Right now, what would it be??
I would make maternity leave a minimum if 6 months paid (3 months at 75%, 3 months at 50%), with job security unpaid until 12 months if desired.
What would you change?
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that you cant close down the gov't
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Term limits for Congress, FTW!
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Mandatory healthcare coverage separate from employment, basically the Swiss model.
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@loveisstrange: yessss!!! My uncle posted in fb that he thinks there should be a minimum of 15 years real life working experience for someone to work in politics- no life careers as politicians. I'd never thought about it like that but like the idea!
@stargal: hahaha
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Can't narrow it to one thing... But I'd take corporate money out of elections, single payer healthcare, and a better social safety net.... Oh and maybe most importantly I'd have non-partisan districting so that we could do away with gerrymandering!
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@Mrs. Pen: I think it should be a 2 term limit, just like being president. But I think a "lifetime limit" would be a good idea too. I absolutely agree that politics shouldn't be a career.
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@looch: Completely agree. Universal healthcare, for sure!
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We already have universal heath care here and 1 year paid mat leave!
I would ban smoking in restaurants, cafés and public spaces. Austria is the last EU country to allow smoking indoors and it is absolutely disgusting.
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@looch: this exactly!!!
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@loveisstrange: @Mrs. Pen: So agree! Congress - and politic office in general- was meant to be a volunteer-like sacrifice that you shouldn't do for too long. George Washington turned down another term as president for that reason- he did not believe it should be a career. Instead politics now have become like a celebrity-style "career," which is SICKENING.
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There are many thing however I would like to change concurrent life sentences to consecutive life sentences.
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@lamariniere: I am curious about your healthcare , is it self paid, like in Switzerland?
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@looch: I would love to just move to Switzerland I'm pretty sure. I also love their education system
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gun control
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Immigration policy...the part that favors certain groups.
Example we have a wet foot dry foot policy when it comes to Cubans escaping the dictatorship. If a Cuban refugee stands on American soil the refugee can stay. If the Coast Guard seizes the boat in the water the refugee is sent back. Haitian refugees come over just as much and no matter what we send them back. Haitian refugees are trying to escape a corrupt government and poverty.
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Universal healthcare.
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Mat leave would be up there. Universal pre-k, single payer health care, and k12 tuition controls I think would be next, as they have significant long term impacts.
Of course none of these things come with tax cuts. So the place to start would probably be getting rid of tax systems that tax the wealthy at a lower rate than the poor.
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Term limits for congress.
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I personally think that term limits won't really help. Then you just get a bunch of people who don't know the rules and procedures.
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End gerrymandering. Doing this would do more than term limits. So many extremists in Congress behave badly because they KNOW they'll be re-elected. Their districts have been so gerrymandered to include people who would never vote for the other party that they have no incentive to negotiate and play nice.
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@BlueWolverine: totally agree! I live in the bluest dot in Utah and am represented by a very conservative person. My district includes rural Utah. What?!
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@jedeve: I like universal pre-k!
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@looch: I'm not sure of the ins and outs of the system, but it is universal and, from what I understand, publicly funded. Also, all employers provide insurance. I am self-employed, and even though I have generous coverage through DH's job, I am required to pay into the public system, so I am doubly covered. I know many Austrians also purchase supplementary private insurance to complement their public insurance.
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@Mae: healthcare not health insurance? There is a difference. I would love universal healthcare too, but maybe not so much when I see the price tag.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: thats right, universal healthcare does not mean free health care. When you see half your paycheck disappear every two weeks it is a cold reminder that there is a hefty price tag attached to it.
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@Lindsay05: yet healthcare expenditures are half of what they are in the US in every universal system. We pay double what they do, it just doesn't all necessarily get taken out in lump sums through the paycheck. If it did, there would be severe dissent and people would clamor for a universal system that would cut those costs in half!
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@Mrs. Jacks: ha of course!
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: No I meant universal healthcare. Most places with universal healthcare pay the same or less what we pay for it, they just get a whole hell of a lot more.
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So can I clarify some terms? Universal healthcare is a huge umbrella term. Switzerland's policy falls under this umbrella, even though it is not tax payer funded and almost entirely self paid.
The federal government there mandates that everyone must have health insurance coverage that is in line with their salary, so there are several insurance companies that provide plans with several tiers, so there is something everyone can afford. Employers pay nothing, so the cost is entirely on the private citizen. To give you an idea, coverage for my husband and I was about $200 each per month. For me, that included the basic maternity care, which was a private delivery room but a 3 person ward style recovery room for 4 days.
Individuals can buy supplementary insurance for other things, like craniotherapy and orthodontia, which we did for our son. When he was born, it was another $200 per month.
That, surprisingly, is still considered universal healthcare. I should also note, that if you are a Swiss child and you have a pre-existing condition, you must be covered, but if you are not Swiss, the insurance companies are under no obligation to insure you.
Now contrast this to Singapore, which requires employers to pay 100% of their employee health insurance premiums.
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@looch: i am a huge fan of that swiss policy.
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