Karolina for President

Here is what my campaign would look like. This is a draft.  I do not have the finances worked out.  ;)  I also recognize, through this exercise, that it is simply impossible to please all people, especially when trying to represent huge numbers of people from very divergent walks of life.

I would like to base my candidacy, campaign, and presidency on two underlying principles:

1. To make intentional decisions based on sound principles of what's best for the common good, and not based on the special interests of the wealthy and powerful at the top, who pull the purse strings according to whether their interests are met or not.

2. To uphold the separation of church and state by preventing any religious belief system from exerting excessive and unbalanced influence on public policy, while at the same time allowing and encouraging everyone to openly share and celebrate whatever their beliefs and traditions are, both religious and spiritual, without trying to stifle them in an effort to "not offend".  We need more dialogue and understanding, not more avoidance and pretending that our faith (for those of us who adhere to a religious or spiritual faith or practice) does not effect the whole of our lives.

With these two underlying principles in mind, I would like to share what I would propose if it were actually up to me to make decisions on the following issues. The areas of concern are of course not exhaustive.

CRIME & JUSTICE
1. The punishment must fit the crime.  Simple drug possession offenses need not waste taxpayer money on incarceration.  Rather, community service and/or fines should be imposed instead.  Incarceration should only be utilized for people whose crimes indicate a threat to society.  The death penalty should only be reserved for the most heinous of crimes.  At the same time, jail or prison should not resemble a sort of retreat, with free education, gym membership, and access to media.  Rather, it should be a productive time of working towards repentance - counseling, community service, and the earning of any educational degrees in exchange for actual work that contributes to the upkeep of the facility and/or the community.

2. Native American First Nations should have priority in decision making that in any way effects their traditional land, regardless of the bottom line.

3. The age of consent must be taken into consideration in instances of statutory rape.  If we as a society openly encourage adolescents as young as 11 to have access to free birth control on their public school campuses, then we must also assume that this is an appropriate age for a child to give consent to sexual activity.  If this seems unacceptable, we need to stop sending mixed messages to our youth.  And we must stop treating "older boyfriends" the same as violent criminals based only on the age of their partner and not on the circumstances of the encounter (ie. was there or wasn't there consent?)


ECONOMY & TAXES

1. No income tax on annual incomes at or below the national poverty line, adjusted for number of dependents.  A 25% income tax on incomes at or above $1,000,000, adjusted for number of dependents. Current rate of income tax on incomes between these two extremes.  No income tax on incidental, part-time, or person-to-person exchanges of money for goods or services (like babysitting, or any arrangement without the benefit of business incorporation).

2. Retirement should be set permanently at 65 years old.

3. Business taxes should take into consideration the actual income brought it, and not be taxed beyond what the business owner actually benefits from merely because they are incorporated.

EDUCATION

1. Schooling for children should not be mandatory before the age of 7.

2. Home education should be widely encouraged to help lower teacher-student class ratios for the students who remain in an institutional school setting, and to allow for more relevant educational opportunities for the students who are homeschooled.  Homeschooled children should have access to all the same educational resources public-school children in their county do, such as being able to participate in extracurricular activities and competitions, attending school functions like proms and sports games, etc.  Alternately, individuals without children in the public school system ought to not be taxed for supporting a school system they do not participate in.

3. Children should only be advanced to the next level based on mastery of any given subject.  There is no excuse for a high school graduate being functionally illiterate.

4. High school graduation should take place once the student has reached the educational equivalent of an average Associate's Degree.  Alternately, dual enrollment and vocational schooling ought to be available and accessible to all high school students.

5. Decisions having to do with any changes in the curriculum, discipline, or atmosphere of the public school should be put to a vote by the parents (and children, when appropriate) once these have had a chance to educate themselves on what is being voted on and the resulting consequences.

6. Simple dress codes (but not uniforms) should be mandatory for all students, and should allow at least two alternatives for each student.

7.  All students, teachers, and staff should feel free to share and celebrate their religious beliefs without forcing anyone else to participate, and as long as these beliefs do not in some clear way discriminate others.  Anyone should feel free to silently pray at any time in public without fear of harassment.

ELECTIONS

1. Presidential elections should include ALL third party candidates.

2. Felons who have completed their sentence should be allowed to vote.

3. Everyone should be allowed to vote by absentee ballot for any reason.

4. The Electoral College needs revision.  There must be a way for *every citizen's vote* to count.

5. Elections should be based on well-publicized debates and possible meet-and-greet tours funded privately by the candidates.  There should be no media advertisements endorsing any candidate.

ENERGY

1. There needs to be an immediate shift towards all manner of renewable natural resources as sources of energy.  The quicker we embrace the future, the quicker we will be able to finance it and prevent further problems down the road.

2. No one should be coerced by their circumstances to engage in dangerous work like coal mining.

FOREIGN POLICY

1. The United States needs to withdraw from playing Big Brother and meddling in other countries' business.  Unless directly asked for help, in which case it behooves us to help - according to that country's requests, so long as these are acceptable to us - in order to help stave off ongoing refugee crises around the world.

GUNS/2ND AMENDMENT

1. The second amendment should not be used as a carte blanc that allows mentally unstable criminally-minded individuals easy access to assault rifles or other weapons.  Yes, every American ought to be allowed to carry a gun, but with the following criteria met: a background check to ensure no violent criminal record, a psychiatric evaluation indicating a stable mental state, a maximum number of working weapons allowed to be kept on private premises (with case-by-case consideration for hunters and others who use weapons in their line of work or , a minimum age requirement, a shooting and safety course and/or assessment, and a waiting period between the application for a gun permit and the reception of the gun.

2. Gun safety courses should be incorporated into public schools, with the option of any student to waive.  These should teach both safe handling of guns, being able to assess potentially dangerous situations, and first aid for gun shot wounds.

HEALTHCARE, ABORTION & END OF LIFE

1. Abortion should not be criminalized.

2. There should be neutral referral clinics that neither perform abortions nor are religiously-sponsored that could then refer women either to a pro-life or a pro-choice clinic for further care.

3. Planned Parenthood should be defunded and abortion should stop bringing in the money that it currently does.

4. Abortion in the first trimester, including the morning-after pill, should be available on the spot to all women.

5. Abortion after the first trimester should require a wait period of at least 24 hours, during which time the woman would be provided with alternative counseling.  There should be no pressure exerted either way on the woman during this period.  Overnight housing for women who have had to travel long distances should be included in the cost of the procedure.

6. An ultrasound/sonogram should be mandatory before a woman can be expected to make an informed decision on what she is preparing to do.

7. Minors should not be required to get parental permission before undergoing the procedure.

8. Any abortion recommended for reasons dealing with the "health of the fetus or mother" should require a second opinion by a different doctor, either same day but in a different facility, or same facility but on a different calendar day.

9. Birth control should be accessible and affordable for all women.

10. Vaccines should not be mandatory, but should be highly encouraged.

11. The decision to end one's life "with dignity" should remain between the patient and the doctor.

12. All people, regardless of citizenship status, should have access to basic health care. This access should be affordable for all, and no one should be penalized for not having health insurance if there is no free insurance available.

IMMIGRATION

1. The federal government should not pursue raids to try to enforce immigration laws.  This creates fear among both undocumented immigrants and citizens who false sense there's some danger from the former.

2. The border should be secure, but not via a wall.  No one should be shot at or otherwise face death merely for illegally crossing the border.

3.  Families arrested together should remain together.  No child should be removed from his or her parents' care, unless the parent agrees for the child to return to a relative or friend they list by name.

4. Undocumented immigrants who have established themselves as law-abiding and tax-paying residents should be allowed to file for permanent resident status after a period of 5 years.

5. Native American First Nations should be consulted on all matters of immigration and refugees coming into the United States, and their opinion should be followed as far as possible.

LABOR & WAGES

1. The federal government should guarantee paid family and medical leave for all full-time employees.

2. The minimum wage should increase according to inflation rates

MARIJUANA & ALCOHOL

1. An individual that is deemed old enough to vote, serve in the military, marry, establish a household, etc. should also be treated like an adult in all other ways, including the ability to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages and rent a car, among others.

2. Marijuana should be treated no differently than nicotine - legal and regulated, for both medicinal and recreational use.

MILITARY & WAR ON TERROR

1. If the president is to retain the role of "Commander in Chief", he or she must have served honorably in the military.

2. The United States should withdraw all military troops from foreign lands, except where expressly requested to remain by the host country, and only as long as the host country desires it.

3. The United States should divert some of its military budget to creating dialogue between conflicting nations and groups, in an effort to become a leader in world peace talks.

4. There should be a mandatory period of civil or military duty (at least one year, not more than four years) for all citizens, but each citizen should be able to choose civil over military without having to prove some objective "conscientious objector" status.

5. All military personnel should have equal access to all jobs, and have equal expectations in terms of performance, regardless of sex, gender, etc.

RACE

1. Colleges and Universities, as well as employers, should utilize "blind" selection criteria where the selection committee is not aware of the applicant's race/ethnicity or sex.

2. There is a clear correlation between race and the prison population.  The Black Lives Matter movement serves to point out that while we would like to believe that everyone in the United States is treated equally, that is in fact not the case.  Therefore, those who have been marginalized deserve recognition for their unique struggles.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

1. We must take it upon ourselves to be much better stewards of the natural resources at our disposal.  We must lead by example, and not drag our feet complaining about costs.

2. Genetically modified foods should be labeled as such.

3. Everyone should be allowed and encouraged to grow their own vegetable garden.

SEX & GENDER

1. Marriage equity between two consenting adults is a civil right.

2. Businesses that claim religious opposition to LGBTQ rights should at the very least be required to advertise their stance with a recognizable sticker (say, a rainbow behind a red "do not enter" crossed out circle) on their website and front door, so that prospective customers save themselves the embarrassment of being denied goods and services. This would also allow those who agree with the business owner to support them, while those who disagree to take their business elsewhere.

3. Transgender people should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice.  In fact, public restrooms need to be reconfigured to allow easier access to the next available stall.  This would also drastically assist cisgender women who currently dare not enter a stall marked for "men" even when there is no line for it.  There should also be more family restrooms that allow for easier management of multiple children with or without diapers.