Mommy's has Published her Political Platform

Aunt Sheri says she is voting for me.


Several Reasons You Might Want to Consider Me and Write Me in on Your Ballot

I'm a woman, with children, of varying ages, from almost 22 to almost 3, so I know what it is like in this day and age to have a child in college, just like I know what it is like to have a two year old. My daughter-in-law is in the Army, and just came back from a much-too-long deployment in Iraq. I've been the victim of domestic violence, I'm divorced, I've been a surrogate mother, I've been homeless because of a house fire, I'm a graduate student, I've been a volunteer, I've worked in two college libraries, I grew up playing in a designated wetlands area (but didn't know it until recently), I have never had a drivers' license, but I know the price of gasoline quite well, and I love wolves, polar bears, and penguins.


I believe logic should guide government, and that government should be made smaller and more able to answer to the people. I believe that secret sessions are unlawful and unconstitutional, and I believe it is time for a direct vote of President’s by the People instead of by the Electoral College.

I'm for bringing America back in line with where it should be, and reinstating the People of America as its caretakers, in which the government servants are answerable to the People. I'm for People being secure within their homes, and having the ability to defend their homes and families against others who would do them harm. I'm for People retaining the right to keep and bear arms. I'm against hunting for sport while using technology that gives the hunter an unfair advantage over his or her prey. Those using aerial hunting are in the same category as those who use flashlights to make deer go tharn. Unless starvation is an issue, hunting would only be allowed in a fair environment.


Economy
I would strengthen the economy by using various programs, some similar to those implemented in the last part of the Depression, where in which I would have different programs that would directly create jobs for Americans. These would pay approximately $7.00 an hour, with a bonus of $100 given to those who showed up every week day, and an additional bonus of $250 given to those who showed up for each weekday in a month. I would make it more difficult for private employers to fire an employee due to attendance issues due to health problems, but would give such employers a grant equal to each absent employee's wages for days missed.

I would fund research into forms of sustainable energy that are viable in the USA, and also fund development of not only vehicles, but also other products that would be able to use sustainable energy developed. These developments would increase our ability to make our own energy and decrease our dependence on other nations for energy sources, and this will not only keep money within the USA, it will also create new jobs, and stimulate the economy.

One form of padding the Treasury would be to significantly reduce the paychecks of Congress, and other elected officials, with payments stopping when service stops. If a Congressman is no longer serving the People, he or she should no longer receive payment. Other such situations would also become a thing of the past. Congress would also no longer be allowed to vote raises in pay for itself. Matters such as this would be a subject of a poll. Nowhere else in the USA are people allowed to choose how much they earn.


Child Protective Services
Social Security would be strengthened by removing CPS from Social Security's purse strings. Just as food is not taxed when purchased by the consumer, a tax collected from the sale of toys and children's clothing items would be used to support the CPS programs in each state. Bonuses given to states for reuniting parents and children shall match the bonuses given to states for adopting children out. Grant monies given to parents upon reunification shall match those that would have been given to foster parents upon placement of children in their home. Bonuses based on behavior-based special needs would be eliminated. Children would not be allowed to be given behavior-altering medication not approved by the FDA for such purposes. Children in foster care would be assigned to a physician who had already provided care to them before removal. Visits to the physician would be submitted to the caseworker, and included in the child’s file. These changes would eliminate any bias in the programs.

Calls reporting suspected child abuse and neglect shall be taken only on lines equipped with caller ID, and all information on the caller ID shall be recorded with the report. Reports made from a mandated reporter shall be followed up by a letter from the mandated reporter on official letterhead. Reporters shall be made known to accused parents when being notified of the allegations, and subsequent investigation. It shall be made a part of the investigation any evidence that the parent has that may show why the accuser may have a grudge against the parent or other family members. This will cause people to report for more truthfully, at the first sign of abuse or neglect, instead of waiting until there is a disagreement between the parents and the person accusing the parents, or for abuse and neglect to become beyond the reporter’s comfort zone. If abuse and neglect becomes known through other channels and it becomes apparent during the investigation that there were others who knew about the same abuse and neglect, those who knew and did not report shall be held responsible as co-conspirators to that abuse and neglect. Those calling and reporting falsely in order to create a problem for another person and his or her family will be required to spend at least five years in either a mental health setting or in prison, in addition to seizure of his or her property. Caseworkers and supervisors who fabricate testimony would be subject to the same penalty. Officers of the court would be subject to double the sentence above. Removing children from a family has been likened to a death sentence by the US Supreme Court, and false accusations, withholding of exculpatory evidence, and malicious manipulation of case presentation to court officials should carry a very strict penalty.

When child abuse or neglect is substantiated, the cause shall be determined through working with the parent, instead of against the parent. If the parent does not wish to have the child returned to him or her, for whatever reason, the child can be adopted out, or placed in foster care permanently, with only one move between foster homes allowed every three years, with a three month grace period after initial placement with any given foster parent. If a foster parent cannot handle a child, and requires a child be removed after the three month grace period, that foster parent will be removed from the program for at least one year, during which parenting classes centered around parenting theories, loss and grief, developmental theory, and any other issues that are pertinent would be completed. After a foster parent is readmitted to the foster parent program, only children without special needs may be placed with that foster parent.

When a child and a parent engage in visitation, if the parent sees bruises or marks on a child who is living with a foster parent, an investigation will be done. The parent is, according to various case law, also vested in the child's well-being, and simply having had a child, even that same child, removed does not eliminate that vested interest. Children are much more likely to be murdered in foster care than they in their own homes, prior to removal, and possible abuse noticed by a parent during visitation should always be addressed and investigated. Foster parents willing to take sibling groups would receive an additional yearly bonus, of $2000 for two siblings, and an additional $1000 for each additional sibling in the sibling group present in the foster parent’s home.

Investigative interviewing shall always be conducted with a recording apparatus involved, in good working order, and the record shall be stored in a permanent location and accessible to the courts, parents, caseworkers, supervisors, and anyone else who has a pertinent reason to access the interview material.

Gun Control
I am against any form of gun control, except combat weapons. Combat weapons should only be available to the military, not to the public, except with special waivers. I don’t believe that guns kill people, but I do believe that people kill people, and the absence of guns will do nothing to eliminate the ability of a determined person to do harm to another person.

Criminality
I believe that a nationwide uniformity needs to be established in sentencing those who permanently maim or murder another person. These are crimes that are permanent and socially unacceptable worldwide, and the sentencing should reflect as much. Defensive homicide should not be prosecuted, and a castle doctrine law should be enacted nationwide. Crimes against the weaker citizens in our nation should carry a greater penalty than those committed against those who are able to defend themselves. Criminals who have been injured when confronted or while on their victim’s property should be considered to have waived their right to sue for compensation for such injuries.

Environment
I am for environmentally-friendly extraction of our nation’s resources in order to make us less dependent on other nations for our energy needs, but this does not mean we must drill in pristine areas. There are other forms of energy that are available but unused.

Religion
I am a Universalist Unitarian. I don’t have a home church. I believe what I believe because it makes sense to me and feels ‘right’. I believe that everyone should be allowed to practice their religion wherever they may be at, without government interference, but with government protection, instead of the way matters regarding religious practice are today. There are letters by Jefferson that have been disregarded by past decision makers, and this disregard for the Founding Fathers’ wishes regarding a very important matter in the USA has led to the way religion is handled by government today.

I personally do not care if you are Mormon, Muslim, Pagan, Wiccan, Catholic, Scientologist, Protestant, Agnostic, or Atheist… I don’t care, it isn’t any of my business, and it isn’t anyone else’s business, unless you make it their business. There is one exception to this, for me, and it really doesn’t need to be said. This is simply that religion is a belief system, regardless of what you believe or disbelieve, and those beliefs should never lead to harm to someone else, be allowed or used to cause them permanent pain, loss, disfigurement, and so on.

In other words, I think we need to go back to when we were allowed to pray publicly, regardless of each individual’s religion, have our own particular religion’s symbols displayed in plain view of passers by if we want, and not need to worry about any repercussions because of that display of faith and belief. If the White House can have a Christmas Tree in public view, why can’t apartment complex residents, such as Mrs. Arnold in Florida, have a Christmas Tree in her hallway, simply because hers had an angel on it? To me, religion and culture are intertwined in many areas, and needs to be left up to the individual person who is practicing and expressing what he or she believes.

Abortion
Abortion is one area that is not cut and dried one way or the other for me. I myself, as a woman and a mother, don’t think it would ever be the right thing for me to do, but I do know several women who have elected to terminate a pregnancy, and I don’t judge them for it. That is for God to do, not me. I disagree with those who are adamantly pro-life and believe that a woman should not be allowed to terminate a pregnancy no matter what the reason, but disappear as soon as the baby is born, thinking their job as a person who opposes abortion is done. I don’t believe that that person’s job is done. It’s actually just begun. I believe that those who wish to decrease the number of abortions in this country need to ensure that those children in poverty don’t live in poverty any longer than necessary. This could be done by volunteering to babysit while a single parent goes looking for a job, donating a used vehicle so a single parent can get to and from work, helping a single parent obtain more education, donating decent clothing for both the adult members of the family and the children, helping out when a parent is stressed or ill, before, during, and after a surgery, providing moral support to a single parent who has questions and self-doubts about his or her ability to parent, and so on. There are many ways, but most seem to be over looked. I also disagree with those who are adamantly pro-choice, in that few seem to point out that there are options, and that the decision, either way, after a certain time frame, usually eleven weeks, or after the procedure, is final, and there is no going back. These options include delivering the baby and then opting for traditional adoption, open adoption, or raising the baby, or aborting, which has no subsequent options. Life is precious, I agree with that statement, but I also believe that the quality of life is extremely important, and someone who only has concerns over the cessation of life or the continuation of life, without regard for the quality of it, and the family surrounding the infant, does not have the continued best interests of the infant at heart.

Health Care
I believe that we need a way to make healthcare available to everyone in the USA. There is no reason that a nation as rich and progressive as what we are should have anyone who cannot find necessary medical treatment, both preventative and care for existing conditions. One possibility is that physicians be paid by the government as a basis, without ruling out the possibility of physician ‘moonlighting’.

The elderly should be able to remain in their homes as long as possible, or in a relative’s home, with government assistance, because the benefits of this care, while perhaps a bit more expensive, greatly overshadows that extra expense. Families benefit, as well as the elderly, when older members are still a part of the family, instead of ‘tucked away’ in a nursing home. Many nursing home patients are depressed, because of being away from loved ones, and having lost their personal things, including pets.

Government Assistance V. Government Interference
I believe wholeheartedly that the government was made for the People, by the People, and should remain answerable to the People. I believe that government is no longer answerable to the People, and has grown much too corrupt to be able to serve the People as it is meant to serve. Government should be a broker between those who have, and those who have not, to make sure that the excesses that are so abundant in this Nation do not only not go to waste, but also do not overtax any one socioeconomic group of people.

Government should be as unintrusive as possible when assisting those who need help, should better respect privacy of individuals and family units, but still be able to provide assistance to those who need it. Government should not interfere with the rights and liberties set forth in the Constitution as government has grown so accustomed to doing today. Government should not eavesdrop on, spy on, intercept mail for, and so on, any citizen of the USA.

I believe it has become a necessity that government have someone watch over it, in that if a private citizen becomes aware of corruption, impropriety, waste, or scandal, that that individual has a duty to report it and a right to do so without fear of reprisal. I believe it is time to set up an independent agency, with at least one office in every major metropolitan area, and a toll free number nationwide, who would investigate reports given by the people of the USA. The contents of such reports should remain confidential. The government should not have any secrets from the People.

International Aid Policy
The USA is a very young nation, and just as we, in our early youth, injured and destroyed many of the indigenous peoples here before us, I believe we are again attempting to do away with many other countries’ and nations’ ways of life. If we want to give aid to those countries who are not as well off as we are or who have suffered through a natural disaster, we need to do so with aid that will benefit the most people for the longest amount of time. Instead of sending excess food from here to there, which takes months, is extremely costly, and may not be the right kind of food for those particular people, send money that can be received instantly, and then used to buy food grown locally, which ensures the people there receive what is best for them, and also helps their economy by putting money in the hands of farmers who can improve their farms.

Veteran’s Benefits
Veteran’s benefits need to be strengthened several times over what it is today. These are men and women who have fought for our country, and the benefits they receive from our country, their country, should reflect that service. Spouses and children should also receive benefits upon the death or disability of a service member. Military doctors should be among the finest members of the medical field, and their pay should reflect this.

Current members of the military should receive support, support they do not currently receive. This includes, many times, medical and dental care, housing here and abroad, and assistance for family members. Other issues include harassment from other military members, gender-based attacks while abroad, morale issues, such as more frequent visits home while stationed abroad, as well as phone calls and video calls, and as-close-to-home-as-possible assignments when long-term stationing state-side.

Education
Education is a must for every child in the USA, and this should not matter if it is carried out in a public school, a private school, a church school, or a home school. The location of a child’s education should be left up to the child’s parents. Those wishing to send their child to a private school should be able to do so, regardless of their income. Parents should be able to obtain a voucher for the difference of their ability to pay and the costs associated with attendance, much like college students are able to, by filling out the FAFSA each year. For those who wish to home school, there should be a voucher of similar style, in order to enable parents to purchase books and materials of sufficient quality that will ensure that the home schooled children receive a quality education at home.

In each geographic area, there should be a ‘teacher on call’ who can assist parents with different areas of educating their children, come up with ideas for lesson plans, give teacher to teacher support, and so forth. The teacher on call would be a resource parents could use if they wanted but they would not be required to participate in any way if they chose not to do so.

The above are just a few areas with my thoughts on them. Feel free to comment or contact me, if you wish.