Free Thinking

Tag: policy

  • Restoring America’s Future: A Blueprint for Fiscal Responsibility and Human Dignity

    Introduction:

    Solvency Is Strength

    America’s greatness is built on strength — not just military might or economic power, but the strength to honor promises, sustain stability, and shape a free and prosperous world. That strength is under siege, not from without, but from within: by the ticking clock of unsustainable federal debt.

    Politicians have been convincing us for decades that we can have our cake and eat it too because it gets them elected and they think we are that gullible. Pay less taxes, spend more for social programs, get more benefits from the government… and no one has to pay for it. We keep hearing slogans like “healthcare is our right”. Well every right to one of us comes with an obligation on another, unless we kick the can to another election cycle and pretend all is well. The day of reckoning will come, and it will be ugly. We will not know what hit us and our media and pundits will waste our time pretending they are trying to figure out what went wrong. Well it’s obvious, you can’t keep spending what you don’t have. A Ponzi scheme is destined to crash, and it’s the guys on the bottom like us who will be crushed.

    If we do not act, the cost will be devastating:

    The world will lose trust in the dollar. Our military deterrence and global influence will erode. Inflation will return — slowly or suddenly. And the programs our elderly depend on — Social Security and Medicare — will collapse under the weight of unmet promises. We will end up with 70% taxes and insane measures to try and fix the damage, but it will be too late.

    But if we act with courage, wisdom, and discipline, we can restore fiscal balance, preserve the safety net, and pass on a nation stronger than the one we inherited.

    This is not austerity.

    This is clarity.

    This is a Grand Deal — not built on giveaways and delusions of invincibility, but on truth, trust, and trade-offs.

    The Moral and Strategic Foundation

    1. The Federal Government Must Remain Solvent to Survive

    The federal government has a constitutional purpose:

    – National defense.

    – Foreign diplomacy.

    – Upholding individual rights.

    – Protecting commerce and borders.

    It provides the framework for us to operate freely, innovate, produce and pursue our happiness.

    Everything else — including many welfare programs — is optional. The dollar’s value, our military dominance, and global leadership depend on one thing: a stable, solvent government. Without solvency, nothing else survives.

    2. We Must Honor Promises to Those Who Paid Their Dues

    Social Security and Medicare are not handouts. They are contracts. Millions of Americans paid into these programs for decades, trusting their government to honor its end of the bargain.

    Defaulting on those promises — whether by inflation, collapse, or stealth cuts — would be a national betrayal.

    We must keep our commitments — fully and with dignity — to every person who earned their benefits under the law.

    The Blueprint: Reform Rooted in Truth

    We must prioritize, not abandon. We must preserve, not expand.

    Here’s what that looks like — step by step, each measure grounded in reason and moral clarity.

    I. Raise the Retirement Age to 73 — Fast

    The hard truth: Social Security and Medicare were designed in a different world.

    When these programs were launched:

    – Social Security (1935): Full retirement at age 65… Life expectancy at age 65? 77 years That’s 12 years of expected benefits.

    – Today (2025): Life expectancy at 65 is 84.5 years That’s 20 years of expected benefits — nearly double the original cost.

    We are paying for a 12-year promise with 20 years of spending.

    No math can sustain that.

    And here’s the better news: 65 is no longer old.

    Medical advances mean people in their 60s and early 70s are often at their healthiest, sharpest, most productive stage of life. They have earned valuable experience and still healthy and powerful enough to use it.

    Raising the retirement age to 73, immediately and fully, reflects:

    Longer life, Better health and Stronger economic participation.

    This is not a burden. This is liberation from outdated assumptions.

    II. Increase Payroll Taxes by 4% (2% Employer + 2% Employee)

    This is simple math: if we want to preserve Social Security and Medicare, everyone must contribute a little more.

    Today’s payroll tax is 12.4% (split evenly).

    Raising it to 16.4%:

    – Aligns us with other developed countries.

    – Closes up to 80% of the Social Security funding gap.

    – Does so without touching promised benefits.

    It’s not punitive. It’s honest. And it’s better than robbing our children with invisible debt.

    III. Enforce an Estate Tax on Large Fortunes — No Loopholes

    The estate tax was created to prevent dynastic wealth from escaping all taxation. But today, it’s a shadow of itself:

    Only 0.1% of estates pay it! Trusts, GRATs, and shell structures let billionaires escape billions in tax.

    Whenever money changes hands in our society, it is taxed, and everyone seems to be fine with that… except when inherited from billionaires everyone complains. Our country was built on individual merit, not family lineages of lords and kings.

    I propose:

    40% tax on estates > $5 million Close all loopholes (trusts, GRATs, valuation gimmicks)

    Estimated revenue: $75–100 billion/year

    This isn’t about punishing wealth — it’s about keeping the tax code honest.

    IV. Cap Medicare Spending After Age 85

    The most heartbreaking and unsustainable spending in America happens in hospitals, in the final months of life:

    One-third of all Medicare spending is in the last year of life Often to extend agony, not life.

    I propose:

    A generous annual cap of $35,000/person after age 85 still allows excellent care, but stops heroic, painful, and ineffective spending.

    We aren’t choosing death. We’re choosing dignity — and using those resources to save thousands more lives where medicine can truly help.

    V. Return Medicaid to the States

    Medicaid was not part of the original social contract. It was created in 1965, and expanded far beyond its purpose:

    Over $600 billion/year in federal spending to fund free healthcare for able-bodied adults, non-working recipients, and addiction cycles with no accountability.

    I propose two pathways:

    Option A: Reform Medicaid

    – Enforce work requirements for all able-bodied adults under 73.

    – Require drug testing and compliance after 1 year of addiction treatment.

    – Add a copayment structure like ALL other insurance: paying ZERO out of pocket encourages extremely unnecessary utilization. If covered individuals had to come up with some money to get care (no matter now much it is), it would stop them from seeking expensive unnecessary care.

    Estimated savings: $85–100 billion/year

    Option B: Return Medicaid to States

    Let communities decide how to care for the vulnerable. Remove all federal funding obligations. Local communities and states know best how to care for their vulnerable, and they have to do it with fiscal discipline as they cannot print and borrow unlimited money like the federal government.

    Estimated long-term savings: $15 trillion.

    The federal government should prioritize its constitutional duties — and leave social support decisions to the states and their voters.

    The Result: Deficit Elimination, National Renewal

    Below is the federal deficit trajectory under each reform scenario — individually and in full combination.

    Conclusion: A New American Contract

    We are not proposing austerity.

    We are not cutting benefits for the elderly.

    We are not abandoning the vulnerable.

    We are:

    – Keeping promises to those who paid their dues.

    – Asking the able to contribute.

    – Choosing dignity at the end of life.

    – Returning community care to communities.

    – Preserving American solvency for our children.

    This is how we restore trust, prosperity, and unity.

    This is how we become worthy of our past — and ready for the future.

    Share this. Debate it. Advance it.

    Let the next chapter of the American story be one of renewed courage, moral clarity, and fiscal strength.

  • Strategic America First Reform

    I. Immigration and National Identity

    America’s immigration system must be overhauled to serve the national interest, not global sentiment or corporate demand for cheap labor. I support a sharp reduction in legal immigration under current rules and a transition to a merit-based system that prioritizes:

    – Young, skilled immigrants with high English proficiency and cultural compatibility.
    – Individuals who are, or can quickly become, self-sufficient, contributing members of society.
    – Immigrants thoroughly vetted and background-checked for security and integrity.

    Birthright citizenship should be severely restricted. It is currently abused by individuals with no loyalty to the U.S. and used to gain the benefits of citizenship without adopting the responsibilities or values of the nation. Citizenship must require deeper roots—such as long-term residency of the parents and cultural assimilation of the child.

    Illegal immigration should be met with swift deportation without prolonged due process. Illegal entry is a criminal act, and those who break our laws should not benefit from legal protections under them. Rapid enforcement also acts as a critical deterrent.

    A physical border barrier is essential, due to the sheer geographical scale of our southern border. The military should be empowered to support border enforcement as part of its role in defending national sovereignty.

    Cultural assimilation is non-negotiable. A cohesive society cannot exist when multiculturalism promotes parallel identities. Diversity without unity fragments communities, weakens social trust, and poses dangers in national crises. We must reaffirm American cultural identity as the cornerstone of immigration and social policy.

    II. Foreign Policy and Global Engagement

    American foreign policy must be dictated solely by national interest. We are not the world’s police, and our resources must be used to protect and advance our own position globally.

    – Ukraine is a European issue. While its conflict with Russia is tragic, it does not directly impact core U.S. interests. Europe must shoulder this burden.
    – Israel remains an ally but should no longer enjoy a blank-check policy. We must collaborate when our interests align, not out of obligation or emotional loyalty. They solve problems they often create. We are not supposed to be the generous benefactor of a one-sided relationship.
    – Taiwan is non-negotiable. It is critical to our national security and economic survival. Taiwan’s semiconductor industry powers both our military and civilian infrastructure. Losing access would cripple our capabilities and give China an insurmountable edge.

    NATO must be reformed. It should only include partners who:
    – Align with our national interests.
    – Can materially contribute to their own defense.
    – Offer strategic geographic value for bases or global reach.

    We should not withdraw from the world, but our interventions must be based on vital interests—not abstract moral obligations or international pressure. Sovereignty and respect for internal governance of other nations must be upheld, unless our own interests are directly threatened.

    The United States must aggressively decouple from China, even if it causes short-term economic pain. China plans 50 years ahead; we plan in quarters and election cycles. This asymmetry is lethal. Strategic industries and manufacturing must be restored domestically. Delay will only compound our vulnerability.

    III. Economic Policy and Industrial Strategy

    I support strategic protectionism, not as dogma, but as a tool for national security and self-reliance.

    – Tariffs and less visible tools (e.g. regulatory barriers) must be deployed against powerful rivals and in critical sectors like heavy manufacturing, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.
    – I support reshoring production through pressure and incentive alike. America once had the best industrial base in the world. It can again—but only if government policy aggressively backs this transition.
    – Free market capitalism remains my preferred model—but it must operate within the context of national loyalty. When our corporations pursue profit globally at the cost of national resilience, it is no longer capitalism—it is exploitation.
    – The federal government must act as a strategic guardrail, ensuring that the pursuit of private profit does not come at the expense of national security, economic independence, or the working class.

    We are a vast, resource-rich country. While not every nation can afford economic independence, America can—and must—pursue it in strategic sectors. Trade is welcome, but it must be smart trade, not blind globalization.

    IV. Cultural, Educational, and Social Issues

    Gender ideology is a dangerous social experiment. Gender dysphoria is a mental illness, and the cultural shift toward celebrating it as an identity—especially among children—is deeply misguided. Indulging these delusions, rather than treating them, is not supported by long-term evidence or common sense. It introduces instability, confuses children, and undermines the foundation of biological and social norms.

    – Homosexuality is a personal choice and should remain free from coercion or persecution.
    – Gender, however, is not a choice. Reality is not optional. We must stop treating subjective feelings as objective truths that others must obey.

    DEI initiatives are misguided attempts to enforce equal outcomes, which are historically impossible and inherently unjust. Merit, not identity, must guide opportunities.

    Critical Race Theory has evolved from a legal theory into a dogma. Inequities have always existed, and always will. What matters is equal opportunity, not artificially equal group results. I believe in individual merit, not statistical parity.

    Public institutions that undermine national cohesion should be defunded or shut down. No society should fund the ideologies that seek to divide or dismantle it.

    Religious values—broadly defined—have held human societies together for millennia. America is not a religious state, but it should not be anti-religion either. General moral frameworks rooted in religious traditions can strengthen civic life. Rituals, however, should remain personal.

    Gun rights must be preserved. Disarming the law-abiding will only empower criminals, who will acquire weapons illegally as they do elsewhere. The right to self-defense must remain sacred.

    School choice is essential. The public school system has failed in both quality and accountability. Families need alternatives, and competition is the only force that can drive real reform.

    Freedom of speech is foundational. It must be preserved absolutely. While no one is obligated to listen, mass disinformation campaigns by major media outlets that lead to tangible harm must be addressed—legally, if necessary.

    V. Governance, Reform, and Federal Power

    The modern federal bureaucracy has morphed into an unaccountable fourth branch of government. These unelected agencies issue regulations with the force of law, shield themselves from public scrutiny, and create their own insular cultures and agendas.

    – Many agency employees are unmotivated, unaccountable, and unqualified for private sector competition. They stay in place because they are nearly impossible to remove and benefit from inertia and lack of oversight.
    – These institutions do not exist to serve citizens—they exist to serve themselves, grow their budgets, and justify their continued existence by magnifying problems.

    Reform must be systemic and sweeping. We must:
    – Cut powers of regulatory agencies.
    – Increase executive accountability.
    – Reduce the size and scope of the federal workforce.
    – End the culture of impunity that defines the “deep state.”

    The 2020 election should no longer be a political centerpiece. While fraud may be possible, it is not provable, and we gain nothing from dwelling on it. The focus must shift forward—to building a future, not litigating the past.

    Decentralization is essential. Internal affairs—education, healthcare, policing—should return to the states. Federal financial involvement must end. When states must live with the consequences of their policies, better models will rise, and citizens can vote with their feet or voices. This competitive federalism will produce smarter governance and real accountability.