If I Were King ...

I would implement a 50 year plan to end the use of combustibles for energy:

1)     3 years: Cancel all combustion based generating plant projects that haven't broken ground

2)     5 years: Require all new construction to include as many free-fueled energy devices and/or eco-helpful environments on the roof as practical

3)     20 years: All oil fueled generating plants would be dismantled

4)     30 years: All fossil fuel generating plants would be dismantled

5)     50 years: Fossil fuels would no longer be used for transportation

6)     Possible exceptions: Air and Space travel; military and emergency; waste reclamation

 

Make it a criminal offense for members of the media to come in physical contact with their subjects or the subject's escorts.  This would include:

·         Being propelled into contact by another would not be allowed as a defense

·         The subject initiating contact would not be allowed as a defense unless the subject actually chased the member of the media

·         Mandatory jail time for 2nd and subsequent offenses

·         Escalating fines for both the contactor and their employer

 

At my own expense, commission:

·         The development of an inexpensive consumer device that lets me control the magnitude of the difference in volume between the quietest to the loudest in any audio stream

·         The present day equivalent of a Statue of Liberty gift for France honoring the creation of the EU

 

Correct the Educational System by:

1st.        A return to a catechism oriented classical curricula

2nd.       Require any school experiencing an unacceptable level of violence to implement a comprehensive surveillance system

3rd.        All students will be subject to searches of their persons and effects at the reasonable discretion of the teachers (law enforcement searches will still require a warrant).

4th.        If a student creates a serious problem, and strenuous efforts to correct the problem fail, place the student in a problem student class

5th.        Require much more from the brightest students

6th.        End the strict association of age with grade; all students would advance a grade only after demonstrating mastery of the current grade's material

7th.        Resurrect the Primary and Secondary education systems by guaranteeing that only those who have mastered the curricula receive diplomas

8th.        Require everyone to complete a year in the military followed a few months later by a year in an approved militarily structured organization by their 29th birthday

9th.        All college applicants would have to pass a comprehensive entry test before enrolling in their first course

 

Apply the 4th Amendment to current technology:

v  Medical Information:

a.       Within 5 years, create a national medical database containing everyone's entire medical history and all the data generated by providers and funders and other stake holders. 

b.       All the information in the database will be under the sole ownership of the patient and classified as a Federal Secret; access granted by permission only, and only as far as necessary to provide the proper care. 

c.       Unless authorized by the patient, possession and/or use of this information will be a criminal offense.  Insurance companies and employers and recruiters, and their agents, are specifically prohibited from accessing this information

v  Personal Information:

a.       All the information and data generated by a person's personal activity are the sole and exclusive property of that person (with an exceedingly long and specific list of exceptions). 

b.       Except for extreme situations and parents testing minors, all drug tests are prohibited and possession of recreational drugs will be decriminalized.

 

Let our children be children:

         I.            Return responsibility for and authority over our children to their parents.  This especially includes medical, health and reproductive activities; religious beliefs and values; associations; education, corporal punishment, etc...

       II.            Return the voting age and majority age to 21; active military stays 18

     III.            Require DNA verification of parenthood for all children born to minors. The parents of the father and mother are responsible for children born to minors until the mother's and father's majority

    IV.            Allow minors to marry only with their parent's permission

      V.            Bring back the curfew

 

Make sure we all speak the same language: Require all commercial, political and legal communications to be in English (with a long list of exceptions)

 

 

Quotes:

 

"MAGPIE, n. A bird whose thievish disposition suggested to someone that it might be taught to talk. "  Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary:

 

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

 

Fun Facts to Know and Share:

 

The term "basket case" originated after WWI to refer to a wounded soldier who has lost both arms and both legs to amputation, and had to be carried around in a basket.

 

Bumper stickers that caught my eye:

 

"I've read about the evils of alcohol, so I gave up reading."

 

"To err is human; to blame it on somebody else shows management potential."