What is the policy proposal you believe would have the most positive impact on society if it was implemented tomorrow?
These should be punchy enough to be effective but realistic enough to actually be of-this-world (no government-issue girlfriend pitches, please.)
My pitch:
Three strikes law for violent felonies and organized crime — as in, these people will never see the light of day one way or another after strike 3. I think this would combine the virtues of redemption for someone who had a misstep or two with the extreme societal benefit of wiping out a great deal of recidivism-fueled crime, the most pernicious category of crime.
Mine:
An itemized per capita bill for all federal spending delivered on election day at voting locations due before voting. The amount of progressivity can be debated and implemented elsewhere (eg. a negative income tax or a universal basic income). Taxes should be assessed to collect revenue with minimal expense, complexity, evasion, and obfuscation. I want to see how many guns I bought for the Taliban, how many PPP loans I gave fraudsters, and how much food (that makes up a substantial component of poor people’s budgets) I subsidized for the benefit of wealthy producers. The topic of “stuff I want other people to pay for later” is limitless and infantile. It should be replaced by the adult topic of “stuff I want to pay my share of”. Voters should step into the voting booth with the costs as well as benefits of government at our fingertips.
Yours?
