Links to a collection of social ideas that blatantly challenge us to entertain originality. 
* Social Security stability, a national health plan to end all arguments. Also, the end of the abortion debate, a victorious war on drugs, public educators free to teach religion, An updated constitution, A new election system;
*The second amendment
*Replacing the internal combustion engine, and mandating the restructuring of our cities.
Many more radical ideas not discussed by any of the candidates for office. It is up to voters, and media, to address them; you would have to vote for Ridgeway, not waste your vote, but to make your point.
Wisdom pushes through chauvinistic limits of expertise and education, and if let loose, could free the world..
This is a site of Burton Ridgeway’s ideas, and is now managed by volunteers; it is as much a Blog as any other. Visitors are more than welcome to email your comments to us, and ones that have value in sanity and presentation, in agreement or disagreement, will be added to the applicable page and remain there as long as visitors show an interest in it. We, and certainly B.R., lust for input; constructive and reasonable disagreements are as good as Hoorahs!
You could drop in at the Abortion brief for an example of an ongoing conversation, with a notable, by email.
Links to a collection of social ideas that blatantly challenge us to entertain originality.
A better way to secure our benefits:
Social Security
*
Another approach to:
Taxation
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“Political leaders everywhere have come to understand that to govern they must learn how to act . . . who are we really voting for? The self-possessed character who projects dignity, exemplary morals, and enough forthright courage to lead us through war and depression, or the person who is simply good at creating a counterfeit with the help of professional coaching, executive tailoring, and the whole armory of pretense that the groomed President can now employ? Are we allowed anymore to know what is going on, not merely in the candidate’s facial expression and his choice of a suit, but also in his head? Unfortunately. . . This is something we are not told until the auditioning ends and he is securely in office. . . As with many actors, any resemblance between the man and the role is purely coincidental.”
Arthur Miller, playwright.
A proposed end to the spectacle:
Campaign reform. “FECMA.” A novel with a unique approach.
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"Our bodies belong to the nation":
Abortion
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An intelligent approach to:
"The War on Drugs"
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Our kids are in trouble:
Public Education
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A genuine solution for everyone:
Health Care
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Air pollution, street death, potholes, idiotic life-style:
Our cities are terrible!
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Insane:
Proposals for amendments to the Constitution
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Commentaries on:
Miscellaneous topics.
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On the not-so-little things about our system of:
Law and Order
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Is it really a threat?
A National ID card
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Are we destined to go on and on about an
individual’s right to own an arsenal?
Guns, and the 2nd
amendment
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Nutritious:
food for thought
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Rev./Rab./Fr. Burton,
at the pulpit
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On Near-east problems
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For your funny bone:
Thoughts too minor for serious people to read, but. . .
To begin with, a President should work to radically change our tax system that will turn over to the states the responsibility of providing for the needs and wants of their own citizens. She would take the Bully Pulpit to convince you to demand of your representatives a move to cancel the sixteenth amendment, and eliminate federal taxation of the individual, and replace it with a tax bill to the states, based on population, yet qualified under the Constitution. Each state would establish their own tax system to pay it. There should be a leveling factor between the rich and poor states. He would oppose a national sales tax the super-rich so passionately hope for.
Have a look at a snapshot of :
Intelligent taxation
THE BOOKS
Reinstate the borrowing and funding I proposed to Congress in my former life as Alexander Hamilton to establish an economic system for our new nation: No debt will go without a corresponding source of income payable directly to a sinking fund for that specific obligation; our books will be balanced, and all debts will be paid.
A national health insurance plan that takes into consideration everyone’s self-interest, yet produces a system that does not ruin anyone; a state-by-state approach is destined to be replaced.
We need a program that will provide the American people with the means to keep ourselves healthy, without socialism, and with the creative imagination given us through private enterprise. You will have to pay for your own Viagra, maternity, and remove ingrown toenails at your own expense.
For the complete idea:
Health Care
SOCIAL SECURITY:
This benefit is an integral part of a stable society. We should move to secure the trust funds, and not approve legislation relative to personal investment of all or part of these funds, except to cancel what was passed by the Bush administration.
Make illegal the continuous piracy of the funds by Congress and Presidents, and begin full repayment of the “loans” made on these funds. See my brief on,
Social Security
Reduce the Federal Education Department to a small staff which would audit state education programs; they would enforce a few general mandates; establish this department as a clearing house for every school employee in the country.
Both public and private schools - including religious, below college level, will be *mandated* to file with this department the identity of every employee, and continue to do so within one weekday of hire date; the name will be checked no later than the following day.
Individual schools will be free to make use of this agency before hiring; states could mandate use of it. Failure to do so would expose administrations to civil lawsuits, possibly criminal.
No pedophile should be able to move freely among cities and states without this form of protection of their intended victims, it‘s stupid to not provide it, and would be stupid for the schools to not use it.
(See my brief, “Law and order” for my solution to the pedophile problem.)
I oppose federal financing of education. The position “Secretary” of Education will be reduced to “Director” within an HW returned to being HEW. My idea of a better tax system would make the change possible.
For more on
Educating our youth
We must bring to the later half of the present century a tremendous reduction of air pollution, and the use of natural resources; to the next century, the elimination of the automobile as we know it. You will find my solution in the:
Our cities are in terrible shape!
*
Ordinarily, I would seriously penalize employers who hire people who don’t have official consent to be here; I am aware that many occupations require those with lower levels of intelligence, or use of the English language. I am aware that agriculture has to battle construction and food processing for these people; growers have a disadvantage with builders who can pay more for manual labor. I appreciate the claim by both that forcing on them those unemployed Americans who would be clumsy and costly would not solve the problem. But, many unemployed who *can* do low-level labor must not be paid unemployment income. I will work for solutions to this problem that will satisfy equally, all sectors, but not make the law a joke. I will demand that the states put to work their street people; letting them live on the streets, and in the bushes, is wrong; state government-provided retraining would be right.
One thought will govern my actions in this area: There are people from all over the world waiting on line to experience “our movie“, some for as long as twenty years. To ignore, or forgive, those who sneak into the theater through the back and side doors, is an insult to those on line, and to the rule of law. Though they are hardworking and decent people wanting to earn a living for their families, and we do need their services, illegal entry is a no-no, and ordinarily, they should be removed on discovery, if for no other reason than to make the point.
We cannot, however, go into a program to ferret-out and reject thousands of industrious workers among us. I will therefore ask the legislature to join me in ordering all *employed* illegal immigrants to register, and receive temporary work permits, and all employers who hire such immigrants, to register, and receive temporary consent; those unemployed - at the time of this registration drive - would be immediately returned to his/her country. As for the day-to-day laborers hired by individuals and small businesses on a steady basis, city-operated hiring halls can be a way to establish such workers as “Employed.” Such “employers” would dictate the pay-rates, to include premiums for accident coverage that would be created and carried by insurers for immediate, direct, payment to medical providers; less than a minimum number of hours of work performed within a month would call for return to the old country.
As for those business owners who hire and abuse illegal workers, such as restaurants who pay slave wages, and keep workers secreted in hovels, I will establish an absolute war on them, with cooperation with local law enforcement. I will not base my policies on the Republican idea that if it’s good for business, it’s good for America; I will enforce, with enthusiasm, present workplace rules, based on the concept that America is for its people, collectively, not for a superior class.
( Though “superior classes” will always remain on top, regardless of what you try to do; attempts to correct this will always be counter-productive to everyone.)
This will be the beginning of an intelligent and well managed guest workers program, when we would have the extent of the problem at hand. A guest-worker program must be managed so that no temporary worker can disappear into the crowd. I will produce a fully worked out, and enforceable, plan, and an effective organization and technology to police it.
I will not entertain the wishes of legal immigrants, and Mexican, etc/Americans for this nation to fling open the border based on unrealistic idealism, and chauvinism.
The nations to our south must be told, in no uncertain terms, that we will do all we can to stop the secret flow of their people, that those in other governments, and the favored elite, who benefit from the billions of dollars illegals send home, avoiding taxation, and not being spent in the US, cannot live comfortable lives, and ask us to keep the pressure off them. They must take the responsibility of producing an economy of their own to stop the flow northward.
We must let them know that the flow of dollars from America will stop; we must let increasing pressure threaten a popular explosion, which is what they fear, unless they do something about it. I will offer to work with those national leaders to produce a doable solution - produced by themselves. I will not sign a general grant of amnesty.
If we were to open the border going south for two or three years, until the immigrants‘ countries, helped by us, produce economies that would stop the rush of their masses to us. Then it would make sense to open the border northward. Otherwise, to do so would be asinine!
Addressing a problem that mostly involves minority races is not racism. I have little respect for those who, to power their own arguments, throw that accusation at others who see only the problem, not color or race; the problem is, either we protect ourselves, and enforce our laws, or we fall apart. Pure and simple.
I will fight tooth and nail to force legislation to no longer permit automatic citizenship to children born to an illegal, or temporary, resident.
A very bad mistake by some leaders of the immigration movement. I’ll leave that alone; However, until Congress votes to accept, and a President publicly agrees to accept, and to fully act on, a report from a committee of statisticians, and researchers, totally disconnected from political parties, or government service, producing a single, fully documented, analysis of illegal immigration in the U.S.; their number, their contributions, their true net cost, if any, their share of crime statistics relative to the national average without them, and all other facts they decide applies, nothing will ever be done to solve the problem. Until you put the truth on the table, you cannot deal with it, and only when you deal with truth, can you solve problems.
Anyone who places facts into the hopper has their own agenda; the media can’t be counted on to compile one, because they can’t, or won’t, take the time for the kind of arms-length - disinterested third party report that will cancel out all others of doubtful quality.
We are bouncing around among statistics, and agendas, with no possibility of producing a program that will put an end to the dispute. We need to do something before Chicanos hang themselves waving the Mexican flag over American soil; it‘s a boomerang.
The problem is that we don’t have the quality of government that would make that promise, then actually follow through with it to an actual resolution. Right now, we have a government of evil values, with very low quality; people who have their minds on world domination, than the welfare of the American people - all the people legally in America!.
The drums of a police state ring in the ears of political paranoids at the sound of the words, “National ID card”; I sympathize. But this card is essential, for the problems of illegal aliens, terrorism, identity theft, and to eliminate the use of social security numbers, and driver licenses, as personal identification - a purpose not intended for use by business, and a source of considerable aggravation. I am absolutely opposed to using driver licenses as ID, there is too much information on it, and does, in fact, lead toward government and business abuse; I want Social Security numbers to be made complicated with letters and symbols, and used only for SSA purposes. The problem of identity theft can be considerably reduced. Issuance and servicing of this card must be without charge!
I am opposed to a “sneak attack” in the form of a national driver’s license!
Consider my approach at:
National ID Card
I will end it.
See my brief for a better approach with:
"Drugs"
I will continue the fight, of course, but not use it to ram down on the nations of the world the sledgehammer of gung-ho political rhetoric, intended to impress American outlaw-motor-cycle-gang lust for excitement; “Wanted Dead or Alive“, and, “Shock and Awe” within public statements is the rant of an idiot!
It will be an effective and a quiet war; I will do most of the fighting without fanfare. I will reduce the rhetoric, though based on the truth of a threat, that is designed to keep Americans who support the administration and the military-industrial complex under control. We have an enemy we continuously agitate who *can* be quieted down. I have a plan, and I won’t tell you about it. You talk too much, and they‘re listening.
Relative to free speech, and the practice of some Moslems, in the U.S. to preach hate, and “death to the Infidels,” I will hammer away at the Judicial and legislative branches to make this form of speech, “unfree“, ( though I realize my original support of the Alien and sedition act while I was Alexander Hamilton, was a mistake.)
I will - as I currently do - demand that free speech, and religion, must not cover speech that promotes, to any degree, physical action against our government, or any person, or group, within the U.S. I do believe we are too free, to the point of being suicidal, in fear of ending up at an extreme.
We are stuck with Iraq, and I will never forgive George Bush, Jr. and his manipulator who actually speaks out of the side of his mouth, for getting us into it.
I will not withdraw until the situation is such that we could do so honorably. I know we will never be appreciated for the invasion - nor should we - and the donation of so many American and Iraqi lives, and body-parts, but we do have a reputation as quitters.
02/07/07
I changed my mind!
Based on present events, I can no longer deny what I truly itch to do: on assuming office I will declare the Iraqi dilemma a result of civil conflict, and not our business; I will order all our troops to withdraw to non-Muslim soil. This action will be prepared for immediately following official election results, and before I take the Oath of office.
I will not promote the idea that torture of terrorists, suspected or convicted, is appropriate, our military experts contradict the President, and it is them to whom I will look for truth. Unlike President Bush, I will not stand before Americans and the world and say what is categorically contradicted by Intelligence experts who say that torture has not been productive of information, where psychology has - in all cases.
As to the future, and the dangers and complications created by misguided, and incompetent Presidents, see my idea about Commander-in-Chiefs of the military. You’ll find it at the top of the page at,
Proposed changes in the Constitution
What a terrible thing it is that the most powerful nation on earth is financially indebted to the rest of the world for more money than we could repay in a century, because of one administration after another collectively and individually, had, and has, no strength, or quality, of character, to do the right thing.
We have been surrendering to other nations our manufacturing power, the inflation-trend has always been in the hands of manufacturers; we have been surrendering control over inflation as we continue to give up our manufacturing base, giving to other nations the ability to effect retail prices.
Do you know that there are only two American auto manufacturers left: Ford, and GM? GM wants to stop making the Buick because it‘s a loser! Foreign made cars are not!, and Ford is almost bankrupt.
I will form a committee of imaginative non-political people to entertain every possibility of making the average American life-style much less expensive; to digest every contribution on how to reduce the cost of living for the average American by changing the way we live, work, and play, within an intelligent infrastructure. Then make it happen.
Less costly living would bring less costly salaries, which would reduce costs to make products, which would bring manufacturing back to our shores. The problem deserves a concerted effort to solve, even if many solutions prove unworkable for whatever reason, including corrupt politics.
As for our national debt, I will establish a program of bringing it down as fast as possible, without destroying lives - damaging many, but not destroying any. If you don’t want to suffer any penalty, but it’s all right for others to do so, then don’t vote for me, because I will aim my sights on every American’s wallet, bar none.
One of the ideas is to permit large employers of low paid employees to establish “factory towns”, where they would provide well constructed apartment complexes for their employees at no profit above a decent return on their money, non-profit shopping, and all that makes up a complete community, with public transportation, and no private transportation at all. [ No vehicle expenses!] ( See my “cities“ brief.)
This is one way to reverse the need for firms to have their customer service people, and other low paid occupations, in other countries, because of their low wages; we could have towns where such a low cost of living would possibly work just as well.
JFK dedicated his administration to the prime goal of putting a man on the moon. Mine will be to reduce our need for Near-East oil to 50% of the current volume by the end of my term, and to be well on the way toward the disappearance of gasoline-powered vehicles, and a radical reduction of the cost-of-living. We just discovered a deep well of “goo” in the Caribbean, and it is said there is even more in this hemisphere to find; we need to bring the need for oil downward toward the supply of more local sources.
Regarding publicly traded corporations, I will ask Congress to put an end to executives treating the firm’s assets as a private swimming pool. Yes! Stockholders have a say in it, but only if they know what is being considered, and what is passed. I believe the SEC should be given legislation to support a department to put their stamp of approval on every executive compensation schedule, with accompanying proof of stockholder awareness of the facts-all the facts.
Additionally, I do believe the Enron debacle would have been prevented with SEC regs. That would tremendously reduce the chances of it happening. I will ask for advise on this, and do something about it, really!
. . .Will be based only on our national self-interest in promoting the steady and constant improvement of life in America, not the world; my administration will not promote Democracy, or any other concept to governments who have not indicated an interest in it. I would rather spend our assets, both human and property, to reach for national domestic perfection. I will respect all systems that respect ours, and take on any system intent on conquering us, and we will do it on the basis of *their* values, not ours; ours would naturally be suicidal, as we apply our Bill of Rights to self-declared, and maniacal, enemies.
We and Russia each have about 80,000 missiles. I will order a unilateral reduction of our stock pile to a total of ten. I will deal with Russia diplomatically, to have them do the same, regardless of a short-term outcome. Ten missiles will be enough with which to retaliate after an attack from a nation; no protection exists for retaliation for an attack from a civilian lunatic - foreign or domestic - because there would be no target, not even an “Afghanistan, and retaliation would solve nothing.“
I accept former President James Earl Carter’s ( A grown man of accomplishment, “Jimmy!” Bah! ) idea relative to our attitude toward these nations. I believe we would realize much more satisfaction by affording them the respect they think they deserve, until their behavior subsequently proves what we are inclined to believe, or they become friends.
I believe “Freedom” to them is not the same as it is to us; We must stop thinking in terms of forcing our values on them - we took many years to form our values, we should let them take their time to learn to think in the modern age. We must allow them to democratize themselves in their own time; to bring their religion and values into the present age.
Only a suicidal North Korean assassin could solve that problem quickly!
Former President Carter had expressed his disappointment with Bush junior's administration in their treatment of these two frightening national leaders, stating that they need to be respected instead of being called dirty names. I agree.
I will ask Mr. Carter to once again visit both countries with my authorization to form an agreement between our nations. During his visits we will be in constant communication as to points of dispute, and bring about agreements we all could live with, before he leaves each country; there will be no shuttling.
If this extension of respect by us fails to move either of them to deal in good faith, and without undue delay, within a reasonable span of time, I will retreat to a “Bush” attitude, from which I will not return; they both will have been advised of this.
I will also bring into existence a department of *anonymous* speakers of Arab, Farsi, and the languages of major Central Asian nations. ( in fact, every major language on earth.) They would broadcast over the East a constant flow of propaganda via TV and radio, to inform, and keep informed, the people of that world as to the truth of current events, including children’s programs. ( Recall “Radio Free Europe.“ )
I believe the Arab and Persian world receives very little truth, and truth will be this department’s product. One topic will be sane interpretation of the Koran, and the teachings of more mentally stable personalities in what true Islam is, or should be, in the modern era.
The personnel of this department would be shared by the FBI, and CIA, interpreting captured communication, and there will be no limit to the number of personnel in this department; it will be generously budgeted.
It will be my task to attempt to bring together the East and West, in conjunction with the UN, to a point of lasting peace where we both live our lives as we each wish. The East *Will* grow toward the West as sure as the world turns; we must give them the necessary time.
However; my one Prime Directive in this area of interest, is to take seriously any person in this country who preaches death or destruction of the West, and order him mmediately deported; I will fight any interpretation of the Constitution that propels us toward suicide. Any foreign national leader who speaks of destroying us will be taken seriously, and dealt with, with no fanfare. Anyone who really wants a war, can expect me to give it to him, with the same rules I expect him to use: None! But I will never order an attack without proven provocation.
I believe ethnic homogeneity is the basis for stable societies; the U.S.A, having established itself from the beginning as a melting pot, could not be changed, and will move forward, along with the rest of the West, but in the East, I believe nations would become stable if they were of single tribes. I will support the voluntary, peaceful, and organized, restructure of countries within the Moslem world into single-tribe entities, the action to be overseen by a UN commission consisting mostly of Moslem UN members.
Boy, will that be fun!
As for getting us into wars, I will set a standard criteria for deployment that will be applied to all volatile situations before ordering troops to action. I will expect the members of the UN to do their duty and prevent wars, and genocide, and not expect us to do it.
As the campaign by others begins, and develops issues, I will add my thoughts on those issues. You will, of course, not “waste your vote” on me, but don’t pass me off as a joke. ( Cynicism is protection from accusations of naivety, or the avoidance of risk; in another word, Chicken! ).
This is your chance to examine substantial ideas that will not come to you from any other candidate; all you will get from them will be, either the same rot that leaves the intelligent among us believing it’s all for naught, or unimaginative same ol’ same ol‘ promises; regardless of candidate, or party, we will continue to travel from one debacle to another, from one century to another, with no end of damaging problems in sight. Only a stranger from out of nowhere can save us. But our money-driven political system will make such hope a waste. As a very old Jewish friend of a friend said to another when he refused to join the 100 club, “Tsuta gunish helfin, boychick.” God!, those people are smart.
( I refuse to write anything else on this topic. You will have to visit the web page on this, and read it through to the end. It’s a blast! )
If Thespian, Chris Walken wins the election, will he be “Acting President“?
(By the way, one of the starters at the Balboa golf course in the Christian city of San Diego, California denies he is Chris Walken‘s brother.)