You're in Charge

[crazylegs]

Here's the brief.

You're in charge - take an area of society and do what you will with it, there are no limits, no monetary concerns and you have absolute authority, what would you do?

Road Safety

Right, knowing just how few traffic cars there are I would increase the amount of police officers/vehicles by 6x. I would increase the amount of area that average speed cameras cover to the following areas:

• Outside Schools
• Residential Areas
• All Motorways

Having seen their use on the continent I would also use tailgating cameras.

Once I've implemeted these plans I would imagine there would be some cash coming in, the plan would be to donate it to victims of Fatal RTCs (where the coroner/criminal court has determined that there was a person not at fault) or to road safety charities.


Healthcare

I would ensure that the capacity of all hospitals will increase by 50%, as would the fleet & staff of all ambulance trusts.


Crime & Punishment

Prison sentences are to be automatic in the following cases (some may be suprised that they are not at the moment)

• Assault a Police Officer
• Burglary
• Theft (All varients)

I would remove TVs from all prison cells, I would also remove kettles, games consoles, CD players and other entertainment devices - Radios & books would be allowed.

All cells would be single occupancy (prison building to commence to allow this)

I would allow all police officers (once suitably trained) to carry sidearms & tasers.

I'm sure more will come up as and when...

[Andara Bledin]

De-Criminalization

Rather than waste resources battling actual victimless crimes, regulate everything and turn it all into profit-generators. Let supply and demand set the pricing, use the taxes to fund education and related public interests.

Education

Publicly funded primary education will be made available to all citizens in equal measure, no matter how prosperous or disadvantaged their region. Just because a neighborhood is poor is no excuse to give them a substandard education. Brilliant minds are found in every socio-economic group, so it's time we started cultivating them wherever they may be found.

Universal Healthcare

Nobody should ever be so afraid of the cost to see a doctor that they let themselves get sicker and become a greater burden in the process. The healthier the society, the more productive the society. Healthy people learn better and work better and all of society will benefit in the long term.

Public Transit

Establishment of a comprehensive monorail system so that all sectors of the region are served, with buses to fill in coverage gaps and issuance of a reasonably-priced universal pass in a variety of structures so that there will be less dependance on personal transport. Create terminals within major shopping destinations and entertainment centers and ample park and ride stations to help avoid congestion at the major gathering points.

I'm sure I will think of more.

^-.-^

[Bloodsoul]

Step One: Turn off "No Disasters"
Step Two:

[KabeRinnaul]

Hm... drug decriminalization, and legalization of certain substances (I do not partake, simply feel it to be a waste of resources).

Universal health care.

A proper division of church and state in regards to marriage laws. There would be no legal recognition of a religious marriage, and the civil marriage would be a separate matter entirely, the latter being open to any consenting adults regardless of orientation.

Political finance reforms to limit campaign spending. I think GK has described some Canadian laws that sound appealing here. This should go hand-in-hand with a much stronger look at politicians' finances, particularly congresspeople.

On that note, more term limits on congresspeople. I don't think we need to be re-electing the same people over and over, keeping them in office 50 years.

Oh, and bringing back Firefly and Babylon 5. And can those of us on this side of the pond start getting the Doctor when you Brits do? I hate having to avoid spoilers for a week or two every time.

Step One: Turn off "No Disasters"
Step Two: (image cut for space)

I always preferred the volcano, myself. Though I can't remember if that could be triggered or was only in one scenario...

[Boozy]

Step One: Turn off "No Disasters"
Step Two:

Step 3: ????
Step 4: Profit!

[DrFaroohk]

Automatic punishment for assaulting an officer? I don't like that one. What if Officer McFeely is just having a bad day and wants to beat me up? If I punch back am I "automatically" thrown in jail?

[Dreamstalker]

I don't like that one either, since almost anything could be construed as 'assault' depending on the officer (bad day, hates certain people, etc).

I would decriminalize marijuana completely, and regulate it. Certain hard drugs (heroin, coke, etc) would still be illegal. I don't see the reason for the harsh penalties with pot, and throwing someone in (already overcrowded) jail for it is insane. Leave the cells for the specimens that really need to be locked away.

Universal health care, and find a way to minimize or eliminate emergency-services abuse (going to the ER for a cold, etc).

Crack down hard on welfare fraud. Let the people who genuinely need the services have them, and punish the ones who are clearly milking the system.

I agree with Andara's plan about public transit.

[DrFaroohk]

I'd make a law called "The Shit Disturber Law". People are blatant assholes get instantly executed.

[Andara Bledin]

Crack down hard on welfare fraud. Let the people who genuinely need the services have them, and punish the ones who are clearly milking the system.

Considering that just over 1% are committing fraud at all, and that's mostly to get more money not just to qualify, there are better targets to go after... like political fraud.

^-.-^

[Mytical]

A LOT of these would not be very popular.

All basic necessities of life are available to all people. Food, shelter, etc. Including health care. Anything beyond the basics, people are pretty much on their own.

Cities will no longer be built around the car, but around people, and use only renewable energy sources. Don't think it is possible? They are building a city right now that will be exactly that way. All traffic is underground. Sure you would need excellent ventilation, and find a way to clean out any pollution or such that the vehicles DO make..if any.

I agree with the decriminalization of some things, so yeah that sounds good. Prisons, while I would not make them 'hard time'..would become the most boring places on the planet. Everything would be grey or white, no entertainment (books would be allowed but not radio)..basically as dull and tedious as a person can imagine. Figure awhile in a place like that, people would never want to go back.

Police, firefighters, paramedics, teachers, and military would be subsidized partly by sports and sports teams, big office movies, and recording studios. Every dollar a sports team spends on salary (similar for the other two of course) for ANYBODY they employ must be matched into a fund that would be used to help offset the cost of the above. This does not include and tax on any profits mind, that would be extra.

Our military would temporarily be pulled back and set to building, rebuilding, and enhancing. Our infrastructure is aging, and our cities need redesigned to the specifications set above. Lets spend those billions on that instead of trying to be the world's babysitter. The world is all grown up, it doesn't need a baby sitter.

A cap on campaign spending would be set, and any candidate that exceeds that amount would be ineligible for office. Any campaign contributions above the set amount would be forfeited and go to school funding. Yes..I am a jerk..deal with it

Now a really controversial one. Anybody who is part of the government or criminal process (police, lawyers, etc) who commits a crime will have a penalty twice that of normal. Fines, minimum years in jail, etc will all be double. I feel those who are entrusted with helping enforce or maintain the laws should know better, and be held to a higher standard. So when they break that trust, they pay the price.

Good Neighbor laws will be in affect. If somebody is trying to save somebody's life, they will NOT be charged if something goes wrong. Although it will be investigated. If they acted in good faith, they will be immune to lawsuits. Since healthcare is free for those who need it (though of course some premium services like private beds/nurses/doctors can still be paid for) they should not have to pay for any care if something happens.

Any harm happening to a person that is committing a crime automatically disqualifies said person from suing. So if you are breaking in, and you get hit on the head with a baseball bat..you won't be able to sue the person swinging the bat. Sorry, don't think people should be able to benefit from their own stupidity.

I am sure I will think of more.

[Rageaholic]

Some basic ideas.

Reduce Prison Population.

Victimless crimes such as drug possession, prostitution, and underage offenses would not lead to prison. (prostitution would be legalized). Only things like murder, rape, assault, and serious fraud would lead to prison.

War On Drugs

Marijuana should be legal at the very least. From what I know, it's not nearly as serious as some of the others. As far as the other stuff like meth, how about going after the suppliers and those who sell the stuff instead of those who use them. Encourage the users to report those who are selling the harmful stuff instead of making them just as guilty as the big suppliers. You stop the suppliers, you stop the drugs.

Gambling And Drinking Age

18, not 21. If you're an adult at 18, you should damn well have the right to gamble and drink.

Education

-Teach more job skills on the Public School level and allow students more choices (similar to college) as to what they want to take. Teach the basics until they reach 12, and then give them more choices and job related skills. Basically, make a high school diploma mean something in the job market.

Health Care

-A health care plan for everyone that provides free coverage on the basics (at the very least).

Trade

-Take after Japan and use tarrifs on foreign goods. Encourage more domestic trade.

Well those are a few things I'd do. I'm sure it's not perfect, but it would at least put things in the right direction.

[bara]

Health Care

Universal regardless of income. No assistance for unnecessary procedures (plastic surgery for enhancement)

Prisons

Remove all victim less crimes to reduce population. Drugs that do not cause people to go nuts are legalized and may be used (marijuana for instance).

Extremely violent offenders (assuming concrete evidence not a chance in hell they are innocent) are put to death, anyone over the age of 18 may view the execution. People who are showing signs of similar behavior are forced to watch. (you all may not agree with this one, but its my fantasy)

No TVs, radios only during yard time and similar, can have books at anytime. If are furthering education and behaving then they have more time in the library.

Environment

Go green. We have one planet. Lets take care of it.

Politics

All finances must be through private donations.
May not serve more than 2 terms each consisting of no more than three years.
Laws must be passed with 2/3 majority but may be repealed with 1/3 minority (a separate elected house solely for the purpose of review).

No one convicted of a misdemeanor or higher may serve in any elected office.

A budget deficit will make all sitting members of government ineligible for re-election and they must pay back all monies received during the term in which there was a deficit which cannot ever be more than one term.

No legislation may be passed until a high school freshmen has read it to make sure it makes sense and cannot exceed more than 1000 words.

All legislation will follow this simple rule :K.I.S.S- keep it simple stupid

Abolish the 'party' system. Its one team there.


Education
Free to all through college or technical school.

I could go on as im sure we all could.

[Iseeyouthere]

Eco-Education:
Drastically increase the education into a Eco-lifestyle, focusing on things such as saving energy, minimising waste and even encourging growing plants. Eating green will also be pushed forward, not as a total conversion, but as substitution, decreasing the need for production of enviromenting hurting goods.

Religions:
ALL major religions are to be taught at school (read... TAUGHT, not practised), to give children choices, understanding and an opinion on the matter. Churches must pay tax. Religious events which are disruptive or aggressive towards other religions or members of the public will be shut down and banned for a period of a year.

Retail:
Big-named shops which put pressure on local businesses by lowering their prices lower to that of the local business will be hit with a heavy fine (millions of dollars) which will go towards these local businesses in terms of support.

Education:
Introduce a new system at High School. The "I don't care system". Whenever students show complete disregard for teachers and don't take their lessons seriously, they will recieve "I don't care" points. These will care over onto their certificate as evidence of their determination.
Teach the importance of the "I don't care system" as soon as children enter school.

[blas87]

It won't earn me any brownie points with the more liberal types, but I would NOT allow free state subsidized healthcare to women just because they got knocked up and have a baby.

Yeah, I'm talking about our Badger Care problem in Wisconsin. Ever notice the guy never gets it? He has to work and pay for his own insurance.

Girls aren't getting rewarded for getting knocked up anymore. That state money is going towards seniors and people who can't afford insurance through work or because of other restricting reasons.

[Andara Bledin]

Yeah, 'cause you just know that these baby mommas are getting way more in support than it actually costs to take care of a baby...

^-.-^