Just a quick note, fair warning you could say, you asked alot of questions, and to fairly respond, it may require some reading on your part instead of dismissing everything out of hand and saying it took too long to read. This is an on line forum right? Reading is the bulk of what is done if I understand how this works.:thumbsup:
It wasn't all that difficult to read, at least for anyone with a meager KS education. You should not have had any problem eh?:jointsmile:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
Yeah you sound real objective and undecided, just like me:thumbsup:!!!! But I will believe you for the sake of argument if you afford me the same premise and will return the favor by stating the "PLan" of the democrats that you have referred to multiple times!:wtf:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
His "specific" plan is 2 part,Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
1st, he will require governors of the border states to individually certify that the borders are secure. This includes,
Phase 2
- Setting clear guidelines and objectives for securing the border through physical and virtual barriers.
- Ensuring that adequate funding is provided for resources on the ground, but also training facilities, support staff and the deployment of technologies.
- Dedicating funding to US Attorney??s offices in border states.
- Implementing sound policies for contracting Department of Homeland Security software and infrastructure.
- Deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other aircraft where needed and appropriate in the border region.
- Continue implementation of the US-VISIT comprehensive visitor security program.
Comprehensive Immigration Initiatives for a Secure Nation. Once the borders are secure, John McCain will:
Prosecute ??Bad-Actor? Employers. John McCain will implement a secure, accurate, and reliable electronic employment verification system to ensure that individuals are screened for work eligibility in a real-time fashion. John McCain will use this new system in conjunction with other Department of Homeland Security resources to identify and aggressively prosecute employers that continue to hire illegal immigrants. The Electronic Employment Verification System will:
Meet America??s Labor Needs. John McCain will implement temporary worker programs that will reflect the labor needs of the United States in both the high-tech and low skilled sectors while protecting the employment opportunities for US workers:
- Establish a user-friendly system employing a limited set of secure documents that contain biometric data and are electronically verifiable to check a worker??s identity.
- Provide responses to employer inquiries in a prompt and timely manner to provide both the employer and employee security in their hiring decisions.
- Update and ensure the accuracy of current databases of government agencies that play a role in employment verification.
- Protect the identities of each employee being screened and allow both employer and employee adequate time and opportunity to correct possible errors with any information in the system.
- Institute targeted auditing by Department of Labor in order to weed out employers abusing the system.
- Highly Skilled workers:
- Ensure high skilled workers trained and educated in the United States have the opportunity to stay and work in the United States upon graduation.
- Reform caps for H-1B visa program to rise and fall in response to market conditions. Reduce bureaucracy and waiting times for workers to arrive in the United States.
- Increase available green card numbers to reflect employer and employee demand.
- Extend the ability for H-1B visa holders to renew their H-1B status while waiting for their green card number to become available.
- Ensure available and qualified American workers are given adequate and fair opportunities to apply for available positions.
- Low-skilled non-agricultural workers:
- Implement a usable, market based system for low-skilled workers to enter the United States in an orderly fashion.
- Ensure that the cap rises and falls with market demand to meet the changing needs of the economy.
- Provide for adequate worker protection to guard against employer abuses of temporary workers.
- Protect American workers by designing a program that allows willing and eligible United States workers adequate opportunity to apply for available positions.
- Ensure that workers return to their home countries after their temporary period in the United States.
- Allow for appropriate visa renewals to assure that both the employer and employee have stability in the workforce.
- Offer a limited number of green cards to reflect the small number of workers that may wish to remain in the United States permanently.
Address the Undocumented. John McCain will address the fact that we have a large number undocumented individuals living in the United States and working in our economy:
- Low-skilled agricultural workers:
- Reform the H-2A visa program to provide a non-bureaucratic, adaptable, useable program that is reflective of market needs and protects both the immigrant and US workers.
- All undocumented individuals will be required to enroll in a program to resolve their status.
- This program will use background checks to identify criminal aliens for prosecution and deportation.
- Assure that the remaining undocumented immigrants learn English, pay back taxes and fines, and pass a citizenship course as part of a path to legal status.
- Guarantee that no person here illegally receives a green card before those that have been legally waiting outside the country.
- Do a proper accounting of all social security numbers used and attained illegally, rectifying the accounts and alerting those whose identity had been compromised.
- The program will also ensure that all undocumented aliens either leave or follow the path to legal residence. America cannot permit a permanent category of individuals that do not have recognized status ?? a permanent second class.
Eliminate the Family Backlog. John McCain will commit to clearing out the backlog of individuals that are waiting legally outside of the country, some for up to 20 years, for their green card number to become available.
- In addition, the program will provide a system that is fair, humane, realistic, and ensures the rights of the individual and families will be protected.
- Ensure that families are reunited.
- Address in an expedited manner the status of individuals brought here illegally as minors through no will or intention of their own.
Whoa, I would expect someone that is soo affluent and highly educated to be able to spell "security" or at least be able to use the spell check like this "poorly educated KS man does".;)Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
As to your SS question.
Reform Social Security: John McCain supports supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts--but not as a substitute for addressing benefit promises that cannot be kept. John McCain will reach across the aisle, but if the Democrats do not act, he will. No problem is in more need of honesty than the looming financial challenges of entitlement programs. Americans have the right to know the truth and John McCain will not leave office without fixing the problems that threatens our future prosperity and power.
What's this???? John McCain actually believes that we the people may actually be able to manage and save our money better than the federal government!!! No fucking way, imagine that, who'd thunk it!:thumbsup::jointsmile:
John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines. (Holy shit!!! Are you saying that competition will lower prices and improve quality? What a bizarre fucking foreign concept! I guess that would be better than letting the government run a national health care plan. I mean this is the same government that runs the post office, DMV, public schools, etc, etc, so maybe this wild new idea, just maybe it'll work!:D)Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.
John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.
John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.
BTW, KS, has one of the BEST interstate/highway systems in the nation, the system that another great Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower is responsible for, btw, where was he born and raised again? I don't remember, some place with poor schools probably.:thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
His plan is simple, when asked recently by a reporter the very same question, he basically said that were it not for the billions upon billions of $$s that are siphoned off on ear mark spending, there would be plenty of money to repair and maintain our nations highways and bridges... He also said that it was a disgrace that congress has let this happen. Here is the quote ver bat um, (that's Latin for all the poorly educated KS folks that cling to guns and religion).
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You talked about a bridge to nowhere and about the gas tax funding. Right now there's a bridge being built in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as you know. Is that kind of thing, something that's a bridge to nowhere? And where is funding going to come if there's no gas tax funding for the highway projects we need here in Arizona, as well as the numerous vital bridge projects and other transportation projects around the country?
MCCAIN: The money can be taken from general revenues, number one, for this brief holiday period. Second of all, I don't know specifically what caused the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis. But I do know there are bridges and highways and vital transportation arteries which are deteriorating in America today, while we are building a bridge to nowhere, why we send $10 million down to a county in Florida that say they don't want the money.
We've been through this list of pork barrel unnecessary wasteful spending projects to the billions of dollars. It is a fact that if we had the priorities right, as judged in an objective fashion, as to what are most important projects, where we have crumbling bridges, highways, overpasses, tunnels, all across America, and they're not being taken care of because billions of those dollars are being siphoned off sometimes into projects that have nothing to do with highways. They are just pork barrel projects.
So it's disgraceful. It leads to corruption and it's wrong. And our highways and our bridges and our tunnels and our much-needed projects, infrastructure, would be far better off today if billions of dollars hadn't been siphoned off into pork barrel, wasteful, unnecessary projects. And anyone that disagrees with that, fine. Facts are facts.
John McCainQuote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
"We must also redesign our national electric grid in a smarter, more efficient way. In some cases, our national power transmission system has not been built to match supply and demand. And the result is an excess of power where it's not needed, and a shortage of power where it is needed. In the long term, this will require a serious investment to upgrade our national grid to meet the demands of the 21st century -- which will include a capacity to charge the electric cars that will one day fill the roads and highways of America. And to save both money and electrical power for our people and businesses, we will also need to deploy SmartMeter technologies. These new meters give customers a more precise picture of their overall energy consumption, and over time will encourage a more cost-efficient use of power."
John McCain's education policy removes needless bureaucracy, empowers parents, teachers and principals and ensures that every child has the opportunity to gain from a quality education.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
John McCain's Education Principles:
John McCain Will Enact Meaningful Reform In Education. Now is the time to demand real, new reform earned through discipline, grinding work, tough choices and leadership. John McCain has dedicated his career in public service to the hard and sometimes unpopular work of achieving meaningful reform.
The Education System Must Provide For Equality Of Choice. Too many of our children are trapped by geography and by economics in failing schools.
We Must Empower Parents. Involved and empowered parents and excellent teachers are the two greatest determining factors in a child's education. If we are to succeed, we must empower committed parents with critical knowledge about their child's performance, and empower them with real and meaningful choices to act upon that knowledge.
We Must Empower Teachers. If America is to truly reform public education and make good on the promise of individual freedom and independence through knowledge, we must ensure that every child has the opportunity to be inspired and motivated to achieve their potential by a strong classroom leader.
John McCain's Education Policy:
John McCain Will Build On The Lessons Of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). There should be an emphasis on standards and accountability. However, our goal cannot be group averages. Instead, our focus should be to inspire every child to strive to reach his or her potential. While NCLB has been invaluable in providing a clear picture of which schools and students are struggling, it is only the beginning of education reform.
John McCain Will Provide Effective Education Leadership. John McCain is committed to high standards and accountability, but he is also committed to providing the resources needed to succeed. He believes we should invest in people, parents and reward achievement.
John McCain Will Work To Ensure That Our Children Have Quality Teachers. The single biggest challenge in turning around a failing school is getting quality teachers into that school. To overcome this challenge, John McCain will:
Encourage Alternative Certification Methods That Open The Door For Highly Motivated Teachers To Enter The Field. John McCain will devote five percent of Title II funding to states to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America, the New York City Teaching Fellowship Program, the New Teacher Project, or excellent university initiatives.
Provide Bonuses For Teachers Who Locate In Underperforming Schools And Demonstrate Strong Leadership As Measured By Student Improvement. John McCain will devote 60 percent of Title II funding for incentive bonuses for high performing teachers to locate in the most challenging educational settings, for teachers to teach subjects like math and science, and for teachers who demonstrate student improvement. Payments will be made directly to teachers. Funds should also be devoted to provide performance bonuses to teachers who raise student achievement and enhance the school-wide learning environment. Principals may also consider other issues in addition to test scores such as peer evaluations, student subgroup improvements, or being removed from the state's "in need of improvement" list.
Provide Funding For Needed Professional Teacher Development. Where federal funds are involved, teacher development money should be used to enhance the ability of teachers to perform in today's technology driven environment. We need to provide teachers with high quality professional development opportunities with a primary focus on instructional strategies that address the academic needs of their students. The first 35 percent of Title II funding would be directed to the school level so principals and teachers could focus these resources on the specific needs of their schools.
John McCain Believes We Must Empower School Principals With Greater Control Over Spending. Funding cannot be effectively apportioned in Washington, but it shouldn't be a state-level official or district bureaucrat either. The money must be controlled by the leader we hold accountable: the school principal with a single criterion to raise student achievement.
John McCain Will Make Real The Promise Of NCLB By Giving Parents Greater Choice. Choice is the best way to protect children against a failing bureaucracy. But parents must have more control over the money.
John McCain Will Expand The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. In our nation's capital, we have seen the dramatic benefits of giving parents control of money and choices. The Opportunity Scholarship program serves more than 1,900 students from families with an average income of $23,000 a year. More than 7,000 more families have applied for that program. The budget for the Opportunity Scholarships is currently $13 million. John McCain believes that this extremely successful program should expand to at least $20 million benefiting nearly a thousand more families.
John McCain Will Ensure Children Struggling To Meet State Standards Will Have Immediate Access To High Quality Tutoring Programs. Local school districts can certify education service providers but providers can also bypass the local bureaucracy and receive direct federal certification. Education service providers can then market directly to parents. Title I money will be directed straight to the provider.
John McCain Supports Expanding Virtual Learning By Reforming The "Enhancing Education Through Technology Program." John McCain will target $500 million in current federal funds to build new virtual schools and support the development of online course offerings for students. These courses may be for regular coursework, for enhancement, or for dual enrollment into college.
John McCain Will Allocate $250 Million Through A Competitive Grant Program To Support States That Commit To Expanding Online Education Opportunities. States can use these funds to build virtual math and science academies to help expand the availability of AP Math, Science, and Computer Sciences courses, online tutoring support for students in traditional schools, and foreign language courses.
John McCain Will Offer $250 Million For Digital Passport Scholarships To Help Students Pay For Online Tutors Or Enroll In Virtual Schools. Low-income students will be eligible to receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT/ACT prep course, credit recovery or tutoring services offered by a virtual provider. Providers could range from other public schools, virtual charter schools, home school parents utilizing virtual schooling resources or district or state sponsored virtual schools. The Department of Education would competitively award the funds to a national scholarship administrator who would manage the student applications, monitoring, and evaluation of providers.
Is that specific enough for you?
I know, you probably just scrolled past it, too much reading for a highly affluent, highly educated New Yorker like yourself to be bothered with.:wtf:
Well, I just addressed every single one of your questions with what I would consider "specific plans of action", let's see if you can do the same and post the "magical singular democratic plan to fix everything" that you keep referring to. Don't bother if it is simply, "Hope, and Change, and Hope for Change", because they have pretty much already laid that one out there for everyone already.:thumbsup::D:thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Figment
BTW, seriously use the spell check, for being so highly educated, OMG!!! They must spell shit differently in New York.:D
