The Jacksonian Party Agenda Platform

The following is a position paper of The Jacksonian Party.

[The following is a work in progress due to the health of the writer. Lots more back linking to do yet.]

From the course set for this Nation in 1787, the People of this Nation set about to take up the tasks of actually making a Nation. To do that and hold forth ideals of liberty and freedom, the founders of this Nation recognized that those things, of themselves, were not a guarantee in life and that they would need personal direction by individuals. That could only be done by stating that common agreement in that founding document of the Republic known as the Constitution and it was put forth in the opening sentence known as the Preamble. Key and item one of being part of The Jacksonian Party is adhering to the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America. When individuals have bemoaned the lack of a 'Bill of Responsibilities' they are to be informed that this is what the Preamble is.

That course is then given further outlook by the rest of the Constitutional framework and Jacksonians adhere to that framework as it is the foundation of how to apply the rights of the Individual to the Nation. Many put forth that the Declaration of Independence should be Primary and that Rights come first. Jacksonians acknowledge the Rights that are inalienable to being human, but put forth that those rights become meaningless and lead to anarchy, disorder, and other forms of uncivilized behavior without putting those Rights into a framework held in common by the People. To Jacksonians *Responsibilities* are put first and primary as those allow Rights to work for the betterment of society and individuals. Without adhering to that framework society descends into dissolution and, finally, corruption to tyranny.

The Constitutional layout for methodology is clean, crisp, clear and concise, and follows this preferential ordering of concepts.

1) Responsibilities are laid out first. As it is for the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches, so it is with the People as a whole. And the Responsibilities for the entire Nation do *not* rest upon Government, which is seen as a necessary device to act in ways to stop the removal of rights from the People and do those few things it is granted to do by the People to ensure that the Nation remains whole. When Government cannot address a problem, Jacksonians see that the People must find new and legitimate means to address those problems using the Constitutional framework as a guideline.

2) Methodology and means are second. Each branch of Government gets its methods on what it can *do*. And as the entirety of Rights are held by the People, that is ALL it can do. Those methodologies include this concept known as 'Due Process of Law' under which the entirety of Government must act. And, as the Constitution holds that up time and again as the primary method and means to achieve things, Jacksonians see 'Due Process of Law' as a foundational method and means for addressing the Nation as a whole. As 'Due Process of Law' is blind to race, creed and religion, so are Jacksonians. Being a part of We the People is an honorable thing to be and is non-discriminatory. And as Government is to only do those things of common need to all of the People, it does *not* attempt to enshrine methods or means that infringe upon anyone's beliefs, no matter what they may be. Actions are the guide to character and to adjudging things to Jacksonians and it is those actions that fall within the framework of 'Due Process of Law'.

3) Rights are third and last. Rights are an inalienable part of being a human. Framework for those Rights allows them to be constructive to society as a whole. Government does not deny any Right and recognizes that the very, very few Rights handed to it are the ONLY ones it gets. Any attempts for Government to gain *more* Responsibilities and the Rights that go with them is seen as contrary to the foundation of the United States. And each individual, who is Responsible for ALL of their Rights, even and especially those granted to Government, are accountable for the things DONE with those Rights.

Jacksonians are *not* 'strict constructionalist' in terms of the Constitution and see it as a basic and honorable framework upon which set Responsibilities with good and honorable methods lead to the greatest freedoms for the People of the Nation. It is that framework that is honorable and the stated goals of it, the actual 'construction' is that which makes the overall construction clear. In that way actually amending the Constitution or trying to make it a 'living document' are anathema to Jacksonians, but it is also seen that as We the People ARE living, we need to do so in accordance with the outlook of the Responsibilities that We have agreed upon amongst Ourselves to HAVE a Nation. The outlook of the Constitution is clear: extremely limited Government is necessary to 'referee' We the People and do the few things necessary to make the Nation a working whole. Some of the rules may need amending, in the case of laws to establish due process, but the referee does NOT start taking the rules and start to 'expand them' to change the very game itself. The greatest concept for Jacksonians in this Nation is that if you do not see something being done that needs to be addressed, you do it YOURSELF. And it might be a good idea to find a few other folks who *agree* with you, in whole or in part, to do these things so that they GET DONE.

What is also recognized by Jacksonians is that there is an in-built design within the Constitution to allow the more localized States to bring Federal Government to account for itself when the People of a State or States are put at risk by the Federal Government's actions or inactions. States have the right to summarily recall their Representatives and Senators if the State wish to do so. Further, the States may use their own Governmental processes to pick Representatives and Senators. That is for the People of a State to decide upon. The best and most accountable Government to Jacksonians is Local Government. And whenever any higher form of Government wishes to do something contrary *to* Local Government it had better have a damn good reason to do so and be ready to PAY out of its pocket to do them.

Another backstop to dissolution and tyranny is given to the States and the People to join together in times of invasion or danger when the Federal Government cannot act in a timely manner and to Defend their State from such invasion or danger. To do so is an explicit right in the Constitution and is an additional way to call the entirety of the Federal Government to account when those things common to the Nation are *not* done for any State of the Nation. The People, with legitimate arms, may use them in accordance to the State's law for survival of the State as a unit and act in such manner as necessary to ensure the safety of their State and society until such time as the Federal Government can get in to defend the State from such invasion or danger. The entirety of that bill is handed DIRECTLY to the Federal Government as the State is doing the JOB of the Federal Government for such times.

Any declaration by the Federal Government of not adhering to the Responsibilities set them by the People shall be cause for the Governor of that State to ask other State Executives to call a Convention to seek Justice and call into question the legitimacy of the Federal Government as it then stands. Action against those things it is set to do or inaction and abdication of Responsibilities are prime movers to bring the Federal Government to be held accountable by the States and the People.

Above all things the concept of Honor of the Nation is held as something that is over and above that of any individual. As Jacksonians understand that, it means that one does not give offense unless one is ready to back it up unto death, one does not take offense without first giving the other party a chance to apologize, and as individuals learning how to apologize is a necessary thing so as to act in honorable means and not wrongly give accusation against another individual. The highest enactment on this at the personal or National level is a concept known as *friendship*. One is born into one's family and that may or may not be of some help, but the friends of one's life are the stalwarts that we stand beside as individuals and will do anything to help them. Jacksonians tend to have few close friends, and many, many acquaintances. Jacksonians will do as much as they can to help family members, but do learn that those within family trying to exploit such ties will soon get very little recognition or help. It is Honorable to help out one's friends and even die for them, and in defense of one's own family that is also true. Even those we dislike, will get defense, just not much help within the family. The bonds of thought and camaraderie that are grown between individuals are just as important in making a family as making friends, until the adherence to both comes to a point where there is no functioning difference between them. And as it goes for individuals, so it goes for the Nation as whole: Jacksonians realize that the United States has very, very few dear friends and allies in this world and it is necessary to show them respect and help them out to build their Nations so that the friendship can grow stronger as BOTH Nations grow stronger from that doing.

From these things the actual Agenda of The Jacksonian Party is clear and concise.

The Jacksonian Party wishes to form a more perfect Union. Representative democracy requires that Representatives actually get to hear from the People directly, without trying to make things difficult.

- In 1911 the House of Representatives, using their previous formula had recognized that its size would grow to over 600 members by the 1940's. In their view that was unmanageable. To Jacksonians this is letting Congress dictate its own size to the People and anathema to the concept of local representation that is accountable to the People.

- And as modern communications and networking capability have grown in ways unimagined since 1911, a huge House of Representatives is not difficult to manage. Getting partisan bills passed is another matter, but the House was *not* designed to be a partisan caucus chamber but a reflection of the Voice and Will of the People. The primary check upon tyranny was the House of Representatives and by limiting its size to be 'manageable' it has stagnated into a sinecured caucus chamber that so rarely changes sides in a significant way that it is laughable to call it 'representative'. It has further been put to use as a National Grandstand by this limitation and made so that only the well connected have any chance of getting elected. In short it is no longer the House of the People.

- To bring more perfection to representative democracy, The Jacksonian Party pushes hard that the very foundation of that democracy be restored and then set to the maximal level that the founders saw was reasonable to reflect the local Will of the People. That requires the House size be set at 1 Representative for every 30,000 People. This *returns* the local election to Federal Office in a meaningful way to the People as every damn vote does count and voter fraud is damn difficult to coordinate without someone talking at such highly distributed levels of democracy.


The Jacksonian Party wishes to establish Justice. Not only for the Nation but to secure the liberties of the People.

- The primary way to do this is to put a Federal Government-wide *sunset* law into place so that every law, rule, order, finding or other bureaucratic structure is given a 10 year sunset date to be re-upped by the Legislative and the Executive.

- And each of those requires a *separate* vote. If it is such a 'good idea' then it should 'easily pass' without notice by the People. This will help get ancient laws, rules and sinecured *honeypots* of funding out of the Federal Government. If laws are not being enforced, they should be closely examined to see *why* they are not being enforced.

- In this era of electronic media, this should be a relatively easy and quiet thing to do and the overwhelming majority of this should be done openly and online and the Public given a 30 day feedback period for any law, rule, order or other such to be voted upon. Congress would be well advised to look at some of the criticism of their past work as re-upping damn fool things will get *noticed* and *publicized*.

- All parts of the Federal Government shall go under the Freedom of Information Act. Thus Congress and the Judicial Branches shall now be under these laws.

- Congress may no longer exempt itself from any civil law it passes.


The Jacksonian Party wishes to insure domestic Tranquility. There are many parts of the Federal Government that are dictating things to the People that are not liked. Many call them 'necessary evils'.

- These include bribes paid to Citizens in the form of Social Security and Medical relief because there is this strange belief that Citizens cannot figure out how to look after themselves and need to be looked after. This is actually *true* for the deranged and mentally incompetent and The Jacksonian Party *supports* giving those individuals help, oversight and care so that they do not become a harm to themselves or society.

- This direct bribery to the People by taking money from the wallets of the young and putting them into that of those that should be older AND wiser is a highly demeaning way to treat BOTH. That must *end*. Those taxes eat up more of the pay of individuals in this Nation than all other things the Federal Government does COMBINED. This system cannot be reformed.

- As promises were made to those who entered the system, they shall get a pro-rated amount back as the system *ends*. Individuals may either ask for a total withdraw of the funds they put in or get the promised coverage at its current point for their accounts when they retire. This will be a one-time, huge shock to the Federal Government and will need a separate Bond passed to help defray the costs of this. The Federal Debt will take a one time huge increase. And then the Nation shall pay off its debts for doing a damn fool thing that diminished individuals, disrespected their ability to make decisions in life and *mandated* when they should quit working.

- These decisions were taken from the hands of individuals and given to the Federal Government and the trade off in lost liberty, lost finance, lost wages, lost earning, and lost opportunity to expand the marketplace in those areas of investment are staggering beyond belief.

- This also goes for Medical subsidies, as well, and the lost opportunities of individuals forming companies to meet the needs of the People without Government bureaucracy has caused untold heartache and problems and having to appeal to Bureaucrats to get benefits. That makes the elderly and sick into something known as 'supplicants' to a higher power. That *must* end to ensure freedom and liberty in the Union. The Jacksonian Party will offer some things that Government *can* do, but they will be more *options* for individuals to make their own decisions in these things, NOT a mandate that things MUST be done to Federal Bureaucratic rules. Better a local or national company's bureaucracy than that of the Federal Government.


The Jacksonian Party wishes to ensure and provide for the common defense of the Nation. The United States has the strongest military capability on the planet and that must be ensured and enhanced.

- A process of stepping over an interim generation of equipment and doctrine to move to a new era of adaptable and flexible military capabilities is necessary in this modern world. This is wholeheartedly supported and endorsed so as to give the warfighter the best possible equipment and training on the planet so as to overmatch *any* competing Nation.

- The Armed Forces of the United States are dedicated to the mission of defending the Nation from other Nations and fighting those Nations that oppose the United States. As these threats have grown more distributed, the actual size of the military and its proportions between Active and Reserve needs to be addressed with a higher concentration on Active Forces and expanding the overall size of the Armed Forces by at least double or triple its current size staged over a five year period so as not to strain the excellent resources of the Armed Forces and give them chance to expand slowly and not lose their fighting trim.

- The era of warfare is transforming because of this mighty capability into an area that has long been overlooked by the United States, much to its sorrow: non-Nation based warfare. The Republic of the United States actually has an entire methodology system for dealing with such things OUTSIDE of the regular Armed Forces and is *still* a warfighting capability. That methodology and means is through the Letters of Marque and Reprisals language in which Congress sets up a system of Warrants to find capable individuals and their companies, give those that meet the requirements Warrant to arm themselves as they see fit for fighting, and then hand out Letters of Marque and Reprisal against Nations, companies and individuals to go after them and those that support them.

- As this is not a regular force of the United States it needs special oversight via the Warrants set-up so that necessary safety and Due Process of Law can be established. This includes such things as non-enforcement of treaty language for acts that would be a civil crime overseas in times of Peace but are not for those acting on behalf of the United States while at war. Further, normal international trade can be brought to heel under this so that enemies of the United States are not resupplied and those confiscated goods sold either at auction or due Bounty given for the return of such goods which includes the entirety of any vessel and its cargo that is seized. Supplying the enemies of the United States comes at a cost and Nations and companies and individuals had best *learn* that.

- As part of this the ship and aircraft 'graveyards' of the US Armed Forces shall be open to those with Warrants and nominal cost for items will be levied. Returning old equipment back to use in defense of the Nation in current times is an honorable thing to do and makes living history of them. Most companies will most likely not avail themselves of this, but that option must be left open as these things were made to *defend the Nation* in the first place.

- Such a program shall be run by the Executive and the State Department's list of those Nations, companies and individuals acting against the United States shall be used. Further, the Treasury and Commerce Departments shall do the same along with a listing from the Department of Defense, so a full and complete list of ALL enemies of the Union will be known and addressed. Included in this list shall be every Nation that has given a Casus Belli against the United States since 1945. They shall all be posted publicly and note made that they are now targets and may at any time surrender to any Embassy of the United States or to the Armed Forces of the United States. They shall be left up to the mercies of companies and individuals with Warrants and their own judgment as We the People trust Ourselves in these things. You become the enemy of the Free People of the United States at your own peril.

- One non-Nation, non-State, non-person threat that needs to be covered is that of infectious diseases. The Federal Government shall establish a combined Agency to research, develop, combat and give medical guidelines for fighting such diseases. As this is an organization related directly to defending the Nation it shall fall under the Department of Defense. More generalized genetic disorders will be left with their current institutions. All medical, food and public health and safety organizations shall be brought under the Surgeon General of the United States. The Surgeon General will work under the Department of Defense to ensure that food and other means of contamination are addressed by the Department of Transportation, Commerce, and the State Department and properly instituted by NORTHCOM.

- The Health and Human Services organization shall be abolished. As Social Security becomes a small, set payment system that is in decline and no mandate for medical work, the remaining parts of this organization shall also go away, save those necessary to defend the Nation from disease.

- Department of Homeland Security shall be abolished. Immigration and Naturalization shall move to the State Department. Border Patrol and Coast Guard are no longer seen as Civilian Law Enforcement operations, but military operations to counter terrorists and shall be run by trained military personnel. The INS shall have an interior component to track visas and legal immigrants with work permits.

- The Transportation Safety Administration shall discontinue baggage screening and all airlines shall be held fiscally responsible for all damages done by means of firearms, explosives, chemicals or other items or devices carried upon them. They may wish to procure private screening services. The TSA shall therefore fall under Department of Transportation to ensure the sobriety and ability of pilots or drivers for the commerce needs of the United States, all other of it functions shall be abolished.

- NORTHCOM shall gain all military duties with regards to border inspection, territorial waters of the United States and towards construction of a permanent, armed barrier along any border of the United States where illegal immigration happens. Surveillance of the direct border regions is also a mandate for this Command. NORTHCOM shall work with the Commerce Department to work up a method of port screening and ensuring of shipping of cargo to the United States with Friends and Allies so that those vessels so screened are deemed safe for entry. All other conveyances shall be inspected, no exceptions.

- As the Dept of Energy has been unable to come up with long-term solutions to the Nation's energy needs, its nuclear security component shall fall to the Department of Defense. The rest of the Department shall be abolished. Private industry will be given an awards incentive program to find safe and reliable ways to store, re-use and dispose of any nuclear waste.


The Jacksonian Party wishes to ensure the general Welfare of the Union. This does NOT mean a welfare-based Nannystate. This means regularity of commerce, regularity of protection and regularity of enforcement of ALL the laws of the land so the Citizenry can better look after their own welfare.

- On the commerce side the Federal Government shall *only* ensure the regularity of interstate commerce so that NO taxes are applied against it.

- To increase the Welfare of the Union all drugs and medications shall no longer have Federal prohibition upon them, but non-medical use of all drugs and medications shall receive taxation upon them, save those things done and made freely by individuals that are not for sale. Only those things that cause immediate death or loss of life in miniscule quantities or are so highly poisonous either via toxicity or radioactivity shall be restricted upon the marketplace of the Nation.

- The States already have many laws for those who are no longer able to control their actions via the use of substances and it is suggested that they actually enforce those laws. For all work that is in mass transportation or oversight of things that would directly cause loss of life or negatively impact the Nation shall a 'clean and sober' clause be put into all Federal Contracts. One does not drive, fly or control dangerous substances or power plants while in a state of incapacitation due to use of substances or their misuse. This includes all aircraft and international shipping and interstate commerce transport. Those are things the Federal Government can and should oversee and endangering commerce between States by willful negligence for one's own pleasure should carry a penalty with it.

- To increase options for the People, the Federal Personnel Health and Investment systems shall be opened to the Public for those willing to pay their ENTIRE amounts. Only employees of the Government get a subsidy as is currently the case.

- To ensure that the very neediest will be able to get care, a Federal Employment system for those being educated in various aspects of medicine will be established. Those applying to it and accepted will have the entirety of their medical and pre-medical tuition paid for and then spend three times as long in the Federal Service as they did getting educated. Those that serve in the Armed Forces will have that reduced to two for one. In cases of giving emergency aid to Nations struck by disaster, the Civilian force will be deployed there and time served will be one and half for one. While on the military side, serving in active war theaters is a one for one repayment.

- To any and all Health Plans and all Federal Plans in any event, the Federal Government shall act as an intermediary *mass purchaser* to garner the lowest possible cost of medications for all Health Plans wishing to avail themselves of such. By law no one shall pay a lower cost than the mass purchase of same for the Citizenry save for those medications given for FREE to the destitute and poor by companies.

- And, as the general Welfare has been intruded upon by the current system of taxation, that shall be brought to an END. The new taxation system will be placed upon *earned income* via jobs or from sales. This shall be the exact SAME percentage across the Nation and the only exemption given is to the portion that companies pay their employees. Individuals who earn money via working shall pay that same rate, personally, so as to remind them that the Nation has a personal cost to them. All other forms of income are EXEMPT. Note, that this is not a 'National Sales Tax' as this is applied to companies and individuals, not directly to the commerce. Prices may rise, but it shall not be directly attributable to a tax upon the sale of goods and services themselves.

- To supplement this, all Nations that are neither Friends nor Enemies of the Union shall pay a 10% tariff on all goods sent to the United States based on their price of purchase to the importer will be paid by the exporter. In this way those Nations that are Friends to the United States get Free Trade and both economies will grow thereby. Those that are Neutral shall pay a price for enjoying access to the market of the United States.

- All Patents and Copyrights shall have a term of 15 years. After that all that falls under those shall go into the Public Domain. No exemptions. No extentions. Nothing excluded. This includes all current information that has gotten *extensions* that are heading into 'perpetuity'. That thing is not a 'limitation' but a way to sequester information from the People and must END.

- The Federal Government has no business giving subsidies to farmers or industries and all such subsidies shall *end*. This includes cheap use of water for agriculture. All land reclamation for mineral and natural resources extraction shall be highly enforced. Further the Federal Government will end all Departments for these things including Agriculture and the Small Business Administration.

- The Federal Government has no business dictating how schools teach only to reward good teaching to standardized tests and that shall be the only goal of funding for education. The rest of the Department of Education shall be abolished. All payment for education shall be performance based against standardized testing until the level of Master's Degree and then individual parts of the Government can address advanced research and funding from there.

- To promote energy resources Federal land that is already polluted shall be opened up to companies that look to either expand current production or refining capabilities or start or investigate new ones. These companies shall be held to ninety-nine year leases and expected to have the land they are on *cleaned up* by the end of that term.

- To promote energy innovation and research, prize award systems shall be set up for finding new and innovative ways of creating, generating, transmitting and storing energy.

- To promote industrial expansion a prize award system for staging payloads and personnel to orbit and orderly and efficient transport of same shall be awarded. Additionally, the Federal Government shall contract out for such transport that has proven itself and shall guarantee use and utilization of such services to get to orbital energy installations, stations and research facilities. As this is an area of growth and potential unlimited energy for the foreseeable future of the Nation, this is a good and wise investment to move energy accumulation and transmission along with heavy industry out of the environment and into the vacuum of space. The 30 year goal is to move half of the energy generation capability of the United States into orbit and move from a chemical storage based system to an electrical storage based system.

- Starting in two years NASA shall be ended and a specialized space exploration and utilization Department shall be formed with a mandate to use Commercial Off The Shelf technologies to get to space and utilize it and then set up space-based research and development centers both in Earth Orbit and the Lunar Surface. It is a goals based agency but with the 30 year mandate for energy acquisition and transfer from space, it has a limited lifespan.


In doing these things The Jacksonian Party aims to secure the blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity and to grow the gift of Freedom that was handed to Us and hand it on undiminished to future generations.

This is not the full or thorough going through, but the framework and outline is clear: remove Federal Government from things it should not do and has been unable to do, and move towards empowering Citizens and the Nation to move boldly into the 21st century in a way that the founders of the Nation would understand.