Jacksonian Domestic Policy

You are responsible for your rights and will be held accountable for misdeeds as guided by your local, state and Federal governments.

Some things that need to be addressed for an orderly government in our day and age:

1) FOIA shall include all parts of the Federal Government including Congress and the Supreme Court.

2) Congress shall not exempt itself from any law.

3) Taxation - All businesses shall be taxed at the rate of individuals. Businesses shall subtratact wages and salaries from their income and shall be taxed on the remainder. There shall be a flat taxation system for the United States with no write-offs of exemptions. This taxation will only be upon wages, salaries and business income as addressed above. It shall NOT include: interest, capital gains, appreciation in value, etc.. Similarly bad investments may not be written off or subtracted. All Nations that are Free Trade Partners shall be under this umbrella so that investment in their Nations shall be considered to be under no tarriff or taxation. Similarly their investments shall be under no tarriff or taxation.

4) Religions - Shall be tax free so long as they do not address any foreign policy with respect to any single Nation or Bloc of Nations. Upon doing so that entire religion shall be declared a corporation and as an Agent of a Foreign Nation. Only general foreign policy precepts may be discussed for best practices in winning friends and influencing people to freedom. All social problems that are not a concern of the entirety of the People of the United States may be addressed to the States. Any religious party attempting to influence National goals or objectives shall be declared a political party and corporation and taxed the same. The Government of the United States shall establish no religion and honor all equally. All sermons, prayers and traditional ceremonial openings will be rotated amongst all religious organizations that apply to a general pool of same and will be chosen at random for such things until that pool is exhausted. That pool shall then be refreshed in its entirety with all entrants. One continuous entrant shall be 'two minutes of introspection, silence and observation with one's own thoughts' which shall have a 20% chance of being applied to any ceremony or opening traditional to the United States. If the ceremony is for the deceased an exception shall be made to have their religious practice used and specified by them, unless they have not specified one, in which case the silence shall be observed. Similar to the above for taxation purposes, charitable groups are tax exempt, save for the provisos listed for religions.

5) Abortion - this is left up to the States to figure out on their Own in accordance with guidance from the Supreme Court.

6) Marriage - this is left up to the States to figure out and regularize on their Own. No health benefits coverage is adjusted due to married status and all offerings shall be neutral to one-individual, two-individuals, or generic family coverage. Taxation is at the individual earnings level with no adjustments.

7) Medications - All safe and standard dosages shall be determined by federal agencies along with best practice guidelines determined by physician standards. All medications and intoxicants shall be regulated, purity verified and taxed if there is no medical use indicated under the best practices precepts. Physicians may only used verifiable and treatable conditions as justification for prescription and all medications with an impairing or intoxicating effect must fall under those practices. All individuals are responsible for their actions and all applicable laws for intoxication shall include all other forms of medication based impairment. Individuals may not use addiction as a justification for seeking the avoidance of taxation. Only those medications that can cause immediate death or permanent impairment at minimal or non-therapeutic dosages, shall be regulated by the Federal Government and administration of same must be under oversight of the best practices precepts by registered physicians. Individuals are responsible for the proper use of medications at therapeutic dosages for prescribed medications. Safety of the public is left up to States and to Employers. States and Employers may require competency, fitness and regular screening to ensure that public safety and health is not impaired due to intoxication and use of non-prescribed medications. The Federal Government is an Employer.

8) Social Security - The mandate for Retirement will end with the age cohort entering the workforce. All funds will be taken from General Revenue and Social Security taxation will end. Social Security benefits will be capped at 150% of the National Poverty Line. The retirement age for honoring Social Security will only exist for the last entrant into the system. The new age cohort will no longer be allowed into the system. As there is no taxation upon interest, appreciation of value and capital gains, those that work and invest well will be expected to manage their own retirement. Social Security will continue to exist for disability and other incapacitation. This will be done via the Office of Disability and Catastrophic care for Citizens and will require a thorough medical review for all existing conditions and mental problems. Once certified as being incapable, the normal procedures shall apply to that individual. With the incoming age cohort the concept of 'Retirement Age' shall be retired.

9) Welfare - The Office of Disability and Catastrophic care for Citizens will be a place of last resort for application for help once each government at municipal, county, regional and state level has certified that an individual is not able to be employed and cannot care for themselves under that of the State involved. Charitable institutions that will care for such individuals for no cost will apply their institutions to a Federal list of availability and restrictions for those that they may accept. Lack of similar religious belief is not a valid restriction and any Federally placed individual may not have religion brought to them by that institution unless it is specifically asked for by that individual. The Federal Government shall provide the lowest cost, one-way, non-refundable transportation to that new facility and validate that the individual has arrived safely. The States are expected to regularize a system of checking on the care of all individuals in such institutions along the lines of best medical, hygienic and ethical practices. Any complaints received on any institution shall be checked by the Federal Government to ensure that the individual is well cared for and the institution well run. Any facility found to be found non-compliant twice in one year or three times in two years will be closed and all individuals moved, at the expense of the State to new facilities. If individuals need be moved out of State, that originating State shall supply all moving expenses and pay for any additional and ongoing costs for care of that individual.

10) Congress shall duly stop illegal crossing into the United States. Congress shall supply necessary funds to the cognizant Agencies to put up permanent control equipment so as to discourage such crossings, using lethal force if needs be. Only crossings through controlled checkpoints shall be allowed. Any individual here illegally shall be put to work on building such control mechanisms for a period of no less than two years or hard labor for five years, before being returned to their country of origin.

11) Congress shall review the entirety of the Federal Regulation system and ensure that it is pertinent and comprehensible to someone of the average educational age within the United States.

12) All regulations passed by Congress shall have a 'sunset' proviso for discontinuation in 10 years if not renewed.

13) All medical malpractice suits must be certified as being truly 'malpractice' by an oversight group of no less than three physicians within that practice type chosen at random within the United States. If found that the physician in question truly did practice medicine poorly and with intent to harm, then malpractice may be awarded. If simple injury by oversight or problems normal to the course of that practice are cited, then the injury may be termed 'an accident'. If such a suit is brought frivolously and dismissed as such, then the plaintiff is liable for the entire cost of the expenditures for the entire case for the defendant and the court.

14) All suits for injuries due to product misuse or unforseen use are prohibited. If a suit is brought a panel of three individuals that are common users of such product or products shall be chosen to determine if misuse or unforseen use is the case. If deemed to be a faulty product used in normal situations, then awards may be made. All manufacturers shall make available all common and ordinary uses of their products and inform purchasers either via enclosure or electronic means of those uses. A warranty card filled out by hand or via electronic means certifies that the user is cognizant of the restrictions upon that item and will not sue based on unintended uses of that product without first asking the manufacturer as to the safety of that use.

15) A Federal Medical service shall be instituted. For all individuals wishing to practice medicine, they may apply to the Federal Government to become Federal Physicians. Such individuals will have the entirety of their direct medical education covered and be expected to work 3 years for every 1 year of education covered. An exemption is made for those fit enough for military work and wish to apply for such, in which case 2 years of service for every 1 year of education shall apply and is accepted into that Service. Each physician will be paid appropriately for a mid-level Government employee and demonstrate knowledge and competence for their specialty. The Government may shift such individuals as needed during time of employment to areas of need. Such personnel may be relocated overseas for work in Embassies or disaster relief. Hardship coverage in disaster relief is a direct day for day repayment of their time. If such an individual leaves before their Federal term is up for any but disability reasons, then the entirety of the cost burden is then shifted back upon that individual. Upon completion of their term an individual may continue on with the Federal service if they are offered such, or practice medicine privately. Poor, indegent and disabled individuals without recourse to proper medical attention via charitable, local or State means may apply to the Federal Government for medical support from this service.

16) All Federal Government medical benefits plans shall be opened up to the Citizenry. Each Citizen applying for such would be expected to pay for their entire premium on their own. Additionally the Federal Government will act as a combination point for all Federal plans for purchase of medication and perform bulk purchasing for all such plans. Cost of medication will be that of the bulk purchase cost, plus additional costs of shipping and tracking such medications. The Federal Medical Service will also prescribe from this pool, with cost savings being passed downwards. Those judged to be truly poor and indigent by the Office of Disability and Catastrophic Care for the Citizenry may apply for medical grants so that their medications will be made available at a means tested cost.

17) All Copyrights shall last no longer than 10 years. After that all such works belong to the public domain. Extensions will not be given.

18) All Patents shall last no longer than 10 years. After that all such works belong to the public domain. Extensions will not be given.

19) All Classified material held by the Federal Government may not be held longer than 15 years without review. At 15 years, if such material has not been reviewed, then it shall be immediately declared De-Classified and given over to the National Archives. The National Archives shall make all such documents available in electronic format in no less than 6 months after receipt. A document may only continued as Classified if it is determined that an individual or individuals will be put at physical risk or bodily harm if such documents are released, in which case an additional 10 years is given, but notice must be given to the individual(s) involved that this is now the case.

20) The 'Black Budget' be listed per line-item with Agency and Sponsor of each item given. Line items may be given numerical codes, but must have reason attached to the line item for the area of work it is under.

I am sure that I missed a couple of things, here and there, but that is it. Add this to what the Government actually *does* and you have a thorough re-structuring of things on a National scale.

For this I can't even say it is *better*... just a bit more in line with what the Nation set out to do, while still not making the Federal Government this isolated bit of the Universe to apply to for succor.

Basically, if you want it done, get the states to do it for you.