schools now have ID badges/cards for all staff, faculty and students. Having stolen/forged ID is a serious offense.
How is this a Federal matter? What does this have to do with fundamentalism?
Oh, Teachers are now considered public officals, and are subject to the same requirements as them (i.e audits on performance), but they get a pay raise, I hire more, and give them smaller classrooms. Teachers have enough to worry about.
A rare good idea in this otherwise shitty mess.
Law Enforcement
I'd also remove the law about not using the military as police, and build a prison in Alaska (yeah, I know, it's a golache! And I know I didn't spell that right) for the more serious offenders that don't fall under 'capital punishment'.
What in the hell is a golache? Do you mean gulag? That would be approppriate, considering your other changes. And what the hell does this have to do with stamping out fundamentalism.
I'd bring back capital punishment and expand it to include Rape, Murder
as well as 2nd or 3rd offense for Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Guns, knives, swords, baseball bats, etc), Velichular Assault/Homicide, etc.
i.e Stuff idiots/jackasses/bastards do.
A death penalty for assault? Fantastic. That won't increase the number of innocent men wrongfully executed. Refer to the eight amendment, by the way, for what the Bill of Rights has to say about executing someone for a crime in which nobody died.
Please note: For execution, the conviction would have to be pretty solid (i.e Paul Bernado here in Canada, or that Pig Farmer asshole when they are done with him). Otherwise, enjoy Alaska or else they'd get handed over for medical testing experimentation to repay there dept to society. They find a cure to something because of you, depts paid. Repeat offenders would be there for life, regardless of the number of cures they were used to help find..
So there's a different standard of evidence for capital cases? Can we say, "due process"? And even prisoners have the right to refuse medical procedures.
Did I mention if convicted of a serious crime, you lose all rights as a citizen? Fraud no, Assault, probably
What does this have to do with fundamentalism? And, sorry, no, even felons are human and have basic human rights.
Enforcer Talen:
have a wide known history of modern religions
Only if jointly authored by the churches, and publicaly acknowledged by them. It would have to be in the form of a history textbook. It would also have to include both the good and the bad.
sell religious tomes that qualify in 18+ stores only (the bible, as per song of soloman)
Disagree. Even if it's religious, it's still protected by free speech.
This is hilarious, coming from the guy who would muzzle anyone who objects to his laws on religious grounds.
have a propaganda campaign ridiculing fundamentalism
Why bother? Forcing them to come clean with stuff like concealing criminal actions and the resulting media backlash would do the job for ya. Any other way would cause a backlash in favour of them. This way would force the church to do a lot of self-clean up, and eliminate a lot of fundie problems anyway. No matter how 'bible thumber fundie' someone is, most of them will say 'He did that to a kid and they hid it? Those bastards! Burn them!'
Anyone that doesn't, meh, can't get them all. Under a better, national standard and enforced education system, they should 'die out' anyway in a few generations
Agreed, but you can't force the churches to "come clean" without evidence they've done anything wrong, and at any rate, the worst fundamentalists are protestants, which have not had the same problems as the Catholic Church.
Zoink
Answer a yearly test about evolution/history/Occam's Razor correctly and get a $100 check from the gov't!
See my 'right to vote' and stuff.
His idea is harmless, if probably ineffective. Yours is a horrendous infringement on the rights of citizens.
Lord Poe and Col. Crackpot pointed out using religion as a tool to control the idiots.
In high school, there would be mandatory moral and ethics courses. You can't pass without them, and you can't get a job outside the army without them. So your choice is learn them, or go into the army and have them proverbally beaten into you.
Which doesn't change the fact that there are people with no brains and/or no moral compass, and all the school in the world won't change that, while the fear of Hell might. Judging by a number of the worst fundies, fear of Hell is the only thing keeping them even partially in line.
However, I'm not for elminating religion. I believe in God, not the church. (I also 'believe' the Big Bang and Evolution theories. My sound contradictory, but I do. If you want an explaination, private message me. If I get enough requests, I'll post a thread
However, you either don't believe in or don't understand the most basic fundamentals of human rights and Constitutional law.
Durran Korr
Legalize prostitution and drug use; grant an unconditional pardon to all nonviolent offenders.
See above. Also, instead of pardons/jail for non-violent offenders (i.e jay walking, speeding with no one getting hurt), off to boot camp and enjoy a few months of unpaid military service.
Why? People should not be punished for victimless crimes. It doesn't matter if the punishment is jail or forced service in the military (and what kind of soldiers are they going to make anyway?)
Rewrite the First Amendment to specifically apply to state legislatures, reaffirming the federal government's power to enforce the separation of church and state.
Agree, but I'd rewrite it to apply to all levels
What's "all levels"? Municipal governments are not sovereign, unlike the states, so anything that applies to the states applies to them.
Coyote's Points and ideas
I agree with not letting public employees evangelize or distribute religious material at work or near it or in uniform/with government offical id visible. (i.e the Id card I need to get past the guards at work. I work in a government building)
No problem here. They can Goddamn well evangelize when they're not on my time.
I agree with the 'In God we trust' slogan information and reversion to 'E Pluribus Unim'
No problem here.
I agree with the 'Missionary via junk mail' only approach. Make them use 100% recycled paper too.
In other words, you'll restrict their right to peaceably travel and associate because they're doing it for a religious purpose. Congratulations on violating nearly the entire First Amendment.
Taxes on churches would be based on donations collected 20% past expenses. I.e Profit. The extra 20% is to let them have funds to help in emergencies.
To offset it (so show I'm not harmless), I'd put funds aside to help them, under 'joint humanitary efforts', for that's the one thing a true church has with the government; helping people
I also agree with tax breaks based on helping the community.
What happened to taxing churches? You're giving them all kinds of special treatment that individuals and corporations aren't entitled to.
Verilion said ditch the pledge, Alyeska said use the orginal.
Agree with Alyeska.
As do I.
Also make it mandatory to say in schools.
Freedom of speech includes freedom to refuse to say the Pledge.
Change swearing on the bible to 'by YOUR faith and god', coupled with 'rights as a citizen'.
And if you're an athiest? How do you swear on nothing?
Also make lying under that oath cause for revoking rights (i.e lied under oath in a fraud case, you no longer have the right to own real-property for 5 years.
See the eighth amendment. Having one's property rights revoked for five years is NOT an approppriate or proportional punishment for purjury. You don't have your property rights revoked for MURDER.
Alyrium Denryle said
Homeschool kids will still be held to the exact same standard as public school kids, and they will have to take the same tests. Not only that, but their parents must be state certified.
I like that. That way paranoid about education standard parents will know what teachers have to do.
Tests yes, mandatory certification, no. If you want to outlaw homeschooling, don't be a pussy about it.
These are my ideas to reform society away from fundamentalism and improve it.
They stink.
