#platform 2016

John Bernd inspired a series exploring the impact of the AIDS epidemic on dance.

A Platform 2016: Lost and Found evening includes naked dancers, banners with urgent political messages and “how to survive a plague.”

(So I’ve decided to wade through the 66 page .pdf that is the Party platform for the RNC so that the rest of you don’t, the link is here) (Also note that I am biased and the following is an abridged version and some sections I don’t mention because they have already been said, or they don’t really say much of anything)

The Preamble

America is great. Government isn’t the solution. (The following is a direct quote) “This platform is optimistic because the American people are optimistic.” America is not great because of Obama and the Democrats.

Restoring the American Dream

The economy isn’t doing great because of Obama and the Democrats. Taxes should be lower and simplified. “Any restructuring of the federal tax system... must be tied to the simultaneous repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which established the federal income tax.” We will become a net exporter (somehow). Dodd-Frank should be repealed (the act put in place because of the crash in 2008-2009 since I guess repeating that would be a good idea). Regulation and unionization should be reduced. Amtrak should be privatized. Broadband coverage should be increased. the interstate transmission system should be updated and expanded. The Federal Reserve should be audited regularly, in order to make sure the Fed is insulated from political pressures, and a commission should be formed in order to set a fixed value for the dollar. The national debt should be reduced.

A Rebirth of Constitutional Government

Obama and the Democrats ignore the constitution. Marriage is between one man and one woman. There shouldn’t be contribution limits. Guns are good. Warrants must be required for digital and financial information. Abortions are bad. Civil forfeiture should be reformed (Holy shit, something I agree with). The GOP supports stronger voter ID laws. The Electoral College should stay as it is.

America’s Natural Resources: Agriculture, Energy, and the Environment

Farmers are great. We should drill wherever there is oil. Coal is clean. Climate change isn’t that big a deal. There shouldn’t be a carbon tax. The Endangered Species Act should be reformed. The Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement don’t matter to the United States. The US should stop giving money to the UN since it grants membership to Palestine.

Government Reform

The budget should be balanced. Social Security should be reformed. The internet shouldn’t be regulated (this is likely referring to making an internet “fast lane” instead of what would actually happen). Legal immigrants are good. Amnesty is bad. A wall should be built on the US-Mexican border. sanctuary cities should not receive federal funding. The refugee program should have some major changes (even though it takes like two years to get through). The next president gets to ignore all the past treaties. (They still have a hard-on for the IRS). The Department of Defense should be audited. We support term limits for Member of Congress (Says that only the house in 1996 voted GOP 80% for, Democrats 80% against it) (Something I agree with but that looks to need more research). Puerto Rico should be a state. The District of Columbia should be regulated more.

Great American Families, Education, Healthcare, and Criminal Justice

Family is important. Two Parent house holds are the best. Cohabitation is bad. Business should be able to discriminate against non-heterosexuals. Welfare should be reformed. Common Core is bad and we are against standardized tests. Abstinence education should be the norm. Education should be reformed. There are only Cisgender people. Safe zones are bad. BDS is anti-Semitic. College students shouldn’t be getting loans from the government, but from the private sector. The Affordable Care Act should be repealed (quelle surprise). Blue lives matter. Prison Reform should occur. “Porn is a public health crisis” (I almost missed that). Marijuana should still be prosecuted even if states legalized it in some fashion or other.

America Resurgent