Common Sense America

You know it, I know it, and almost everyone around us knows it. It is time to have a viable alternative party of the people and by the people to put what most grandmothers in this country would call "some plain old common sense" back into our government.

Our aim is to get started now.

WHAT WE ARE NOT:

- We are not another PAC

- We do not want nor will we accept any money. If you send it, it will be sent back or thrown away.

- Hard line, zealous Tea Partiers, flaming liberals, or anyone else with an "agenda" need NOT apply. Nor do we need any career politicians.

WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE NEED:

The concept here is to form a truly INDEPENDENT party formed and run by common sense driven Americans who are tired of the "choose the lesser of two evils" two party system we have now.

We can all REGISTER independent, but right now there is no really independent party.... a real alternative to protest votes for green party, or libertarian candidates or funny little Texans with hand done charts and graphs. (but even he got 19% of the popular vote)

And it needs to be a viable force by 2016.

WHAT WE NEED:

- People of similar beliefs in common sense to be willing to get involved instead of just sniping and complaining

- People from all walks of life willing to put a little effort into this grass roots start through networking and social media.

You KNOW the technolgy is already here. It is time to use it for something important!

With today's social media there should be NO need for fancy conventions, smoke filled rooms or lobbyists.

- Some professionals with a governmental/legal background to help navigate ballot requirements, and other legal requirements.

- Thinking people willing to give us input based on the VERY preliminary platform on the right. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT part of making this a by the people for the people party.

- Potential Candidates for National Offices

- People willing to post, tweet, twitter,
e-mail or text this information to friends, relatives, associates.

WE will post the specifics SOON so please check back as we activate more pages on this site.

To send suggestions, click on the buttom below.

Please note that any radical narrow agenda driven ideas, foul language rants and similar will be deleted.

IMPORTANT: Please put "common sense" in the heading of your e-mail (see the disclosure at the bottom of the center column.

Our two party system isn't working in our best interests. Heck, it is barely working at all. Both sides are too busy trying to get on top, get re-elected and get the power in their hands.

Right now the political divide is deep.
Red vs blue all across the country and we are getting nowhere... fast.
Our goal would include people actually listening to each other much like Voltaire whom is broadly quoted as saying: "I may disagree with you but will defend to my death your right to disagree with me." (this of course, is not his exact quote but much like "Play it again Sam" it has been commonly accepted.)

COMPROMISE.
LEARN TO SHARE
BE CIVIL

NO HARD RED - NO HARD BLUE.
just purple as we work together with common sense to help our country move forward in a mature and caring manner.

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DISCLOSURE:
THis is temporarily being hosted on one
of my websites.
There is no intent for promotion or gain.
Very soon this will be moved to

www.commonsenseamerica.org

This site contains much feedback and editing by a groups of contributors from all sides of the age and political spectrum.

If you want to contribute ideas please e-mail them
BUT include Common Sense in the heading.

note that the page link buttons are not yet activated

Common Sense Americans Party

Prelimiary Platform - updated 10/28/13:
IMPORTANT! - This is a VERY preliminary platform. Please read the information on the left and then feel free to suggest additions and alterations.

GOVERNMENT REFORMS

Term limits:
- 8 years president (already the law) - 12 years congress any combination of Senate and House.This needs to be retroactive so if congress people are already past this they are ineligible to run again.

Some would argue we have this defacto now as voters could just do the math and vote accordingly. But the truth is, that incuments have a HUGE advantage. Media coverage, name recognition and political power. Elected officials need to be assured that they only have a finite amount of time so they will spend their time in office working instead of working to be re-elected.

One subject legislation
- Large "comprehensive" legislative packages go nowhere fast and are impossible to understand. We don't need any more mega page laws that should be "passed so we know what's in it".
- Bills should be directed at ONLY one issue. No riders or add ons otherwise known as "pork."
- Failing the above, the President should be allowed the line item veto that some state Governors have.

Eliminate Legislative gridlock:
Government shutdowns, meaninless filibusters and other political ploys need to be done away with.
- Committees should have a time limit to pass legislation on for a vote or send it back for a re write. A few people have the power the let bills "die in committee".
- Chamber leaders should not have the power to stifle or prevent a bill from coming to a vote. If it passes, the President always has an opportunity to veto and the Senate has an opportunity to over ride the veto. These are the checks and balances built into our constitution.

New laws should have a time limit
Laws should be subject to review at the end of their limit. Or sunset provisons can be built in so they expire at a set time.
- A cabinet level department should be set up to review exisitng laws and recommend them for confirmation or elimination.

Eliminate all government perks and pensions.
They can set up their own IRA's, SEP's etc.

Allow congress and the president 3 weeks vacation only. Allow two one week recesses in which they must be at their state offices to hold town meetings or personally interact with constituents.

Corruption:
- No elected official or their family or extended family should be allowed to do business with the government or benefit directly from a law pased by the congress.
- No former member of the US government should be allowed to lobby for a private company or a foreign government. This is very similar to "no compete" clauses most employees are asked to sign.

ELECTION REFORMS

Ban or regulate all TV, print media and radio ads. Especially negative "attack" ads.
This will greatly diminish money as an election influence. Purists will argue First Ammendment right to free speech, but the FCC already bans many forms of advertising including tobacco and alcohol. Also language use.

Require major media to publish candidate's website address's

Hold federally funded debates for any congressional or executive position. And publish the transcripts on-line. This should cost very little as the media will want to gain profit from the debates via advertising revenues.

Public personal attacks on opponents can be punished by disqualification. Even on "talk shows".

Substitute banned political ads with a national and local election channels to allow equal access of all candidates at federal, state and local levels to communicate their position clearly needs consideration. No commentary or "round table" discussions by talking heads allowed. We have enough of those. Any debates by the candidates would be included on this voting channel real time and re-aired at various times.
This has been done on public access channels but with very little viewership.
Some will argue that the less informed public does not and will not pay attention to this. If they are not bombarded on commercial television with endless negative attack ads, they may take time to inform themselves.

BUDGET/FINANCE

Create cabinet level position
to eliminate redundant and out dated beaurocracies.

Allow departments to keep surpluses
to eliminate "use it or lose it " waste.

Require the Executive branch to send a balanced budget to congress for approval EVERY fiscal year.

Close tax loopholes for corporations, non-profits and PACs

Cut costs including internal waste and largesse, foreign aid to warring factions and if necessary raise taxes until public debt is under control. A cabinet level position could be created to review every department from the Pentagon with it's notorious 65 dollar hammers, to "bridges to nowhere"

Humanitarion Foreign Aid
- oversight must be increased to be sure that humanitarian aid gets in the right hands. If warring factions are taking or holding such aid it should be stopped.

Simplify the tax code.

Restrict the power of the IRS to punish and intimidate taxpayers. If it is small write it off ... if it costs more to collect than it is worth that is bad business.

Print currency only to replace currency turned in for destruction. It is unlikely we can return to the gold standard, which would be the best, but simply printing more paper currency to cover our debts is absurd and erodes our economy. Once we lose our status of the past 50 years as the world's reverve currency (universally accepted), the value of the US dollar will go down faster than the Titanic did. If the treasury does it, they think it is okay. But if you do it it is called counterfeiting.
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SOCIAL PROGRAMS a.ka. "entitlements"
- Social security, Medicare and welfare are not in themselves the problem. They have been law for a LONG time. Continuing to fund them is the problem. Making reasonable adjustments to retirement age, and parameters for receiving public funds can be found. Simply continuing to raise payroll deductions will eventually cripple young people financially.

- One solution may be to raise the "cap" on Social Security and Medicare taxes. Lower and Middle income persons pay a MUCH higher portion of their income than high end earners.

- Return Social Security revenues as a untouchable INVESTED fund.
Not Federal Goverment I.O.U.'s.

HEALTH CARE REFORM

The affordable Heath care act is the law

- Obstructionist politics are not the answer. As it unfolds problems will occur. They can be addressed by ONE SUBJECT bills to correct the problems.

- One such solution would be to allow a 1-1 individual tax credit (not a deduction) for health insurance premiums and costs. This will minimize employer insurance issues and help make health insurance more affordable for the average person. Especially self employed people and under employed people. If the tax credit exceeds taxes due it becomes a subsidy and a refund will be issued accordingly. The system of employer provided health insurance is rapidly becoming out dated.

- Possibly allow the Federal Government to set up a one pay health insurance pool and either bid this group out to a major insurance company or administer it Federally.

- TORT reform: put a cap on lawsuits and/or make lawyers charge a flat fee instead of a percentage of damages awarded.They know how many hours they will have to spend. This will reduce the incentive for huge settlements.

IMMIGRATION REFORM - Each of these to be dealt with as separate legislation.

Issue a non citizen ID card for work purposes ONE time. No card no work. Privleges of citizenship like voting and welfare NOT available. After a short grace period, no card and you are deported.

Allow an eventual path to citizenship with same rules as other applicants. Pass the citizen's test, speak english etc. Trying to deport 11 million or more people is absurd.

One time "dreamer" path to citizenship. Same rules as above but on a much faster track. We cannot continue to punish people for crimes their parents commited when they were children.

Eliminate automatic citizenship to babies born in the US
Few other countries allow this. Early in our history it made sense and of course after the Civil War when African Americans were freed. But today it leads to "anchor babies" or tearing families apart.

Illegal immigrants committing a felony go to jail,
directly to jail - they do not pass go or the border.

FOREIGN POLICY
- unless there is a direct threat to our national security, stay out of other countrie's civil wars. Including sending arms and munitions. We have a bad track record of picking the "correct" side to back.
- If we invaded every country with a strong presence of terrorists, we would have to conquer half the world.
- Slowly eliminate bases overseas, especially Europe, and re-open closed bases here. This will keep associated revenues here instead of in foreign countries.
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ENVIRONMENT

Review and/or revoke patents held by corporations that block environmentally sound ideas for clean energy

Give tax incentives (not loans) to companies to encourage green energy production.

Put forth reasonable goals and incentives (not mandates) to achieve lower carbon emissions

Use some of our "foreign aid" money to clean up pollution, thin forests, and fund research on clean energy and other environmental issues.

GUN CONTROL
- Only one generation ago this was not an issue. Today it is a very divisive one. It is however, as a rancher might put it "closing the barn door after the horse has run away" Criminals will get guns no matter what laws are passed because by definition: criminals break the law.
However there may be some things that could be done:
- Increase penalties for the unlawful use of a firearm
- Hold gun owners responsible for their gun and take reasonable precautions to secure their weapons or be charged as an accessory. Especially parents if their child takes a gun to school.
- Gun safety classes, and possibly gun education in schools to educate kids that guns aren't toys and what to do if you come into contact with a gun without a parent or adult in charge.

DRUGS

Just like prohibition of the 1920's, the war on drugs as proclaimed by Richard Nixon in the 1970's is a LOST CAUSE. Drug use and abuse has not diminsihed - it has increased along with crime and broken lives.

- STRONGLY consider legalizing some drugs or at least decriminalizing them. Marijuanna would be a good place to start. Prisons are full of people there because of mandatory sentences for drug posession. This is a waste of money and LIVES.

Tax and regulate it - This will increase revenue and safety and also minimize drug sales (i.e. cartel) crime.

- Allow ATF or the FDA to inspect and regulate any legalized drug for quality and safety. Drug purchasers will KNOW what they are buying.

- Any legalized drugs could be purchased at drug stores.

- Set up panels to free all federal inmates on drug possession crimes. Encourage the states to do likewise.

- Use a portion of tax revenue for drug education and rehabilitation (just like alcohol and tobacco.)

RELIGION

- Stay out of religious issues. Period.
- Eliminate tax breaks for religious institutions -
Religion should pay for religion. The constitution makes a clear case for the separation of church and state. What it allows for is freedom of religious choice.
- eliminate tax deductions for contributions to religious institutions unless it is a direct charity like a food bank, women's shelter, homeless shelter etc. Churches, Temples, Mosques and the like should not be tax exempt.

SOCIAL

- NO laws should be passed that override personal choice except where public safety is compromised (i.e. immunizations etc. )
- Personal choice includes dress, food, drink or dangerous pastimes among other things.
- Persons should be allowed to marry same or opposite gender partners - or rocks if they wish.

This is just a base starting point.

DISCLOSURE:
THis is temporarily being hosted on one
of my websites.
There is no intent for promotion or gain.
Very soon this will be moved to

www.commonsenseamerica.org

about the author of this site:

I am not a politician. I am:

- a 60 year old semi retired graphic designer/business owner
- a happily remarried widower
- father of two boys, age 25 and 22
- former youth baseball coach
- NOT affiliated with any political group or
organised religion.

At my age I am most concerned about
younger people who will bear the burdens
sewn today, tommorow

This site contains much feedback and editing by a group of contributors from all sides of the age and political spectrum.

If you want to contribute ideas please e-mail them
BUT include Common Sense in the heading.