How would you setup your Government?

[wildbil]

If you could create a new Government today what would it look like?

I would have the Federal Government be only a the Senate, no house and no pres. and then I would have special elected delegates that report to the senate.(defense, foreign relations,...) They would oversee the trade and infrastructure, and unity of the states.

States govern themselves. the US military would be broken up, where each state is responsible for maintaining its own voluntary National Guard, and the protection of its borders with Mexico and Canada. Every state could decide whats best for them(within the guidelines of the constitution).

Thats just what I was thinking aboot ,

Wildbil

[wildbil]

How would you setup you Government?-sorry should have said "Your".

[MountainDon]

We don't need a "new" government.

We simply need the old one; the one the Founding Fathers of the United States envisioned. I believe they pretty much hammered out a good set of ideals.


wildbil... you can go into that first message and edit the subject line, as well as any post you make yourself.

[MountainDon]

And we do need a military. The USA was hampered in its war against Britain by not having much of a Navy. Our merchant ships were captured and American sailors impressed into service in the British Navy. US merchant shipping also suffered by lack of a strong Navy after the USA gained its independence from Btitain. At the time the few Navy ships we had were sold off. However by the late 1700's and early 1800's US owned merchant ships were captured going about their own innocent trade with countries in the Mediterranean. (Global trade is nothing new.) The sailors were captured and sold into slavery by the kings and emperors along what was then called the Barbary Coast. The countries there demanded annual payments, bribes if we call a spade a spade, to leave our ships alone. Many countries, Britain and France among them, paid these bribes. Paying "tribute" to these pirates was totally against Thomas Jefferson's principles of law, order and rights. So US Naval power was sent to the area around 1803-05 IIRC. We forced the return of a couple hundred US sailors that had been held in slavery from the sinking of a US ship a year or so prior.

A state National Guard unit would have been useless. It should be noted though that several of the original states built and paid for the construction of some of the first US Naval ships and then donated them to the Federal Government. I feel that we still need a national military.

[MountainDon]

speaking of pirates...

http://news.aol.com/article/pirate-arrest/330413

ABOARD THE USNS LEWIS AND CLARK (Feb. 13) — U.S. Navy and Russian warships arrested 26 suspected Somali pirates this week, while a maritime watchdog warned on Friday that pirates are stepping up attacks as weather improves in the waters off East Africa.

The latest arrests came Thursday, when an American helicopter from the USS Vella Gulf fired warning shots at gunmen in two skiffs that had opened fire and tried to board the Indian-flagged vessel Premdivya.

...................
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Piracy off Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, reached record levels last year. Somali pirates, seeking multimillion-dollar ransoms, launched 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels last year, mostly in the Gulf of Aden, with attacks peaking between September and November.

Somali piracy accounted for the bulk of the 49 vessels hijacked and 889 crewmembers taken hostage around the world in 2008 — the highest worldwide figures since the London-based International Maritime Bureau began keeping records in 1991.........

[glenn kangiser]

It has been said that some of this area is rich in minerals and that we will soon be wanting to police the area to exploit the riches there --- it will be interesting to see if that happens.

[tanya]

IF I were Queen....  First of all I would probably leave the govt. structure as it is.  My Queeness would be more as a consultant than a power monger.  But I would hold the individual departments responsible for actually accomlishing something and every damn single one would be required to take accross the board cuts of a minimum 10 percent every year until they remained in budget while simutaneously reducing their need for existance.  In other words it does no good to reward bad policies and procedures, if an agency head can't do the job within the allotted budget they shouldn't even be allowed to ask for more thye should be fired.  Then we would see some real results.  Next I would eliminate at least 80 percent of  administrative costs in the HHS department for one.  Yes administrators are needed in some areas but certainly not to the point where they take up over 80 percent of the budget, after all if we have to pay for 80 percent admin costs and only 20 percent is going to the actual people I have to wonder why we don't just send stipends to the people living below poverty levels and eliminate the admin fees and govt. corruption that has grwon to crimminal proportions in our lovely state of WA at least.  That is how public assistance is administered in Europe and other nations.  I would also make sure that the govt. officials who do carry guns shoot some people for pitys sake.  There is a population explosion and a lot of times it would be a legitimate kill, saving society from having to try and re-try crimminals, particularly evil ones.  Those weapons are NOT just for show and tell.   Then once I had everyones attention I would make sure feed, clothe, house, and care for the ill, as well as education and training and environmental programs were top priorities.   

[peternap]

I think Don is right except...

I would pay special attention to the wording in the Constution so even idiots could understand it.

I like the way the Swiss have set up their military. If you live there, you defend it.

[MountainDon]

Two good points, Peter.

[Squirl]

Israel does the same thing as the Swiss.  Good points peter.

I don't believe we can go back to the loosely knit states.  Even the founding fathers realized that was a failure in the first few years.  I don't even think we need to go back to far to get the government I liked. I think we need to go back to before we started meddling in the rest of the worlds problems.  I would like to go back to the days when we didn't go around the world picking fights.  Trouble can find us easy enough without us going to look for it.

[glenn kangiser]

I agree Squirl... we can still be the tough guy that no one will mess with -- maybe even better if we stay home and build our resources rather than squandering them on undeclared, undefined, unreal wars fabricated for the profit of the elite.

[tanya]

The state of WA is looking into a bill to restructure the DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services) apparently the agency has grown so big it is impossible to administer and maintain any accountability!!!  Their current budget is 20 BILLION a year ( for just that one agency)  For that much money we can have nanny 911, and a personal assistant in every household!!!  And medical care!!! 

They will be setting up four new agencies which account for the current agencies business.  The thing that has me baffled is how will setting up four more department administrations save money?  Of course it will help with the blame game they play now, it wasn't ours, it was theirs, etc.  So accountability MIGHT be improved but that is pretty far fetched.  What the legislatire is facing is the feds telling them to make sure thier agencies are not violating peoples civil rights or lose their federal funding. It's serious and I am not sure the plan will work but something has to give in that agencey.

The other bills the leg is considering are the decrimminalization of marijuanna!!! I think we might need it;) 

[StinkerBell]

First I would take all three branches of the government and fire, no chop their heads off.

Then I would look at the lobbyist, it would only take one to look at me the wrong way and I would order all lobbyist to be sent to gitmo.

Then I would return to a time that was most beneficial to this country. I think just right after the industrial age, but right before federal taxation went into place. I would also make an amendment that the government would have to work on an accounting system that has a budget and not the current way. Your department runs out of money for the year, to bad. and of with your head if you could have managed the money better.

[glenn kangiser]

I love it when you get mean, Stink.  Hurt me, Hurt me.

[StinkerBell]

You invite me to hurt you, but you know Sassy would never let me!

Empty suggestions glenn, empty.

[glenn kangiser]

She may help....