Proposed Policy

A) Mutual funds, 401Ks, and all related saving vehicles must have all fees clearly stated within these three measurements. Fees to add new money (loads all-inclusive), annual fees all-inclusive, and redemption fees. All fees must be captured in these three categories. No exceptions. Funds cannot negotiate trades or services without paying for them. All costs must be captured. It must be stated in this simple format. Then these fees must be shown as a dollar deduction on your financial statement when they occur and a total yearly amount.

B) 401K plans should all be the same and not meet any specific ‘test’ per company. Common low cost plans must be made available to all companies so more employers will offer these plans and people can save more.

C) If your company does not provide a 401K plan, then you should be able to contribute the same 401K maximum amount to your IRA. Why do these two plans have different limits?

D) 401K plans must give you a yearly option to transfer any of your 401K balance directly to an IRA outside of the company plan.

What would this accomplish?

A) There are so many costs in this industry that are hard to determine in the legal mumbo-jumbo, small print, and things not accounted for. 95% of the public do not really understand what these fees cost them each year. The public needs clear measurements to shop for the best deal. The only way to have a competitive financial environment is to have the consumer know the true costs. The costs may be disclosed now, but the average 401K investor has no idea. This policy creates a transparent competitive financial environment.

B) Why should people be limited on their contribution if they work for a company with a bad contribution ratio? Why should every plan be different? It adds cost to have these plans evaluated and implemented. Keep it simple and low cost so more companies would participate.

C1, D1) Many companies have bad plans. Plans with few options or high costs. We need to provide savers with good plans. If the employer will not provide a good plan, then employees need other options. If an employer has no plan, why should you be restricted on how much you can save tax deferred?

Commentary

Why does the government allow financial institutions to take advantage of the consumer by charging fees without a clear measurement to compare costs? We need a competitive financial environment, not a protected market.

For companies with a bad 401K plan or no 401K plan, employees need alternative options.

It is in our best interest to have the public maximize their retirement savings and not be a burden on society.

Proposed Policy

A) First we need firm documentation that there is actually a nuclear threat. Wanting to develop nuclear weapons is different than actually going down the path of developing nuclear weapons.

B) If it is found that there is a real threat, diplomacy and trade sanctions must be pursued on a united front. All allies must be pressured to participate. Our allies should be encouraged to lead in this issue, not the US.

C) Do not set any preconditions to open up talks.

D) Step up business ties for expanded oil purchases and trade. Many of our allies need oil, Iran needs to sell oil, and we want their petrol dollars to be buying our goods.

What would this accomplish?

A, B) It is in the best interest of our allies to work together. Trade sanctions do not work if others do not participate.

C) Any discussions are better than none. We do not need any misconceptions based on lack of communication.

D) Business and the internet are the best ambassador over time.

Commentary

Why do we continually “go it alone”? This troublesome country is not in our backyard. This problem needs to be pushed on our allies to lead the charge. We don’t need our present label as a warmonger in the Arab world.

Proposed Policy

A) We need to publish a clear exit plan while the military surge continues. We must state that this is their country and we will not stay. We would then formulate a plan for the transition and have a formal hand-over ceremony.

B) After the formal hand-over the military needs to be pulled out. No military bases, no advisers, nothing, only an embassy.

What would this accomplish?

A1, B1) This would put an end to a situation that has no end in sight. The Arab world should be reassured that we have no intention to occupy their land, take their oil, or infringe on their religion. This should be the start of eliminating any reason for Al Qaeda or other organization to target the US as an Arab aggressor. To date we have only reinforced their cause. The Arab world can now be responsible for their destiny.

A2, B2) We can free up funds for Social Security or other purposes. We have spent $415 billion on Iraq and $190 billion on Afghanistan. Yes, that’s B for a billion! The budget for 2007-2008 is nearly $200 billion!

Commentary

Things have changed since we started the Iraq and Afghan campaigns. We made errors and miscalculations. When business conditions change, a company must be flexible and change course. We are now in that situation. The military surge is presently working, but will not hold if we back down. How many years must we do this? Forever? We must follow through with a formal timetable and hand-over plan to have a chance for success.

In the future we should not be in the occupation, security, or nation building business. A change of administration is the ideal time to make a change in course.

Regarding oil, over time all these countries will sell us their oil. Business and trade will prevail.

Proposed Policy

A) Drop all trade sanctions. Work towards Cuba becoming a trading partner and tourist destination.

B) Put an embassy in Cuba and open up free travel.

What would this accomplish?

A) Our present policy is not working. We have not been helping the poor people of Cuba or the Cuban Americans in this country. The cold war should have been over a long time ago.

B) This would show good faith and get things started.

Commentary

Trade, communication, and business is the best ambassador. The problems we now have should be able self-correct if we adopt this policy. This could also fix many immigration issues with this country.

Proposed Policy

A) TAIWAN and CHINA – Work to negotiate an agreement between these two countries to have a peaceful and cooperative relationship. I would suggest a 100-year unification plan with back-out clauses.

What would this accomplish?

A) Taiwan needs China for trade and manufacturing. Taiwan has its roots in Fujian, China. China has deep convictions that Taiwan must be part of China. They are the same people, just different systems. The Chinese government is steadily improving. Look at the trend, not the past. The China government knows that to stay in power they must make the people happy. Over a period of 100 years this trend should improve things to allow a smooth transition that would satisfy both sides. If it did not work out there would be escape clauses.

Commentary

The United States needs to have China as a true ally and trading partner. This can only be accomplished by fixing the Taiwan issue. We must defuse any military tensions to discourage China to continue it’s military build up. We do not want to be in the middle of a Taiwan/China confrontation. All parties will be losers.

Proposed Policy

A) Proclaim a 100% free trade policy. However, if the trading country has any trade restrictions then we would impose mirror policies.

B) Any currency that is not freely traded would be subjected to tariffs based on a financial analysis of true valuation, not political posturing.

What would this accomplish?

A1) We would create a clear and concise trade policy. It would force other countries to abide by fair trade practices. This should open up closed markets.

B1) This would take this issue out of the political arena where nothing gets accomplished. This would work to help correct any trade imbalances.

Commentary

These policies are NOT protectionist. They are meant to open up markets to have fair, reciprocal trade. Currency valuation is a means to fix trade imbalances. If a trading partner cannot comply, then we must take alternative action.
Point of manufacturing creates wealth and jobs, we must align policy with that in thought. Trade must be a “win-win” situation, not a one way street.

Proposed Policy

A) We need to set-up a common pool that allows the purchase of health care insurance. This can be done by state. No one should be denied. This pool would be an addition to the present system we have in place, not a replacement. Every insurance company that wants to do business in the state would be required to be in the pool. For high health risk individuals there would be a lottery to distribute the risk among the insurance companies. The state would set minimum requirements for standard insurance coverage. The pooled insurance would allow choice and not be an HMO. Payments would be monthly and renewed yearly.

B) Each individual in the health care pool would have a portion of their health care payment deposited into an account. An electronic card would be issued to each individual. Individuals would then use this card for the first $1000 in medical payments to health care providers. 50% of the unused balance would then be returned to the person at the end of the year. The insurance company would keep the other 50%. This would be paid and reset on a yearly basis.

C) Insurance companies would publish standard medical fees by region. If an individual can shop or negotiate lower rates than the published amount, 20% of the cost savings could be disbursed to the insured. This would be offset against any higher costs paid above the published amount. The total rebate cannot exceed 25% of the yearly premium. This would be paid and reset on a yearly basis.

D) The insurance company will mail a summary of all medical bills paid quarterly by the insurance company to the insured person for review. Any excess charges that can be recovered by the insurance company would allow 20% of the cost savings to be disbursed to the insured. The total rebate cannot exceed 25% of the yearly premium. This would be renewed yearly.

E) Increase the pool of doctors and other high cost health care workers through education incentives.

F) Allow a lower corporate tax rate for companies that provide health care coverage for all their employees.

G) The drug companies must sell their goods at a price the same or lower than it sells in other markets. (other countries)

What would this accomplish?

A) Insurance is all about spreading the risk. We need to increase the pool so that individuals, small companies, large companies, and government can have access to affordable health insurance at the same rate.

B) This will encourage shopping for the best price and to only use medical services when truly necessary.

C) This would give you an army of consumers looking for the best price. This will introduce competitive pricing pressure into the medical market. With enough “competitive shoppers”, the standard rate could be decreased each year if the average price could drop rather than increase.

D) This will allow the insured person to review his billing. It gives incentives to look for abuses and errors. This lowers the cost by the health insurance provider.

E) This can create a more competitive work environment. Every other worker in this country is subjected to competitive wage pressures.

F1) This will reward good business practices and increase the pool of insured people. By increasing the pool of insured people we are reducing the cost on government and lowering the cost of health insurance.

F2) Corporate tax rates are high. Lowering the corporate tax rate to companies providing insurance to all their employees is a better alternative to reducing corporate tax rates across the board.

G) The drug lobby says it is unsafe to buy their drugs from foreign markets, so then they must provide the same prices so we do not purchase drugs from outside our border. The USA market must not be used as a profit center to subsidize other markets.

Commentary

This model has the potential to contain the runaway health care costs while increasing access. The government could buy insurance from this pool for disadvantaged people rather than running their own system. This would reduce government administration costs and reduce bureaucracy.

This model requires a very detailed analysis before implementation, but the concept is there to get the job done. If this model is not a success, it could be discontinued without effecting the system we presently have in place. If the model is a success, the model can be expanded instead of going to a socialized medical system.

Ideally, a model with a very high deductible would perform the same function. However, many people have little savings to make this a viable plan option.

We should have a more competitive corporate tax rate. By providing a lower corporate tax rate to companies that provide health insurance coverage is a win-win proposal.

Proposed Policy

A) Review breaking up the big oil companies.

B) Review loosening up regulations that hamper the development of additional refinery capacity.

C) Review how to expand refinery capacity & distribution.

What would this accomplish?

A) Competition needs to return to the marketplace. There is no incentive for big oil to increase capacity or grab market share.

B) Barriers must come down for refinery development to increase capacity & competition.

C) Independent companies outside of big oil need the capability to enter the refinery market to make gasoline production competitive.

Commentary

Who allowed all the big oil companies to merge? It should be Exxon versus Mobil, not Exxon/Mobil. Since big oil is purchasing significant offshore oil, their profits should be squeezed, not expanded. Recent studies have shown that we have adequate supplies at the present time. True ‘supply & demand’ fundamentals are not at work.

Yes, I have big concerns about future supplies with emerging economies developing and increasing their oil usage. There is no denying that this is a crisis coming. However, that crisis has not yet arrived. Pricing should reflect our present supply situation.

Proposed Policy

A) Pornography sites should have the availability of an .xxx extension to be used in their web address. This new Internet address protocol .xxx should be created as a new standard just like com, org, biz, etc.

B) Spam, unsolicited sales mass emails should contain a .spm extension. Fines should apply to offenders not following this policy. The fines would go to Social Security, medical program, and administration of enforcement.

C) Any program that installs or monitors anything on your computer without your approval should be equivalent to trespassing or privacy/home invasion. Fines should apply to offenders not following this policy. Again, the fines would go to Social Security, medical program, and administration of enforcement.

D) Telecom carriers must not be able to regulate data transmission.

What would this accomplish?

A) The pornograph market may then voluntarily want to rename their sites using the .xxx extension. It would help their business by defining the nature of the site and attracting the proper customer. At the same time they could do the right thing. I think we can all agree that we must have a means to protect our children from viewing such sites until they are a mature age. By adding the .xxx extension, filters could be easily added to restrict access. The freedom of the internet is still preserved.

B) Receiving spam is impacting business productivity in a big way. Spam filters are not effective. At the same time spam filters can sometimes remove good messages. Email programs could easily be configured to put .spm messages in a separate folder or automatically delete them. This extension allows freedom of internet while boosting business productivity.

C) Spyware, and programs that are continually running in the background are sapping business productivity. Computers require constant maintenance to operate effectively. For individuals, it is an attack on your property and privacy.

D) There is a risk that large communication carriers can control or regulate internet data transmission which could limit independent innovation.

Commentary

People question the legality of wire-taps, as they should. However, why aren’t we questioning the legality that allows companies & individuals to intrude into our computers? How far should should a company be allowed to collect and track our data? It may be time to draft an internet “bill of rights” to keep our privacy. At the same time we need to preserve the freedom of the internet, promote innovation, and have free flow of information.

Proposed Policy

A) Military agreements and political agreements cannot be tied to any trade agreements. This must be clearly stated and put into law.

B) The military should be reconfigured to a model for rapid deployment only. We should NOT have military bases around the world. Any ally that wants us to support them militarily should provide a military base infrastructure. Their base would be ready for us to be deployed. This would be maintained with their funds and their people. We should not have our military reside in other countries.

C) With the savings of pulling back our offshore operations, spending can be diverted to build the best high tech, rapid deployment force available. Promote aircraft, ship building, drones, and other high technology instead of maintaining offshore operations.

D) Develop a protection plan to secure our country. Missile shield for one.

E) Create a clear vision for troop deployment. We must only deploy our troops to assist countries that are truly our ally and do not have internal strive. We need to be welcomed to assist them and be able to leave the country in their hands. We must NOT use our military means to push our agenda or democracy principles. No propping up leaders.

What would this accomplish?

A) We have no idea how many bad trade deals have been implemented to satisfy a country to accept our military bases or resolve a situation. Our workers and businesses should not be a bargaining chip. By having this in law, other countries will know in advance that this is not negotiable. North Korea instantly comes to mind, we don’t need to give away any future trade advantages to cut a deal that benefits Asia.

B) This should reduce costs dramatically while reducing resentment towards the US. This sends a clear message to our military and the world that our military function is to protect the homeland and our interests. Morale and worldwide prestige should return.

C) Each military confrontation in history is initially won on technical superiority. We must remain a leader.

D) As the proliferation of weapons expands in rogue countries, the need is self apparent.

E) The military mission statement must be clear. We may be able to win the initial war with our troops and technology, however true success is dependent on an effective exit strategy.

Commentary

As an example of how this model would work, think of when Iraq invaded Kuwait. We were able to deploy forces and push back Iraq. The exit strategy worked because the world and the Kuwait people supported our mission. Kuwait had prosperity, government, and laws in place before they were invaded. We did not stay to perform government and nation building.

Economics and technology won the cold war. Democracy without prosperity does not work. If the economic trend is not there, the military solution will not hold. Again, business and the internet is the best ambassador over time.