About Simon Ribeiro
Healthcare:
Our administration has passed a Universal Healthcare bill devised to cover all uninsured citizens. While I see this bill as a good start, it needs reworking to better suit our needs. I am a proponent of single national, government-payer health care that is free, high quality, efficient, preventative, and compassionate.
Education:
Our education system needs to be better and more accessible. As a teacher, I know firsthand that a good education will solve many social issues facing our nation today. I support single national, government-payer education that provides free preschool all the way up to college and/or trade school.
Retirement Pensions:
We need to make sure our seniors are well taken care of. I will push for a single national, government-payer pension system that provides livable pensions for every senior aged 65 and older as well as for workers too disabled to work.
National Security:
We must better adapt our national security policies to the realities of globalization, immigration, and terrorism in today’s world. I support more strategic boarder protection and will push for more resources to aid our Homeland Security professionals. I advocate replacing all state ID cards with one national ID to foster security and convenience for our citizens.
Foreign Policy:
The unproductive wars waged in Afghanistan and Iraq has claimed numerous lives and tarnished America’s image throughout the world. I will fight to ban all speculative, preemptive war. We must end our invovlement in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must work to remedy the dire situations in Pakistan, Palestine, and Columbia.
American led embargoing and isolation has been counterproductive and worsened our world status. I will push for open diplomatic relations with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Middle East Peace:
The stalemate occurring in the Middle East must be addressed in a holistic way. I will pressure the Israelis and the Palestinians to become part of a larger democratic, pluralistic Israeli-Palestinian State and work to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in Palestine. I support the halt of Jewish settlements in Palestine in order to achieve sustainable peace and economic growth throughout the region.
Environment:
People of all generations realize that the Environment is one of the most important issues facing our world today. I will fight to combat global pollution by replacing traditional dirty energies with clean renewable energies.
Fair Immigration:
We are a nation of immigrants. I am the proud descendant of Italian and Portuguese immigrants. I believe the United States still provides the “American Dream” to all who seek it, but in order to preserve this promise, we must reform our immigration policy. I will work to provide amnesty to undocumented workers and their families. I will push to end all undocumented work and Social Security fraud.
Family:
I believe that our government is too involved in the lives of the American family. I will fight to allow couples to marry, separate, or divorce privately without state interference. I will work to allow individuals to include anyone onto their visitation list for Hospital visits. I will push to maintain government regulation and supervision of child custody issues.
I believe abortions should remain legal and be decided by the mother and her doctor. Condoms and other safe-sex birth control contraceptives should be made accessible to prevent or minimize disease transmissions and unwanted pregnancies.
Regulations Streamlining:
In a globally competitive world, the free flow of labor and capital is essential to our economic success. I will work to streamline disjointed state and federal regulations by implementing a progressive federal system that will facilitate economic opportunity. US professionals would be able to move from state to state and still work without having to acquiring new licenses/certifications. To minimize bureaucracy, I will push for a national ID card (referenced in my national security agenda).
To expedite hiring, promotions, and transfers, I support the creation of a standardized job application, integrating all relevant job-hiring information to be uploaded onto the national ID card for convenience, authenticity, and accuracy.
I will push to nationalize the registration of motor vehicles to allow individuals to easily move from state to state without costly and timely jurisdiction regulations.
Government Reform
As a third party candidate, I strongly feel the American public needs more choices for representation. I support equal access for all political parties by establishing the following:
· Equal signature requirements
· Equal debate participation
· Equal media coverage (increasing FCC mandated public service announcement time, freely and equally allocating it to political candidates’ advertisements)
· Ban earmark legislation (national tax money being diverted to non-national goals)
· Allow pet-project funding only in bills that focus exclusively on pet projects
· Ban gerrymandering & affirmative action redistricting and replace it with rectangular gridlocked districts or by districting in whole municipalities or substantial political subdivisions, ensuring better geographical integrity
Finance & Banking:
I will push to nationalize the Federal Reserve and incorporate it under the US Treasury Department so that true Congressional and Presidential authority can govern the finance and monetary policies of the United States. The currency should not be borrowed but issued by the US government in order to end the national debt, deficit spending, and reliance on high taxes. This policy will allow for enough funding for national and local projects.
This new nationalized central bank will provide free banking services to individuals. I will call on all banks to stop predatory practices such as over draft fees, ATM fees, maintenance fees, and loan fees.
Fair and Simple Taxes:
I will work to replace nearly all forms of taxes (such as sales tax, pay-role tax, property tax, luxury tax, telecommunication tax) and fees (such as license plate renewal fees, ID card fees, vehicle city sticker fees) with a simple graduated progressive income tax on both individuals and businesses on annual incomes (including investment gains) that exceed $150,000 (referenced below). I will also push to replace all highway tolls with a simple gas consumption tax.
Graduated Progressive Income/Investment Gain Tax on Income Brackets:
0% tax rate on the $0 to $150-thousand income bracket.
10% tax rate on the $150-thousand to $200-thousand income bracket.
20% tax rate on the $200-thousand to $400-thousand income bracket.
25% tax rate on the $400-thousand to $600-thousand income bracket.
30% tax rate on the $600-thousand to $1-million income bracket.
35% tax rate on the $1-million to $10-million income bracket.
40% tax rate on the $10-million to $100-million income bracket.
50% tax rate on the $ 100-million to $infinity income bracket.
Criminal Justice:
Too many of the system's resources are tied up in non-violent offenses. The disproportionate punishment that our citizens suffer is a far cry from what America stands for. I will work to reset the scales of justice and fight to decriminalize non-violent offenses in order to attain true justice for all.
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