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Brandon Dennis
Galactic Member
USA
1466 Posts |
 Posted - 10/27/2009 : 11:25:31 PM
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Here's a fun little thread for everyone to give their opinions on the world and how they would do things differently if they were in charge. I'll start.
Education
For the education system, I would just make it so that around 2nd or 3rd grade, you start learning all sorts of skills like plumbing, electricity, farming, construction, etc. Obviously you would start off with little, basic information and make it fun so the kids will learn it. Then each year, you get deeper and deeper into each skill so that by time you reach seventh or eighth grade, you will of already noticed which skills you like more and are better at. After that, you'd major in one or two main skills and still learn a little bit about the other ones. I mean think, our education system puts kids through 12 years of "learning". That's 12 whole years of just studying. By time you're 18, you could've mastered brain science. Instead, we have this fake education where its all a matter of passing the exams so the schools will look better and get more funding. They focus on appearances rather than actually teaching anything. That's why I dropped out. If you had this type of education system, people would be a hell of a lot smarter and more able, plus nobody would drop out because they'd be able to learn about actual skills and do work that they enjoy.
Health Care
What I would do with health care is form a board of small town doctors (y'know, actual human beings. I don't want those doctors who got rich by undermining their patients' health.) that would evaluate every medical procedure and tell us what it actually costs to do that procedure. The way it is now is that hospitals buy all these expensive machines like MRIs so they can only afford one or two so only one or two people can use it at a time, which means they push the high priority cases up front, which translates into higher fees if you want that MRI exam. On top of that, they raise the prices for all of the other exams that they have just because they can and also hit you with high prices because they know your insurance will cover it, which then translates into higher premiums. We don't need health care reform, we just need honest doctors.
I'll add more of my thoughts in this thread as I think of them. Let me know what you think of my ideas above and add your own. Everyone says they could do better than the politicians, so here's your chance to show us those great thoughts just sitting around in your head. 
The state is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength. I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.
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"If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be... if we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed." ~ Thomas Jefferson
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"If you want peace prepare for war." ~ Vegetius
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"We may stand alone.....but we stand alone together" ~ Brandon Dennis
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My MSN messenger: Mr.BrandonDennis@gmail.com
My email address: Mr.BrandonDennis@gmail.com
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Grey
Galactic Member
Spain
510 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 08:13:40 AM
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Nice thread. I'm gonna do it for Britain though. If I were Prime Minister...
Education:
I like Brandon's idea, but I would still focus on academic subjects, such as maths and science, this would also allow Engineering to be taught.
Health Care:
A National Health Service, it has worked in the past and it still can if it is run by doctors rather than accountants, and has sufficient funding. It used to be one of the best in the world, so hey, it still can be.
Nationalisation:
I would re-nationalise the Railway and other things that Margaret Thatcher privatised.
Unemployment:
If you are unemployed when there are jobs availible, and claim benefits for a living, i.e. in Boom times, you are conscripted into the armed forces, or if you are a conscientious objector, then you can work in hospitals or somethng like that. This would provide a bigger army, and solve the problem of people claiming on benefits for a living.
Energy Crisis:
I would build Nuclear Power Stations for now, to combat the short term crisis, and pour money into finding clean ways to burn coal, then use clean coal power stations.
Mining:
Another thing that Thatcher did was close the mines, this was insane. There are several hundreds of years worth of coal in Wales and Northern England, which are just going to waste. I would re-open the mines and have senior miners teach young people.
Nuclear Weapons:
I would upgrade Trident and Britain's nuclear submarine fleet. People don't understand, these weapons don't cause wars, they stop them. Thanks to Nuclear Deterrent and Mutually Assured Destruction.
Military:
As I've already said, conscription, but I would also give a lot of funding to weapons research.
I'll post more when I think of it.
Obviam Machina
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"It's not just idle fact, it's cold hard speculation"
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"And all, but Lust, is turned to dust
In Humanity's machine."
-Oscar Wilde, The ballad of Reading Gaol.
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"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall." - Che Guevara.
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"As long as I breathe I hope. As long as I breathe I shall fight for the future." -Leon Trotsky |
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FrmBlvr
Galactic Member
USA
934 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 09:16:09 AM
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| The first thing I would do is bring ALL of our troops home from the middle east and put them on duty patrolling our own borders. |
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Elrick
Galactic Member
USA
3119 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 10:47:03 AM
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You guys have some wonderful ideas. I really like Brandons idea of teaching kids things like trade skills right from an early age. One day these could be considered survival skills of a sort if all goes to crap and we'll need people with such skills. I would also change how religion is taught. I would put the stress on the history of religion and how it came about before the disection of the actual scriptures.
Another thing I would do is bring the troops home and focus more on our own country. I would totally revise the education system. I would stress that critical thinking be taught. Too many zombies walking around today that rely on the thoughts of others all too well. We need a highly educated society to keep us in check. No more of this the elite few taking advantage of the many.
The next thing I would focus on would be the one thing that could free our lives of all the necessary labor for the "man"....free energy. I wouldn't even waste time on coal burning. There is no way to burn coal cleanly. It's a fossil fuel which means it's going to put off all sorts of toxic fumes and residue when it burns....plus you have to mine for it. I would stop raping the Earth with all of our mining and tree cutting. Some of that stuff could be there and serving a purpose that we dont even know about. But we don't care, we take what we want and worry about the consequences later.
What I would do is explode the research in free energy technologies. It's likely that the means are already available to us, it's just a matter of getting it out to the public. We already have hydocell technology, cold fussion and Tesla technology so there is no need to go into something risky like nuclear or fossil fuel burning. I would put up a reward or hold a contest for the best zero-point energy device. We have some awesome inventors out there who would likely bring forth a plethora of concepts once the fear of bringing such devices to the public was gone. So that would be my first primary act to raise our quality of living by giving everyone free energy. If we did it in the USA and it worked then other countries would eventually follow suit and give free energy for their citizens...can't have the USA showing everyone up, lol. Imagine the decline in pollution if we actually went to free/clean energy. This means for cars, factories, running your home, everything...
Another thing I would do is inform the public as to what we know about non-human intelligent being (NIBs). The truth is something that should be shared, not hidden away. We can never understand our place in the universe if we dont have all of the data. We need to know for sure, one way or the other if we are alone in the universe. Anything that we know about our true history that has been hidden away, I would order it be shared with the world.
Then I would focus on cleaning up the water. I would clean up all of the floride, chlorine, etc...from the water systems and possibly replace them with vitamin suppliments or something that would improve health instead of degrade it. Next step is to re-introduce clean organic seeds and do away with all of these GM seeds. I would also make it illegal to patent life (no patenting seeds, etc...).
A main issue for me would be to raise the average intelligence of people acrossed the board, in all areas. I would stress towards a society that prides itself on the betterment of mankind. Your success would be measured not by how much you have aquired but by how much you help society. I would try to move us more towards a society that requires much less of a monetary system. I would want us to be more reliant on ourselves and not others, becoming more self-sufficient. I would designate huge areas as farm land only and any extra food would be "freely" shipped to starving countries. Hopefully this would set an example for others and before you know it, no needless starvation on a daily basis. Plus all the plants cleaning the atmosphere can be helpful.
There are tons of things I would like to do. Everything is backwards. But I guess the main thing I would try to change is to take the focus off of the individual need and move it towards the whole. I would try to change the mindset of the individual from thinking "what can I aquire? And how much can I better my own life?" to more of a "how can I help everyone? How can I help to improve life for my people and not just myself?". I would probably also like to start on replacing the trees. Then I would also do some research into making homes more sturdy or able to withstand the weather. I might even look into creating homes underground or just under the surface. With the weather changing and getting more harsh at times, it might help to have dwellings just below the surface. But more climate data would need to be gathered first and options weighed.
Damn, I could go on a bit, but I want to give others a chance so I'll stop now. I have many other ideas but I'll save them for now.
Nice thread btw Brandon.
"For the devout believer, no evidence is necessary. For the devout skeptic, no evidence will suffice." |
Edited by - Elrick on 10/28/2009 2:57:02 PM |
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Daan Tant
Galactic Member
Belgium
1106 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 11:10:30 AM
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First of all, I would bring all of you together so we can work on this as a team and one of my main priorities would be bringing people back in touch with nature...
"Don't challenge the world to change. Challenge yourself to change the world." - Brandon Dennis |
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Elrick
Galactic Member
USA
3119 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 12:07:00 PM
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I totally forgot something very important. I would also demolish the Federal Reserve and give the country back its our right to produce and regulate its own currency. I would work hard towards eliminating this debt monster that has gotten so big that it controls peoples lives...
"For the devout believer, no evidence is necessary. For the devout skeptic, no evidence will suffice." |
Edited by - Elrick on 10/28/2009 12:09:05 PM |
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Daan Tant
Galactic Member
Belgium
1106 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 1:03:22 PM
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Elrick for president?
"Don't challenge the world to change. Challenge yourself to change the world." - Brandon Dennis |
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Elrick
Galactic Member
USA
3119 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 2:08:19 PM
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Lol, I dont know about that but I am a firm believer that illness is directly related to stress so I would do everything I could to eliminate the stress of living. Life is far more stressful than it needs to be. I think it is very important to be happy. Fear is a big deal in our current society. It controls us on levels we dont even fully understand yet. As knowledge increases, fear subsides so true learning is very important. Life is not supposed to be about fear, stress and ugliness. I believe it could be so much more. Life is to explore your full potential and flourish but you are not allowed to. I think we need to change that.
"For the devout believer, no evidence is necessary. For the devout skeptic, no evidence will suffice." |
Edited by - Elrick on 10/28/2009 2:50:37 PM |
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Daan Tant
Galactic Member
Belgium
1106 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 3:16:08 PM
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Seriously dude, I think that under the right circumstances, you could pull it off...
We should chat on MSN sometime, Brandon, Grey, you and me.
I can see it now, staying at the white house as a personal guest of the president of the United States of America... Sweet
"Don't challenge the world to change. Challenge yourself to change the world." - Brandon Dennis |
Edited by - Daan Tant on 10/28/2009 3:18:41 PM |
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Elrick
Galactic Member
USA
3119 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 8:05:52 PM
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Yeah I might have to download that sometime in the next few days and check it out.
Sorry to return to this topic again so soon but I have to get something out before it is lost in the obscurity of a multitude of other thoughts. As I drove to work tonight, this topic played more and more on my mind. I started thinking about how to combat this job loss/unemployment problem that the Obama administration seems to be ignoring. A strange solution came to mind that sort of ties in with all of the above. My solution would be to return to a time when a job could support an entire family. I came to the realization tonight that we are eventually going to have to face this "not enough jobs" problem in the future as well. As time moves forward, our numbers increase. At the same time, our technology improves. As technology improves, more jobs become automated. Eventually there will reach a point to where the number between people who need jobs and how many jobs are available, will just be too great. We may even see a time when almost all jobs are automated. So skip all the red tape and inevitable outcome and return to a time where a job could easily support a whole family. This means that we have to severely lower the cost of living.
In my grandparents day, it was common for a family to be supported by one job but today we have people pulling 2 or 3 jobs just to get by. That's ridiculous. You might say "one job support a whole family...now that's ridiculous", but I think there are 2 way to make it so that the cost of living was down enough that this could be done. First, you give free energy to everyone. No more paying for any type of energy to run anything, whether it's your home, car, whatever. Secondly, you slay the debt-monster. Suddenly one job easily supports a whole family. The number of available jobs verses how many people need jobs becomes much more compatible. There will be more jobs to go around. People wont need 2-3 jobs just to support a family. You wouldn't have to spend nearly as much time working to get by and could devote the extra time to other more important things then lining the pockets of world elites. Might be a silly idea but it makes sense to me. I wouldn't mind seeing money eventually lose most of it's importance in our society. It would be nice if we could take care of our own and only needed a currency for things like trading with foreign countries.
"For the devout believer, no evidence is necessary. For the devout skeptic, no evidence will suffice." |
Edited by - Elrick on 10/28/2009 8:53:00 PM |
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Brandon Dennis
Galactic Member
USA
1466 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 11:08:16 PM
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Definitely. See this is what I'm talking about. It ties into Daan's signature where he quotes me saying that you shouldn't challenge the world to change, because that's what everyone does and nothing gets done. Instead, everyone should start thinking about "Well, how can I prevent global warming?" or "What could I do to make a better economy?" or whatever. People should stop waiting around for other people to swoop in and save the day because that's just not going to happen. It's like that Mariah Carey song that says "a hero lies in you".
"And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you"
If we want the world to be better than we have to start thinking of how to fix things ourselves and hope it catches on. I'm gonna write a book about this, btw. It'll be called "If I Were President..." . I'm gonna write it as a presidential debate where people ask the candidates questions about different $hit like "What's your standpoint on abortions" or "What would you do about health care if you were elected president". For each question I'll just put my own personal solutions to the different problems but throughout the book I'll also encourage people to reflect on themselves and come up with their own ideas. You all can help me with topics and add in your own ideas to it, btw. I'm not looking to make big bucks with it, I just want people to start thinking for themselves.
The state is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength. I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be... if we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed." ~ Thomas Jefferson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you want peace prepare for war." ~ Vegetius
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We may stand alone.....but we stand alone together" ~ Brandon Dennis
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My MSN messenger: Mr.BrandonDennis@gmail.com
My email address: Mr.BrandonDennis@gmail.com |
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Elrick
Galactic Member
USA
3119 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2009 : 08:30:21 AM
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Im not a big Mariah fan Brandon but those lyrics say it all man. A book is a good idea too btw.
"For the devout believer, no evidence is necessary. For the devout skeptic, no evidence will suffice." |
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Grey
Galactic Member
Spain
510 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2009 : 12:50:53 PM
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Yeah El, you should definitely get MSN, then we can chat 
Obviam Machina
-------------------------
"It's not just idle fact, it's cold hard speculation"
---------------------------------------------------------
"And all, but Lust, is turned to dust
In Humanity's machine."
-Oscar Wilde, The ballad of Reading Gaol.
---------------------------------------------------------
"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall." - Che Guevara.
---------------------------------------------------------
"As long as I breathe I hope. As long as I breathe I shall fight for the future." -Leon Trotsky |
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If I Were President...
