A COMPASSIONATE, MODERATE PRESIDENCY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AN ALTERNATIVE TO BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE PRESIDENCY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christopher Ebbe (7-23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you tired and discouraged at what you have been getting in our Presidents? Does the seemingly eternal conflict between two aggressive and unforgiving political parties that currently rule our country disappoint, disgust, and\/or even frighten you? There is an alternative, if you are willing to use your vote in another direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am offering myself as a non-partisan (Independent) candidate for President in the 2024 election. I am 79 and have had many years to observe the failures in our political system as it has become ever more antagonistic. I am convinced that to change course we need a major \u201cattitude adjustment,\u201d consisting mainly of (1) viewing ourselves as all equal citizens with potential for cooperating usefully and (2) rejecting the angry split between conservatives and liberals as presented by our two major parties and coming together to find the best possible compromises for our problems and adopting those compromises (always with room for future improvement as conditions change). I value elements of both conservative and liberal views, and I refuse to choose one party or the other. There is no future for our democracy if our goal is for one side or the other to \u201cwin\u201d and dominate the country, because all citizens deserve to be represented equally in the country\u2019s decisions and actions. We have to live and work together. As some will perceive my goals and plans as left of center, I plan to have a vice-presidential candidate of a conservative orientation as well as a Conservative and a Liberal for each cabinet position. I will also suggest to the House of Representatives that they sit intermingled rather than separating Republicans and Democrats on two sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will focus on these issues in an effort to start a new direction in our politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are so divided along economic and class lines that the value of the individual citizen has been degraded. We are all equal as citizens, and we are all of equal value to the nation. The primacy of citizen voices for politics has to be restored. I will develop programs for constant, organized feedback from citizens to government, including annual referenda on such things as how much should be spent on healthcare, and I will give you weekly, specific feedback on how your government is progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is such a thing as truth, even in this post-modern, post-facts environment, and it is our duty as citizens to seek to understand our situation and issues as well as we can, so that we can elect the right people. Otherwise, we will be completely at the mercy of those who seek personal power. I will always tell you the truth about what is going on, including who in government is keeping us from making necessary progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having two behemoth parties has suppressed political discussion, since the parties channel all discussion of their members into only two final positions. This eliminates much of our potential creativity in solving problems, and voting by party gives us a skewed picture of what the people\u2019s representatives actually think. Congress needs our individual input, and Congresspersons should vote what individually they actually believe rather than how the party tells them to vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democracy is ideally a system of gathering the equally valuable input from all<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n citizens and then fashioning the best solutions possible at the moment for each<\/p>\n\n\n\n and every problem. Democracy should not be about who can \u201cwin\u201d and force<\/p>\n\n\n\n everyone else to do as they direct; it must be about making the best<\/p>\n\n\n\n compromises possible on every issue. The current emphasis on winning make us<\/p>\n\n\n\n enemies unnecessarily. I will work for effective and acceptable compromises for<\/p>\n\n\n\n all of our problems (which will mean that some citizens will have to give up their<\/p>\n\n\n\n crusades to force their moral beliefs and attitudes on everyone else!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taxes should be based on how much Congress appropriates each year, because that should be the amount of taxes collected in the following year. This will cure the deficit problem, eliminate government borrowing, and show you exactly what your representatives have voted for. Taxes are to pay for what we together decide to do as a country, and if citizens don\u2019t like the amount of their taxes, then paying the next year for the previous year\u2019s appropriation will lead immediately to electing new persons to Congress. Taxes are not something to be avoided, and we should not idolize those who do best at avoiding paying their share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The job of President is too important to be a popularity contest. We should always elect the person who is best qualified to actually do the job. (See my analysis of the job of President and the skills required, below and at www.livewiselydeeply.com under government\/politics and then presidential choice.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not difficult to understand how to have useful, civil discussions about<\/p>\n\n\n\n difficult issues, though it may be difficult to actually implement the steps<\/p>\n\n\n\n required (basically seeking to understand others\u2019 views and share your own,<\/p>\n\n\n\n without seeking to convert the other person). I will exemplify this approach in<\/p>\n\n\n\n my interactions with Congress and with all citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our economy has a large proportion of jobs that do not pay enough to live on. To address this, we should get more people working (by public support if not by our businesses), and all jobs should pay enough to have a \u201cdecent life\u201d (through shared support by our taxes and our businesses).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The principles of good emotional health are not difficult to understand (basically, seeking to be happy through having adequate self-worth and an adequate sense of security, while valuing and not harming others). I will promote programs that support citizens\u2019 self-worth and security, and I will help society to help especially those who could end up in mass shootings of their fellow citizens!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We must revise our definition of asylum, determine a fair way to triage those who are likely to fit our definition at the border using beefed up hearing and detention facilities (and many more hearing judges), deport those not likely to qualify for asylum, and continue accepting non-asylum\/non-refugee immigrants<\/p>\n\n\n\n as we do now, to maintain the workforce that we need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you tired of being deceived by politicians who seem unable to be honest and take responsibility when appropriate? I believe in always being honest and responsible and treating others fairly, regardless of whether we agree on policy. I will truly be President for all Americans, before and after being elected, and I will take the needs and feelings of all Americans into account in seeking the best possible compromises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of trying to help this or that party \u201cwin,\u201d it would be better for the country if we sought to elect the person who is best qualified for the job, based on his\/her knowledge, skills, and abilities. Here are the essential elements of the job of President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most qualified President is the one who can do the greatest number of these things well, with legislative, military, and foreign policy functions weighted more heavily. Voters are cautioned against choosing whom to vote for on the basis of only a few criteria. The President\u2019s job is multi-faceted, and a candidate with whom you disagree on the issue most important to you may do you more good on ten other issues, so it may be in your best interest to vote for that candidate in this election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please compare me with the other candidates in terms of these qualifications, and if you see me as the best qualified, then vote for me (as write-in if necessary)! To learn more about me and what I believe, see my resume on www.ebbeforpresident.com<\/a>, a very detailed platform on a wide range of issues in my book A Compassionate, Moderate Political Platform for 2024, available on-line, my book on \u201chow to live\u201d (Live Wisely, Deeply, and Compassionately, available on-line), and a number of my essays on our society\u2019s issues and problems at www.livewiselydeeply.com<\/a>. After September, 2023, look for periodic videos and postings on the website www.ebbeforpresident.com and for (sorry to do this) tweets! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A COMPASSIONATE, MODERATE PRESIDENCY AN ALTERNATIVE TO BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE PRESIDENCY Christopher Ebbe (7-23) Are you tired and discouraged at what you have been getting in our Presidents? Does the seemingly eternal conflict between two aggressive and unforgiving political parties that currently rule our country disappoint, disgust, and\/or even frighten you? There is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":426,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions\/426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebbeforpresident.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n