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| Michael Maturen ASP Pesidential Candidate |
Amici, Americani, Compatriotae,
During the Presidential Debate on the evening of October 19th, I was made aware of the existence of a new political party on the national landscape:
The American Solidarity Party (ASP). Its platform is reprinted below. Its
candidates for office include the following:
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE - Juan Muñoz (VP Candidate Acceptance Speech)
That liberal progressive Democrat so-called Catholic Apologist Mark the bombastic hypocrite Shea who defames, vilifies and condemns anything conservative has endorsed Michael Maturen is sufficient for me to disregard this political party and its candidates. Nevertheless, without further ado, here is the ASP platform.
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| Juan Munoz ASP VP Candidate |
Religion in the Public Square
We acknowledge that the Judeo-Christian worldview has played a positive role in the history and culture of the United States of America. We advocate for laws that allow people of all faiths to practice their religion without intimidation
and deplore aggressive secularism that seeks to remove religion from the public sphere.
Economy & Finance
The ASP believes that political economy (economics) is a branch of political ethics. We reject models of economic behavior based on greed and naked self-interest.
To build an economy that is fair, transparent, and democratic, we support models of production and distribution that are local, responsible, and sustainable.
We support the creation of family-owned businesses and worker cooperatives. We oppose regulations designed to inhibit competition from smaller firms.
We call for the repeal of subsidies which encourage urban sprawl and discourage local farming and production.
We advocate a tax shift from earned income (wages and interest) to unearned income (economic rent). We propose to shift the burden of property taxes from buildings and improvements to ground rents.
We call for the direct payment of surplus revenue to the public as a Citizens’ Dividend.
We support the creation of sovereign wealth funds in financial markets.
We call for increased regulation of private pension plans, with greater transparency regarding fees collected by fund managers.
We oppose the privatization of Social Security, and advocate a return to the use of the funds generated from the program to be solely used for the payments out to recipients, rather than the current use of the funds for many purposes.
The ASP regards money and credit as public utilities. We support increased oversight of the banking industry and personal accountability for fraudulent behavior.
We call for amendment of the Federal Reserve Act to enable direct investment in public works.
We support the creation of public investment banks and private credit unions at the state and local levels.
We advocate deflation of the student-debt bubble through partial forgiveness of student loans and restoration of bankruptcy-protection for debtors.
We support stricter controls on consumer credit, including limits on interest and regulation of credit-card companies and payday-loan and title-loan stores.
Health & Welfare
The ASP advocates the replacement of privately-funded health insurance with a decentralized ‘single-payer’ system.
We oppose the privatization of Social Security and other public pension systems.
We oppose the sudden elimination or reduction of income supports such as welfare, food stamps, and unemployment insurance, when no other safety net is in place.
We call for the gradual replacement of needs-based welfare and assistance payments with a Citizens’ Dividend, funded by the collection of unearned income.
The Dignity of Work
The ASP recognizes the right of workers to form associations in pursuit of their economic interests. We oppose union-busting laws that interfere with the relationship between employers and labor organizations.
In the enforcement of anti-trust and consumer-protection laws, we will work to maintain a level playing field between labor, management, and consumers.
We insist on legal protection for occupational safety and compensation, equal access to employment, good faith in hiring and retention, and paid leave for illness and child-rearing.
Crime
The ASP believes that preventing and punishing crime is an essential public service. We oppose the privatization of law-enforcement and penal institutions.
As public servants, officers of the peace should be held to the highest standards of professionalism. We support the creation of civilian review boards at all levels of law-enforcement.
We oppose legal requirements in sentencing, such as three-strikes laws, which result in the arbitrary, long-term imprisonment of non-violent criminals.
We support the decriminalization (not the legalization) of recreational drugs. Funds currently expended on the “war on drugs” should be directed toward prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.
We oppose the participation of public agencies in legal vices, such as gambling and the sale of recreational drugs and alcohol. Where gambling is permitted, windfalls should be taxed as a form of unearned income.
We call for more vigorous enforcement of laws against human trafficking.
We support the implementation of the so-called "Nordic model" for dealing with prostitution by imposing stricter and more uniform penalties for the purchase of sex, decriminalizing the selling of sex, and providing viable employment alternatives
to those who are exploited as prostitutes.
The ASP regards pornography as a harm to society and opposes the exploitation of human persons that pornography entails.
We call for greater legal responsibility on the part of creditors and vendors for vigilance against fraudulent activity, such as identity theft.
Defense
We call for an end to unilateral military intervention in foreign countries and the closing of US military bases abroad, where these are not required to protect diplomatic missions or to meet explicit treaty obligations.
We oppose the use of lethal drones against civilian populations in neutral countries.
We condemn the use of torture – by whatever method, for whatever purpose, and by whatever euphemism it may be called – by any representative of the United States or in its interests. Those who participate in or authorize torture should
be stripped of position, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
We call for the prohibition of private arms sales from the United States to foreign countries.
The ASP believes that a less aggressive foreign policy will reduce the threat of terrorism within our borders. In the short term, we call for a review of the effectiveness of centralized and specialized anti-terrorist agencies, such as
the TSA.
We call for the repeal of the Patriot Act and the re-instatement of basic civil rights, including the right of citizens to a speedy trial in civilian courts. Secret tribunals (such as the FISA court) must be abolished and military courts
returned to their proper role. Foreign non-combatants must not be detained in American facilities or remanded by agents of the U.S. government to foreign prisons.
We oppose government censorship of the media and the internet.
We condemn the indiscriminate and unauthorized collection of data from the phones and computers of American citizens and foreign nationals.
We oppose laws and trade agreements that allow the monitoring of personal internet usage for non-criminal offenses, such as copyright infringement. We call for the periodic destruction of internet histories and other user data collected
by internet providers, unless these are specifically required by a court order.
My View
My view is simple:
· The twin principles of the individual right to life and the non-initiation of force are sacrosanct. When the nation’s laws place those principles first, then both outright physical violence and the covert economic violence of
theft in the market place and stock market are proscribed.
·
Each person is individually responsible and accountable for the consequences of his actions; government does NOT exist to bail him out of his own folly.
o
“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
·
Abortion, sodomy, lesbianism, adultery, fornication, and contraception are proscribed along with murder and theft
·
A man is entitled to the fruit of his labor; while taxation to support necessary government function in defense of the common good is necessary and Biblical, appropriation by government without consent for pet causes in the social
justice arena is theft from those who earn their wealth to give to those who refuse to work is morally reprehensible.
o
“For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect
is due, honor to whom honor is due.” Romans 13:6-7
o
“For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If anyone will not work, let him not eat.” 1st Thessalonians 3:10
A government exists only for the common defense; individual freedom is sovereign and the government is the servant of the people
The Church NOT government should be doing social justice programs; we cannot abdicate our responsibility and evade our accountability to care for the sick, clothe the naked, feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty onto Caesar.
Furthermore, no matter how many good works we do on this Earth, we cannot create a Heavenly paradise and the poor we shall always have.
o
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick
or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:37-40
o
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21
The regulatory playing field must be leveled – only those regulations necessary to protect public health and safety should exist. Regulations for medicine, agriculture, transportation, energy, etc. are necessary only insofar as
they protect the public from poison, disease, or accident.
No government handouts should ever be provided for any business or social justice program. Let each man compete fairly in the free market, and let the Church do Her duty in being the sheep who help the helpless instead of the
goats who eschew giving such aid.
“Whenever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will be America’s heart, her benedictions and her prayers. But she does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom
and independence for all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She well knows that by once enlisting other banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extradition, in all wars of interest and intrigue, of individual
avarice, envy and ambition which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom….She might become the dictress of the world but would no longer be ruler of her own spirit….Americans should not go abroad to slay dragons they do not understand in the name
of spreading democracy.”
__John Quincy Adams__ As Secretary of State
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