What I'd like to see?
1. Repeal the patriot act
There are some minor things in the Patriot Act that need tweaking but for the most part its not anywhere near as bad as it is made out to be. Its not a political hotbed that needs to be addressed as a manifesto.
2. Fix the damned AMT once and for all. Set it to an inflation adjusted value it should have been at and then peg it to inflation (like it SHOULD have been in the first place) so we don't have this drama every year
Just get rid of it and put in a flat tax. Get rid of all deductions, exemptions, credits, etc., except:
exemption for self and spouse (say $10,000 each)
exemption for each dependent (say 75% of the spouse and personal exemption)
extra dependent exemption for each person in the household over 65, handicapped, or blind
exemption for mortgage interest NTE the value of a dependent exemption
IRAs, 401k, remains as is.
That way a family of four making $35,000 or less pays no federal income tax at all. If they have a mortgage, they can make $42,500 and owe no federal income taxes. A retired couple making $35,000 a year pays no federal income tax.
Index the exemption amount for inflation.
Set the tax rate to whatever it has to be to pay the bills.
Death tax. $10,000,000 per estate exemption. 35% on the rest. No generation skipping trusts, no nonsense. You can pass on to your spouse without tax liability.
Exclude part of capital gains from sale of residence. NTE $1,000 per full month that you actually lived in it. Applies only to primary residence.
3. Ensure net neutrality
No idea what this means. I am guessing it has something to do with the Internet.
4. Real penalties for hiring illegals (AZ has some, and it seems to be working)
Criminal penalties. I am thinking 60 days in the federal pen for each illegal you knowingly hired.
5. Real opportunities for immigration, because after all, we're all immigrants. Otherwise we'd be speaking Cherokee or something.
Agreed. A few things.
Must speak fluent English.
No more asylum cases.
Must be at least high school level educated.
Must apply at a US embassy or consulate in their native country.
No special country quotas.
Selected by order of desirability based on employability in jobs we need help in.
Must undergo criminal and security check. If there is no practical way to do that in their country, they stay there.
Temporary worker visa could be granted by US embassy or consulate in the home country for a period of time NTE 12 months for jobs not able to be filled by US citizens. Not renewable in US. Must return to home country for at least 30 days to renew.
6. Banking, where to start. Seriously. It's a mess. Better oversight, which means better regulation of collateralized debt obligations, credit default swaps, etc.
Actually, the banks are not the problem so much as investment banks. Which are really not banks. The US government all but ordered lenders to make loans to people who could not repay them. That is not a banking problem. Get the government out of the lending business.