A Social Democratic Agenda for America

I'm going to lay out specific policy proposals to bring social democracy to America. I'm also going to lay out proposals on social issues which are not strictly social democratic in nature, but will be good for America.

Monetary Policy- A fiat currency is the best option for us. While I'm not a huge fan of the Federal Reserve, it is good to have issuing paper currency be delegated to an independent agency because the government might print too much. I would keep the U.S. Mint under the Treasury. I support elimination of the dollar note and reverting the dollar coin to the 2000-2008 design.

Taxes & Budget- A balanced budget should be a priority for the government. We can not keep adding to the national debt. I support amending the Federal Constitution to require a balanced budget except under exigent circumstances. The budget should be balanced through a combination of tax increases on the wealthiest Americans and budget cuts. I believe that, eventually, taxes should be higher on unearned income than earned income.

Corporations- I don't believe corporations and labor unions should be able to influence elections through financing campaigns or other means. While I support the doctrine of legal corporate personhood, I don't believe legal fictions should have all the rights of natural persons. I support requiring corporations to have worker representation on their boards of directors if they are above a certain size. This will give workers a true vested interest in the business and increase their motivation and therefore productivity.

National Defense- I support a strong national defense based on protecting the United States. We can not continue to police the world. I support continuing the Iraq withdrawal. We should bring a responsible end to the war in Afghanistan. Our policy should be based on achieving strength through peace and mutual respect among nations.

Immigration- We must secure the border with Mexico. Illegal immigrants in the country should be removed while allowing for extenuating circumstances. My Hispanic grandmother came to this country through lawful means in 1964, and it's not fair that illegal civil violation aliens are jumping the border. My grandmother's wealthy Salvadoran family sent her to the U.S. temporally to study and improve her English. She met my grandfather when she was taking an English class and he was taking a Spanish class in the same building. They then fell in love and got married and she ended up staying and becoming a U.S. citizen through lawful means.

Gay Marriage- It should be a State issue. I am opposed to gay marriage and on the fence about civil unions.

Abortion- I support the overturning of Roe v. Wade and banning elective abortions at both the Federal and State levels. The Congress should then use their authority under the Commerce Clause to make performing an elective abortion a Federal crime. However, I recognize this is unlikely to occur, so I also support increasing support for alternatives to abortion. A world in which elective abortions are safe, legal, and rare is not ideal, but it is preferable to our current situation.

Healthcare- ObamaCare is a gift to the private insurance companies. We need a national single-payer healthcare system. This will require some increase in taxes, however it will be offset by the reduction in private healthcare expenditures.

I've got a lot more to post, but it will have to wait for now.