Of course a last minute laptop discovery would appear. Because 2016 wasn’t wild enough, 2020 is going to be wilder.
The big story (besides that the Russian Collusion accusations look more and more like an attempt to smear Trump in order to minimize the damage to Hillary’s campaign from Servergate) is the FBI arrest of dozens of parents and officials involved in a scheme to create fraudulent documents and cover up bribes paid in order to get their subpar children into a good school. The arrests include actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughner, who will be trading out her Hallmark Channel specials for Lifetime’s Movie of the Week. A number of commentators have asked why this is illegal, or even a scandal at all, considering that it has long been known that generous “donations” to the school are a way for wealthy parents to secure a spot for their children, and of course schools have long given legacies a advantage in admissions.
The large donations and legacy admissions are baked into the system and I think everyone expects them, and to an extent it’s honest corruption. Susie’s dad donates a wing to the science building and Susie gets admission. Billy’s dad went to Ivy U so Billy is a legacy and gets admission and the family gives generously to the alumni foundation. The school benefits enough to justify the admission, the students benefit from the money which goes towards infrastructure or personnel without raising tuition, and the number of admitted students in most cases is small.
What makes this scandal so infuriating is that athletics and stellar academics were seen as a way for the non-wealthy to secure a spot in a good school. If you don’t have $10 million for a new building, or a last name that traces itself to the Mayflower, your kid could still have a shot if they worked their butt off on the practice field or in the library. Sure, mom and dad may pay for private tutors and test prep, but it still required work on the part of the student. Now we’re finding out that these wealthy folks were destroying even that path through fraud.
Part 3 is here.
Abortion
- Abortion is the killing of an unborn child, and as such should be prohibited except in cases where the mother is at risk of death or severe heath complications.
- Parents have the right to be notified if their child seeks and abortion.
Sexual Orientation and Identity
- Except in a few rare cases all humans are born either male or female, and should be identified as such at birth. Whether or not an adult wishes to present as such, the state will record their biological sex only, and will treat them as their biological sex for legal purposes. Subjecting a child to hormones, surgical mutilation, or therapy in order to “transition” them from one sex to another should be cause for imprisonment.
- Monogamous heterosexual relationships are vital to the continued stability and existence of a free society. The state has an interest in promoting such unions and providing a legal framework with which such unions may take place. With recent supreme court rulings, the issue of gay marriage is moot, however the Anti-Globalist party is staunchly pro-monogamy and opposes any attempts to expand legal recognition or support to multiple partner relationships.
Part 2 is here.
Part 4 is here.
Civil Rights
- The right to keep and bear arms is central to a society of free men and women. Concealed carry will not require a permit. There will be no restrictions on firearms beyond what is established by federal law.
- All organizations have a right to operate in accordance with the beliefs of their owners, in accordance with all health and safety regulations. Businesses may refuse service to any customer capable of paying, except in situations where said business is a) the only provider of a service within a reasonable distance, and b) such a refusal would deny a person either access to the basic requirements for survival or deny them basic access to public life.
- Voting is a fundamental part of the civic process; however, it requires an active and informed population, and a secure process.
- Voters shall be required to register every two years, and the act of registration will be considered consent to be drafted for jury duty.
- All voting shall occur on election day, except for military personnel who may receive an absentee ballot.
- All polling places must verify identity via a state-issued ID card.
- After polls have closed on the day of the election all precincts will report the total number of ballots received to the county governments, who shall report the totals to the Secretary of Elections no later than forty-five minutes after polls in the county have closed. Failure to do so will result in the ballots from that county being disqualified.
- The total number of ballots cast and results shall remain secret until all counties have reported their final tallies, at which point the results will be posted by the Secretary of State. Violation of secrecy shall be a felony.
- No child shall remain in foster care for longer than one year. After one year, the child will be placed for adoption or into the care of an orphanage.
Elected Officials
- No member of the Anti-Globalist party shall serve more than eight years in any one elected position. If a member reaches eight years in a position in the middle of a term, then they will be ineligible to run for reelection during the next election under the Anti-Globalist party.
Part 1 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Government Administration
- No lifetime government pension should be paid except in cases where the employee retires after the age of 69. Employees who enter government service will be offered either matching contributions to a retirement account, or a lump-sum payment at retirement. The lump-sum calculation will be established by the legislature. The maximum amount of such payment shall be capped at the median state individual income, multiplied by twenty years.
- All government agencies will institute a hiring freeze for the next five years. Transfers between agencies will be permitted in order to fill critical vacancies.
- Any calculation requiring an expected interest rate, or expected rate of return must use the rate computed by taking the average over the past ten years.
- State spending must not exceed a deficit of three percent of total revenues. This limit may be increased by a vote of the legislature, but only for a two-year period with no renewal. If exceeded again, the legislature and the governor must resign within sixty days.
Environment
- No public park or monument of size greater than 3 acres shall be established without a majority vote of electorate, or the confirmation of three-quarters of both houses of the legislature. Subdividing a larger area in order to evade this requirement shall trigger this requirement.
Infrastructure
- The state shall construct nuclear, oil, and gas power plants to meet the energy requirements of the population and shall only use renewable power generation as a supplementary supply.
- The principle duty of state and local governments is the protection of citizens of their state. As a result, priority in government funding will be given to that infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the population, its continued well-being, and its evacuation as necessary.
Economy
- The right of a man or woman to support themselves and their family through lawful, honest work is central to our society. We call for a loosening of labor restrictions by a reduction in licensing requirements, onerous health and safety regulations, and burdensome administrative requirements that strangle small businesses and hurt the ability of workers to compete.
- All companies employing H1B and other guest workers will be charged an additional 5% payroll tax on each such worker.
- No tax exemptions or subsidies will be provided to any company for more than two years.
- The minimum wage will be automatically reduced when unemployment rises above a level set by the legislature.
- All lenders operating in the state must maintain a minimum of twenty-five percent of loans (by both total value and total number) on their books.
- Abolish state liquor stores.
- Any man or woman receiving unemployment may be required to work as directed to support state operations. Wherever possible the state will provide opportunities in the form of manual labor.
Part 2 is here.
Crime and Punishment
- End the inhumane practice of mass incarceration by reinstating the whipping post as the primary form of punishment for misdemeanor crimes. Every county will erect a whipping post in public view. Whippings will be carried out every Friday beginning at noon, excepting public holidays.
- The practice of charging a defendant with a massive number of crimes in order to encourage a plea bargain is immoral, as is the practice of trying a defendant for one specific charge while allowing the jury to consider other lesser charges instead. Each jury should only consider the guilt or innocence of a defendant in regard to a specific charge and shall not be instructed or permitted to find the defendant guilty of a lesser crime. No defendant should face trial for more than three charges at a time.
- End the practice of civil asset forfeiture.
- Any person who falsely accuses another person of a violent crime must be referred to the appropriate prosecutor. Said prosecutor must convene a grand jury.
- Any official found to have committed perjury, hidden exculpatory evidence, or otherwise hindered the defendant’s right to a fair trial should be subject to loss of pension, imprisonment, and a fine of up to $1 million. Any such cases will be solely the purview of the Supreme Court, and must be referred to said court when discovered.
Education
- The requirements to teach in this state should consist of no more than 15 credit hours of classes, and no such class is to cover pedagogy or educational theory. All such credit hours should focus on legal and ethical requirements of teachers, as well as first aid and child safety.
- Each school district should develop an exit examination for graduation with a diploma from a public high school. This examination should be available to all students at the end of each school year. Students who wish to attempt the exam earlier than their twelfth-grade year may graduate if they pass under higher standards.
- The purpose of public schooling is to create educate citizens, not prepare students for higher education. As such, the priority for school funding should be for vocational training, basic education, and life skills training, not advanced courses.
- No state money should be used to fund administrative positions within a school district.
- The department of education should be reduced in size by fifteen percent.
- All public high schools will include a year of instruction on marksmanship, person and vehicle search procedures, first aid, and other skills necessary for young men and women to fulfill their roles as members of the state militia.
- The practice of placing special education students into regular classrooms will be halted. It is unfair to both regular students as well as those with special needs.
What ever happened to having a few friends over, some cake, and take-out?
When San Francisco-based wellness coach Caroline Jordan turned 31, she wanted to host a big celebration in a nightclub. She wanted to play her favorite music and get sweaty, but she didn’t want to feel pressure to wear heels or drink alcohol.
Instead, she rented out a club called City Nights and hosted a “Birthday Bootycamp.”
Trump has a certain style. He throws out a lot of stuff that doesn’t mean much, to see what churns the waters. And he sounds like he’s agreeing to what his opponents want, which seems to lure them into demonstrating that they’re not acting in good faith and just want the wedge issue. See also: DACA. Sure, he want’s a deal on dreamers… just as soon as Congress passes it. Congress, of course, isn’t about to pass any amnesty for dreamers. Hence, Trump can now say, “I was willing to compromise, but they weren’t.”
Colorado Alex (In Exile!) 