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.

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.

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.