Willing Suspension of Belief . . . Until January

Alas, we are on the front end of a presidential election year, and are confronted by an array of dismal choices for the office.

Obama is the nicest Socialist ever elevated to the Office, but likeable though he may be, I remember top marginal tax rates of 70%.  I have not heard anything definitive from Mrs. Obama about the nature of "fair share."  If she would be willing to cap it somewhere, say 50%, I would be calmer about the looming centrally planned economy. 

The talking heads in last night's Republican debates are tragically disconnected from any semblance of Presidential timbre.

Gack . . . this is all too gloomy.  AND, it is time for Christmas cheer because my sons will soon be home from school for the holidays.  While Coleridge suggested willing suspension of disbelief, that tonic is not restorative for me, because I believe only too much in our present political quagmire.  With a modest tweak, it can evolve to willing suspension of belief, and permit, just for a moment, an optimistic, cheerful outlook to last for the duration of my sons' time at home.  When they head back to school, I will dutifully return to hand wringing and weighing the lesser of the evils.

To apply this suspension-of-belief tonic, , one only needs to draw up a list of one's heartfelt political desires that will be disregarded in the months leading up to the November election.  After creating the list, proofread it and streamline it as if you were going to publish it.  Then, share the list with someone possessed of respectable political judgment.  The moment you hit the "send" button, you will feel the serenity wash over your person as if you had just been acquitted of a crime.  In truth, the tonic lasts for two short weeks, and that is probably beneficial.  (Perish the thought of joining the masses in the consoling opiate of not rocking the boat.)  Herewith, my list.

ESTEOPY's TEN-STEP TONIC ACTIVATION LIST

 WILLING SUSPENSION OF BELIEF

1. Term limits for executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state and federal government.

2. Campaign finance reform:

                    100% of elections will be publicly financed

                     only individual (natural person) contributions are legal with a $100 maximum

                     PACs are only allowed for single issues, not for candidates

                     No soft dollar contributions

                     Candidates cannot donate their own funds to other candidates

                     Television advertising is prohibited

                     mandatory online disclosure of campaign contributions and campaign
                               financial statements by national, state, and local elected officials

3. Establish a voter ID system based on a single fingerprint captured by poll judge and with the ballot

4.  Deconsolidate industries: banking, energy, oil & gas (remove TBTF risk)

5.  Derivative contracts must be standardized, disclosed, and exchange-traded

6.  Any securities trading firm

          may not accept federally-insured (or the equivalent) deposits, and

         must be constituted as a general partnership with GP capital at risk, and

         must register as such and must disclose, in the aggregate, derivative contracts, and

          may not borrow money from commercial banks that accept insured deposits

          may raise capital with commercial paper

7.  Privatize K-12 education to be modeled after our network of colleges: some public, some private.

           Recalcitrant students will attend work-study schools where they learn as if an apprentice
               to an artisan, craftsman, or skilled tradesman – learning by doing, with 5 to 1
               student/teacher ratio.

           Extremely recalcitrant students will be placed on a farm to learn animal husbandry, farming
              and organic gardening.

            Drop out age is increased to 18.

            As of age 13, truancy can lead to loss of civil liberties.

8.  Break up the federal government.

         All functions shall be returned to the states except for a skeleton crew allowed for Departments of State, Defense, Elections, and Currency Regulation.

          The federal government shall be financed by an assessment on the States, allocated proportionately based on tax revenue and population.

            The assessment rate can only be changed by a vote of all the people during a national election.

            The aggregate assessment must rise and fall based on underlying economic conditions and population.

            The assessment is only for annual operating expenses and does not include social engineering, income redistribution, or economic incentive monies.

             Wars may only be financed with the sale of savings bonds for which an individual state is the obligor, not the federal government.

               Transfer all US Treasury debt to the states based on proportional ratios of state GDP, population, and number of state-dependent citizens. Each state becomes the debtor to the lender (China, Japan, etc)



             This has the effect of

                     subjecting spending to a balanced budget constitutional provision at the state level.

                     eliminating earmark spending,


                     eliminating the Internal Revenue Code

                     letting each state mediate class conflict rather than the whole nation at one time, and

                     letting each state decide how and what to tax (capital gains, carbon emissions, water)
           
9.  Eliminate marriage as a civil construct. Make all matrimonies a civil union in the eyes of the government and judicial system. Relegate the idea of “marriage” to religious organizations. Require enforceable pre-nuptial agreements for all civil unions.

10.  Establish mandatory DNA paternity identification for every child born in the USA (except IVF).