NationStates Jolt Archive

If by some strange twist of faith, what would you do if you became president/prime minister/king/tribal leader of your area for 24 hours? For the purposes of this scenario, laws can be passed in 5 minutes. How could you make your country a better(or worse) place? Explain your reasoning behind your actions.

ASSUME YOU CAN RULE BY DECREE!

Living in America I would:
Destroy the US costomary system, and make everyone use metric.
Make everyone use celcius(sp?)
Make some sort of grandfather law, so that we drive on the left.

Reasoning: So that we can be like most other countries, and stop confusing the hell out of "furriners."

Resign.

The President of the US can't pass any laws.

I would...


Make all people wear bell bottoms.
Decree that all textbooks be made out of pudding.
Gather alll the pot in the nation in one place and burn it, therefrome making the entire nation, and the world, high.

I am persident of the USA for 24 hours? I would:

1. Bomb all nuclear facilities in North Korea and Iran.
2. Pardon every single person in jail for any drug crime.
3. Reveal the truth about project Blue Book/ extraterrestrial contact, if any.
4. Since laws can be passed in five minutes:
-legalize all drugs.
-amend constitution to guarantee abortion legality
-remove "non-profit" status from religious institutions, making them pay tax
-change pledge to original form- no damn "under God"
-remove "in God we Trust" from money
-outlaw ALL religious displays in government ESPECIALLY the Supreme Court

I am sure theres a lot more I would do, but signing those 200,000 pardons is going to give my hand one hell of a cramp. Good thing I can now smoke a joint and take a few percocets for it.

Resign.

The President of the US can't pass any laws.

Party pooper. As stipulated, for the purpose of this exercise, laws can be passed in five minutes. It is implied that you can rule by decree for these 24 hours.

Party pooper. As stipulated, for the purpose of this exercise, laws can be passed in five minutes.

Sure they can be passed in five minutes but the President still can't pass them.

I would...


Make all people wear bell bottoms.
Decree that all textbooks be made out of pudding.
Gather alll the pot in the nation in one place and burn it, therefrome making the entire nation, and the world, high.

Then we'd eat our textbooks. :D

Then we'd eat our textbooks. :D

Indeed we would. And that's my plan for world peace.

I'd:

1) Establish the Naked Athletics Foundation; dedicated to promoting sports in the raw as the greeks once did.

2) More than double the amount of federally protected wilderness.

3) Permanently waive most aspects of Executive Priviledge.

Lots of other ideas spring to mind, but as Eutrusca indicated, there is only so much the President can do without the legislative branch.

Order everyone to march into the sea. I'd solve the overpopulation problem as well as the prevalence of Scientology all in one fell swoop. It's a no-lose situation.

Indeed we would. And that's my plan for world peace.
You fool, world peace would only lead to world atrophy. Such a world would kill man-kind in the long run, and be really, really dull in the short run.
*Throws history text-books (non-pudding) at NK*

You fool, world peace would only lead to world atrophy. Such a world would kill man-kind in the long run, and be really, really dull in the short run.
*Throws history text-books (non-pudding) at NK*

How is pudding dull, good sir? Pudding is like god, only tastier and less likely to smite you.

You are a poopyhead!

Damn your logic Eut! I meant that you could pass laws in 5 minutes....any laws you wanted.

Considering I'm in a foul mood right now, this would not be a good 24 hours to take over the country.

First order of business: homeless people will be shot on sight.

Second order of business: anyone objecting to homeless people being shot will be shot too.

Third order of business: find everyone associated with PETA and have them shot as well.

I think that should keep people busy for the day.

How is pudding dull, good sir? Pudding is like god, only tastier and less likely to smite you.
Man is God, and Man isn't pudding.
Therefore, viviphelia is disgusting and dangerous.

Yay for me and my logic!

Damn your logic Eut! I meant that you could pass laws in 5 minutes....any laws you wanted.

Unless you want every fifth post to say something to the effect of "but the president can't pass laws" you should edit your first post to say "Assume that you can rule by decree."

Nothing, no elected or non elected ruler, even with the ability to pass law would have his actions taken seriously after his departure.

Plus there is nothing i would want to do that could even be considered in the 24hr period. IE a public service and construction programme to reclaim the public spaces in important cities.

I'd eat a baby ... on national television ... then I'd look at the camera and say, "What?!"

I'd eat a baby ... on national television ... then I'd look at the camera and say, "What?!"

That's awsome. Seriously.

I'd personally undo the conversion to the metric system just to say up yours to the rest of the world.

Then I'd replace the names of everything European, like let's say Europe, to something more American, like... Texas. ;) :p (If you couldn't tell that was a complete joke)

I would then abolish that idiotic Patriot Act and replace it with an equal rights law that would outlaw all forms of physical torture for everyone, including the government. Plus, any politician or group of politicians are subject to the laws of America while on American soil. If they commited a crime here, then left, we can send after them. So basically, all men/ women are created equal. No one is above the law.

I would

Over-turn Roe Vs. Wade and let the States decide if abortion should be legal in their borders or not.

I would dissolve the IRS, and switch to the Fair Tax program. No more income taxes.

I would pull out of Iraq and everywhere else in the Middle East. I would then seal off the border of the middle east and just let them kill themselves off.

I would make wiretapping without warrent illegal

Say bye bye to the Pat. Act.

Overturn the stupid Internet annoyance law

I would cut Government spending by 50%

Overturn Affirmative Action and instead make companies hire people base on qualification, not color.

I could cut the Government size down 50%

Order Mayor Daley to restore Meigs Field.

and just for the fun of it.

Have a National Holiday where women have to drool over me for 24 hours! :D

I would then seal off the border of the middle east and just let them kill themselves off.

WOW! So you're not only taking power over your own country, but over other countries as well?

Sweeeet.

Then we'd eat our textbooks. :D
What happens if we fall asleep in class?
Death by pudding, thats what.

WOW! So you're not only taking power over your own country, but over other countries as well?

Sweeeet.

Nah, I would just build a 100 feet tall wall around the region with 5.000 volt running through the razor wires at the top, and it would be resistant to most kinds of explosive except for Nuclear.

The same kind of wall would be used in the USA/Mexico border!

They do have planes now, you are aware of this right?

What happens if we fall asleep in class?
Death by pudding, thats what.

It would get you out of a boring class, wouldn't it?

Your logic stuns me. Yes, it is so simple!
*Bows down*

They do have planes now, you are aware of this right?

Hence guns that can shoot down any aircraft or airborne threats such as missiles etc. etc.

Hopefully they'll get fustrated and just start killing one another.

What about Turkey, are they walled off?

Your logic stuns me. Yes, it is so simple!
*Bows down*

Rise, my apprentice.

I dub thee Darth M3rcenaries. Go, and do thy bidding.

Hopefully they'll get fustrated and just start killing one another.

Incidently, Israel is Middle East.

Also, Jesus was Middle Eastern and Christianity is an ME based religion.

What about all the Jews and Christians, or is your bent against Muslims only?

If so, what about the 900,000,000 Muslims who do not live in the Middle East?

My first order of business is to buy 3000 snack packs of chocalte pudding.
*prepares evil costume and heads of to Albertsons

My first order of business is to buy 3000 snack packs of chocalte pudding.
*prepares evil costume and heads of to Albertsons

Dude, wrong thread.

Incidently, Israel is Middle East.

Also, Jesus was Middle Eastern and is a ME based religion.

What about all the Jews and Christians, or is your bent against Muslims only?

If so, what about the 900,000,000 Muslims who do not live in the Middle East?

When I say the entire Middle East, I do mean the Entire Middle East. Israel included. Let's face it, The ME has been nothing but trouble, and the US just makes things worst. The ME has been a pimple on the earth's butt long enough, it's time the US pulled out of the Middle East and just let them deal with it themselves. Sorry Israel you're on your own.

Pretty much everything stone bridges said.

Except I'd cut by more than 50%. That and I'd get rid of anti-discimrination laws and pretty much anything else of that nature that tells businesses how to run their operations. I'd privatize every utility. I'd abolish the 40 hour work week, minimum wage, and all that other garbage.

And for good measure, I'd create a heinleineque (starship trooperesque, anyway) gov't. You can do whatever you want, except run for office, unless you volunteer and serve a term of duty. Volunteer. No mandatory enlistment. But if you want to exercise authority over the public, you must choose to serve the public.

Only those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for teh good of the state, themselves, and others would be able to rule. Businesses would operate at incredible profit margins, and there would be designer drugs in boutiques, just like in Layer Cake. Glorious.

A hop skip and a jump from anarchy.

Dude, wrong thread.
No clue what threads are which. :(

No clue what threads are which. :(

Are you daft, woman!

No this was the right thread, it was on page 2.

My decrees would be as follows:

No Saturday Night Live skit would ever be made into a feature length film.

There would be a federally mandated weight limit on spandex.

The new hot film on the internet would be Paris Hilton being devoured by a pack of rabid hamsters.

Talk show hosts of both persuasions (i.e. Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken) would be locked in an air tight room and allowed to spew until the gas replaces oxygen and they all drop dead....maybe then we could get some peace.

Make some sort of grandfather law, so that we drive on the left.

Reasoning: So that we can be like most other countries, and stop confusing the hell out of "furriners."
That would only help England, Hong Kong, Japan, India and Australia. And a few of the former members of the British Empire. People from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, etc etc would now be 'confused.' I would argue that Canada and Mexico, the ones that have roads that touch ours, should get special consideration in this matter.

No this was the right thread, it was on page 2.
The pudding? No, it's on another.

The pudding? No, it's on another.
No, it really is on page 2:
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=464168&page=2
post #22 has definite pudding references

Resign.

The President of the US can't pass any laws.
Maybe you should change that... ;)

Two words: Abolish GST.

Let the provinces administer healthcare however the hell they want--if they want to keep their people, they'll do it right.

Increase taxes on fossil fuels and use the money for grants into "green" energy research.

Put Québec in its place--they're just going to have to accept that they are a province not a "nation" and don't deserve special treatment.

Finally, I would find alternate markets for Canadian products (especially wheat, beef, and softwood lumber, ya bastards) so that our economy is not totally dependent upon the States. If they complain, our oil will go overseas, too.

I have no idea...... raise the national min. wage to $8.55/hour, legalize gay marriage, get rid of the patriot act, etc.

The pudding? No, it's on another.
Its this one, page one you said somethin about pudding text books, then i said ud die from them if you fell asleep. check the other 2 pages.

Put Québec in its place--they're just going to have to accept that they are a province not a "nation" and don't deserve special treatment.
Totally with you there. Not to mention various Frenchmen I know claim that the citizens of Québec can even speak French.

Did you know that your milk in Ontario comes in bags?

Dope legal. Tobacco illegal. Guns illegal (and I don't want to get in the shit over that one, so don't go thinking I'm looking for a rumble). Gays get married. Increase immigration. Slash military spending 85%. Taxes raised. Schools, libraries, colleges funded. Infrastructure overhauled. End oil dependency, or curtail it drastically. Disband NSA and CIA. Disband NORAD. Disband NATO. End Free Trade agreements. Invest in geothermal, tidal, and wind power generation. End meddling in the affairs of other nations. Back the UN to the hilt. Demand multinational corporations create work opportunities for citizens or be blackballed from markets. Tax the crap out of multinationals. Catch up with Kyoto Accords.

For a start (a few thoughts):

1) Provide minimum services in all important areas. Provide everything required for modern life at a cost to provide the services without profit. This includes public health care, transport, education, banking, electricity, telephone, internet, water, food and consumables. It does not include unnecessary things such as elective medical treatment or a wide range of choices (eg. designer clothing or 40 types of flavoured sugar water). Businesses could never maintain a monopoly because there would always be a government alternative. However, if consumers want more choice and are willing to pay for it, businesses can provide more products or services.

2) Increase welfare and progressive taxation. The more you earn, the more you pay in tax. Determine the average standard of living possible given the economy. Provide this as welfare. Aggressively tax all income up to 100% for those earning over 3 standard deviations from the average.

3) Repossess all land and resources. No person can own land. Land for housing and non-profit organisations is provided for free based on requirements. Businesses and those who want homes significantly larger than average must rent land from the government. Business will also have to pay for public resources that they use and profit from (eg. mining, airwaves, water, infrastructure).

4) Clear seperation between church and state. Freedom of religion also means freedom from influence from a governing religion. Particularly one that is not your own.

5) Remove discriminatory references from laws. This includes any reference to specific age (aside from the clear difference between children and adults), race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation from laws. If special laws exist for a subset of the population, it indicates that the government sanctions differentiation based on generalised characteristics. This communicates to the population that it is appropriate to discriminate. If 90% of a particular race happen to attract benefits because they are disadvantaged, it should be because they are (individually) disadvantaged not because of a racial generalisation. This does not mean a clause declaring freedom of race, religion, etc. must be removed from a constitution.

6) Introduce strong environmental regulation. This includes an approval process for products and services for environmental impact and efficiency. For example, a Hummer would probably not be approved as personal transport or would at least attract significant sales tax.

7) Penal system reform. Jails should not be places where people are sent to get abused or raped. Safety and respect of basic human rights in jail should be expected. Release from jail should be based on rehabilitation. Some people who are not capable of rehabilitation may never be released from jail (not that bad a thing considering that jails won't be like those of today). Others may be released fairly quickly. There will be no capital punishment.

8) Dismissal of patents and royalties. A builder doesn't get paid every time someone uses the building they helped make. Why should this be different for designers or artists?

Aggressively tax all income up to 100% for those earning over 3 standard deviations from the average.

Aside from the fact that the "utopia" would fall more quickly than a house of cards in a hurricaine, could you please explain how I would opt to survive if the government were to take 100% of my money? Am I stuck with the poorly-run, profligate government monopoly?

*looks around

Guess I'll just have a quiet, relaxed 24 h

*goes off to the next pub

Aside from the fact that the "utopia" would fall more quickly than a house of cards in a hurricaine, could you please explain how I would opt to survive if the government were to take 100% of my money? Am I stuck with the poorly-run, profligate government monopoly?

It's a progressive tax, so only everything over 3 standard deviations would be taxed at 100%. For example, if the average is $50k and the standard deviation is $25k, you would pay 100% tax only on every dollar you earn over $125k. For each dollar up to 3 standard deviations, you would pay less tax. For example, maybe you would pay 75% tax for every dollar between earned between $100k and $125k .

In today's global economy, a person is only able to earn a stupid amount more than everyone else because of the security and infrastructure provided by goverments supported by the people. Likewise, if you make money by private enterprise, you are benefiting from the social structure the government regulates and polices.

As king, I'd stalk the streets with a chainsaw dispensing totally legal (and indiscriminate) "justice". Fwahahahaha! <Vroom! Vroom!>:D

In tthe Uk,

Outlaw Religion and the monarchy, Do I need to advise the Rationale behind this,
Commission 20 new modern Nuclear reactors, and the decommissioning of Coal/oil/Gas plants,
Sectarian Schooling would be covered by point 1
Hereditary peers to have rights revoked, and replaced by a proportional representation of peers agreed by a second house (I would really like to change the entire government structure and civilservice but 5 minutes you say not 5 Centuries)
All house prices to be revalued nationally to stop all that house price bullshit,
80% Tax and no concessions for multi millionaires, don't like it then sod off.
All assets seized under option 1 to be returned under Communist state control for civil and military investment.
Reorganise nuclear forces, espescially the RAF Strategic/tac nuclear wing
Expansion of Britains Conventional forces, weeding out the PC bullshit management and go back to best trained soldiers on the planet.

1. renationalise many UK industries
2. raise income tax to the highest band by 2%
3. plug that money straight into the public education system with a view to achieving environmental research and goals in the long term
4. legislate for the UK to become a republic

5. kill all the tories *stabby stabby*

Ahhh, to be the first Dictator of the USA! My dream. So this post is quite long (yeah, way too long, but I don't know what to cut, so here it is) because I've thought about it a lot! Like, obsessively much...

I'd:

Amend the Constitution to make myself Empress for Life, thereby getting rid of that pesky "24 hours" limit. Disband Congress and ban voting, thereby taking away any legal means of repealing my Amendment.

Put my face on all the money. And the stamps.
No statues, though. Rebels like to tip 'em over too much. People will be a lot less inclined to burn their money as a protest!

Might as well change the name of the place to Fergi America.

Change the flag somehow, and store the Statue of Liberty somewhere. Don't want to give the democracy-wishers things to rally around!

Censor the media to disallow any flaming of me or my government. Purposely allow (but don't admit to it) some small rebel papers, so I can find out what the other side is concerned about and react to it, since surrounding oneself with yes-people is often a deadly mistake. But keep close tabs on those papers--if they get too out of line, or start getting big enough to become an actual threat, shut 'em down.

Then (not necessarily in order of importance):

Delete all anti-smoking laws except in hospitals, primary schools, and day care centers. Force all other workplaces and restaurants to have a smoking area. Lower the tax on cigarettes back to something reasonable...a few cents/pack. And, whereever I personally am, is a smoking area.

Delete seat belt laws, helmet laws, and the like. Adjust insurance laws to cover the expected rise in expense.

Nonaddictive drugs would no longer need a prescription. Suing over bad effects caused by misusing them, though, would be prohibited. Suits would still be allowed if the drug was harmful if used as directed. (This provision would NOT be allowed to be used as a loophole to do a ban-by-lawsuit on tobacco.)

Pardon all who are in prison for killing an abusive spouse (if there's proof the spouse actually was abusive).

Make treaties with other countries which have good drug and medical-procedure certification programs. So if the equivalent of the FDA in one of the signatory nations passed something, it'd be considered passed by all of the nations in the treaty. If something's iffy, it could require *two* of the treaty nations to have passed it before it becomes passed in all the treaty nations.

Bring back Super Sizing. It should be up to the consumer to decide what to eat (and how much of it) or not!

Make that "mandatory organ donation" NS issue into a reality. It's a great idea.

Get rid of anti-stem-cell regulation. Anyone opposed to the research or tech would have the opportunity to decline medical treatment which relied on the stem cells (or relevant research).

Change genetic engineering regs. NO bans. But, common-sense regulations would be made: Increase the amount of required "clear space" between engineered crops and regular ones. Open up a "original DNA bank" where unaltered DNA samples are kept. Anyone wanting to genetically engineer anything, would have to submit some of the original DNA of the organism to the Bank before doing any alterations. (As they say on game mod forums, "first, make a backup!") On the other hand, having 1 kernel of engineered corn in bushelsfull of unengineered corn, would NOT be enough to allow that batch to be considered engineered.

Fund lots of anti-aging research. NOT "coping with aging" or "aging gracefully" BS research, real ANTI-aging research. Find that darned aging code in the DNA and delete/recode it so that people mature, but not "get old" in the bad sense of the term. Find out how to code aging out of adults. If any cancers try to take advantage of that recode, gene docs can recode them back into normal cells while they're at it.

Fund lots of DNA research in general. I like to change config files. My own master config file included--I'd love to get at it and make some mods!

Remove anti human-cloning regs, once cloning has fully progressed out of the beta stage. If people want to have Xeroxes of themselves, fine.

Increase inspections of animal-production facilities to eliminate gross cruelty. It's not too much to demand, IMO, that there be X amount of space per chicken. Also ensure proper cleanliness in the facilities. Cruelty issues aside, not having food animals getting covered in shit can only improve food safety.

On the other hand, ban PETA, ALF, and other lunatic-fringe groups who go way beyond common sense on the above issues.

End any lingering anti-Microsoft prosecutions. Those who can't compete are just SOL.

Make noncompetitive whiners (in any industry) who try to blame everything but their own bad business skills for their failures, go get jobs.

Remove most limits on capitalistic enterprise, except those which prohibit fraud or protect employees. If you can snag a monopoly, go for it. Only regulate monopolies to the extent needed to prevent the *total* fleecing of the buyers.

But, protect employees, until the next point down has a chance to take effect. Enforce stringent break laws, worker-safety laws, etc. Close down a couple of places I've had the misfortune of working in.

Promote capitalism and entrepreneurism in general.

Fund startup businesses. The more businesses the better. Work toward a culture of entrepreneurism, and the unacceptability of "employment" as a lifestyle choice. Slowly make being an employee a less and less desireable option--morally, financially, and socially--until only real losers and the absolutely desperate will be willing to subject themselves to it.

Lower the school dropout age to 12. Those who would leave then, are just the ones who interfere with educating those who would stay. So BYE to 'em!

Institute school vouchers. Any public school systems that can't compete are outta luck. Take over any bad schools which manage to linger on.

Get rid of any lingering laws which concern what consenting adults do in their own homes. The Government has better things to do with its time than care about stuff like that!

Loosen up the Disability (welfare) rules, so certain "marginal" people would get the heck out of workplaces. There are some people where it'd be well worth paying 50c per capita of tax just to NOT have to work with them.

Put cat-5-worthy levees around New Orleans.

Move the nation's capitol from cold Washington, DC down to sunny central Florida! Divvy up the old DC to the surrounding states.

Several other things I've currently forgotten about.

Dope legal. Tobacco illegal. Guns illegal

It's a Green! BURN the infadel!