WHAT WOULD YOU DO?... as president with a majority libertarian congress?

[Sentient Void]

I thought this would make some great discussion and really challenge us to think practically about the state US budget, how to fix it and bring about a much better governmental system. This was in response to an article I read on Kotaku:

http://kotaku.com/5517495/obama-administration-wants-microsoft-to-make-a-video-game

Well just off the top of my head and *generally speaking*...

If I were elected president had the power to do such things (obv you'd need an activist libertarian-majority congress for such things too), first I would make an announcement to the world that in whatever reasonable amount of time (within a few months or a year or so), these policies would begin (to get everyone prepared, nations to take care of themselves and those with jobs in our federal govt to get ready to start looking).

I would urge congress to pass a bill for me to sign in order to repeal obamacare ASAP. I would start by pulling back from all wars and military bases in the world. I would SIGNIFICANTLY cut federal military spending that was normally used for our old morally/economically/practically failed foreign policy, and have a much smaller budget for securing our borders and however many hundreds of miles offshore.*All* foreign aid would be withdrawn. I would eliminate most if not all protectionist tariffs, etc, as these are detrimental to our and others' economies (after all, you want to be able to easily buy other nations' goods, so they can buy even more of yours, among other practical economic reasons).

I would completely end the 'war on terrorism' (but use some smaller intelligence, spy and military operations to find and bring Osama bin Laden, et al to justice. This is particularly to shut up the neocons out there) and the 'war on drugs', along with at LEAST decriminalize drugs on a federal level. I would grandfather in those who are getting or about to get social security/medicare payments, then get rid of it completely apart from those grandfathered in. But for those who are grandfathered in, I would encourage them (particularly the wealthier recipients and generally those who don't need it) to pass on receiving the benefits. This is to shut the old people up who would especially hate on this and fight it, making it even harder to to eliminate it in the first place.

I would cut and eliminate the vast majority of the intelligence bureaucracy (CIA, FBI, NSA, DHS, etc) and have only one, reorganized intelligence agency for FOREIGN ISSUES ONLY.

I would dismantle federal funding for the welfare state completely, then I would systematically dismantle the Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Health, Dept. of Labor, FDA, FCC, EPA, etc... goodbye federal minimum wage laws (there could of course still be state ones, though I would encourage those to be abolished as well), and virtually all other federal business laws/regulations, and basically get the federal govt out of the business of regulating, taxing, subsidizing, etc, business. This would end the lobbying of the fed govt *COMPLETELY*. I would encourage (but obv not force) state governments to privatize beaches, waterways, rivers, and as much land as possible, etc. This would help with appropriately protecting the environment and fighting pollution. I would also privatize and auction off NASA assets. Additionally, I would end all federal subsidies to anything else (colleges, universities, farms, etc), anywhere period.

I would abolish the IRS - along with abolishing the income tax, and an 'aggressive repeal' of the 16th amendment and prohibition of a future federal income tax, and temporarily replace it with the Fair tax ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax ), with a promise to significantly reduce with the goal of eventual elimination of the Fair tax over time after the budget is balanced and brought out of the red(since the national debt is disgustingly huge, and would take some time as the spending cuts reduce the national debt).

I would also favor abolishing the federal reserve and reworking our financial system, but I would need to do more research on how to best accomplish such a transition.

Obviously there's finer details with these things - but I'd have to see the budget and talk with advisors in regards to the best and quickest way to go about quickly transitioning to some of these things - whereas others would be fairly quick and easy.

These would be the first steps to an effective limited federal govt model, before moving to any ideal (my ideal is anarcho-capitalism)... It would take a while and a lot of work to undo all of the damage that has been done for almost the past century - but it is doable... and this would be a start!

I guarantee that with the amount of prosperity and freedom this would bring - MANY nations would follow in our footsteps. Working towards the ideal would be in much closer sight.

Thoughts, ideas? Did I miss anything? :P

[BuddyRey]

I'd propose a Constitutional Amendment that no single agency, whether public or private, could be granted the exclusive legal privilege of providing a good or service.

That would open the door up for everything; market roads, market fire depts., private mail, while still allowing the government to compete in these areas unless or until they were phased out through lack of ability to provide efficiency and maximum satisfaction to their consumers. A gradual and gentle road to a voluntary society.

[RyanRSheets]

Some easy ones I'd do immediately:

1) Audit of the Federal Reserve. Determining the best course of action for returning to the gold standard would likely be a little more complicated, as once demand picks up a lot of new money may work its way through the system.
2) Abolish the FDA. I put this highly on the list because it could be done easily and it serves no purpose but to enrich the big pharmaceutical companies.
3) Abolish the board of education. Again, fairly small cost but no purpose.
4) End the drug war. The process of letting people out of jail would be a rough one because surely some of the people who have been put in jail and are now inviable in the real world will resort to crime such as theft unless they can somehow make it back on their feet.
5) Repeal any and all hate crime legislation. All aggression is evil, not just aggression against a minority.
6) Bring the troops home immediately, from everywhere.
7) Tell Iran we recognize their right to self-defense, but if they act in aggression against us, we will make sure they regret it.
8) Tell Israel we've given them enough weaponry already.
9) Trials for all detainees, send the innocent home.
10) Withdraw from the UN.
11) In order to vote, one would have to prove that they actually paid taxes in the year the vote takes place. If you're getting a free meal, you have no right to decide what that meal is.

Unfortunately, so many people have come to depend on the way things are, so I do think we would have to work very hard to turn things back over to the people without having all-out chaos, but there are plenty of examples of blatant waste, particularly with war which absolutely stifles progress for no gain.

[foofighter20x]

Repeal, baby, repeal!

[JeNNiF00F00]

Grow a cannabis all around the white house.

[mczerone]

Hot Box the congressional floor with the reps. Seal the vents, invite the SCOTUS in, and make them the highest court in the land.

:)

Slightly more realistic, I'd probably declare all State functions to be market entities, and sell them the assets of the Federal govt, including employee contracts and debt notes (including SS liabilities).

[foofighter20x]

More elaborately:

1. Disband NATO. Bring all non-essential troops abroad home. Downsize the military.
2. Fire everyone on the Fed and seek to repeal Fed Res Act.
3. Kick the U.N. out. Stop paying dues. Keep the Sec. Council veto, though. ;)
4. Seek repeal of 17th Amd.
5. Issue executive orders immediately ceasing enforcement of all laws of constitutional dubiousness.
6. Stop all corporate welfare.
7. Being process of winding down/phasing out federal social programs over 30 years.
8. Pardon all non-violent, non-dealing drug offenders.
9. Withdrawal all U.S. fund from World Bank and IMF. Use them to pay down national debt.

That's all I feel like thinking about for now...