LET'S PRETEND I'M SUPREME RULER OF CANAMERICA

OK, I know, I'm not going to make everyone happy here and I'm not going to find anyone who agrees with me completely. Keep in mind, I'm a godless rationalist and the following ideas and thoughts reflect that.

The first thing that I would do is amalgamate Canada and the USA politically, with an eye towards Mexico in the next 50 years. Canada and the USA share the same Western ideology, and philosophy. There is no need to have a political border between the two nations. Culture can still be maintained, just like the South in America has a different culture from the American nomadic-like individual who lives in Buttswipe, Minnesota.

Now the issues(easy ones first):

Prostitution

Legalize it. Regulate it. It is a reality. The government should make money off it, and the health of the prostitutes should be monitored regularly. Most sex is about prostitution anyways, whether it is has to do with marriage, pre-marital dating(when the woman tries to hook the man). Whether it is an emotional gain or materialistic gain, it is prostitution. Sex driven by biogical reasons only does happen, but it isn't the main reason two people are together for more than a one or two night stand.


Gambling

Legalize it. Again, the black market on gambling is huge. It is going to happen regardless. Everyone knows that people are betting, whether it is with old fashion bookies or new fashion internet bookies. The government should be in on it. Back when there weren't any offshore houses, at least the money would stay in domestic hands, but now it leaves the country. It is ridiculous for this to happen. If it becomes regulated and legal, at least problem gamblers can be spotted quickly and helped.


Drugs

Legalize pot. Keep alcohol legal. Life sometimes is harsh and we need to escape every once in a while if we choose to. Myself, I hardly ever drink. I used to when I chased skirts. I have other means of escape, but I don't want to deny the less creative. Heroin and cocaine should be dealt with severely. The drug dealer and importers should be looking at a minimum of five years for a first offense. The users should get a 3 month sentence for a first offense in a drying out jail(different than a regular jail full of actual criminals). Second offense would be a year. Cocaine and heroin can kill you immediately. Illegal. Drunk drivers should be jailed 3 months, no questions asked for a first offense. And 2 years for a second offense. A universal test will be needed for those who drive stoned, and they should receive the same sentence as drunk drivers.


Death Penalty

If you murder a stranger, you get the death penalty and or if you murder a child not in your immediate family, you can get the death penalty. These are cold blooded murders in my books. Emotionally driven murderers (and I'm not calling terrorist acts emotionally driven) should receive 30 years to life.
If someone rapes a child(this includes any adult having sex with anyone 12 or under), they get 30 years to life. No exceptions. Not even for Priests.


Abortion

The world has enough unwanted children, but I'm not going to use this as the basis for my belief here. Any stance on abortion is considered contraversial these days, but everyone has a stance.
I believe that if the woman can live with her decision to abort a fetus, it is her choice. I consider any living being that can't survive outside of the womb and grow up without expected defects to be abortable. According to what I've read on the subject, I am comfortable with 26 weeks. After 26 weeks, no abortions. But there is no law that prevents a pregnant woman from going skiing or sky diving or falling down a flight of stairs(wink wink).


Separatation of Church and State

No religion in public schools. None. Zero. No homeschooling either. We don't need kids to grow up thinking the sun revolves around the earth. If you want religion in school, there are private schools, there is also your house of worship. If you don't have enough of a population to have a private school for your specific religion, move to a country that does. No, Sikhs cannot bring hatchets to school because of religious freedom. Christmas and Easter are to be grandfathered in as holidays. It will still be OK for kids to hand out Christmas cards (as long as they dont contain anti-semitic messages) and Valentines day cards (kids need to deal with the reality that they may not receive one if they are an unlikable sociopath. It is a good lesson in life).


Taxation and a Paperless Monetary System

The future is here. Start implementing this now. Fingerprint and/or wrist chip technology should be used for ALL financial transactions that are not done on-line. Pin numbers will still be needed to keep the hackers (limb hackers that is) away from identity theft.
Personal taxes and business taxes should not be brain surgery. My idea is to have government regulated approved expenses and other deductions for every type of job imaginable and every type of business imaginable(this will keep the government busy as they have to approve what is what for each case if something new is brought up). All transactions will fall into the specific individuals own expense categories (personal living expenses versus expenses related to business, which come off gross income). Every transaction falls into one of the categories. At the end of the year, the government emails you a statment on much you owe. It will be a straight 20% of earned net income (yes, you still get to deduct Retirement Savings as against gross income). All welfare checks will have the 20% deducted at source.
A person can have multiple business accounts if he or she has different sources of income. Different pins are needed for these accounts because the deductions will be different. Corporations will be dealt with the same way as an individual. A straight 20% tax on net income. No off shore tax deductions will be allowed for corporation or individual.
All goods and services will have a 10% tax as well. No exceptions. Native Indians included.


Privacy

Since the government already knows all your transactions(see above), they can react accordingly based on any red flags that may come up. This should curtail terrorist funding and other black market dealings. I guess the door is open for barterring (drugs for guns, for example), but again, any unusual types of transfers or purchases will warrant a red flag. And I give the government unlimited power to act against suspicious activity.


Immigration

I'm realistic enough to know that 30,000 years from now, if man is still around, every human alive will probably have olive skin and slightly slanted eyes. The society will be mainly agnostic and atheist. But this isn't 30,000 from now. People are still upset over cultural and/or racial differences, especially if someone wants to come over here an impose their own cultural dogma on us.
Immigration should be related to current employment levels. If unemployment rates are too high, immigration should cease until they decline.
All immigrants need to sign an oath stating they know they will be kicked out immediately if they commit any criminal act that has a sentence of one year or more attached to it and they will comply with all rules in place on the date of their arrival. This is a lifetime contract.


War on Terror

At this present time, Radical Islam is an immediate threat to Western civilization and the future of life on this planet. We can not sit idly by and wait to be attacked. Their fairly young dogma must be changed. Their culture must be reformed.
Eskimos don't need their culture reformed, but the Muslim world does. Until such a reform occurs, the War on Terror is a top priority.


Health Care

This is where a good chunk of your tax money will go. And I am not against having a tiered hospital set up either. If you can afford it, you are free to seek premium care. But basic needs will be payed by the government(Canada's system).


Trade

Outsourcing and trade is a problem. I think the only way around it is to impose more significant tariffs. Domestic jobs need to be protected at all costs. Canamerica can not continue to be a Sugar Daddy for the rest of the world. Aid should be cut off except in humanitarian circumstances. Any region that welcomes terrorism should be exempt from aid.


Gay Marriages

If gay people want to get married, let em. Really simple. What is marriage any ways? The highest divorce rates are found amongst the most religious. Now since I'm allowing for gay marriages, can you guys stop kissing in public? I just don't like looking at it. It isn't a law or anything. Just do me a favor. Thanks. Oh yeah, women you can keep kissing in public, that's cool.


Censorship

TV stations, radio station and newspapers can either choose to have adult content(cursing and/or nudity) or not have it. Just let the religious goody two shoes know ahead of time that a certain TV station may show a nipple at any given time so that they can channel block it if they choose.
I'm also pro-cum shot too when it comes to late night TV. Why hide it? It's a reality. Put it on Fear Factor. It would be fun.


OK, now you know where I stand and what I would do if I was Supreme Ruler of Canamerica. Like the good Atheist that I am, all the above is subject to change based on new information. It was a constant flow of new information, that turned me from an assumptive believer in god to a proud non rigid Atheist in the first place.

Funny Video Time

Thanks Al for sending me the new episode of Ask The Fruitcake Lady.


Personally, I don't think she is a fruitcake.
Regardless. Watch it and laugh your head off (LYHO).

Here is an earlier video in case you want to keep on laughing:

Canadian Study Suggests Screening New Immigrants

Thank, Relapsed Catholic for finding the story.

In a study released a couple of days ago on counterterrorism policies:

Former senior Foreign Affairs official Martin Collacott writes that Ottawa should "demand a more explicit commitment to Canada and Canadian values on the part of newcomers."
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OK, Canada is a Mosaic. But a Western Mosaic. We don't condone terrorism. Heck, we don't even have a death penalty. I'm thinking that what Collacott is referring to here is that we don't expect new immigrants to fight for Mecca or plot to fight for Mecca from within Canada, and we don't expect new immigrants to be involved in criminal elements. Make no mistakes, this study is all about the Muslims. He isn't talking about the Chinese here (yeah, I know there are some Chinese Muslims).


"If they find such acceptance difficult, they should not come here in the first place," Mr. Collacott writes in Canada's Inadequate Response to Terrorism: The Need for Policy Reform.
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I really like the wording here. Canada is not Mecca. If you are touchy about being scrutinized for your loyalties, stay out of here.


Here is the oath: "swearing that they are not only fully committed to Canadian values and will give their complete allegiance and loyalty to Canada, but that their actions in the future will reflect these commitments."

Those who behave in a manner that seriously conflicts with Canada's principles -- for example by supporting or engaging in terrorism -- should lose their citizenship, he argues.
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Prison is good for anyone who is born here who commits a terrorist related act. A new immigrant who commits such an act should get thrown out and I don't care if his life is in danger wherever he is thrown. This should be a lifetime contract between the Canadian government and the new immmigrant.


'In the paper, he says that while a variety of terrorist groups are active in Canada "most terrorist attacks in Western countries in recent years have been carried out by Muslim immigrants."

He urges Canada to reform the refugee and immigration systems, but also to build bridges with the Muslim community, both to ensure Muslims are a full part of Canadian society and to enlist their help in dealing with extremists.'
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Canada is a haven for terrorists, no question. The Liberal policies of the past have caught up to us. I'm not against immigration, but I think we went overboard; too much, too fast. New Canadians are getting special treatment by second generation Canadians who have many government positions and wield tremendous overall influence. And now it is political suicide here to speak the truth, while attempting to get elected. It is almost taboo here to attempt to fight terror. The majority of Canadians want terror eliminated, but the means needed to do so "offend" too many Liberals. Liberals should understand that wishing away cancer without any treatment, rarely gets rid of the cancer.
As far as building bridges. I think that should work two ways. The Muslim community needs to be willing build bridges too. Instead of going berserk over cartoons, maybe they should go berserk against terrorist acts like 9/11.

From another article:
'little action has been taken to stop terrorist fundraising in Canada even though this is now estimated at $180 million a year.'
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This is probably a lowball number. I can see it being much higher. Too many loopholes here.

Canada has a vast border with our closest friend: America. It isn't fair to the USA that we are being so lax in the War on Terrorism. Anyone who doesn't think that the USA is our military protection is fooling themselves. They spend hundreds of billions of dollars protecting Western values and democracy, and Canada benefits from this astronomically. If you aren't here to embrace Western values......................there's the door.

Travel Warning to Israel: Conspiracy Theory

The USA State Department has issueda travel warning to anyone who goes to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza:

'The US State Department has issued a travel warning for Israel, due to criminal activities by organized crime within the country. This is the first time that the State Department has mentioned organized crime in Israel as a factor liable to jeopardize tourists or other foreign residents traveling in Israel,the West Bank and Gaza.

As usual, the bulk of the travel warning concerns potential risks from Palestinian terrorism, but it also warns about the risk of assault by Jewish settlers and IDF troops against participants in demonstrations and protests. This warning is fairly new.'

Israel is looking for answers:

'“We intend to inquire what caused the Americans to publish a travel warning for tourists wanting to visit Israel. Only then will we publish a response,” said Minister of Tourism Avraham Hirchson today.

Israel Tourist and Travel Agents Association managing director Yossi Fatael called the travel warning astonishing, since Israel had much lower crime rates, compared with the West.'

This is what I think caused it:

Less than a week ago on February 23rd, Lou Dobbs did a good 5 minute piece on the fact that the US State Department has a pretty ugly travel warning when it comes to American who travel to the UAE. Putting in question the Bush administration calling the UAE an ally to the USA.

I highlighted the following from the US Dept. of State website: SAFETY AND SECURITY: Americans in the United Arab Emirates should exercise a high level of security awareness. The Department of State remains concerned about the possibility of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world.

U.S. Government facilities may temporarily close or suspend public services from time to time as necessary to review their security posture and ensure its adequacy.


I'm really thinking that the Arab friends of the Bush administration made this travel warning part of the delay on the Port's deal.

How Old Is The Earth: Various Beliefs

Various estimates of the age of the Earth and the rest of the universe from the Religious Tolerance.org website(Note: Most of these estimates are not based on any scientific data whatsoever. Thompson's and Lononov's scientific estimates were based on many faulty assumptions as they were made in the mid 1800's.)

Infinity: Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, believed that the Earth has always existed.

Under 23 billion years: Chinese scientists once believed that the earth is repeatedly created, exists and is destroyed over a 23 billion year cycle. So, the current age of the Earth is some fraction of 23 billion years.

4.5 billion years:
Most estimates of the Earth's age, based on actual measurements and calculations, are clustered around 4.5 billion years. Scientists further believe that the earth's crust solidified about 3.9 billion years ago. Part of the universe itself are much older, dating back to the big bang, some 15 billion years ago. Such estimates are accepted by essentially all geologists, biologists and other earth and life scientists.

"Old-Earth creationists" are typically Christians who harmonize the multi-billion year age of the earth computed by scientists, with the seven-day account specified in one of the Bible's creation stories. Most do this by noting that the Hebrew word "yom" (day) can represent a 12 hour interval, a 24 hour interval, or a long age. They interpret "yom" near the start of Genesis to mean a very long time interval of many hundreds of millions of years. Most accept the 4.5 billion year estimate of the Earth's age which is currently advocated by most scientists. Others believe that there was a long period of many billions of years between the first 24 hour day of creation and the second.

Over 3 billion years: Author Herman Cummings estimates the age of the earth at over 3 billion years. He believes that "there is no biblical data written that we can use to determine Earth's age." 3 He bases this age on the findings of geologists. He computes that the rest of the universe was created some three days earlier.

1.9 billion years: Hindu scriptures suggest a cyclical universe in which a "big bang" is eventually followed by a "big crunch" some 4.32 billion years later. In this system, we are 1.97 billion years from our universe's big bang and have some 2.35 billion years to go before our Kalpa (eternal day) ends in a big crunch.

20 to 400 million years: William Thompson of Glasgow, Scotland, published this estimate in 1862. He assumed that the earth had cooled from a molten state to its present temperature. This was, of course, long before scientists knew of the existence of radioactivity. His calculations were in serious error as a result. 1
bullet 90 million: In 1889, John Joly of the University of Dublin estimated this value, based on the time taken for the concentration of salt in the ocean to have built up to its present time.

75,000 years: Mikhail Lomonosov, the founder of Russian science, in the mid-18th century, computed the age of the Earth at about 75,000 years. He based this on the rate of cooling of a small globe that resembled the earth in its composition. 1 His estimate was massively in error, for the same reason as was Thompson's.

Up to 58000 BCE: Dr. Hugh Ross and Kathy Ross of Reasons to Believe are old-earth creationists. They estimate that Adam and Eve were created from six to sixty thousand years ago. They also estimate the date of creation of the universe on the order of ten billion years ago.

11013 BCE: Harold Camping of Family Radio computed that God created humanity during this year. The remaining five days of creation would have probably occurred during the same year. This number conflicts by over 2,000 years with the estimates of almost all young-earth creation scientists; they believe the world is less than 10,000 years old. He also believes that the great flood happened on 4990-4989 BCE, and that the Exodus happened on 1447 BCE. His other main prediction, that the end of the world would happen in 1994 CE, did not materialize.

8000 BCE: As noted above, most creation scientists believe that the earth is less than 10,000 years old. This would put the earliest possible date of creation at about 8000 BCE.
6984 BCE: Estimated by Alfonso X in Spain during the 1200s.
6984 BCE: A second estimate by Alfonso X.
6204 BCE: An estimate from India according to Gentil, a 18th century French astronomer. 6174 BCE: A second estimate from India, based on Arab records.
6158 BCE: A Babylonian date, according to John Silvain, an 18th century French astronomer.
6157 BCE: A Chinese date reported by Bailly.
6138 BCE: A date computed by diogenes Laertius, a 3rd century CE Greek philosopher.
6081 BCE: An Egyptian date reported by Bailly.
6000 BCE: Early church commentators (Clement of Alexander, Origen, Eusebius, Lactantius, Theophilus, etc.) believed that since Adam was created on the 6th day after creation, that Jesus would come into the world in its 6,000th year.
5586 BCE: This date appeared in the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) produced in Egypt in the 3rd century BCE.
5555 BCE: A data produced by Josephus, a Jew from the 1st century CE.
5508 BCE: The year of creation adopted in the 7th century CE in "Constantinople and used by the Eastern Orthodox church until the 18th century CE."
5507 BCE: A Persian date reported by Bailly.
5500 BCE: An Abyssinian date from the Chronicle of Axum. Reported by Bruce in the 1700s.
5493 BCE: This is the date used by the Ethiopian Church. 11
5490 BCE: The date of the year of creation used by the Syrian Christians. 10
5481 BCE: A second date estimated by Josephus in the 1st century CE. 8
5369 BCE: An Indian date reported by Megasthenes, a Greek historian (circa 340 to 282 BCE). 8
5311 BCE: Dr. William Hales (1778 - 1821), author of "New System of Chronology" based his estimates on Egyptian records. He said that the flood of Noah occurred in 3155 BCE. 12
5200 BCE: This approximate date was used by the Anglo-Saxons and the early Britons. 13
5199 BCE: This date was mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, which was published by the authority of Pope Gregory XIII in 1580. It was later confirmed in 1640 CE under Pope Urban VIII
4713-JAN-1 BCE: A French classical scholar, Joseph Scaliger (1540-1609), estimated this date in his book De emendatione temporum [on the correction of chronology] He based it on the convergence of the 28 year Solar Cycle, the 19 year Metonic Cycle and the 15 year Roman Indiction cycle -- three ancient methods of measuring time. 14
4456 BCE: Still another estimate is based upon both the Biblical account and modern archeology. 20 This uses the date of 2800 BCE for a massive flood which covered the plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. All of the towns in the area were buried under thick layers of mud. If we assume that this is the Noahic flood which is recorded in the Bible as occurring when Noah was 600 years old, then the earlier date can be calculated. 15
bullet 4305 BCE: Dean Coombs estimates on his "Bible Numbers: The Pattern of Prophecy" web site that the date of creation must be on or after the autumn of 4305 BCE. 16
4245 BCE: This is an additional creation date listed by Dean Coombs.
4175 BCE: Bert Thompson estimates the date of creation at approximately 4175 BCE. He worked backwards from 853 to 852 BCE, the date of the death of Ahab, obtained by "Combining information from the Assyrian Eponym Lists and the Black Obelisk...." He computes the date of the great flood at about 2519 BCE.
4122 BCE: The Baha'i World Faith dates Adam and the Garden of Eden to 4122 BCE.
4115 BCE: This is an additional creation date listed by Dean Coombs.
4090 BCE: This is an additional creation date listed by Dean Coombs.
4046 BCE: The Reformation Online web site is dedicated to attacking the Roman Catholic church. They calculate 4046 BCE as the year of creation, based on the ages of the patriarchs at their death.
4030 BCE: This is an additional creation date listed by Dean Coombs.
4026 BCE: The Jehovah's Witnesses estimates that Adam was created at this time.
4004 BCE: Dr. John Lightfoot a 17th century Anglican clergyman estimated :creation at 4004-OCT-23 BCE, at 9 AM. Bishop James Ussher in the 17th century estimated 4004 BCE a decade later than Lightfoot, and got all the credit. 4002 BCE: Augustin Calmet (1672-1757) corrected some of the errors in Ussher. He computed 2344 BCE as the year of the flood of Noah.
3993 BCE: Estimated by the astronomer Kepler, (1571 - 1630).
3984 BCE: Estimated by Petavius, a Frenchman, (1583 - 1652).
3963 BCE: Melanchthon computed this date at the time of the Reformation.
3961 BCE: Estimated by the theologian Martin Luther in the 16th century.
3960 BCE: This is an additional creation date listed by Dean Coombs.
3952 BCE: Venerable Bede (circa 672 to 735), an English monk.
3950 BCE: Julius Caesar Scalinger (1484 - 1558), a humanist scholar from Verona, Italy.
3900 BCE: Dean Coombs estimates that the date of creation must be on or before this date.
3761 BCE: Ancient Jewish scholars placed creation at this date; this became the basis of the Jewish Calendar.
3641-FEB-10: This is the date of creation used by the Mayans.
3616 BCE: Estimated by the Jewish Rabbi Lipman (1579 - 1654).