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In
Brief, where
does JUAN XUNA stand? (for
more detail on issues, please visit
www.Gr8St8.com )
1)
Quality
of Education
should be ranked up, especially in Florida.
That implies increasing Teacher’s salaries, of course.
We also need to create the incentives that would motivate our
students to reach for higher education. We also need to limit the
number of professional foreigners entering the US with H1B visas.
They are willing to work for little (bringing career salaries
down and discouraging many Americans from continuing post-graduate
education). In the long
term this hurts terribly our educational system.
For more on this issue, and other issues, please visit my
“Issues Website” at www.Gr8St8.com
(“One Great State”).
2)
Universal
Medical Care and Drug Coverage.
We should be able to keep the quality of medical care we are
accustomed to, and yet extend its coverage to all citizens of this
land. Utopia?
Not really! A few
countries in Europe have done it successfully. How can we do it?
For starters, we could eliminate ludicrously expensive medical
treatments, often done on terminally ill patients.
Yet, many young mothers –as well as their children- go
without preventive care, or worse.
Let’s accept reality; let’s opt for dying with dignity.
3)
Flat
Tax.
I have always loved Mathematics and Economics.
When I was developing software I strived for simplicity in
code, and user-friendliness, but without compromising neither the
quality nor the features that were critically needed.
I am for a simpler and friendlier tax system.
Mostly flat (perhaps a couple of tax rates) and –ideally-
without deductions. Most
deductions in our tax code are loopholes for the rich anyway, without
those it will be more equalized, and a heck of a lot simpler.
We all seem to agree that our Tax Code is a mess.
Are we going to keep on wining about it, or are we going to do
something? We cannot
have it both ways. It has
to be either simpler (one way), or a for-life burden on every taxpayer
(the other way).
4)
Unlimited
IRA deposits or 401K Accounts.
Even if you make a billion dollars a year, I would not care if
you put it all in a deferred-tax IRA (invested retirement account), or
if you were to invest it all in the stock market –same thing.
Under my proposal stock and bonds regardless of amount would
have deferred-tax treatment until you withdraw assets from your
portfolio, at which time become regular earnings. Uncle Sam will get
to you, sooner or later, the latest when you die and money is to be
transferred to your descendants. You could count on one thing though: a
lot more people would be saving and investing on their retirements.
5)
Capital
gains to be treated as earned income.
It would not matter how long you hold the stocks, whether
long-term or short-term. You
can buy, sell, make profits -or losses- at any time on your stock
portfolio. All of it is
tax-deferred as long as you keep the money invested. Only when you
extract money (wire out) from your investment account is that revenue
is realized as regular earnings (same tax treatment as wages). Can
it be fairer and simpler than this?
How many people out there do not invest because of the
headache and trouble of keeping track of stock-and-bond’s
transactions for the IRS? Under
this scenario, no pain!
6)
Equality
for Foreign Born Citizens. I
will fight for the “equality” word to be inserted in our Pledge of
Allegiance. About 25%
of Americans are not –by law- eligible to become Presidents of our
nation. This, regardless
of how much they might love the country, or of how many people would
be willing to freely vote for them. That list of ineligibles includes
me, I was born in Europe; my sons, all born in Puerto Rico (although
they have been living in the mainland since early childhood, moreover
my son Kelvin was in the US Army and got pretty close to be deployed
in Afghanistan). The list
also includes all those millions and millions of Cuba-born,
Italy-born, Germany-born, Canada-born, Israel-born, Taiwan-born, …
AMERICANS! Many
foreign-born –especially Puerto Ricans- died in American wars.
And yet, they cannot opt to run for the Presidency of the
United States. As I look
at it, we are second-class citizens, and that is not American!
It has to be changed! Foreign-born
is one item in the “equality” issue.
For more –please- visit my campaign sites.
7)
Global
Trade.
We built railroads and highways that crisscross the US.
In doing so, we did great damage to Indian tribes who where a
menace to travelers, and to the buffalo’s herds and other wildlife
that could cause derailments. But,
we do not care much if other countries lack the highway infrastructure
they need. I am pro
finishing the Pan-American Highway that would go from Anchorage,
AL, to Tierra de Fuego, Argentina.
This would require the completion of the “Darien gap” (80
miles of jungle and swamps at the Panama-Colombia border).
I am pro building a tunnel/bridge under/over the Bering
Strait of Alaska. These
two engineering projects would link the commerce of several
continents, and would bring a quantum leap in international
trade. Imagine trucking merchandize to Europe and Asia from
Alaska. Or riding your RV
all the way from Quebec to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
8)
Environment.
Having mentioned global trade, some people would think that I
do not give much attention to the conservation of our environment. On
the contrary. I have been
gravely concerned for several decades with the deterioration of our
Planet’s health. We
need strict supervision of those polluting our environment, and harsh
penalties for those who permanently damage our ecological system.
Yet, it is unfair to impede -to those countries eagerly looking for
progress- from reaching a modern life and the material things we
enjoy.
9)
Stabilization
and the Growth of the American Family.
The Planet has already more than 6 billion people, why do I
advocate incentives for Americans to have larger families?
In just a matter of decades, rich oil fields have become dried
holes, and sources of abundant alternative fuels have eluded us.
These days it would make sense to reduce world’s
population growth and promote Family Planning.
Yet, I am advocating for a larger American family. The
reason for this apparent paradox is that we are outnumbered 7-to-1 by
the Chinese, and 5-to-1 by the Hindus.
To make matters worse, most of the retrograde countries on
Earth are doubling population every decade or so (including some of
those countries on desolated desert lands).
The population growth in America is slightly positive, but
only because of immigration.
Without immigrants America, Europe and most of the developed
world would be losing population dramatically.
It is a concern, because in order to pay for Social Security
imbalances (and to continue enjoying our way of life) we will
–progressively- be more and more dependent on immigration to sustain
us. That is no good!
10)
Pro-Choice.
I consider myself an Idealist, and a Philosopher.
Therefore, I cannot be anything other that pro-choice.
It is the “unquestionable right” of a woman to decide what
to do with an unwanted pregnancy.
However, if you have read what I wrote on the previous clause
(on the palsy American population-growth), you would understand why I
have a problem with those 1.5 million –plus- abortions performed in
America every year. And
then, we go overseas to adopt foreign children!
We have the highest rate of abortions in the Western world,
the highest rate of teenager’s pregnancies, the highest rate of
divorce, and the list goes on.
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11)
Workers
Benefits, and Higher Minimum Wage Standards.
High paying manufacturing jobs are fast moving to China, where
2 billion inhabitants work like ants and –basically- for just food,
as long as they are allowed to stay in the cities rather than
returning to the rural areas they despise.
Our economic crisis may last longer than our Government would
like to admit, or Wall Street gurus would have the courage to divulge.
We are becoming a service and information society.
Which basically means that many more Americans are making less.
And that many more families need two salaries to stay afloat,
and to keep the standard of living they are accustomed to.
It is not much
fun anymore to be a father in America.
You hope to beat the odds.
Yet, statistics show that you would probably end up divorcing.
On that case you will not likely see your children much, or
have much input on their lives. And
yet you will have to meet your child-support payments monthly.
It is even worse to be an American mother if you get
divorced. Statistics show
that divorced women will have an 80% chance of falling under the
poverty line. Why to
have a large family if you will never have much of a vacation to enjoy
with your kids anyway? Those
few lucky ones who have lasting jobs will have 2 lousy weeks of
vacation at year. That is
one third of what every German worker enjoys by law.
Even worse, in America working mothers have no much time to
care for their babies. Their
parents somewhere in Florida; relatives and
friends spread throughout the huge American geography.
They have to leave their babies every day in a precarious
childcare system. They
have to return to work in about one month after giving birth.
Envy those Swedish moms who can stay with their babies until
they are toddlers (right! 90 weeks of maternity leave).
Now you know why this Engineer is a social democrat!
12)
Immigration.
Being myself an Immigrant, and a social-democrat, most people would
suspect that I am a strong pro Immigration voice.
They are wrong! I
think that moderate immigration could be beneficial to almost any
country. But -these days-
we are being swamped with legal and illegal immigrants from all over
the world. We need to do
something about this, and quick!
I am pro equal rights –as if they were Americans-
for all those who entered America legally.
I am also pro-amnesty (of those who entered illegally,
but whom our Government did not do much to expel, and have worked hard
for several years in this country).
13)
The Middle East conflict.
I
do not want to be a pessimist. Neither
I want to contradict our Government.
But, I have not seeing much good Middle-East American-policy in
the last 40 years. President
Carter was good in this area. President
Clinton tried hard, but unfortunately the leaders in the other
negotiating parties were not really leaders. Failure begun even before
the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1967.
For many years I have been convinced myself that a solution to
this conflict could be properly attained only if Israel (and Lebanon
for that matter) were part of the Economic European Union (as Turkey
and Greece are). With
Europe solidly behind, the Israelis could be more decisive without
compromising their security. They
would feel a lot safer with NATO’s power covering their backs.
At the same time, the Arabs would be more trustful and
compliant with UN resolutions that –if nothing else- would be
perceived as less biased and more understanding.
Israel has to become a full democracy.
The way I see it, it is a theocratic democracy,
with no equal treatment of those citizens who are not Jewish.
This change is imperative for full and lasting peace in that region of
the world.
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14)
Cuba.
For as long as I can remember (I would say, since my early
childhood in Spain) I have been a critic of the US embargo to Cuba.
It only hurts the Cuban people and it did little to debunk
Fidel. The USA
also led the opposition against Generalísimo Franco, and manipulated
the UN boycott to Spain that ensued.
Yet, Franco –not loved by all, but admired by many
millions of Spaniards - remained pretty much in power until he died of
old age (actually it was Parkinson’s disease that ended his
life). Dictator
Franco was not a Saint, but he was neither the monster portrayed in
America (especially by those exiled Spaniards -who running for
their lives left Spain in a rush).
Franco was actually a very religious person, and gave amnesty
to all after the war. During
the war it was pandemonium, but there were culprits on both sides of
the fratricidal conflict. Fidel
is not a Saint, but do not demonize him too much either, because
if he were the Devil, you would have to admit that he would not have
the staying power he has proven to have.
Do not try to convince me that it is only terror that keeps him
in power, because I will not buy it.
Most of Europe rebuilt quickly after World War II, with a lot
of American help (the Marshall Plan).
Even the enemy, Germany, benefited from the American plan.
Ironically –and mostly due to the American obsession with
dictator General Franco- Spain was kept in isolation until 1958
(Spain is a country that in 1939 had ended a fratricidal Civil War,
and had decided to remain neutral during World War II, as Switzerland
did with lesser reasons). I
suffered because of the American boycott to Spain.
My parents suffered. Many of my relatives had to leave for
Latin America. My
neighbors suffered. All Spaniards suffered needlessly in those
days, due in great part to a lousy American policy.
Our Cuba policy -at the end we will have to admit- has been
also an American foreign policy imbroglio of major proportions. A
misguided policy (oriented towards pleasing hardcore exiles) that has
negatively affected the island’s inhabitants, the American
corporations, and has been mostly detrimental to Cuban-Americans (who
are now dying of old age in Miami without being able to see their
relatives in Cuba, or return to their loved land).
15)
Colombia.
We need to help the Colombians get rid of the FARC guerrillas
gang. Otherwise there
will not be an end to the inhumane kidnappings, the human misery, and
the constant flow of Colombian immigrants to the USA.
If we are serious in our plans of promoting NAFTA and trade and
commerce with our Southern neighbors, then we need to help them finish
the Pan-American Highway. But
before we do that, it is imperative we help them clean up Colombia of
drug traffickers and FARC rebels.
If we fail to do so, I have no doubt that the Pan-American
Highway will soon be nicknamed “kidnaper’s alley”.
16)
Mercosur.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay need our
support. For many years
these countries welcomed with open arms millions of immigrants from
Europe: Spaniards, Italians, Jewish,...
Now they are the ones in serious difficulties.
We have to reach out and understand the root of their economic
and social problems. We
should help them overcome those problems. Immigration quotas for those
countries, especially for Argentina, should be raised somewhat as to
alleviate their temporary economic predicaments.
17)
For
more issues….
Please visit my campaign sites, especially that one dedicated
to issues coverage. It is at
www.Gr8St8.com
"Great
State” abbreviated. The
main campaign site is www.XUNA.com
.
If
you forget these domain names, please go to my family’s hub at www.XUNA.net
(my last name with www prefix and the .NET suffix,
not a .COM). There you will find links to the campaign
sites.
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My views on the Middle East conflict. |
Is your Congressman American or Israeli? |
A more detailed view to Cuban pride! |
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