Proposed
Common, Universal Strategic Plan for a
Peaceful, Prosperous and Just World
(Updated February 3, 2012)
Purpose and Objectives:
• End poverty, hunger, homelessness. wars, occupations, militarism, environment degradation, natural resource depletion and other injustices
• Develop and maintain a sustainable “resource based economy”
, green environment and
world free from want. This does not imply that we will have a utopia nor imply “perfection”. A
world without challenging problems would be impossible and boring
• Provide proposed funding sources for all the work that needs to be done and for "deficit reduction"
• Get the 1% back into the 99%
We will accomplish this by:
• Using a principled, values approach
• Improving the effectiveness of reform and change efforts by:
• Working from a common strategic plan
, vision, goals, plans and demands that links to
and builds on existing and past efforts and outlining everything that needs to be done
• Careful short and long-range planning and implementation
• Coordinating (not controlling) joint efforts and sharing information and resources
• Markedly increasing the number of individuals working on progress, change and reform and resources.
• Ensuring that no one is involuntarily laid-off as a result of this Strategic Plan. Individuals in positions where they are no longer needed should be transferred to jobs where they are needed
• Getting senior public and private sector officials to do their jobs
Scope:
This Common Strategic Plan focuses primarily on the U. S. federal government and national institutions and corporations. Since problems and potential solutions are similar at all government levels and in other countries the more universal this strategic plan becomes the sooner we will be successful.
This is a work in progress. The lists in these documents are open ended. Recommendations, comments and additional items, anonymous if you like, are welcomed and can be provided by going to http://bit.ly/rtlWhC
Note: This document is outlined on www.WeThePeopleNow.org.
The Common Strategic Plan
1. Hold seminars, workshops and meetings and use emails, videos and articles to:
• Publicize and familiarize individuals and organizations with this proposed Common Strategic Plan and the below key elements/documents of this plan and enroll them in these efforts.
• Convince ourselves and others of the Urgent Need for Change and Reform, that there are more than enough people, resource and funding to do the required work and that we can and will succeed if we work together
2. Refine the key elements/documents of this Strategic Plan
A. A Common Vision Statement for all based on inputs from others including in particular what 40 Occupy Wall Street activists and Michael Moore prepared and proposed as the movement's "vision statement" to the General Assembly of Occupy Wall Street.
B. A set of Common of Goals with the primary goal being to ensure that both jobs (employment opportunities) at living wages and affordable necessities and needs of life are available for all with the entire government, organized and dedicated to ensuring these goals are met as outlined Reform and Reorganize the Government which is item 11 under the below list of Common Demands.
C. A list and description of Problems that stand in the way of meeting these goals. We must understand what the problems are and why they exist to correct them permanently.
D. A list and description of the underlying general Causes of these problems. If these causes are not identified and corrected, the problems will likely reoccur.
E. A Common Agenda: demands, plans and actions to correct the problems and their underlying causes, ensure the necessities and needs of life and society are available for all humankind and the Vision is realized. Priority demands and longer range demands. By having a comprehensive list of demands, cooperative efforts can be found. For example, deteriorating roads and bridges can be repaired by an underemployed workforce using funds and manpower now being wasted on wars, occupations and unneeded offensive weapon systems. These plans outline what must be done to reach a specific goal e.g. Provide Employment Opportunities for All.
F. Potential Funding Sources to both pay for accomplishing the demands and provide funds for “deficit reduction”
3. Develop a Comprehensive People’s Information and Education Program of organizations, occupiers and other individuals to improve awareness, communications and coordination of efforts of the thousands of organizations and individuals working on progress, change and reform.
4. Build a comprehensive, nationwide United Front and Communications System to help
refine, implement and accomplish this Strategic Plan and work on National, State and Local
issues. This United Front will consist of a nationwide, non-hierarchical, matrix
organization of
individuals by:
• State, city, town, community and neighborhood/apartment building using five/nine digit zip codes
• Particular issue/demand(s) that each individual is working on or interested in e.g. ending
wars, MIC conversion, health care, prosecutions and ALEC
• Organization(s) the individual is involved with e.g. CodePink, VFP, Move-On, Public Citizen or ACLU
Encourage these individuals to discuss and work with their neighbors on the issues and agenda items that they are particularly interested in. This will help strengthen senses of community, cooperation and caring.
Individuals interested in legislation, should become acquainted with their local, state and/or federal legislators and in particular their staff. Obtain their mail, e-mail addresses, phone, fax numbers and establish a working relationship with them. Exchange information with them about the areas they are particularly interested in.
Individuals interested in reforming the criminal justice system or prosecutions should become acquainted with their local investigators, (normally police department detectives); federal investigators, (FBI agents); local prosecutors, (district attorneys); and federal prosecutors, (U. S. attorneys). Obtain their mail, e-mail addresses, phone, fax numbers and establish a working relationship with them. The Sample Intro Letter to Investigators and Prosecutors may be adapted to help with this. Exchange information with them about criminal justice procedures and documentation, jurisdiction, applicable laws, Bugliosi's book and related topics.
5. Beginning with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), inform and educate Congress and members of the administration about this strategic plan. As specific actions items are refined, provide them to the CPC to be put into statues and regulations. The CPC has developed the People's Budget, a step in the right direction. Many of their items have should go into the demands outlined here. However the People's Budget does not go nearly far enough and do what is necessary. For example, U.S. military actions and covert act must be immediately ended all over the world and at least fifteen million new jobs created over the next six months instead of about three million over the next ten years as proposed by the People's Budget.
We must do this now:
• We cannot wait until the next election, war or economic collapse.
• Fifteen million children live in poverty in America, the richest country in the world. Sixteen thousand children in the world die each day from malnutrition and preventable and curable diseases. Billions of people in the world are unemployed or underemployed and do not have adequate food, water, shelter and health care -- the basic necessities of life. To keep their children from starving, millions are trying to migrate from undeveloped countries into the U.S. and Western Europe to find work.
The funding to do all this is clearly and readily available:
• With automation and technology, scientists and engineers have made it possible for a small percentage of the population to feed, clothe and house all the people of the world.
• As outlined in Poverty in the Midst of Plenty, which includes The Age of Abundance is upon us. Man need never again go hungry or cold. Natural resources abound, machines necessary to convert them into goods exist, and men are trained to operate these machines. Furthermore ... we can enrich the soil to produce abundant food and train people everywhere to do likewise, The whole world now has the capability to support itself free from want and almost free from disease. From The Problem of the Twentieth Century: Poverty in the Midst of Plenty by Willard and Marguerite Beecher.
• Potential Funding Sources to pay for all the work in the Common Demands are listed in Section F below.
The people, knowhow, wherewithal, and tools to do all this are readily available:
• Thousands of organizations and billions of people around the world are willing to work on this.
• Rapid, modern telecommunication systems including the Internet, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, smart phones, radio, GPS, television, and other means of communication are readily available.
A. Common Vision Statement for All Humankind
We Envision:
A truly free, permanently peaceful, prosperous, democratic and just society and world
where we, the people: freed from the stress of securing the necessities and needs of life
• Come together and solve problems
• Encourage one another to take personal and collective responsibility and participate in decision making
• Live in harmony, care for and cooperate with one another
• Embrace principles of toleration and respect for diversity and the differing views of others
• Value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible
• Work together to reach and maintain this vision, accomplish these goals get the 1% and all our public servants back into the 99% where they belong
The primary goals are to ensure that both jobs (employment opportunities) at living wages and affordable necessities and needs of life and society are available for all with the entire government, organized and dedicated to ensuring these goals are met as outlined under item 11 Reform and Reorganize the Government in the below list of Common Demands
These necessities and needs include those in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "economic bill of rights" proposed in his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944.
These Goals must accommodate a growing U.S. and world population
1. Meaningful employment opportunities for all working- age people at sustainable, living wages in safe, just and dignified conditions with paid vacations primarily providing these necessities and needs. Where possible, individuals should be able to choose the type work they do and its location. All includes individuals in prison and undocumented immigrants.
2. Affordable, subsidized as necessary;
A. Decent residences/homes
B. Nutritious, tasty food
C. Clean water for homes, businesses and industry.
D. Clean energy for warmth, cooling, heating, cooking, manufacturing and transportation
E. Comprehensive, convenient public transportation
F. Personal and commercial local banking, savings, and loan services
G. Telephone and broadband services
H. Recreation, sports, entertainment, theater, cultural, art, vacations, etc. (live and via multimedia)
3. Publicly supported:
A. Meaningful, Quality Child pre-K through college education or equivalent and lifetime vocational, technical and professional training not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings
B. Quality, comprehensive, universal healthcare (physical, dental, emotional, vision and hearing) and long term care
C. Social security and adequate safety nets for the aged, disabled, unemployed and those living in poverty.
D. Safe, stable, secure, clean, neighborhoods
E. Global environment,, natural resources, protected and preserved, so that future generations will have safe and clean air, water and food supplies, and will be able to enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature that past generations have enjoyed.
F. Repaired, modernized infrastructure that expands as the population grows
4. Permanent world peace
5. Civil and human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and International Covenants on Human Rights universally observed and respected and protected from violation by tyrannical forces and unjust governments
6. Political and economic institutions that work to benefit all, not just the privileged few
7. Equitable, economic (distributive), humane restorative justice for all
8. A sustainable, green economy
9. Governments organized and staffed with public servants truly dedicated to insure that these necessities and needs are available for all. "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson
C. General Problems
General Problems that stand in the way of insuring the goals are met, and jobs (employment opportunities) at living wages and affordable necessities and needs of life are available for everyone.
1. Lack of “employment opportunities at living wages”, chronic worldwide unemployment and low and stagnant wages for many workers with jobs.
a. Worker productivity, automation, other technology and education and training make it possible today for a small percentage of the world population to provide the food, clothing and housing for all the people of the world. Businessmen have not increased wages commensurate with the increases in productivity. Workers with jobs do not make enough money to buy the good that they produce.
As proof of this, according to Forbes, in 2011;
• The aggregate annual sales of the world's 2000 largest public companies was $32 trillion. (This amounted to about 49% of the world's gross domestic product which was approximately $65 trillion in 2011 according to the Economist.)
• The employment of these 2000 companies was 80 million employees. (This is about 1% of the world’s population - 8 billion).
Assuming that each of the employees, on the average, is the breadwinner for a family of four, it means that these 2000 corporations pay wages that support about 4 % of the world's population while selling about 49% of the food, goods, fuels, housing, services, etc. to the entire world.
a. Employment opportunities also being lost due to consolidations and mergers, outsourcing and free trade versus fair trade agreements.
This has resulted in decreasing tax revenues and social security deposits and hurt the nation’s fiscal health increased unfunded obligations (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.), budget deficits, balance of payment deficits.
Without job opportunities and employees being paid reasonable wages, there will be less customers to buy goods. With less purchases there will be more lay-offs and lower wages, loss of tax revenues, etc., and the economy will spiral downward with increasing budget deficits.
2. The increasing Wealth Divide and Poverty.
The essay – The Problem of the Twentieth Century. Poverty in the midst of plenty by Willard and Marguerite Beecher, which was written in the seventies, provides an outstanding, short economic history of humankind and clearly shows that:“Poverty in the midst of plenty” was the problem of the 20th Century and is now the problem of the 21st Century]. This essay states:
“ ... the Age of Abundance is upon us. Man need never again go hungry or cold. Natural resources abound, machines necessary to convert them into goods exist, and men are trained to operate these machines. Furthermore, we can manufacture as many machines as we desire, just as we can enrich the soil to produce abundant food and train people everywhere to do likewise, The whole world now has the capability to support itself free from want and almost free from disease”
Before the invention of the steam engine and other technologies a little over 250 years ago, it took over 95% of the world’s population to barely provide the necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter, etc. for all the people of the world.
Worker productivity, new technologies, methodologies, education, training, etc. make it possible today for less than 5% of the world’s population to provide food, clothing and housing for all the people of the world.
“... Nevertheless, many people today are still cold, hungry, and sick.. in the midst of plenty!”
We have poverty in the midst of plenty and are prevented from living in a genuine Age of Abundance because of:
3. The Businessmen who keep prices, profits and their salaries up by keeping goods scarce, curtailing production, paying low wages, laying off employees and forming monopolies. This keeps many in poverty and debt and provided evermore unemployed workers who must work for even lower wages.
4. The Profit System, Profits equals all revenue, which is mainly what the people purchase, minus all expenses which includes wages and salaries with which the people make purchases “Businessmen” have convinced almost everyone that high profits means that the economy is doing well. The Beechers explain that the opposite is true:
Profits come mostly from the underlying population and are always created at the expense of someone else. A truly fair exchange cannot involve any profit, since someone, somewhere, must take less than the actual value of his contribution.
As machines became more efficient, each could do the work of many men, but workers never received in wages an amount equivalent to their increased production.
Total wages paid eventually become the sum of the buying power of the underlying population,
In short, the buying power of wage earners steadily shrinks and they are unable to buy the products which they themselves produce. When sales fall off, the businessman will cut employment again and again and thus, the underlying population, which eventually must pay all costs, will, in fact, be unable to pay ANY costs!
This means that the entire economy will fail unless the people convince the businessmen that they must pay living wages so that individuals can buy the goods that they produce.
according to Forbes, the annual aggregate profits of the world's 2000 largest public companies increase by 67%.
5. Interest. The "businessmen", that the Beechers faulted for their profit system and scarcity model now include many owners and executives of banks, financial institutions and Wall Street who bribed Congress in 1980 to remove all controls over interest rates and most of the regulations. Now, according to German researcher Margrit Kennedy, interest composes on average about 40% of the cost of all goods and services. Also, because the “businessmen” are not paying living wages and laying off and not hiring workers, the rank and file are having to borrow at usury rates. Since the Federal Reserve is creating money as money, these loans can never be repaid
These Businessmen have persisted:
Because they are the custodian of the rites and practices of the price/profit system and also sit in high government circles to administer our common affairs.
Thanks to a myth that still surrounds him — the superstition that he created the proliferation of goods that now surrounds us. In fact, the engineer and the scientist made possible the technology for production, while working people used these techniques to manufacture the goods. The businessman merely engineered the exploitation of their efforts for his personal profit — nothing more. ...“the businessman himself does not serve any genuine purpose in the current era; ...
The essay concludes:
Common necessity will force us to make and distribute goods whether or not businessmen make profits. Failing to earn money in his apparently dominant situation, he will turn over the problems of production to engineers and the task of distribution to anyone who will handle it. Most likely, this will be some government agency. ... Profits most likely, will then disappear.”
It is not unthinkable that worse depressions may come. Businessmen ... certainly are unable to unravel the chaos of the present date
"Probably, the forthcoming economic breakdown will be handled on a worldwide rather than on a national basis. Only one thing is certain: the resulting system will have small resemblance to what exists now. The Battle of Production has been won, and the Battle of Distribution is in the making. It will begin with the abdication of the businessman and it will end only when methods have been found to distribute Abundance."
Over thirty years have passed since the Beechers’ essay was published. Businessmen have not turned over distribution to anyone and they have not and will not voluntarily abdicate. Profits have not “disappeared”, they have markedly increased. The current great recession and abject failure of financial systems were caused by them. Today we still have massive Poverty in the Midst of Plenty and it is now the Problem of the Twenty First Century. We are approaching a worldwide economic breakdown predicted by the Beechers. Many of the businessmen have profited from their failures and received billions of dollars of bailout money from taxpayers. They are making money with money instead of investing in producing goods.
Today's "businessmen," as described by the authors, which include many executives of large banks, financial institutions, and other corporations and stockbrokers, own/control most of the large banks, financial institutions, rating agencies, major corporations, government regulators and the media. Their representatives and agents occupy key positions in the administration, the judiciary and congress. They have markedly increased their brides in the form of campaign contributions and job promises to public servants and exercise control over key individuals in all three branches of the government, the Federal Reserve, the various regulatory agencies, the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade organization. They have bribed public servants to remove regulations and controls over interest rates and to pass over a hundred unjust, injurious laws which favor corporations over individuals.
Financial institutions have received over $28 trillion of taxpayers dollars in the form of grants, no or very low interest loans and loan grantees from the treasury, FDIC and Federal Reserve. From 25% to 0.38% for the very large banks. They charge exorbitant interest rates as high as 35%, compounded daily, on the money that they are willing to lend. These banks and financial institutions foreclose on homes, small farms and businesses and pay their executives scores of millions in salaries. At the same time many of the engineers, scientists, farmers and workers responsible for advances in technology and productivity that made the Age of Abundance possible are going deeper into debt to these immoral businessmen.
In the richest country in the world, at least the one with the most millionaires and billionaires, we have many children being born homeless and going hungry thanks to immoral and unethical acts of bankers, businessmen and public servants.
Please read The Problem of the Twentieth Century and what the businessmen have done and what has happened with the profit system since this essay was written is covered in Changes in the Economy Since The 1970's both of are available at www.WeThePeopleNow.org
6. Wars, conflicts, empire building, violence, using military force to coerce resources from and find markets in other countries, etc .
a. Iraq and Afghanistan occupations
b. Illegal US, threats, covert operations, and/or attacks against Pakistan and Iran
c. Other wars and conflicts, e.g. West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Darfur and Kosovo
d. U.S. history of use of force and violence
e. Nuclear weapons and fissile material proliferation
f. The United States government spends as much on weapons, munitions and a standing army as all the rest of the world combined.
g. The United States arms industry exports more weapons and munitions than any other country in the world. Some of the explosive material in these munitions are ultimately used by adversaries in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
h. Large numbers of U.S. troops are needlessly stationed in Germany, South Korea and the Middle East with detachments and in over eighty countries.
i. The U.S. spends considerably more on foreign military aid than on foreign economic aid.
j. Israel says Gaza is no longer occupied; yet it denies Palestinians access to jobs, travel, commerce, education, and medical care. Its military has turned the Gaza Strip into an open-air concentration camp controlled by land, sea and air. In the past year, the people of Gaza have barely had enough to eat, as Israel withholds food and energy in an attempt to starve them into submission.
k. The corporate officials from the Military Industrial Complex exercises excessive control over our public servants and political party officials with campaign contributions, job offers and lobbyist .
7. Money in Politics and Election
Corporate executives, special interest groups and lobbyists exercise excessive control over legislation and policy decisions with bribes in the form of campaign contributions and job offers.
As payback for these bribes, our public servants:
a. Have put individuals in the government who are plundering the Treasury.
b. Have unconstitutionally surrendered its responsibilities for appropriations in a large part to the executive branch, the Federal Reserve and special interest groups.
c. Is failing provide anything near adequate oversight.
d. Spends excessive funds on pork-barrel and earmarks. Much of the funds for earmarks comes from the Department of Defense and Services O&M (operations and maintenance) accounts which would normally be used for such things as body armor and hardening vehicles against roadside bombs.
e. Have illegally and unconstitutionally given or committed $23.7 trillion to stockbrokers and bankers which they have used for massive bonuses, to acquire other banks and financial institutions and for risky investments, which are being guaranteed by the federal government.
f. Are rewarding defense contractors with profits from:
i. Three illegal, unconstitutional wars/occupations and illegal attacks on Pakistan.
ii. Manufacturing massive sales of unneeded weapons.
g. Have repealed aspects the Glass-Steagall Act and other regulations and are inadequately enforcing hardly any regulations on commodity, trading, the stock market and insurance companies.
h. Are rewarding insurance companies by not providing single payer or a public health insurance options.
i. Are awarding bankers by allowing predatory interest rates and unconscionable late fees by banks.
j. Have allowed corporations to violate anti-theft laws.
k. Are not enforcing the rule of law.
l. Have turned over major aspects of health care systems to big drug and insurance companies and energy policy to big oil companies.
m. Most of our legislators and senior public officials:
i.Are under the control of corporate executives and their lobbyists.
ii. Are spending about one trillion dollars a year on the military industrial complex, illegal wars and occupations. Russia spends less than one fifteenth of what the U.S. spends. China about one tenth
iii. Have given, loaned or committed over $29.6 trillion of taxpayers dollars to banks and other financial institutions as of June 30, 2009.
iv. Are providing billions of dollars to private health insurance companies which continue to raise their rates and deny coverage.
v. Have passed over 100 laws that have injurious effects on human beings.
vi. Are talking about cutting Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.
8. Party politics. The majority of career politicians from the two major parties:
a. Are unwilling to address and solve the issues of war, health care, environment, education, immigration, trade, net neutrality etc.
b. Answer mainly to campaign contributors and special interest groups and their party leadership, not to the people.
c. Are unwilling to fix our electoral process in ways that make it fair for all to participat
9. Debt. Total individual and national federal debt is $42 trillion.
10. “The people’s faith in Congress, government officials is failing everywhere.” The Senate is particularly ineffective due largely to bribery in the form of campaign contributions job offers, the filibuster and other antiquated rules that could easily be corrected
11. Congress has passed well over a hundred injurious, unjust, unconstitutional laws and our courts have made scores of unconstitutional, injurious, unjust court rulings including:
a. The National Defense Authorization Act which includes unconstitutional legislated warrant less arrest aimed at the occupiers. It is worse than the 1935 Nuremberg Laws in some ways..
b.The Patriot Act
c. The Joint Resolution on Iraq
d. Military Commission Act of 2006
e. FISA Supplement
f.Supreme Court’s Rejection of Corporate Spending Limits (2010) (Ruling No. 08-205), in Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission
12. Shortages of affordable housing/shelter
13. Chronic water shortages for drinking, hygiene, irrigation, industry, etc.
14. The stock market, instead of being a means to raise capital for businesses and provide investment opportunities has become more like a gambling casino where insiders and the rich take money from small investors.
15. High percentage (90%) of mass media owned and controlled by five major corporation.
16. Election campaigns and elections:
a. Divisive politics
b. Individuals putting parties ahead of the people and the country
c. Campaign finance
d. Endemic gerrymandering so that “politicians can pick voters instead of voters picking politicians”
e. 50% of all elections have only one name on the ballot
17. Voices of many small groups and individuals are not being heard resulting in the loss of valuable inputs.
18. The rights of emigrants are being violated in the U.S. and other countries.
D. Underlying Causes of the Problems. Unless the underlying causes of problems are identified and corrected, the problems will reoccur and reoccur.
1. Many of our senior public servants are not doing their jobs, are violating their oaths of office and committing corrupt acts and crimes. The Department of Justice is an abject failure.
2. Deficiencies in early child development and education Including:
a. Stern parent versus nurturing parent approach
b. Cooperation versus competition
c. Pampering versus child solving own problems
d. Ostentatiousness
3. Lack of understanding of:
a. Semantics, linguistics, framing, communications, etc.
b. Human nature, character, reasoning, ethics, values, principles, integrity, accountability, teamwork, courage, democracy, humane instincts including cooperation, civility, caring for others, etc.
c. The U.S. Constitution, international treaties, rule of law, civil rights, meaning of sovereignty of the people, democratic processes, the legal system, restorative justice, etc.
4. Individuals spending considerable time on electronic media (the average grade school student 6.5 hours per day) at the expense of socially interacting with each others, sports, exercising, etc.
5. Individuals, primarily the rich, obsessed with financial and material wealth and are supporting and helping to elect and reelect leaders using taxpayer’s money and military force to coerce resources from the rest of the world.
6. Negative traits: vindictiveness, bullying, apathy, greed, etc.
7. Waste, abuse and fraud
8. Corrupt acts by individual public servants
9. Public servants failing to provide honest services
10. Bureaucracy
11. Debt
12. Deficiencies in democratic skills
13. Lack of educational opportunities
14. Personnel errors
15. Lack of or improper education or training
16. Poor or faulty information, rules, regulations, documentation, legislation
E. Common Agenda: Demands, Plans and Actions:
Proposed individual plans and actions to correct the general problems and their underlying causes, ensure the goals are met, the necessities and needs of life and society are available for all. Items 1 through 9 are draft proposed plans, items 10-26 are open ended list of actions which will go into proposed plans. Additional plans and actions and comments are welcomed for both the plans and actions.
Table of Contents:
1. Demand That All Senior Public Servants, Legislators, Administrators and Judges Do Their Jobs
3. Permanently End U.S. Wars, Occupations and Empire Building
4. Convert 90% of the Military Industrial Complex to Support a Peaceful, Prosperous Green World
5. Set Aside, Repeal, Replace or Amend Injurious, Unjust Laws and Court Rulings
7. Provide National, Universal Medicare (Single Payer) and Strengthen Social Security For All.
11. Get Corporate Funds out of Elections
12. Build and operate a modern comprehensive, nationwide, rail based transportation/transit system
13. Reform and Reorganize the Government
15. Ensure All Rights Are Protected For All Humankind.
17. Provide a humane, fair and constitutional immigration system
19. Enhance environmental protection
20. Reform corporation regulations, policies and practices
21. Improve/reform government contracting
22. Improve/reform election processes
23. Eliminate Free Trade Agreements and Replace with Fair Trade Agreements on a Case by Case Basis
24. Ensure Honest and Accurate Media is Available for All
25. Transition to a Resource-Based Global Economy.
Work with our Public Servants to Refine and Execute the Following Demands, Plans and Action Items
Planning should begin for all items in the Common Agenda and Salient, Potential Funding Sources. Priority items marked with an asterisk, should be accomplished immediately.
1. Demand That All Senior Public Servants, Legislators, Administrators and Judges Do Their Jobs including:
a. Caring for the people, environment and natural resources of the world.
b. Adhering to the spirit and intent of their oath of office, the Constitution and national and international laws.
c. Helping to refine and use this Strategic Plan as their own and accomplish all the demands plans and actions from the Common Agenda
d. Ensuring that public servants who will not do their jobs, after being appropriately warned, are replaced.
2. Provide Both Employment Opportunities at Living Wages and Affordable Necessities and Needs of Life for All. This will provide customers for businesses and rapidly grow the economy in the U.S. and around the world. Highlights include:
a. * Ensure all the people of the United States have adequate, decent warm shelter, food, water, clothing and at least acute and emergency health care within one month.
3. Permanently End U.S. Wars, Occupations and Empire Building. Highlights include:
a. * Initiate immediate unilateral cease fires in Afghanistan and Halt U.S. drone attacks, covert operations and military actions in Pakistan, Libya and worldwide. (These wars, attacks and covert operations are all illegal, should have never happened and must stop immediately)
b. * Apologize to and provide massive relief efforts and implement "Marshall Plans" as appropriate in countries harmed by the U.S.
c. * Prevent a war against Iran by the U.S. and/or Israel
d. Close overseas bases and bring all US troops and government contractors home.
e. End the so called "war on terror" and treat terrorist acts as crimes to be handled by the police and regular courts.
f. Use diplomacy, negotiations and/or international courts, not wars and violence, to settle disputes with other countries as is required by international and national law
4. Convert 90% of the Military Industrial Complex to Support a Peaceful, Prosperous Green World
a. Have troops returning to the US from overseas and DOD employees provide planning, support and workers for a new Works Projects Administration (WPA) & Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), go to college, go back to their old job, go into the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and serve in the State National Guards, as the world disarms.
b. Reprogram 90% of annual Military Industrial Complex (MIC) spending over the next two years for peaceful, green economy purposes and the common agenda.
c. Convert existing military contracts and foreign military sales to green, peaceful purposes, for example build firefighting aircraft instead of bombers and fighters.
d. End all foreign military aid and arm sales.
e. Turn over excess Department of Defense land, bases, facilities, buildings, equipment, ships, vehicles and aircraft to State Guards, WPA and CCC as appropriate to be used:
i. By State Guards to meet their constitutional responsibilities and to respond to natural and man made disasters for fighting wild fires and combating hazardous material incidents.
ii. By the WPA and Civilian Corps to plan, train and manage work from.
5. Set Aside, Repeal, Replace or Amend Injurious, Unjust Laws and Court Rulings
a. The Senate Filibuster Rule (Rule XXII)
b. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913
d. Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission (Ruling No. 08-205), 130 S. Ct. 876 (2010). The Supreme Court Ruling that rejects corporate spending limits and allows unlimited spending of corporate funds on elections.
6. Reform and Revitalize Financial Systems and Provide Affordable Personal and Commercial, Local Banking Savings and Loan Services
a. Outlaw derivatives, mortgages back security, stock options, the fractional reserve system and bank bailouts
b. Incorporate the Federal Reserve into the U.S. Government
c. Government provide no-interest loans with simple small handling fees directly to states, manufacturers and small businesses
d. * Freeze all foreclosures and evictions of owner occupied properties until they are resolved
e. * Limit interest rates to 4% on all secured mortgages and loans and 6% on unsecured loans, retroactive to the origination of the mortgage or loan with legislation that replaces the Monetary Reform Act (P. L. No. 96-221; 94 Stat. 132) (1980).
7. Provide National, Universal Medicare (Single Payer) and Strengthen Social Security For All.
8. Reform Criminal Justice Systems Using Humane, Constitutional and Restorative Justice Principles and Practices
9. * Humanely and privately (not secretly) prosecute public servants and others who have broken the law.
10. Provide meaningful, publicly financed high-quality child care, pre-k through college education and vocational training for all for life
a. Immediately provide publicly financed, universal high-quality child care - pre-kindergarten programs that ensure all children have access to a high-quality full-day, full-calendar-year pre-kindergarten education. Research shows the positive impact of high-quality care on child development and school readiness -- a one dollar investment in high-quality child care can result in a seven dollar reduction in public funds in remedial education, welfare, prison, and health care systems over the life of low-income children receiving care. Research also shows that 80% of a child's brain development occurs in the first three years. Without high-quality care, responsive teachers and caregivers, we will forever loose this opportunity for our next generation to reach their potential. Also, high quality child care provides jobs and acts as an economic support for the US economy by providing peace of mind for parents when they go to work.
b. Rescind certain features of "No Child Left Behind" including emphasis on test results, necessity to "teach to the test" and punitive measures based on low test scores.
c. Use encouragement and nurturing to decrease/eliminate school drop outs and suspensions.
d. Create broader vocational education opportunities in high school for everyone and in particular for students who do not intend to go to college.
e. Track students after their graduation to obtain feedback for schools.
f. Students who do not master grade level reading, writing and arithmetic should receive special attention and encouragement.
g. Encourage parents to be involved in their children’s schools and their education, attend parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, etc.
11. Get Corporate Funds out of Elections. Develop a Plan to Get Corporate Funds out of Elections by September 1, 2012. (under development)
12. Build and operate a modern comprehensive, nationwide, rail based transportation/transit system.
a. Comprehensive clean and convenient public transportation and safe places for pedestrians and non-automobile travel.
b. Trains and trolleys including high speed interstate rail, light rail and city metro systems along existing right-of-ways
c. No privately owned toll roads and toll lanes for example around the beltway
d. Dedicated bus lanes on highways and in cities
e. Natural gas powered and hybrid buses.
f. Develop comprehensive open ended integrated international, national, regional, state, district, and locality plans that consider global warming, energy prices and progressing technologies.
13. Reform and Reorganize the Government to:
a. Ensure that the necessities and needs of life as outlined under Goals are available for all humankind. Congress, committees/subcommittees and matching government departments/agencies should be organized by necessities and needs. For example, everyone on the Agriculture Committee and the Department of Agriculture should be responsible for insuring that everyone in the country has access to affordable, healthy food. Similarly, there should be health, clean water, clean air, affordable housing, etc. committees/subcommittee and corresponding departments, agencies or sections. Duplicative committees and agencies, such as the Defense Authorization Committee and the Defense Appropriation Subcommittee should be combined. Each committee should make appropriations for its own area.
b. Make all processes of the three branches of government accountable to international law, transparent and follow the rule of law. People have the right to participate in decisions which affect them.
c. End the control that corporate executives and special interest groups exercise over our public servants with campaign contributions, job offers and hoards of lobbyists. Banish lobbyist and former legislators and staff members from Capitol Hill and White House.
d. End the control that political party officials and congressional leadership exercises over our public servants with funds for elections and committee assignments
e. Get money, corporation executives and their lobbyists out of politics and insure that the people have control over their government.
f. Eliminate duplicated authorization and appropriation committees/subcommittees and duplicated departments and agencies of the executive department.
g. Enforce Congress's Constitutional checks against presidential power
h. Eliminate pork, wasteful or unnecessary spending, and "pay backs" to special interest groups.
i. Enact the Twelve Step Program” from “Wastrels of Defense: How Congress Sabotages U.S. Security”, by Winslow Wheeler. Get money, corporation executives and their lobbyists out of politics and insure that the people have control over their government.
j. Improve government spending practices:
i. Reduce/eliminate unneeded nuclear and other offensive weapons, corporation subsidies and other unnecessary government spending.
ii. Drastically reduce Department of Defense budgets and spending.
iii. As required by the Constitution return control to Congress of all Federal government appropriations, loans, grants, expenditures, and all other distribution of funds, including those made by the Federal Reserve.
iv. Oppose the Federal Reserve providing grants, loans, guarantees etc. to bond dealers, investment banks, stock brokers, etc. without prior, express Congressional approval.
v. Eliminate corporate welfare/subsidies.
vi. Eliminate funding for the School of the Americas.
vii. Drastically reduce government spending on other programs that do not promote the general welfare.
k. Refine, reintroduce and pass meaningful legislation left over from previous Congresses, including:
l. DREAM Act
m. Disclose Act
n. Employee Free Choice Act
o. Paycheck Fairness Act
p. America's Great Outdoors Act (S. 303)
15. Ensure All Rights Are Protected For All Humankind.
a. End exploitation of people of the U.S. and world
b. End discrimination in all forms
c. Provide equal, due process, human, economic rights for all the people of America and the world
d. Strengthen and make the United Nations, UN Agencies, UN peacekeeping forces, the International Criminal Court (ICC), Interpol, etc. more functional
e. Set Aside, Repeal, Replace or Amend Injurious, Unjust Laws and Court Rulings, including:
i. The U.S. Patriot Act.
ii. The Military Commission Act of 2008
iii. Espionage Act of 1917
iv. The National Security Act (P. L. No. 235, 80 Cong., 61 Stat. 496, 50 U.S.C. ch.15) (1947). This was the precursor of most of the others. It was the start of the national security state we are now under, and the beginnings of a fascist state.
v. Taft-Hartley Act, The Labor-Management Relations Act (80 P.L. 101; 61 Stat. 136) (1947) Federal law which monitors activities and power of labor unions. Labor leaders have called it the "Slave-Labor" bill. It favors labor-management balance.
vi. Welfare Reform Act (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, H.R. 3734, P.L.104-193) (1996) Sets time limits on entitlements and cash assistance to welfare recipients; requires most recipients to get jobs; changes disability definitions for SSI for children; denies many legal immigrants from collecting SSI and food stamps, and much more. Inherent in the Act: misogyny, racism, and exploitation of women (do whatever job you can get and don't complain - or risk homelessness). Attention should have been directed to conditions of low-wage labor market - living wage, health care, and child care all desperately needed.
vii. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA]. Insure warrant-less wiretapping of people is not done.
viii. Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA) which suspended Habeas Corpus. Oppose restrictions on Habeas Corpus and all other rights
f. Oppose and eliminate the death penalty.
g. Cease the use of the metaphor "war on drugs", and reform many aspects of this program.
h. Retain Roe v. Wade, while taking actions to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
i. Close prisons at Guantanamo immediately.
j. Insure detainees are treated humanely, their rights are observed and end "advanced interrogation techniques” (mental/physical abuse and torture), warrant-less arrests and searches, secret detentions and renditions.
k. Oppose constitutional bans on same sex civil unions and marriages.
l. Support the right to same-sex civil unions.
m. Support the right to same-sex marriages.
n. Insure Internet neutrality.
o. Oppose Presidential signing statements as unconstitutional, null and void
16. Lead efforts to rapidly phase out all nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and offensive weapons world wide.
Nuclear weapons are illegal [also immoral and no longer a deterrent] as stated in the book Nuclear Weapons are Illegal, The Historic opinion of the World Court and how it will be enforced, edited with an introduction by Ann Fagan Ginger, Executive Director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, Berkeley, California.
a. Congress and the Administration must:
i. Resolve the United States-Iran situation and commence the phase out of all nuclear weapons.
ii. Cease any and all U.S. threats to attack Iran, conduct any clandestine or offensive operations against or invoke economic sanctions against Iran or any other country unless Congress has specifically declared war on that country.
iii. Assist in maintaining the Middle East WMD/Nuclear Weapons Free Zone and insure that there are no nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction on any U.S. Ships or in possession of any other U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East as required by Article 14 of UN Security Council Resolution 687 (1991). This resolution calls for "establishing in the Middle East a zone free from weapons of mass destruction and all missiles for their delivery."
iv.Take the lead on the cessation of the nuclear arms race and complete disarmament as required by Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which requires: pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
v. Cease expending any funds on any nuclear weapon development programs or to improve or refine existing programs.
vi. Build on ongoing initiatives and develop a comprehensive Plan for the United States Role in Global Nuclear Disarmament which includes identifying obstacles and the underlying reasons for these obstacles and proposes short and long range solutions.
vii. Provide full funding and attention to securing all nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon materials as rapidly as possible.
viii. Conduct meaningful negotiations with all of the world's nuclear powers and Iran on the phase out of all nuclear weapons.
ix. Immediately remove all U.S. weapons of mass destruction including any nuclear weapons from the Mideast as required by Article 14 of UN Security Council resolution 687.
x. Eliminate funding for nuclear weapon development and improvement programs including bombplex/"complex transformation", the reliable replacement warhead (RRW) programs and any other nuclear proliferation initiatives. This is required by Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
b. Eliminate all funding and outlaw:
i. Anti-ballistic missile systems and their deployment anywhere in the world.
ii. Depleted uranium
iii. Armed drones
iv. Napalm
v. Agent Orange
Accomplishing the above will strengthen the U.S. government's position when requesting that other states such as Iran and North Korea not develop nuclear weapons and will encourage other countries to help with other serious problems.
17. Provide a humane, fair and constitutional immigration system. The current problems with immigration have resulted primarily from the lack of job opportunities all over the world and bigotry.
Congress, the Administration and Courts must:
a. Implement and provide humane, fair, and constitutional immigration policies, legislation and, practices
b. Set-aside and/or repeal Arizona SB1070.
c. Take measures to reduce the underlying causes of increased immigration:
i. replace free trade agreements with fair trade agreements,
ii.eliminate subsidies for and ban dumping of corn, wheat and other commodities,
iii. increase foreign aid and assist other countries/areas to produce what they need.
iv. Rescind funding for the immigration border fence
d. Pass the USA Family Act (HR 440 or equivalent) which will:
i. Offer immigrants a clear road map to legal status in the United States.
ii. Grant legal permanent residence to immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for five or more years.
iii. Offer conditional legal status and work authorization to all law-abiding immigrants living in the United States for less than five years.
iv. Revoke current laws that bar certain people who live abroad from re-entering the U.S. for a period of three to 10 years, as well as portions of the law that place immigrants at risk of deportation for having committed minor, nonviolent offenses in the past.
e. The U.S. cannot continue with a system in which millions of workers and their families live in fear and are subject to economic exploitation. There is no place in our country for second-class status.
f. Protect the rights of all the people including immigrants protected and fair and constitutional policies and practices put in place for all its people including immigrants. These policies and practices should recognize that the U.S. is an immigrant nation and affirms that we are a nation of the people and for the people not just these citizens. Constitutional and other rights apply equally to all the people of the U. S. not just citizens. Certain immunities and privileges such as voting are reserved for citizens.
18. Reform tax codes. In particular, enact very progressive income/revenue and property taxes on individuals and businesses and provide generous tax deductions up to tax credits depending upon the worth of the project being supported by the donations.
Background
Both the income and wealth divides (inequality) between the richest individuals and the middle class and poor are at record highs and continue to grow exponentially as compound interest compounds on compound interest.
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, a feature length documentary movie by director Peter Joseph, shows that as inequality increases, all social ills including poverty, crimes, suicides, drug abuse, child abuse, violence, divorce, bad health and chronic stress even riches stress increases.
The following is paraphrased from the article and other sources What Does the Bi-Partisan Debt-Ceiling "Compromise" Mean for Workers? by Josh Lucker.
The wealthiest 1% of Americans own 42% of the wealth, while the top 10% own 85%. The rate of taxation on the wealthiest 400 Americans averages only 18%. Taxation on the highest earners has declined from a rate of around 90% in the 1960's to 35% percent today. Corporate tax rates have had a similar decline, from 50% in the 60s to around 30% today. Two thirds of U.S. corporations, one million two hundred thousand companies, paid nothing in taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. which also reported that these "no tax" corporations made $2.5 trillions of dollars in sales. 25% of these "no tax" corporations were "large corporations" by the GAO's standards.
Senator Bernie Sanders has compiled a list of large U.S. corporations that don't pay any taxes, His list include the likes of Exxon Mobil, Bank of America, General Electric, Chevron, Boeing, Valero Energy, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, ConocoPhilips, and Carnival Cruise Lines. While this is obviously far from a comprehensive list, if one were seriously concerned with "balancing the budget," "averting national crisis," "meeting our obligations," and "paying our debts," the corporations listed above should be the first to "tighten their belts."
Income from work is taxed at a much higher rate than income from investments.
Some individuals hide funds and don’t pay taxes on income from deposits in offshore-foreign banks or investments in foreign or multinational businesses.
Under current unfair, unjust laws, home and auto owners pay property taxes on their homes and automobiles. Banks, corporations, their employees and stockholder pay no taxes on mortgages, loans, stocks, derivatives, gold bullion, mineral rights, etc. that they hold.
No matter how progressive income taxes are, if an individual spends less than his total net income, his/her wealth will increase exponentially. If a corporation’s revenue exceeds expenses, that is they have a profit, the corporations wealth will also increase.
Actions
a. Enact very progressive:
i. Taxes on personal income and business revenue with very reasonable (high) zero tax thresholds (e.g. an individual with an annual income of about $30,000). Income should include all salaries, wages, inheritances, capitol gains, interest income and stock dividends both domestic and offshore and be taxed at the same rate depending on the income bracket.
ii. Property taxes on “net assets” of individuals and businesses with very reasonable (high) zero tax thresholds (e.g. about $200,000 for a family of four). Net assets is equal to the value of all property, homes, cars, cash, bank deposits, stock, land, buildings, and mineral rights minus all debts and mortgages.
b. Provide very generous tax deductions up to almost tax credits for contributions depending upon the worth of the cause being supported. Encourage prosperous individuals to support important causes/projects. For example T. Boone Pickens could fund and help manage the development of wind power. Others could take on water, solar power, prison reform, clean air, power distribution, “adopt” cities, entire countries, etc. These projects should roughly mirror the congressional committees and government departments/agencies in a newly re-organized congress and executive department. Each major donor would coordinate his work with the appropriate committee and agency. Major donors would also be recognized for their donations and works as was Andrew Carnegie for the 3,000 libraries, many schools and universities he established in the United States and other countries.
c. Phase out/eliminate the inheritance tax, sales taxes, the many minuscule taxes that show up on phone and cable bills and other digressive taxes.
d. Eliminate unjust tax loopholes.
19. Enhance environmental protection
a. Take steps to lessen both the degree/speed and the adverse effects of climate change.
b. Support development of clean, renewable energy sources and energy conservation measures.
c. Phase out nuclear power plants as rapidly as possible beginning
d. Do not permit ANWR or deep off-shore drilling at this time.
e. Freeze the sale or lease of off-shore drilling areas.
f. Oppose Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
g. Cease Mountain Top Removal Mining
h. Cease fracking for natural gas
20. Reform corporation regulations, policies and practices
a. Eliminate any notion of Corporate Personhood and that money is free speech.
b. End corporate influence over the political process
c. Protect people and the environment from damage by corporations
d. Indict corporation executives who commit unlawful acts
e. End corporation ownership of patents.
21. Improve/reform government contracting
a. Use time and materials (T&M) type contracts under which a contractor is paid on the basis of the actual cost of direct labor at living salary/wage/hourly rates and actual costs of materials, facilities, and equipment usage and employee benefits with no overhead, G & A, profits, fees or percentage for all future government contracts and selective existing contracts on a contract by contract basis.
b. Revise and simplify acquisition, contracting and wage determination (Davis-Bacon and related Acts, http://www.dol.gov/whd/about/history/whdhist.htm, http://www.gpo.gov/davisbacon) legislation, regulations, procedures and practices to reflect the above.
22. Improve/reform election processes
a. Determine and implement ways to identify, nominate and elect, ethical public officials, legislators, judges, executives, etc. throughout the government who care for all people and whose positions on issues: promote the general welfare, follow the rule of law, protect peoples rights, etc.
b. Overturn the portion of Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), that ruled “spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech”
c. www.CommonCause.org has a comprehensive approach to election reform as outlined on their website: http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773589. Their approach begins with “Since the electoral meltdown in the 2000 presidential election, each Election Day has raised new alarms that the foundation of our democracy - the right to vote in free and fair elections - remains beset with problems. Years after serious problems were exposed to the public, it has become increasingly apparent that our elections system is technologically, legally, and administratively inadequate and unfair.” Read more.
d. Set aside the Supreme Court’s Rejection of Corporate Spending Limits (2010) (Ruling No. 08-205), in Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission.
e. Eliminate gerrymandering. Use contiguous democratic logical districts (see www.fixthelines.com)
f. Eliminate all patronage appointments.
g. Uniform, fair ballot access for all candidates.
h. Loosen third party ballot restrictions.
i. Provide universal voter registration.
j. Amend the Constitution to Elect the President by popular vote (www.nationalpopularvote.com) and eliminate the Electoral College.
k. Provide instant runoff voting (IRV) which allows voters to rank their choices. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote – over 50% - then the lowest number of first place votes is eliminated and the second place votes are counted. This continues until a candidate secures a majority.
l. Extended Election Hours. Either hold elections on weekends or move it to a holiday.
m. Media Access for third party contenders to include broadcast time on public airwaves and inclusion in debates.
n. Secure the Vote - Ensure the security of our voting instruments whether it is via a paper trail or some better method. Six years since the Florida debacle should have provided secure voting machines. Electronic machines subject to manipulation are not the answer.
o. Public Campaign Financing - Instituting a fair and equitable method of public campaign financing that reduces taxpayer burden. Here's how: It costs the country more now under the current system that forces candidates to raise exorbitant sums of money from corporate and private donors (read: elitists). The winner is then beholden to the group of financiers that paid for that victory which creates a corrupt system of pay backs (no-bid contracts) and legislation (energy bill subsidizing oil and gas; prescription drug bill favoring pharmaceutical companies) that raids our Treasury at an enormous cost to the taxpayer - the real owners of our country.
p. Voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the federal District of Columbia (which also gives them an Electoral College vote).
q. Recruit and encourage citizens to run for office as Independents because career politicians from the two major parties have proven themselves incapable of solving the complex issues of war, health care, environment, education, immigration, trade, net neutrality etc. which the current members of the two major parties are not willing to address. who only answer to campaign contributors.
23. Eliminate Free Trade Agreements and Replace with Fair Trade Agreements on a Case by Case Basis. Do not confirm any additional free trade agreements. Drop out of the corporation controlled World Trade Organization.
24. Ensure Honest and Accurate Media is Available for All. Without “censorship”
a. Ensure airwaves and the internet are treated as public goods
b. Hold media executives and owners accountable to the people for honest, accurate information.
c. Break up media monopolies by enforcing anti-trust laws and with tax legislation.
25. Transition to a Resource-Based Global Economy. Provide a proposed plan to transition from the failed monetary and capitalistic economy to the "resource-based global economy" described in the The Zeitgeist Movement - Observations and Responses and the video Zeitgeist - Moving Forward.
26. Get the 1% into the 99%. Develop a plan to Get the 1% into the 99%
F. Salient, Potential Funding Sources for the Work in the Common Demands and for Deficit Reduction
Congress provide funding for the work in the Common Demands and for deficit reduction from the following sources. No involuntary layoffs should happen as a result of these actions:
1. End U.S. wars, occupations, attacks, and covert operations, close U.S. overseas bases and facilities and drastically reduce the size and roles of the standing Army, Navy and Air Force. Strengthen the national/state guards and UN peace keeping forces as outlined in Permanently End U.S. Wars, Occupations and Empire Building & Convert the Military Industrial Complex to Support a Peaceful, Green Economy and End Militarism. Reprogram 90% of annual funding and budgets for the military-industrial complex (MIC) and intelligence spending
2. End the war on terror, torture, assassinations, secret arrests, renditions, abusive treatment, spying on the people of the U.S. and CIA spending on drones. Reprogram 100% of the funding and budgets for these items.
3. Integrate the Federal Reserve into the Federal government. Government provide zero interest loans directly to states, manufacturers and small businesses.
4. Recoup as much as possible of the over $29.6 trillion provided by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. in loans and guaranties to bail out American and foreign financial institutions and businesses.
5. Enact progressive income and net worth taxes on individuals and enact progressive revenue and net worth taxes on corporations. Provide varying degrees of tax deduction rates for charitable contributions depending upon the worthiness of the cause
6. Enact a “pure worldwide” tax system, in which all taxes on property, revenue and profits of
American corporations, whether they are generated in the U.S. or abroad, are taxed by the
U.S.. This would end “deferral,” i.e. where taxes are deferred until money is brought back into
the United States. Corporations would continue to receive a credit against any taxes they pay to
a foreign government so that they are not double-taxed
7. Tax investment-related income, including interest and capital gains, at rates at least equal to or more than the rates on work-related income.
8. End tax havens. Tax havens should be shut down through the refinement and passage of
the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. The U.S. Treasury estimates this costs $100 billion per year. In
2006 the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations reported that Americans now
have more than $1 trillion in assets offshore and illegally evade between $40 and $70 billion in
U.S. taxes each year through the use of offshore tax schemes.
9. Close corporate tax loopholes. Due to tax loopholes, corporations pay record low tax
rates. Corporate income taxes have fallen from roughly 4.8% of GDP in the 1950s to only 1.8%
of GDP over the past decade. Ending just two large breaks, deferral of overseas revenue and
accelerated depreciation would raise about $114 billion over a decade. The Treasury
Department lists $365 billion in corporate tax breaks being gifted annually — that’s $3.65 trillion
over the next 10 years. Citizens for Tax Justice found that Wells Fargo received $18 billion in
tax breaks, while both Verizon and General Electric paid negative taxes. Earlier Citizens for Tax
Justice reported that 12 major companies which together made $171 billion in profits from
2008-2010 paid a negative $2.5 billion in taxes, thanks to $62 billion in tax subsidies.
10. Enact a "speculation" (sales) tax on stock sales.
11. Eliminate military aid to foreign countries.
12. Eliminate farm subsidies on large farms and oil depletion allowances
13. Use time and materials type contracts with no overhead, G & A, profits, fees or percentages for all government contracts.
14. Reduce high level public servant pay scales by an amount proportional to the amount of salary.
15. Change pay increases for inflation to fixed amounts instead of basing them on a percentage of pay.
16. If necessary, Congress may "coin" high value $10 to $100 billion serialized coins (Ellen Brown's suggestion)