John McCain's decision to put America first by focusing on the victims of Hurricane Gustav and scrubbing most events on the first day of the convention and replacing political events with a fundraising appeal for the American Red Cross and other organizations, this week being the crowning moment of his political career, the long-awaited Republican nomination, once again shows the contrast in leadership from the Hurricane Katrina debacle 3 years ago. Here are some of my suggestions for a President McCain agenda:
Announcement of No Holdovers From the Bush Administration
Thank President George W. Bush for his service to the country through difficult and challenging times, including 9/11, Enron and other financial scandals, Iraq, and the subprime mortgage crisis. Acknowledge Bush's successes in tax policy, prescription drugs for senior citizens and education and progress in places like Libya and North Korea, but it's time for new leadership.
A New Bipartisan Cabinet
Just as McCain focused on country-first in his bipartisanship in the Senate, he will bring diversity to his cabinet as well.
A Foreign Policy Based on Regional Stability, not Clinton-Bush Nation Building
With federal budget constraints, we can no longer afford to be the world's unpaid policeman, and we cannot afford in the future to spend blood and treasure micromanaging internal disputes of other countries.
More Competitive Business Taxes and Job Retraining/Education Tax Credits
While Obama demagogues companies looking to shift unprofitable enterprises to areas with improved costs, including more competitive tax policies, McCain must lower business taxes which are uncompetitive and constitute a barrier to business development and job creation.
Whitebox Federal Spending Decisions, Nonpartisan Ratings of Earmarks, Freeze Periods for Expenditures, Lobbyist Waiting Periods, and Legislator Ethics Reform
We should require every member of Congress to fully disclose any conversations regarding advocacy of expenditures primarily benefiting his or her own district or state and to disqualify himself or herself from directly voting on any such expenditure. Lobbyists would be banned from the drafting of legislation, and there should be exanded minimal periods before a lobbyist could assume a position on a Congressional staff or a former member of Congress could serve as a lobbyist.
Federal Amendment on Judges
We should establish a mandatory retirement age of 70 for federal judges and a single 12-year term to the Supreme Court. We should also institute an alternate Supreme Court justice to serve in the event of illness or death in a manner similar to the Office of the Vice President.
Expanded Federal Education Initiatives Focusing on Secondary Education and Math/Science Literacy
We need to progress beyond the obsolete agrarian school year and consider federal incentives for longer school days, more days in the school year/maximum period between terms (e.g., 3 weeks), achievements like graduation ratio and certain standardized scores.
Means-Tested Flat Deduction for Interest/Dividend Income
Bipartisan Focus on Controlling Federal Spending and Ending Earmarks
Republicans should work with the Blue Dog Coalition to go beyond pay as you go and eliminate redundancy, reengineer business processes and intelligently leverage technology and industry "best practices" for government operations.
Americas Trading Bloc and Merit-Based Immigration Reform
Latin America cannot dump unemployment problems resulting from poor economic policy or undesirable elements (i.e., criminals) on the United States. Border protection must be a priority, registration and tracking of undocumented workers respecting the laws of the United States, and the primary focus of border enforcement should be terrorists and criminal elements. I would like to see free trade agreements with all countries in the Americas. The United States should consider diversification of raw materials, goods and services, including Latin American-based suppliers. We must revamp obsolete immigration quotas and provide preferences for entrepreneurs and in-demand professional services (including qualified family doctors and nurses in underserved rural and inner-city areas).
Federal Energy Savings Tax Vouchers, No Corn Ethanol Subsidies, Tax-Advantaged Biofuel Pipelines, and Writeoffs of Biofuel Tank Conversions
Provide progressive tax credits for people trading in older, energy-inefficient appliances or low-mileage primary household vehicles for certain minimal mpg/alternative-fueled or energy-star standards. Immediate full writeoff for converting gasoline or other fuel tanks to dispense E85 or other biofuel concentrates. Lower tariffs on Brazilian ethanol and focus subsidies on promising or actual more energy-conserving alternatives (e.g., tropical maize).
Catastrophic Health Insurance
Maximize the amount of out-of-pocket health expenditures by any household for a given calendar year. Bob Dole once suggested this vs. HillaryCare. We should especially provide incentives for high-risk people (e.g., diabetics or morbidly obese people) to seek proactive medical care, including free annual checkups, in order to minimize tragic, high-cost remedial care.
Imported Oil Barrel Floor Tax
Setting a minimum price per oil (say, $100/barrel) would encourage investment in substitute fuels feasible up to the price point.
Creation of an American Services Corps
Provide scholarships, grants, or loan forgiveness, plus market/merit-based wage supplements, including certain overall/major GPA targets for in-demand majors and professional requirements. For example, we could provide premium teaching salaries for secondary school education majors with a mininum GPA (say, 3.6/4.0) in science core courses, if they agree to serve 5 years in poverty-stricken, urban or rural areas. Similarly, we could provide similar incentives for professional services, such as family physicians and registered nurses.
