Thursday, June 16, 2016

What the Right Candidate for President Will Do - Action, not Talk


Introduction

        The suggested plan at the end of this explanation was written long after Governors Johnson and Weld were nominated as our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the Office of President. This is what I, personally and only for myself, would like to see happen now.

Change How the Libertarian Party is Viewed

       I'm not running for president. I did that once at the suggestion of my Editor and found it to be a less than fulfilling experience. However, I do want Gary and Bill to adopt this plan as a lead for their campaign. This election provides more potential for change than anyone has ever seen. Therefore, it is not an opportunity to be wasted.

       Since nothing we have done heretofore has worked trying another approach could have merit, especially since the first part of the Plan includes some proof these approaches are already working.

       Objectively, Gary and Bill are now positioned as 'spoiler' candidates. This always comes up when they are interviewed. Launching this plan will change the questions asked. And while it is true the GOP is in trouble and melting, down just like the Wicked Witch of the East, that does not move us toward freedom. A NONE-OF-THE-ABOVE form of support or interest only puts us in the present paradigm as having the potential to 'screw things up,' for the real candidates.

       We need to represent a real choice, a better way, a solution to the problems our nation and the world now face.

      Voting for Gary and Bill must become an affirmative statement which positions the LP as equally representing the real natural and God-given rights of all Americans, supporting local governance and justice for all of us. I want the world to see what freedom, free markets, and the good conscience of people can accomplish. 

      Over the last 40 years the LP has became an adjunct for the GOP, thanks in large part to folks like the Kochs. That was always wrong. America faces a problem which is harming all of us.

     The problem is that our nation and our very lives have long since been hijacked by a corporate elite (I call this Greedville) . Most of us, from all perspectives, now realize this but not what to do about it that can work.

The Solution

      Extracting ourselves from the grid of Greedville is critical to any hope for freedom. We are mice in the cage with a python who will eventually get around to us. Stalling is not a strategy.

      Each time one of us puts our hard-earned money into their pockets it impacts their profits and their power. Tiny, incremental amounts of power and money can mount up. That is why they use laws and regulations to stop us from making those No-Profit-For-Them choices. We can change this if we come together across the chasm which now divides us behind the common goals laid out in the Plan.

     Death and destruction cannot build a new future. This only allows those without power to make a statement as they die for their principles. I understand and respect the acts of so many who have done this through history. We need to use the power of commerce and freedom, enforcing our right to choose what we will pay for and what we will leave on the shelf.

     We can begin the Third American Revolution, the one which reaches the goal.

     This time we need an affirmative offensive, one which is non-violent and brings Americans together.

     The mission was, and remains, most eloquently, enunciated here.

     IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.




Extracting Ourselves from the Greedville Grid

      I suggest we throw out Greedville by extracting our selves from the big, sucking money machine they have built to bleed us dry. This, we can accomplish because the intermediate goals are things to which all Americans are already committed.
      Let me share with you how the Second American Revolution, the one you never heard about, ended. Then, and now, the problem was an elite.




The Real Story of Shays Rebellion

      In 1786 Americans rose up in response to the confiscatory actions of the government most of them had risked their lives to create. In Massachusetts former soldiers and citizens began closing the courts because of the injustices being visited on them and their fellow citizens by a corporate elite, most of them speculators who profited as they bought up the Notes for Consolidating State Debt issued to former soldiers to be honored in the future. The bicameral General Court for Massachusetts was then writing laws which made it impossible for some of these men, now farming and struggling to feed their families, to keep their property. The Notes could not be used, even to pay taxes. Most were sold at a tenth their face value so these honest, hard-working people could survive.
      It was wrong – and the many pleas over a period of years did not move those in power to change what they had created when the Massachusetts Constitution was voted on in 1780. That winter had been so severe few towns in the West could make their way through the snow to vote.
      So citing the Declaration, men took up arms, closed the courts, which they had done prior to the Revolution for the same reasons. A minority of these men where struggling farmers, most of whom had served. But many were more well-to-do, respected Veterans, decorated for bravery, who returned home to continue their lives as leading citizens in their communities. The Regulators, which is what these rebels called themselves, were numbered in the thousands.
       Read Shays Rebellion by Leonard L. Richards. Professor Richards was surprised when he finally did the research to see the story he thought he knew well was created to hide the truth about this rising of the people in protection of their rights.
The People lost, some fled, but most of then conceded and returned to live out their lives.




The Third American Revolution
 
       Violence did not work. Politics does not work. But together Americans can build a path to a future where all of us are free by removing ourselves from the Grid of Greedville. This way, we focus our energies on one set of goals, removing the barriers which Greedville will place in our path. I'm not telling you this will be fast, or easy. I'm not even telling you people will not die. They are dying now, for corporate profits in wars; On the streets after they return from war, Vets are dying, homeless and alone. Families, individuals from all races, viewpoints, and backgrounds, are finding themselves financially shredded and thrown away. And all of us are watching it cost more to just live and facing problems when we try to exit the Grid.
      One instance of this is allowing electric companies to continue charging us when we go off the grid. We, the People, must be free to choose.
      This is why I wrote the plan. I want our candidates, two former governors from Blue states, to run on issues of substance which unite us as one, leading the way to freedom. Their credentials are the best we could have for this purpose.
      And I also say, ”let the Nazis, and anyone else, bake their own cakes,” if the baker declines.



For Liberty, Justice and Rights for Each of Us,



Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
Rebooting Libertarianism


What the right candidate for President will propose and do for Americans

One of the systemic problems with government programs for everything is that they are not tested and proved to work in advance. Our approach uses tested technologies and approaches which are in use widely and are proven to work well as a starting point. Our proposals solve problems created by government and the corporations which have been using government to augment their profits since at least 1913. 
 
There is no reason a presidential campaign needs to limit itself to using government to solve problems. It is better to remove government where it is preventing problems from being solved. For all of the problems we could identify government failed to ensure the problem, for instance, holding oil companies accountable for pollution which causes health problems, death, and impacts the air, water and land which is the property of real people. 
 
The solution is a legal system which delivers justice at a cost ordinary people can afford to pay. Electing a president who would take this approach is a candidate real Conservatives (now without a political home), Libertarians, and Liberals can all support.

None of our proposals are speculative. All point to proof the concept works. Carrying them out depends on election a president who will commit to doing the job and people who will support this work, ignoring traditional politics. It ever America was ready for this, now is the time.


Lowering the Cost of Social Services – Healing Lives

Proof of Concept
Housing First in Utah began to solve a problem and at the same time reduce costs for social services, which were increasing. The record of costs for homeless individuals and families was rising but the cost to the state for these same populations when they were provided with a place to live appeared to drop.
A program to test these figures was carried out and this proved to cut the cost for services then provided by about 30%. This resulted in a move to provide housing first, before other services were provided. This has proven to work. The State of Utah The program is being used in other states, counties, cities and towns across the country. In Utah, the number of chronically homeless has dropped 91% in the last ten years. 
Non-profits have come into spread the concept, for instance Pathways to Housing.
People provided with a place to live become productive, they find jobs, open businesses, and become active in their communities helping others. This is the working program which provides homes to the homeless and lowers the cost to government. It is fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Our proposal begins with this proven model.

Why are so many people being marginalized and homeless?
Everyday more of our fellow Americans are being made homeless or financially marginalized through the failure of government to hold corporations accountable. Regulations have not worked. Instead of adding public employees and complexity government should have fixed our system of justice.
For Libertarians, this is the transitional step which removes the justification for growing government. It is a 'get back to the basics' approach for Liberty.
Americans from all professions and backgrounds who have been financially destroyed by the criminal behavior of the financial industry and the mortgage meltdown are suffering along with everyone else, including retirees and disabled people who lost their savings and are now destitute. Veterans are left homeless because they cannot function, returning from the wars started to benefit the Multi-National Corporations. Wars should not be fought so oil companies can gain access to property belonging to people in other countries.

 Financial loss, loss of your home, loss of your standing with people who at first pity you then reject you as a 'loser' causes shock and emotional trauma, resulting in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Veterans suffer from this and also Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), both of which make normal functioning difficult or impossible.

The reason for this leads us to another area for simultaneously healing lives and saving money.


Proof of Concept
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are problems now associated with returning Veterans which make normal functioning for those impacted from their service impossible. Homeless Veterans are now dying on the streets at a rate of two a day while technologies exist which can heal the brain and make return to normal life successful.
Neurofeedback has worked over a wide range of individuals plagued by problems including PTSD, ADHD, alcohol and drug addiction, among other conditions. It is inexpensive and technologies for treating the problem are growing more common. One example of a provider whose is at the edge of the industry is NeurOptimal. Dr. Janet McCulluch, therapist who has used the technology successfully and lowered the number of people on welfare in Kingston through her Clinic, Kingston Institute of Psychotherapy and Neurofeedback. 75% of those treated return to normal functioning.
The use of alcohol and drugs has been deemed to be a form of self-medication which helps the individual cope with post traumatic impact in their lives.
Treatment using the NeurOptimal unit, which looks like a lap top, is simple and can be completed in three months with three sessions of 35 minutes a week. Therapists, referred to as Trainers by NeurOptimal, can be trained in a short period of time and do not need a professional background. The unit costs around $10,000. No drugs are used for treatment.
Many effective therapies for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are also available and treat multiple conditions. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), is one of the most effective among these and is now moving into wide-spread usage. Dr. Paul Harch pioneered the use of this therapy and has used it successfully to treat 70 different cerebral disorders, including stroke, dementia, autism and traumatic brain injury.  No drugs are used in therapy.
For some reason pharmaceutical companies are very resistant to the use of Neurofeedback and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Who Pays for This?
The need for housing for the victims of greed is large and growing. The housing we propose for the marginalized, homeless, and others in need costs less than any traditional housing and is much faster to construct. It is also sustainable and we have designed it to be off the grids.
Providing working therapies for those rendered incapable of working saves money, heals lives, and will move Americans from needing help to caring for themselves, reuniting families, and helping others in their communities. Instituting the use of these technologies saves money by accomplishing these goals. But the costs extracted from all Americans can be repaid by holding those corporations who caused the problems and those who prevented the use of these technologies, accountable.
An incoming president can order the Department of Justice to investigate the activities of the banks and mortgage companies which caused the wide-spread financial instability which stole the savings of so many. An incoming president can ensure Veterans receive compensation, perhaps one of the homes which will take them off the grid, and treatment for their neurological problems, PTSD and or TBI.

Right now, all of us are paying for the massive transfer of wealth carried out by the financial institutions and banks. We are paying through the mounting depression America is experiencing, the inflation of our money, and more. We are also paying for social services which cannot keep up with the demand for housing for these victims of corporate greed and government incompetence.

First, we need to provide housing for the victims instead of letting them die. Then, the incoming president can prosecute those responsible. Restitution to victims and compensation to government for the costs of housing must be included in the judgment. No bank or corporation is too big to fail and many question the efficacy of the Federal Reserve System. Local banks, responsible to their members or depositors worked far better.
The cost of providing quality housing need not be excessive. Using our suggested technologies and materials completely sustainable homes of 2,500 square feet can be built for around $40.000 each. The cost will be paid by the banks are part of their ordered restitution.
Materials which cost less are generally viewed as inferior. But this is not necessarily the case. Through innovations which came about in the late 1970s the world, except the United States, is using Green Concretes which are stronger, much more durable and lasting and resist natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. Those in use in Europe are much more expensive than what is available within the US now. These innovations have produced formulas which lower the cost of building, especially when used with technological innovations which reduce the time required for construction to days or a week instead of months.
This is a transitional program during which infrastructure deemed useful would also be repaired using these materials now available at a far lower cost than projected, which, in the trillions, is unaffordable.

At the end of four years America will have less government. Then, it will be more like a government which is doing the job Americans want done. 

NOTE:  The specific material mentioned here is now being patented and the business plan will be read by qualified investors this coming week.  


 

2 comments:

  1. Nicely done, informative and interesting. Especially Shay's Rebellion --- about which I knew almost nothing --- reminds me of the Whiskey Rebellion, which while more targeted, was less relevant. Thanks for the enlightenment, Melinda!

    The central role of the courts in repression becomes clear.

    A clear outlook on the current potential for the LP and a logical way to exercise it. I hope a few folks are listening - - -

    Now while I personally have given up on a political solution, I sure would like to be proven wrong. Come on, sock it to me - - -

    Health, happiness, & long life,
    L. Reichard White

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    1. Thank you, Reichard, I understand your frustration with the arrested paradigm thinking of the Libertarian Party. It drove me crazy back in The Day. But there is more than one way to skin a cat (Sorry Graysom, this is only a figure of speech) and am putting up a site now to get some paradigm in motion. And May You Live Long, (really long) and Prosper. Melinda

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