USAP 10 Point Plan

I have looked at all of the President's ideas and they are good but they could be great. They depend far too much on corporations to do the right thing instead of the most profitable thing. They are not going to. Maybe our small to medium businesses will, but not the major corporations. Here are my suggestions for actually improving the country based on several comments I have seen from really great Americans.

This is the United States of America Public (USAP) 10 Point Plan.

1. Work for Welfare
Contrary to what many in the TEA Party believe Americans are not all lazy and expecting a handout. Welfare has a problem that I will discuss later a little more clearly but lets just say that many on welfare would gladly get a job if they could. They would also work in their communities using their skills for the welfare benefits they are receiving while unemployed. We need a work for welfare program that includes an exemption for the disabled or provides jobs that the mildly affected can do within the limits of their physical and mental abilities. Waivers can be issued for those attending college at least half time (this time requirement can be waived for those with disabilities where even half time is too much for them with certification from their doctor or mental health adviser being required)

2. Welfare Exit Strategy
This idea resolves the problem that makes people believe that welfare recipients do not want to get off welfare. The problem comes in the financial realities and the fact that the poor, unlike the federal government, cannot operate on a deficit spending model. Right now if a person receiving Welfare has $1000 in basic necessities expenses and gets $1000 in total welfare benefits from all the different sources (food stamps, section 8, etc.) they break even. What happens when they get a job is this. Lets say that to get to work it costs them $20. Lets say they earn $100. So now they have a total outgo of $1020. Their welfare benefits are reduced by the amount they receive in earned income so their welfare benefits are now $900 and their earned income is $100 for a grand total of $1000. Remember their expenses are $1020. As I stated, poor Americans, unlike the federal government, do not have the option of operating their households on a deficit spending model. Therefore, they choose not to go to work unless they can make enough to compensate for all they will lose AND cover the new expenses for going to work. If they take a part time job or a job that only replaces the benefits alone they wind up in a deficit spending situation. Poor Exit Strategy. Also, There needs to be two sections or rolls to welfare one for those that are classified as temporary because they are capable of work which employs a viable exit strategy that promotes work over welfare and those that are classified as permanent because they are not capable of working. These need to be funded separately with the permanent roll being sacred and not on the table for spending reductions. We have a responsibility as good citizens of the world to care for the truly needy.

3. USAPCN
The USAPCN is the United States of America Public Communication Network and would consist of a FIOS to the door of every home in America system and a universal cellular system that is wholly owned and operated by the people of the United States of America. It would not sell access directly to consumers. It would lease usage to any service provider regardless of the size of their business for the same rate. In order to be considered a business the company must produce a pre-service contract from a minimum of 5 verifiable individuals to whom they will provide service, they must have all necessary business licenses to operate a business within their individual state, county, and municipality. It would operate as a Quasi-Government agency that would be self financing much the way TVA is today.This would also include the operation of 4 central government data centers which the individual agencies of the government would use. These data centers would allow inter-agency communication to be improved which would decrease welfare fraud such as the man who the IRS knew won $2M in the lottery but the local food stamp office did not so he kept getting food stamps after he won the lottery.

4. USAPHN
The USAPHN is the United States of America Public Healthcare Network. It is a public single payer healthcare system that is self-funded through the issuance of bonds. All US citizens would be enrolled in the system upon issuance of their social security card which now occurs at birth. All medical expenses for basic medical, medications, dental, orthodontic, chiropractic, physical therapy, occupational therapy, wellness and health maintenance programs, surgical, optical, and mental health (including Developmental Delay Educational Supports) are fully covered to any licensed practitioner or educational facility in any state. All preventative care will be covered. A list of all covered procedures will be published annually. A list of specifically excluded items will be published annually. There will be a core set of basic care items that cannot be removed including well baby care, care for the elderly, care for the disabled, dental, optical, and mental health. No health insurance company may offer a program that covers any of the the items covered by the USAPHN but they are free to offer plans to cover anything not covered by the USAPHN. HOWEVER, the policies that they sell will be registered with the USAPHN and the insurance companies will pay the USAPHN who will pay the doctors. The ID cards of the individuals will have their plan information electronically encoded and can be swiped at a care provider who will be able to see whether the services they are trying to give to the person is covered or not if the service is outside of the USAPHN core services. Abortion will not be covered except if an OB/GYN that does not perform abortions asserts that the mother's life is in danger or if the women requesting an abortion has filed a rape report with the police within 72 hours of the calculated date of conception. Private abortion clinics are free to continue operation and charge for their services and insurance companies are free to include abortion in their private plans.

5.USAPWS
The USAPWS is the United States of America Public Works Services and is a self funded Quasi-Government agency that is responsible for building any of the USAP infrastructure. Have it build renewable energy complexes for the department of energy entities like TVA and Bonneville Energy. Build only renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal. Absolutely no new coal, oil, or nuclear power. New forms of renewable energy can be added as their return on investment ratios meet the minimum USAP standard.

6. USAPNTS
The USAPNTS is the United States of America Public National Transportation Service. Amtrak is one portion of this system. However, we need to restructure Amtrak to follow the USAP bond model and get it out of the stock market. We also need to build high speed commuter rail nation wide and provide Bus Links from county seats to rail stations as well as secured parking decks at the Bus Link and train stations. We need to fund local publicly held rail/bus combination mass transit systems on a 75%/25% matching funds basis if it is operated by a single municipality or a partnership between a single municipality and a single county. We need to fund local publicly held rail/bus combination mass transit systems on a 50%/50% matching funds basis for multi-county, multi-municipality transportation authorities.

7.USAPCU
The USAPCU is the United States of America Public Credit Union, a branch of the United States Federal Reserve System, that makes available low interest USAP development loans to the USAP system. It also manages all the funding and bond sales for the USAP programs. Businesses desiring to participate in the USAP programs are eligible to borrow money through the USAPCU.

8. Hand-Up Employment Policy
Give priority employment status to all people that do not get off the Work for Welfare program within 2 years if they are actually working or within 4 years if they are on a school waiver.Those with permanent disabilities would move to the permanent support rolls at this time. Employ all returning military personnel that do not find jobs within one year of leaving the military in a USAP job.


9. USAPUES
The USAPUES is a unified public education system that operates high school vocational centers in each state and an online general education program that is an alternative for parents to local school systems. The school would initially begin as a high school program from grades 9-12 with the intent to expand to lower grades as the need and funding emerges. Make it bond funded and allow corporate/philanthropic sponsorship of things such as computer labs sponsored by Apple and Intel or Microsoft and Intel. Have all the coursework online except the things that require laboratory experience. Make general education mentors available at the vocational centers. Employee highly qualified online mentors. Remove all restrictions from local school systems regarding teaching religious concepts as alternatives to secular concepts and remove federal funding to local school systems that choose to teach that way . Open a USAPUES vocational school within every school district that chooses to withdraw from federal funding once there are at least 50 students signed up to the school in a tech program.

10. Tax Reform
Throw out the current tax code and implement an across the board personal income tax of 15% with the exception for those that currently fall into the 10% tax bracket. We will gradually raise their taxes by 0.5% every other year until we bring them up to the 15%. No deductions, no exceptions, flat tax regardless of the source of the income. Implement a 15% flat tax for all businesses with a net profit of under $500,000 annually, 20% tax for all businesses with an annual net profit between $500,000 and $1M annually, a 25% tax for all businesses with a net profit between $1M and $60M annually, and a 35% tax for all businesses with a net profit over $60M annually. No exceptions, exemptions, or waivers. Restructure our trade agreements to where we charge import duties to companies that are US based and manufacture overseas for sale in the US. They can have an exception to this by manufacturing one product here and one overseas and trade exports for imports. They can buy an import voucher that allows them to bring in an equivalent amount of a foreign produced product as they ship out of a domestically produced product duty free. One other change will be the USAP payroll and capital gains tax which will be listed as a separate deduction on payroll taxes and is a 1% tax on earned income and a 20% tax on capital gains and rollover interest income.