My Rough Draft Agenda for a Libertarian Campaign
A VERY ROUGH Draft Agenda for a Libertarian Campaign for Governor
Feedback Wanted.
a.
Enact freedom of political choice in Oklahoma by giving
all political parties ballot access.
b. End
all campaign finance laws that restrict speech and financial contribution limits.
c. Establish
new election law to allow open primaries in Oklahoma when state ballots and
equipment are utilized in determining a party’s primary winner.
d. Repeal
requirement to elect judges in Oklahoma. The governor should appoint judges to
only one 12 year term. No judge should be allowed to serve longer than 12
years.
e. Make Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor and
Inspector (should be eliminated), Attorney General, State Treasurer,
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Labor (Should be
eliminated), Commissioner of Insurance appointed positions serving at the
pleasure of the Governor.
2. Freedom, Law and Justice Reform:
a. Make
all state government videos subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act – End
secret police videos.
b. Body
cameras for all law enforcement officers in Oklahoma should be mandatory with criminal
and punitive measures for non-compliance.
c. Prohibit
state law enforcement officers from enforcing federal laws.
d. Constitutional
conventions to reform the Oklahoma State Constitution and also to restore the U.S.
Constitution.
e. Constitutional
amendment to decriminalize marijuana. The 50+ year prohibition drug war has
failed with no hope of success. We must decriminalize marijuana immediately and
place emphasis on recovery rather than incarceration.
f. Repeal
CLEET certification requirement for large counties as precondition of
candidates for Sheriff. While one could argue that Sheriffs in smaller counties
will routinely take part in the arrest and investigation of crimes, larger
counties are much more administrative in nature. The CLEET certification should
be obtained after the successful candidate obtains the office of County
Sheriff.
g. Eliminate
all legal barriers to gambling including sports gambling in Oklahoma.
h. Elimination
of sin taxes. (Eliminate tobacco and alcohol taxes)
i.
Alcohol law reforms. (Liquor, wine, and real beer in
grocery stores, wine importation, etc.)
j.
Enact legislation for parental rights regarding the
consumption of beer and wine by children. Parents, not government, should
determine the appropriateness of the consumption of beer and wine at the dinner
table.
k. Repeal
seat belt law – Citizens don’t need to be protected in this fashion.
l.
Repeal texting laws – We have reckless driving laws
that can and should be used to regulate unsafe driving.
m. Exempt
Citizens from answering invasive Census Bureau questionnaire.
n. End
racial profiling – All people deserve to be treated as individuals, not
profiled and collectivized based on their ethnicity and race.
o. Eliminate
the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training and provide a
certification process that would be available through Oklahoma’s colleges like
a mandatory Associates degree program for law enforcement.
p. Replace
race based Affirmative Action programs in state government with economic,
needs-based programs.
q. Defund
and ban the use of militarized SWAT teams by law enforcement departments.
r.
Collect and publish data on police shootings, SWAT
raids (reasons, numbers, and outcomes of raids) and racial classification of
all policing activities.
s. No
use of drones for purposes of law enforcement activities.
t.
Eliminate capital punishment in Oklahoma.
3.
County government
reform. (Property taxes, county office consolidation and home rule proposals):
a. Place
county road maintenance under the entire board rather than divided up by
district. One professional road superintendent should be placed in charge of
all road maintenance rather than the current three.
b. Consolidate
County Assessor, County Treasurer into one office.
c. Eliminate
County Clerk position and replace with professional staff serving same duties.
d. Just
as those serving in the state legislature are limited to 12 years of service,
all elected county officials should not be allowed to serve longer than 12
years.
e. Require
all counties to institute civil service protection for county employees as a
way to prevent elected officials from corrupting county business.
f. Consolidate
county governments based on regions. Seventy seven counties is too many in
Oklahoma and a reduction in county government would favorably impact the lives
of Oklahomans while aligning with the idea that ‘government is best when
governing least.’
4.
State agency
consolidation and reform:
a. Eliminate
the State Department of Labor and merge all its functions into the Oklahoma
Employment Security Commission.
b. Eliminate
the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and merge all its functions into
the OSBI.
c. Merge
Horse Racing Commission with the Oklahoma Lottery Commission.
d. Merge
all retirement and pension systems into one agency.
e. Eliminate
the following agencies or departments of state government:
Oklahoma
Board of Tests
Capitol
Complex and Centennial Commemoration Commission
Peanut
Commission
Sorghum
Commission
Governor’s
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Scenic
Rivers Commission
Sheep and
Wool Commission
Oklahoma
Commission for Teacher Preparation
Used Motor
Vehicle and Parts Commission
Wheat
Commission
LP Gas
Research, Marketing and Safety Commission
Oklahoma
Boll Weevil Eradication Organization
Office of
Faith Based and Community Initiatives
Office of
the Oklahoma Film and Music Commission
Oklahoma
Funeral Board
Office of
Handicapped Concerns
Office of
Homeland Security
Human
Rights Commission
Indian
Affairs Commission
Marginal
Well Commission
Motor
Vehicle Commission
Board of
Private Vocational Schools
f. Eliminate
the State Department of Labor and merge all its functions into the Oklahoma
Employment Security Commission.
g. Eliminate
the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and merge all its functions into
the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.
h. Eliminate
the Native American Cultural and Education Authority and merge all its
functions into the State Department of Education.
i.
Eliminate the Oklahoma Securities Commission and merge
all its functions into the State Department of Insurance.
j.
Eliminate the Office of State Auditor and Inspector and
transfer all audit activities on state agencies to private auditors utilizing a
rotating contract.
k. End
state funding of all so-called resorts hotels.
l.
Merge the Horse Racing Commission and all its functions
into the Oklahoma Lottery Commission.
m. Merge
the Police Pension and Retirement System, Law Enforcement Retirement System,
the Teachers’ Retirement System, Firefighters Pension and Retirement System,
and Public Employees Retirement System under one department for better
operation and oversight.
n. Payroll
increases for all elected officials shall not exceed the annual inflation rate
as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
o. All
appropriations directed toward impact studies or study toward some kind of
state initiative shall be published in electronic format by every department of
the state. The public shall be told specifically what the study was for. Who,
what department of the state, asked for the study. The company that conducted
the study. The total cost of the study. Confirm what percentage of study
recommendations were adopted by the department.
p. Constitutionally
require all state retirement programs to be fully funded according to actuarial
findings.
q. Require
all employment laws passed by the legislature to be applied, adopted and
enforced on the legislature and all other departments of the state.
5.
Tax Reform:
a. Pass
a Taxpayer Bill of Rights limiting growth of state government.
b. Eliminate
state income tax and replace with a consumption tax, expanding to services.
c. In
order to facilitate and promote the improvement of private property, prohibit
the taxation of personal property and improvements of land. Only allow the
taxation of land.
d. Oppose
the estate (death) tax – Oklahoma repealed its estate tax in January of 2010
and doesn’t currently have an estate tax. Continued opposition needs to remain
in place.
e. Make
All Toll Roads Free when fully funded for all Oklahoman's with a valid Oklahoma
license tag and drivers license.
f. Eliminate
the corporate franchise tax.
g. Reduce
property tax increase cap from 3% to 2%.
6.
Commerce:
a. Repeal
all blue laws that inhibit the free exercise of commerce in all industries.
b. Repeal
all laws that restrict or provide barriers to entry in all legal services
fields including the prohibition of Bar Associations in restricting free
exercise of legal and medical services.
c. Reform
Workers Compensation.
d. Eliminate
property abstractors and transfer responsibilities to title companies.
e. Eliminate
the state minimum wage law.
f. Freedom
from federal healthcare participation mandates.
g. Elimination
of all employer based healthcare groups and replace that system with a
statewide rating system that allows Oklahomans to obtain health insurance
coverage across state lines.
h.
Enact a fully informed patients’ law that will require
medical providers to fully inform patients as to the costs, available
treatments, and potential adverse side effects of prescribed treatments.
7. Education Reform
a. Implement
a school voucher system for all Oklahomans.
b.
School district consolidation. (Currently 537
independent school districts.) Consolidate School Districts in Oklahoma to less
than 300 by 2020.
c. Merge
the Department of Career and Technology Education into the State Department of
Education and remove the separate board structure that currently administrates
technology centers.
8.
Municipal
Reforms
a.
Repeal the Section 51-101 - Public Policy of Fire and
Police Arbitration Law – Police and fire unions funded from outside Oklahoma
have the ability to distort municipal elections with undue influence. Electing
city leaders who then negotiate on behalf of all citizens is compromised and distorted
when unions select their own to lead cities.
b.
Allow cities the ability to engage in home rule. Cities
and towns should not be prohibited from enacting local laws that are contrary
to laws regulating the state. If cities wish to legalize products and activities
outlawed by the state, they should be allowed to do so.
Here are my thoughts in the order you provided your list. I'll only make comments on those points of disagreement, so assume agreement on all the others.
ReplyDelete1. Politics & Ballot Reform
a. I'm not sure that some measure of support should be established before allowing a party ballot access. I really don't want a ballot with 50 different presidential candidates or gubernatorial candidates on it. However, I would support allowing write-ins on the ballot. That would at least give those wanting to support a candidate from an unrecognized party the ability to do so.
b. I would just add that full reporting of campaign funds should be required. Transparency will probably be more useful than contribution limits.
c. I'm not a fan of open primaries. However, I could possibly support this proposal, given that it only applies if the state is shouldering the cost of primary elections.
2. Freedom, Law, Justice Reform
p. This isn't so much of a disagreement as a question about how feasible this is. How are you going to determine economic/needs based individuals. Thinking more in hiring than access to higher ed. Going to make people submit copies of tax returns? Household budgets? Income to debt ratio? Just wondering how this would be substantiated...
q. I certainly agree the use of swat teams and equipment should be scaled back. Not sure totally eliminating them is the right move. Some rare situations still exist in which such police units might be needed.
s. I would think drones could be used for search/rescue operations. Their use would be more efficient than helicopters.
t. I believe their are some crimes, that by their very nature, merit the death penalty. However, I support the current moratorium, and believe its application should be scrutinized.
3. County Government Reform
b. One of the issues that has come up regarding assessors is that in order to be re-elected they purposefully undervalue certain properties. I agree with combining this office with that of the treasurer, but think the BOCC should appoint the official, rather than it being an elected position. Or the assessment function should be contracted out in some way.
4. State Agency Consolidation & Reform
j. In one place you have that this position should be appointed by the governor, and here you say eliminate it all together. This is the one position of all those statewide positions, that we may actually be better served by having it elected. And independent auditor & inspector, who is not beholden to the governor or any other elected official, should be able to conduct their duties with less attempts at influencing them than if it was appointed. That's my thinking right now, anyway.
5. Tax Reform
b. I like this, but I think the only way it passes is to exempt grocery items in order to reduce the regressive nature of the consumption tax.
h. I need to examine this issue more before I can make a decision one way or the other.
6. Commerce
c. Reform worers' comp in what way? Didn't the legislature move it to an administrative system already?
g. Shouldn't an employer be able to offer health coverage as part of a benefits package? And shouldn't they have the ability to negotiate a price reduction if they bring large numbers employees to a plan? I'm not sure I would go for banning employee based plans yet. But I do agree there needs to be more choice in the matter for people.
7. Education Reform
a. I like the education savings account model better than the voucher system, although the distinction might be merely one of which can survive constitutional challenge. The more indirectly the state is involved in the selection and payment of educational expenses, the more likely the system will withstand judicial scrutiny.
8 Municipal Reforms
a. I'm not versed enough in this to support or oppose it.
b. I believe most cities in Oklahoma have an option for home rule. Although, I do believe it is population based.