IMMIGRATION POLICY

America is a nation of immigrants. Our rich history is the history of immigrants coming to America to find a better life for themselves and their families. This diverse mix of people has made America what it is today. America has truly been a melting pot and we should recognize our amazing history. This diverse blend of people that makes up America has created America's unique spirit. We join in recognizing and celebrating the contributions of all peoples who have had a hand in making America great. Thus, we have no desire to have a boring society of faceless clones with no unique characteristics or features.

We have no problem with immigrants who have come here legally.

America and the rest of the world is facing one of greatest challenges we have ever faced:  globalization. America must remember its past and its traditions, but America must also be flexible enough to adapt to today's situations and challenges if America is to last. Old ways, including old immigration policies must be reformed in order to face today's unique challenges. The sterile inflexible tree will be snapped by the wind, while the flexible tree will bend and sway, but not break. Our elected officials in Washington continue to stubbornly cling to the sterile, inflexible old ways of thinking toward our immigration policies, while ignoring the current problems that this old thinking is creating. Old policies are for old times. We need new policies for a new age.

America desperately needs to address our current illegal immigration problem. The current amount of illegal foreign nationals coming across our borders is environmentally and economically unsustainable.  Again, America faces economic, environmental, overpopulation, health care, and terrorism threats to name just a few. Our current illegal immigration laws should be enforced, instead of the current "let them all in" thinking toward illegal immigration that prevails in Washington D.C. The vast majority of our current politicians have ignored our illegal immigration laws. Illegal immigrants should be treated humanely and with care; however, we must work to end the incentives that entice illegal immigrants into coming here. And we must create incentives for immigrants to engage in the legal process of attaining U.S. Citizenship. We should work to prevent illegal immigrants from entering our country by securing our borders. Not only would securing our borders help in controlling our growing population problems and all of the adverse effects associated with it, but securing our borders is also vital to our national security.  
We do not blame immigrants for trying to enter our country. Life in the United States offers many of them much better pay, a better life for their children, and potentially many other added benefits. Again, we have no problem with legal immigrants who are here in our country.  We have nothing against people of different ethnic heritages and we are against racism in any form. However, in regards to illegal immigrants, they must play by the rules if they are to be accepted into our country. Our government has the duty to secure our borders from terrorists and the population escalation. Our country cannot continue to bear the extra burden of increased population, consumption, pollution, health care costs, and job loss.

We are dedicated to protecting American jobs from being lost to foreign workers. It does not matter if that means saving our jobs from foreign workers in other lands (outsourcing) or on our own soil (illegal immigration). The lack of consistency on the issues of outsourcing and illegal immigration by the Democratic and Republican parties is mind boggling. The incentive that the illegal immigrants have for entering our country should be addressed and removed. Hence, employers who knowingly hire Illegal immigrants should be severely punished under the law. Businesses caught hiring illegal foreign nationals should be fined and repeated violations should result in the loss of their business license. Eliminating incentives are the only way we will ever get a handle on the illegal immigration problem in America.

We do not call for deporting illegal immigrants. Instead, by enforcing the law against employers many illegal workers will return to their homelands or look for opportunities elsewhere.

The massive numbers of foreign nationals flooding into the United States has begun to create an America that is much more like a mixed salad instead of a melting pot. Due to the current massive amounts of legal and illegal immigrants coming into America, we are now seeing large groups (separate ingredients in our salad) of people who are not fully blending together with the population. This will create challenges for America as we move forward. All across the nation ESL (English as a second language) classes quickly fill up and people are often turned away. We call for greater funding of ESL programs that would create more ESL classes and teachers. This would create greater assimilation for new immigrants and give them a better future. How many good jobs are available in the United States without knowledge of English?  

Our Legal Immigration policy should be a sustainable one that is more closely linked to the current times and conditions in our nation, and always includes an eye toward the future. Our policy should be flexible in that it is tied to the current population totals, future population trends, environmental threats, unemployment rates (a more accurate unemployment calculation is needed) and other economic conditions. Those legal immigrants that we do admit should be encouraged to assimilate or melt into the population. Currently, America's population is swelling, we face great environmental risks, and our unemployment rate is too high.

Also, employers and the American government must tightly monitor and enforce our visa fraud laws. Also, the current amount of legal work visas issued should be reduced. America has and will always need teaching positions, such as teaching Chinese language, African environmental history, Jewish philosophy, or Japanese politics, in our colleges and universities that would often be best filled by natives from those countries. If no legal American citizens born in those countries can be found, then work visa applications can be accepted. However, in regards to most of the rest of America's jobs; America has millions of unemployed workers who can fill those slots. Employers are not making a good faith effort to find American citizens to fill their open positions. We propose that employers who have open positions and claim they can't find applicants to fill these positions must report those openings to state welfare and unemployment offices. These open positions can then be matched up with able American workers.

 

We will oppose all efforts to raise the annual H1B cap. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. tech workers are unemployed or under employed. It is time that America once again relies on our own technology and our own tech workers and engineers. It is time to stand up for the American worker!

-  Reducing the annual H1-B & L-1 visa cap

-  Encourage American students to pursue an education in computer science, math, and engineering.

 

 

RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL MATTERS

Support the separation between church and state (stop the assault by right-wing religious extremists) 

Religion is a very personal and sacred matter. It has played a vital role in the lives of Americans throughout our nation's history.  In fact, our nation's history and religion have been interconnected in many ways and at many times. Americans should take pride in their religious beliefs and they should be free to practice whatever religion they deem fit. They also have the right to be non-believers or to be unsure. We believe that religion is too sacred and too personal to Americans for the federal government to have its hand in it.  While knowing and understanding the historic relationship religion has played in America and its unique relationship to government, we fully support the separation of church and state.


When religion and public policy are allowed to be so closely linked, we end up with policies that are not in the best interest of the American people.

 

 

 

SOCIAL SECURITY

Preserve Social Security

Social Security has been a very useful and successful program. It has benefited many Americans, in particular (but not only) senior citizens.  Privatizing Social Security would not solve the funding issues that Social Security faces. Social Security is an insurance policy, not an investment policy. The problems with Social Security have been caused by the U.S. Government spending Social Security trust funds.  If those funds had not been touched, Social Security would be fully funded for the foreseeable future. Changing demographics also present a looming crisis for social security solvency.

We are not fundamentally opposed to private accounts. Indeed, private accounts could possibly benefit many Americans. However, any establishment of private accounts should be outside of and independent of a guaranteed base of Social Security benefits.  We are strongly opposed to borrowing more money from China to pay for the initial shortfall caused by the privatization of Social Security.

-  Educate all citizens that Social Security is only a base for retirement savings and must be as close to zero risk as possible.

-  Federal officials should be scored and measured on the solvency of Social Security.  Each elected federal official has fiduciary responsibility for adequately funding social security.  Their salaries should be reduced if Social Security is not in good health.

 

 

GUNS/FIREARMS

Support the right to bear arms 

We believe that the U.S. Constitution allows an individual the right to bear arms. Thus, we support gun rights and oppose any further restrictions on gun rights. However, we do support harsher penalties for those who use a weapon (including non-firearm weapons such as knives, swords, clubs, etc.) in the commission of a crime.

 

 

TAX POLICY

Create a sensible tax policy with a simplified tax code  

America needs a sensible tax policy. The government cannot overburden its citizens with taxes. Such a burden casts our citizens into debt and restricts their freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness.  However, some taxation is necessary for the government to operate if it is to protect its citizens.

Taxes are a necessary evil of our system.  Capitalism is based on the free market, fluctuations and all, to most effectively drive the economy, not government spending.  Governments should be driven towards efficiencies to leave as much money with individuals and businesses.  Unfortunately, the tax code and tax practices has become overly complicated and tipped towards those who can financially support and influence government officials.  

There should be a constant effort to drive government efficiencies to minimize taxes as much as possible. While we are against overburdening our citizens with taxes, we strongly approve of giving tax cuts when the nation can afford it, and we feel tax cuts at a time of war and record budget deficits and trade deficits are extremely irresponsible and totally political.

During Times of War
1. No tax cuts during wartime, especially tax cuts that mainly benefit our wealthiest citizens.  Our whole nation should be asked to sacrifice for the war effort--not just our soldiers and their families.

During Peacetime
1. The government should strive to lower taxes for individuals and businesses. Lowering taxes must be done in conjunction with lowering government spending.

-  Federal and State Tax code must be simplified to a point where experts are not required to understand the system.  Personal and business taxes should be simple and should be taught in high school.

-  Drive our business tax to be the lowest amongst industrialized nations.  Set goals to drive this down year to year.

 

 

 

 

ABORTION

Oppose anti-choice legislation (doesn't mean we are pro-abortion), this includes both abortion and end of life issues i.e., assisted suicide 

Many people are very sensitive about the issue of abortion. Such social issues are very personal in nature.  Individuals have to search their own thoughts, feelings and beliefs in order to come to their own conclusion. We prefer to focus our attention on the bread & butter issues that are of chief concern to most middle class families. We have members and candidates on both sides of this issue.

However, we find it difficult to try to dictate to a woman what she can or can't do with her own body. Abortion should be very rare and ideally in a perfect world we would have no need for abortion.

The decision to have or not to have an abortion should generally be left to the woman, the father, her doctor, family and close friends.

 

 

 

ELECTORAL REFORM

The current system limits the participation of voters and creates unneeded obstacles for independent and third party candidates to run for office.  The two major parties dominate American politics due to these restrictive ballot access laws, along with the use of redistricting gimmicks and of course money.

We support electoral and ballot reform in America.  We support motivating individuals to invest the time it requires to improve our government, to understand and debate the issues and to be impervious to the onslaught of biased media and marketing from the political extremes.

-  Campaign finance reform

-  Goal of 95% of campaign funds should come from the representative district

-  CP candidates will publicly communicate the percentage of campaign funds coming from with in and outside of the representative district

-  Public funding for elections

-  Safe and secure voting machines with a paper trail

-  The right to circulate initiatives, referendums, and recall

-  Extending voter registration dates (but not Election Day voting registration)

-  The counting of all votes—including write-in votes

 

 

 

DOMESTIC SECURITY

Secure the Homeland and stop actual Terrorist threats 

We need to secure our homeland and stop actual terrorist threats toward the U.S.  Our nuclear power plants, ports, borders, trains, and dams are not secure, and the local and state authorities are not getting the funding they need or were promised. This is breaking state and local budgets and putting our citizens in danger. Our borders need to be secure with increased border agents and National Guard troops if need be. The government must work to keep America safe, but must always preserve our individual rights. We strongly oppose many provisions of the hastily passed Patriot Act, which infringes on individual rights and does not make America safer.

-  Give local law enforcement and fire companies the funds they need for security and emergency prevention & response.