The Electoral Contract of Steven Searle for US President

 The Electoral Contract of Steven Searle

Candidate for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

Preamble:     I, Steven Searle, am the only candidate running for the office of US president in 2012 who is offering a binding contract in exchange for your vote. The following text, which concludes with my signature block, comprises this contract in its final form. This document has been under construction for the past two years and its supporting essays are available at http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com .

As I had stated in the 2008 version of this contract, when running against Obama and McCain:

I will not be shy about claiming this to be an historic document, on a par with the Magna Carta and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. I hope my creation will serve as a model for future candidates (for national and local offices) who wish to follow my lead by offering themselves as alternatives to the Democratic and Republican parties which are ruining this country.

The following text consists of two parts – the terms of my contract followed by a list of non-contractual elements. These extra points are intended to convey a sense of the kind of President I would be.

ONE:     If I violate any of the terms of this contract, I will be removed from office by means of impeachment. I hereby affirm, in advance, that I will not defend myself nor authorize any other party to defend me against any impeachment activity in the House or trial by the Senate. I further agree to a speedy trial - within less than 10 minutes, if deemed necessary by the Senate.

TWO:     I will veto any bill presented to me by Congress which has any provision for increases in taxes or fees or for increased government borrowing.

THREE:     Starting with the first annual military budget presented for my signature, I will not sign if the dollar amount is greater than half of the amount authorized by President Obama for his last annual military budget. I will also not approve of any supplementary military appropriations.

FOUR:      Within 90 days of my inauguration, all U.S. military forces will be completely withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan, regardless of the "situation on the ground." This withdrawal also applies to any covert operatives currently in Iran.

FIVE:     Under no circumstances, during my presidency, will the United States militarily intervene in the affairs of any foreign nation without a declaration of war by Congress. In addition, all U.S. forces will be withdrawn from all foreign nations, except for the token numbers needed at our embassies. This will include total withdrawal from NATO and will also include advisors we station in foreign nations in support of terrorist suppression and training of local forces. Bottom line: All of these forces are to come home.

SIX:     I will veto every single bill from Congress that comes my way until it passes:

• a Single Payer health care reform package, which will provide medical coverage to all US citizens free of charge - that is, without co-payments, deductibles, or any requirement to pay insurance premiums. This will also establish reasonable medical billing practices and rates.

• a nationwide cap of 18% on personal credit card interest rates.

SEVEN:     Until the Senate permanently repudiates the filibuster and acknowledges its unconstitutionality, I will veto every bill passed by the Senate, even those not involving a filibuster. Concurrently, I will press this issue in Court by suing the U.S. Senate.

EIGHT:     I will veto any bill presented to me by Congress if it has any provision for any type of aid or loan to Israel or Egypt.

NINE:     I will ask the Palestinian government to invite US troops, under my personal command, to engage in joint peace games in the West Bank with their military forces. I will ask that the Palestinian forces participating in this exercise be completely unarmed. I will ask the same of participating US forces, but will only accept volunteers for this unique mission.

TEN:     I will immediately fire at least 10% of the top military officer corp.

ELEVEN:     If Iran announced to the world that it was going to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and declare its intention to build an atomic bomb, I would acknowledge its right to do so. I would attempt to visit that country and plead with their leaders not to pursue that course, but I would acknowledge its right to do so.

TWELVE:     As long as I am President, the U.S. will not take any military action against Iran, not even if the U.S. Congress declares war against that country for good reason. I would fully expect the Congress to remove me from office and find a Chief Executive willing to wage that war. [NOTE: This policy will not prevent US forces from defending themselves should they ever be attacked anywhere in the world.]

THIRTEEN:     I will not exercise the "right" of the President to grant/withhold diplomatic recognition to/from any country with four exceptions, which I'll invoke immediately upon becoming President.  After these four exceptions, I will consult with the Senate, seeking advice and consent on such issues:

• Granting diplomatic recognition to Cuba and Palestine.

• Withdrawing diplomatic recognition from Kosovo and Israel.

FOURTEEN:     My Supreme Court Nominations: I will demand the resignations of all nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, but will renominate them for five year terms under the conditions stated below. Failure of these justices to submit their resignations will be defined as a violation of “good behavior” and will therefore be grounds for impeachment.

I will not nominate any person to the Court who will not sign the following contract:

• I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for a period of five years, after which I will resign from that office. Failure to resign, I here and now freely stipulate, will constitute a violation of the "good behavior' rule mandated by Article III, section 1 of the Constitution. Such a violation would and should subject me to a well-deserved impeachment and removal from office.

FIFTEEN:     I will aggressively seek to completely replace our Constitution by means of establishing a Constitutional Convention, which will (hopefully) consider implementing a system I've created: Cross-Sectional Representation (CSR). One key provision of CSR is the replacement of our 435 Congressional Districts with 435 Cross-Sections.

SIXTEEN:     Within 90 days of my inauguration, I will order all US personnel out of all facilities located at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This will allow Cuba to reoccupy that land, as is its sovereign right.

SEVENTEEN:     I will seek to lift the US embargo against Cuba, since those sanctions are a violation of international law.

EIGHTEEN:     Within 90 days of my inauguration, I will free all prisoners held in Guantanamo under two conditions (one optional, the other mandatory):

• The optional condition: I will ask that each prisoner swear an oath of non-violence against the United States. However, since I don't believe in coercing an oath, I would still free those refusing to swear such an oath.

• The mandatory condition: I will insist on meeting each prisoner in order to grasp his hand for at least 30 seconds.

NINETEEN:     There will be no military draft during my presidency. If Congress enacts a draft, however, I will encourage all draftees to be inducted. Immediately after induction, though, they will be subject to this blanket order: Do not follow any orders from any member of the military except this order from me, your Commander in Chief: "Carry on with your civilian lives as if you had never been drafted."

TWENTY:     If we should ever need a lot of new soldiers very quickly, I still would not violate my campaign promise against the draft. Instead, I would resign from office or encourage instantaneous impeachment by the Senate. That way, I would be keeping my campaign promise ("Read my lips: No draft") but allow for my successor to do what she thinks is right.

TWENTY-ONE:     I will use the Bully Pulpit to force radical changes in our federal tax laws. There are people serving time in federal prison for various tax-related offenses. Maybe releasing enough of these people from prison might make Congress nervous. Maybe if I granted a blanket pardon to everyone who refuses to pay taxes, that might actually terrify Congress into long overdue reform.

TWENTY-TWO:     While I’m President, the United States will never engage in torture.

TWENTY-THREE:     When Congress sends bills for my signature, I will simply sign them (if I support them) without making any signing statements.

TWENTY-FOUR:     I will abdicate my "right" to have US Attorneys serve "at the pleasure of the President" - with no such attorney to be dismissed without cause. Should I attempt a dismissal for cause, a right could be invoked to contest dismissal before a voluntary board consisting of eleven randomly-chosen legal professionals from the top eleven law schools in the United States. This board need not necessarily convene in person or hear such cases face-to-face.

TWENTY-FIVE:     I will not make any recess appointments.

TWENTY-SIX:     I will choose a female to be my vice president.

TWENTY-SEVEN:     During my first State of the Union address, I will declare that any Congress consisting of Democrats and Republicans is unrepresentative of the people, and therefore urge voters to replace their Congressmen with independents.

TWENTY-EIGHT:     I will make it a point not to make any of my State of the Union addresses before the assembled Congress itself. In good conscience, I could only speak directly either to We-the-People or to their genuine representatives.

TWENTY-NINE:     I will immediately release federal prisoner Jonathan Jay Pollard. He has been serving a life sentence since 1987 for the crime of spying on the United States on behalf of Israel.

THIRTY:     I will award to Mordechai Vanunu the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian award. I will also attempt to arrange for Mr. Vanunu's release from Israel and for the granting of asylum in a country of his choice.

THIRTY-ONE:     I will not run for re-election. Violation of this pledge is an impeachable offense for which I may be removed from office during my first (and only) term.

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Miscellaneous Non-Contractual Points for

Your Consideration

1…I will be a Class Warfare President, conducting that war as a compassionate Buddhist.

2…My personal logo is a green, non-rotated swastika, meant to promote a greater appreciation of applied Buddhist practice.

3…My written Contract will keep us out of war. But my running mate won’t be similarly restrained.

4…I propose a reformed Congress that eliminates its unconstitutional seniority system and top-down management style which denies the effective input and equal participation of all (including the most junior) legislators.

5…I favor a Congress unfettered by a Committee system.

6…Let’s abandon the Imperial Presidency and return to the original intention of the Constitution – that Congress is to be considered pre-eminent.

7…Our judicial system should be accessible by even the most indigent citizen to challenge the interests of the wealthiest citizens on an equal footing.

8…The U.S. Constitution should be replaced, not merely amended. And this replacement should take effect when ratified by two-thirds of all eligible U.S. voters who cast ballots on this issue.

9…I am in favor of Supreme Court decisions being voidable by Congress (not subject to presidential veto) – by a two-thirds vote of a Dem/Pub Congress; by a simple majority of an independent Congress.

10…I propose this revision of the military oath for both officers and enlisted personnel:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will, even at the cost of my life, support and defend the people of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; and that I will obey all appropriate and lawful orders issued by the President of the United States and of the officers appointed over me, according to all US laws and international treaty obligations.”

11…I favor juries being allowed to render verdicts by 9 to 3 margins.

12…It won’t matter who gets elected, since civilized life as we know it will cease to exist within 5 years.

13…I predict that Barack Obama will bomb Iranian nuclear facilities around Labor Day.

14…I will issue a personal call for a boycott of Israeli products by U.S. citizens.

15…Israel’s security is not a vital US interest.

16…I, unlike Mitt Romney, oppose line-item veto power for the president.

17…I oppose Barack Obama’s bipartisan plan to recolonize Africa.

18…Vote for independents for Congress; until that’s possible, vote against all incumbents.

19…States shouldn’t be allowed to compete against other states for business by offering tax incentives.

Steven Searle for U.S. President in 2012

The Independent Contractors’ Party

Contact me: bpa_cinc@yahoo.com