From: Isaiah Brazzell
To: Frank Moore
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 3:03 PM
Subject: your policies, my reactions, and other questions
Hello Frank,
I’m Isaiah Brazzell. I’m 23 years old, from Dickson, Tennessee. I have an Associates of Science degree in English. I, too, have Cerebral Palsy. I have been interested in your candidacy, since I found your videos on YouTube. What I’m going to do is: using your policy statements on your campaign website, I’m going to offer my reactions. Reactions will be in parentheses. Later in the email, I have questions. If you will, please copy and paste your answers after each question. First, my reactions:
I’ll do away with welfare and social security. Instead, every American will receive a minimum income of $1,000 a month. This amount will be tied to the cost of living and will not be taxable. (I agree with this. I think this would be especially helpful to citizens, like myself. Some people may not be motivated to work, but I would think that would be a relatively small number, overall).
We will have universal prenatal-to-the-grave health care and universal free education with equal access. (I agree, but fiscally, how will it be funded responsibly, without causing a federal budget deficit?)
I’ll do away with all tax deductions for over $12,000 income. Instead, there will be a flat tax of 10% on annual income of less than one million dollars for an individual and less than five million dollars for a corporation. But the flat tax will jump to 75% on annual income exceeding these limits. (So, this, absolutely, would NOT affect poor people?)
I’ll cut the military budget by at least half. (Good concept, but how will you do that, and still ensure that the country and citizens are adequately protected. Good concept, Frank-just the wrong time!)
Public mass transit will be free, 24/7, and reliable. (I agree, as long as it is for both metro and rural areas, in all 50 states. Also, I’m assuming all of these vehicles will be handicapped accessible with wheelchair lifts and tie-downs???)
All patents and copyrights will expire in 20 years. Inventions, products, etc. which are developed with governmental money and/or public institutions can not be patented. (Not a big issue to me, but whatever floats your boat!)
All businesses selling their products in the U.S. will have to certify that their products were manufactured in accordance with this country’s labor, wage, environmental, and safety laws … that they meet or exceed these … no matter where they were produced. (See previous).
Each city and each “media market” will have at least two public access channels on radio, broadcast television, cable, AND satellite! (I agree).
Election day will be a paid holiday. (I agree.)
I will push for complete public funding for all political campaigns and the banning of political contributions and the use of personal wealth in political campaigns. (I agree).
The President should have a line veto. But the Congress can over-turn this line veto by a simple majority. Also bills should be limited to 5 pages in length and/or limited to one subject. (I agree on the line-item veto. On the length of bills, don’t you think some issues are related to one another.)
An individual taxpayer will be able to direct her taxes to what functions she wants to support. But corporate taxpayers should not have this option. (I thought you were against the IRS, as well as all taxes???)
Every corporation should come up for a renewal every 25 years, at which time it must prove that it has been operating in the public interest. If it fails to do this, it loses its right to exist. Corporations that have existed before this policy will have 10 years before they will have to prove they are worthy. (Not a big issue!
Government should leave marriage to churches. Instead, any two or more adults who have been living together for at least 2 years should be able to register as a “family.” (I agree…personal choice!)
The end of hunger, poverty, and discrimination in this nation will be my main focus domestically. This will also shape my foreign policy. (Great idea, but a hard job!)
The minimum income and the minimum/livable wage, linked to the cost of living, will rise every time the congress members vote themselves a pay raise…will rise by the same percentage of their raise. (I agree…Washington works for us. We don’t, and shouldn’t, work for Washington!)
Education should be federally funded, based on the number of students, adjusted to special needs of each student, in each school district. But schools should be locally controlled. The equal access of education for every student will be insured by the federal government.
I will call for a major rebuilding of America. We will repair our school buildings and will build needed new schools. I will encourage a society of small villages connected by mass transit. Within these small villages, people could walk or bike to work, to school, to shopping, to entertainment, etc. Mass transit will combine these small villages within 15 miles radius into dynamic communities. Living in these villages will end gridlock traffic, will cut greenhouse gasses, will cut stress and isolation. Housing for all incomes will be included equally in each village. (Great ideas, especially on education. But, will the seemingly massive construction of these “villages” destroy houses and family farms? Tradition and sentimentalism should come before new age communities. (Will these areas, including the housing, be handicapped accessible?)
We will encourage electric cars, fast trains, clean sustainable decentralized energy generators. I would shut down all nuclear generators. (No personal transportation for the disabled???)
I will destroy 10 percent of our nuclear weapons each year to reverse the nuclear arms race.
We will stop giving/selling arms to other countries. All private arms sales should be illegal. (I agree).
Now my policies are pro-business. (What about pro-constituent???) The universal education system will provide business with a superior, flexible work force. The minimum income and the universal health care will remove the business’s burden of providing health insurance and pensions to workers. In reality, this relief will be much more than any tax cut could give. Moreover the minimum income will make the starting and maintaining a small business much easier. This is also true for small family farms. The minimum income will encourage independent invention and artistic pursuit, on which true progress depends.
The primary function of the government should be the protection of the health, the civil and human rights, the freedoms, and the general welfare of the people…instead of the protection and the promotion of corporate profits and interests. The government should exist to serve the people, and not to make a profit on the services to the people. My administration will be governed by these basic principles. (I agree.)
I will bring the troops home from Iraq immediately. Moreover, I will change this country’s self-image from that of THE SUPER POWER/ WORLD LEADER to that of a member of the global community. (I strongly agree. My uncle is a Specialist in the Army. He’s serving in Kuwait).
Prisons should be only for violent or otherwise dangerous criminals. Prisons should be a part of the health and educational system and should include drug rehab programs. This should also be true for the new creative in-community programs for non-violent criminals for paying-back, rehab, and education sentencing. These programs will be more effective and much less expensive and harmful to the community on every level than the current human warehouse system. Flexibility of sentencing should to be returned to judges. I will ban the death penalty. (I agree).
The use of drugs should be legalized and taxed. Pot and spirits should be sold over the counter to adults only. Tobacco and other addictive drugs should be sold by prescription only. Free drug rehab programs should be readily available. (I agree about pot. All drugs should not be legalized, though. Tobacco should be left as it is).
All of the opt-out schemes should be illegal. If a corporation wants to sell your information, it first should directly and clearly get your permission. Before this happens, all such information is a part of your privacy, not the property of a corporation. (No opinion).
The selling/buying of debt should be illegal. Moreover, there should be a maximum interest rate of 10 percent on the original principle over the life time of a loan. (No opinion).
I will forgive the loans to the so-called third-world countries over the original principle.
We will use half of the money we will save by cutting the military budget to pay down the national debt. I will reduce the pollution caused by obscene corporate profits. (Good idea).
I will also reduce the federal government while raising services to the people by getting rid of welfare, social security, the so-called war on drugs, etc., and by the cuts in the military, the I.R.S., prisons, etc. (Cuts in the military sound anti-militaristic. Please be more specific. Otherwise, I agree).
Who will be your Vice-President?
Sincerely,
Isaiah Brazzell
Isaiah Thomas Brazzell
Dickson, Tennessee 37055
Frank Moore wrote:
sorry for taking so long to respond. i’ve been swamped! i’ll cut the military bloated offensive budget by half, halt pork and other waste, etc. these savings will fund my domestic programs. in reality our bloated offensive military has been out-of-date for decades, not suitable for threats we are and will face. of course free public mass transit for everybody!
i have found making things accessable makes life easier for everybody…this includes housing, education, mass transit, etc. we need everyone in our community actively involved, not warehoused.
my running mate is susan block!
In Freedom,
Frank Moore
