the first thing you would do if you were the president of US?

Answer 1

remodel (no just kidding?)

I would, if I could, reform our voting/election system. (I realize I'd need congress so I'd go to someone aware of the problems we had in Ohio 2004 like Kucinich, Conyers, or Tubb-Jones and ask them to draft a bill, etc)

1. no more electoral college

2. public funding of elections

3. No advertising..each candidate gets a block of free time on TV to say whatever they want about their platform etc and that is it.

4. For debate, there would be no preselecting questions, questions off the table etc. It would be open to citizens by random drawing or something. People could ask whatever they wanted, and there would not be allowed any media discussion or who won the debate projections,,just they do debate, it ends and go to the regular program.

5. A bigger state than New Hampshire with a diverse population starts primaries, litle or no media input on it as they have too much power to pick the candidate while making us think we pick them by what they say (unless there were no corporate owned media conglomerates but a lot of diverse stations not all owned by the same guy.) No polls or projections of who will get the nominations in a horse race fashion that really influnences people's votes. More rules for the media and time limit on how long they report on it to lesson their influence on elections. I would rather give the time of all their chattering and influencing to the candidates to give voters a real idea of who the person is, what they believe,how they would handle problems directly from them, instead of all the media chattering and influencing. Let the people decide on their own gut feelings and what the candidate says. Rarely do we ever get to hear what the candidate says is important to them when all we get is rebuttal attack ads and preprogrammed question and time limits at debate. A limit on and accounting of all spending by candidates for extras not publicly funding. It really should be possible for anyone to run for president without being millionairres and raising tons of money and all the political favors that obligates politicians,

6. There would be instant runoff voting to allow third parties a chance (for instance, take Nader, Bush, and Kerry..if you like Nader, then Kerry, but not Bush. If you vote your first choice (Nader) and he doesn't have enough votes, your vote then goes to your 2nd choice (Kerry) and not to help Bush.

7. Election day as a holiday. Separate ballots or elections for president (and possibly high offices and statewide issues to speed counting time).

8. Paper Ballots hand-counted at the ballots, using these steps.

a. paper ballots with a number that are available in various languages and braille that you can get in advance in places like libraries..prefill in and bring to the polls

b. All voting will be done at the high school building where a child living at your address will go. that way there is no confusion on where to go..just ask some of your neighbors. No sending people to different locations and frustrating them so they don't vote. Here it is always the same.

c. Appoint each county with a citizen run , nonpartisan board that oversees all pre, during, and after elections proceedings and files public reports. so people are aware if they are doing things like Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, did like throwing new registrations away if they were on the wrong weight of paper or if they put the wrong number from the 2 on the driver's licence or if they short the machines or harass people at the polls etc. All is publicly observed and recorded and reported.
d. when the voter gets to the high school, a greeter tells them which classroom is their precinct (no more than 100 or 200 voters per precinct. In here, you have food, drink, shelter from inclement weather, and chairs for elderly and disabled in case of lines. The greeter also has a locked, transparent box near entrance if it is not handicap accessible to deposit ballots and assist disabled people.

e. All people are in advance provided with an ID so if they can't afford one or are students are something, they will not have to vote provisionally. There are signed into books (ID checked if it is required), the number on their ballot is recorded in a separate book from the one they signed. and their thumbs inked.

f. They are given a ballot to fill out if they don't have one..when done, they fold it and the precinct judge signs or initials the back,

g. Ballot is placed in a locked, transparent ballot box (that has been checked prior to first vote and filmed showing no ballots were already in it). All procedures are filmed

h. At the close of the day, representatives from each candidates party are present. Ballots are checked to see if they have poll judges signature, and the number is read and checked off on the numbers book. If a ballot does not have a signature or does not match the numbers in the book, it is set aside to be dealt with later. Also no absentee ballots except overseas. disabled persons etc may appoint a representative who can bring in their vote to the right precinct which is counted in the total, so no election official has the ballots in their possession prior to the election's conclusion.

i. The votes for each races are counted and when all party reps are satisfied the count is right, it is recorded in four places..1 the official book for central tabulating of the country, 2. public posting outside the classroom door, 3. public posting of the total of each classroom/precinct count and the frand total of the building in the hall of the high school in the locked trophy case, and 4. on the lighted high school sign or rented sign so that any passerby can see and take pictures and videotapes (as well as news media) for how an area voted and so if the official counts do not match these, one has evidence that something is wrong. All proceedings are fair and transparent with little chance of voter fraud. The price of recounts is lowered again. This system allow for nonmillionairres to run and for citizens to get fairly priced recounts and not needing all that money to run due to public financing and free tv time, helps take lobbyist and corrupt money dealing out of politics. The public doesn't have to listen to a bunch of smear ads, since limits are in palce. Media stations like TV stations do not get rich on elections that they and partisan voting companies select the winner for--what a money making scheme..

No electronic machines or tabulators are used (except perhaps for local or small races/issues). Paper ballots that are hand counted this way are difficult to hack and much cheaper.

I would choose to do this first as if our elections are not secure, this is not a democracy and it doesn't matter how good the candidate or issue if the system is full of human errors, glitches, and it is extremely easy to hack as our machines and tabulator. This would enable us to really get the bad guys out and maybe start over, restore voter confidence which is at about 50% or less. Prior to all the fraud in Ohio, 25% of dems did not believe their votes counted, 50% of independents, and 75% of republicans; it is undoubtedly even lower now, many people don't vote because of this. With this system. people would believe their voice and vote really counts and that they cn make a difference. Maybe if feasible the high school cafeteria could be opened and a bake sale or potluck or raffle or something could be done to encourage others to join the fun..

Other actions, i would immediately work on is stopping corporate personhood and corporate welfare, rescinding the WTO and NAFTA or at least getting a good discussion started, have universal health care which the government's GAO says is cheaper than we have now and join the rest of the civilized world, cut the defense budget by 15% (and use this money to help people or for schools or free college or something domestically)and I would outlaw the use of DU and order environmental cleanup where we used and tested it, and health care for the victims, find the proper exit strategy on the war, establish Kucinich's dept of peace, tighten border security and ports, and talk of alternative ways to fund schools. Arms length relationships with lobbists. I would break up big monopolies and encourage a free market system of competition. I would also give incentives to farmers who practice sustainable farms and use organic farming, outlaw GMOs, clean up factory farms, and go about 15% renewable energy within 10 years to try to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, eliminate free speech zones, have fireside conversions with the public through the media, reverse the torture and habeas corpus bill, apologize to the world for Iraq and breaking the 4 rules of war and our treaties. I would rescind the patriot act and stop spying on Americans. I would try to motivate and inspire the country as JFK did and encourage volunteering and service to others..I would talk about the kind of world we could have and about caring for others and improving our lives and families and countries and giving people hope again.

Answer 2

Revamp the budget and make sure each and every US Citizen has health care. Redo Social Security so that every working american never has to face loosing what they put into it. I'd also invest in security research, and update our military.

Then, I would define Unions as a joint partnership for members of the gay society, and continue to keep the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. I would then make sure that gay and lesbian partners of a union are given the same benefits as every heterosexual partner is entitled to.

Answer 3

No more electoral college the public decides, I would invite the leaders of every country over and have a huge party get to know all of them and become huge close friends, pay all governmental workers on commission basis only based on what the heck they get done weekly.

Answer 4

The most important thing that the President of the US should do is to draw up a plan to make the United States of America totally energy independent:

THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE PLAN OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Answer 5

If it were ever possible for me to even become President, then the first thing I would do would be to split up the US into 50 states and end the Federal level of government, my office along with it.

Answer 6

Enforce a drug and alcohol testing of all congressman,senators and staff of all.We have to have one,so should they,maybe Teddy will show up for congressional meetings sober for once you think?

Answer 7

build the GREAT WALL OF THE UNITED STATES only higher than the one in china around the united states
using illegal immigrant's and paying them enough to get the job done and keep track of all of them
and then telling them to get there butts back over the wall until they get legal citizenship
thats the first thing i would do

NOWAY JANIE YOU CAN'T STEAL MY IDEA
I GAVE YOU A THUMBS UP FOR DOING IT THOUGH

Answer 8

kick all mexicans out of the usa, no more help to other countrys, free health care to anyone making under 25.0000,help low income people able to buy a house for there familys.

Answer 9

make billy connolly my vice president

Answer 10

abolish the democrat and republican parties. Neither is good for America.