Reducing Politics-as-Usual and original: "THE CONTRACT WITH AMERICA"

By Connor Vlakancic

LEADERSHIP - Greatly admired, but not understood, and thus, contradictorily under appreciated.

How can the United States federal government transition into a more responsive organization? To thus return to the representative values; of the People, by the People, and for the People.

Voters have shown their desire to encourage new energetic political practitioners to Sacramento by passing incumbent term limits. The results have been mixed because the professional politicians are experienced in the workings of Sacramento politics.

Term limits do not exist in the US House of Representatives, and the seniority ranking system prevents any brand new Congressmen from knowing how to function in this esteemed and venerable, but highly self-serving environment. How long does it take to become effective on Capitol Hill?, and thus, impact crucial committees that are important to our 17th District constituency!

I will promote the national agenda for preliminary candidate training. Such a training curriculum would include: "what to do and how to function" as a qualified pre-trained freshman Congressman. This, in preparation for congressional service, prior to the Primary Election, will be proof of leadership by earning increased qualifications and credentials, and by not waiting until after the results of the November election. This is like learning functional work skills prior to applying to a job opening. It constitutes appropriate professional and personal initiative and emphasizes commitment on the election campaign resume!

Extended comprehensive training for California congressional candidates would include additional pragmatic syllabus developed as a public service by organizations such as; the Ronald Reagan Ranch Young American's Foundation Center, the Pacific Legal Foundation and The World Affairs Council of California.

EXCERPT: The original "Contract with America"

Published by US Library of Congress, Feb 16, 1995, (TXU-677-207)

THE KEYS TO THE WHITE HOUSE in 1996

In-depth leadership insight
A solid documented national business plan
Irrefutable resources of people and materials

Even as this Federal Paradigm envisions the Executive Branch of the Federal Government, it identifies the invaluable qualifications for the President of the United States of America. Not in organizational and operational terms, but boldly in terms of enlightened Presidential leadership in creating the process by which Congress and the knowledgeable electorate will be empowered to implement our return to a general national vitality that is well distributed across all classes of US citizens.

Table of Contents
i. Introduction: The National Business Plan
ii. A Contract with America: Raise the Presidential Performance Bar
iii. The Communications President: Interactive Dialog
iiii. Presidential Partnership: Irrefutable National Resources
1. 21st Century President: The Non-Partisan Leadership Profile
2. Civic Leadership/Activism: The Leadership Development Role
3. Equitable Taxation: The Real-Time Data Solution
4. Lawlessness: The Entrenched Legal Anarchy
5. Congressional Supervision: The Peoples Responsibility
6. Congressional Caucus: The Electorate Mandate
7. Federal/State Congress: President/Governor Teleconference Collaboration
8. Executive Branch: The VP Super Cabinet Team
9. Ambassadors et al: Mutual Respect on Capital Hill
10. Presidential Rapport: The Relationship with America
iiiii. Believers + Beliefs = Behavior: The Future will never be the same

i. Introduction: The National Business Plan

The 1996 United States Federal Paradigm

Insight and innovation for a national reformation from a communications perspective with explicit Presidential actions and supporting literature.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is appropriate at this time in the history and development of the United States and the entire world, which the next President of the United States comes from a business career rather than a legal or political career. The correctness of this now well detailed paradigm can be easily examined.

In 1992, Mr. Ross Perot demonstrated that the voter electorate will seriously consider a Presidential candidate that is something different from an established political party polarized politician.

The effort to rekindle popular faith in the Presidency will not require a leap of faith. It will require a Presidential Presence with experience in business methods of empowering leadership. Such a person is simply not cultivated within the proletariat of our entrenched career political system.

Presidential Executive Presence. In 1996, issues of honesty and integrity will be foremost, not political experience. In-depth leadership insight, a solid national plan and the ability to identify irrefutable available resources of people and materials will provide the hope and fuel to propel this voter Presidential referendum. The highest integrity based on a record of demonstrated personal conduct must be where the line in the sand is drawn.

The White House, Washington, D.C., 15 January, 1995 It must be discouraged that the President, as a member of a political party, would meet in private seclusion with members of that party to plan the demise of any other party's platform. Such conduct should be popularly considered as an overly partisan act by a President who must be expected to represent everyone equally.

The solution is found in a high quality candidate with people leadership. Therefore, it is time that the Presidency of the United States must be, a not politically polarized position. A President belonging to a particular political party may be unavoidable, but Presidential conduct must not be the polarized antithesis of other legislative propositions or doctrines.

Therefore, the following tenet is concluded. A not politically polarized President of the United States is required to guide this country and, by example, the entire world, into the next century. World leadership is in unprecedented disarray and confusion. When we get "our house" in order, the United States will lead the world into the next millennium. Demonstrating personal and national existentialism, we can empower the world by demonstrating the inner strength of self reliance.

Such a President would have the vision and experience to take a new, primary and active responsibility to identify, encourage and nurture the development of existing and future governmental leaders. The primary responsibility of the President will be to legitimize by demonstration, the leadership qualities of integrity and courage in those citizens who would commit themselves to work and serve in public office. This requires a President who would rather risk telling the voters what they need to hear, with integrity, when it is the truth, than to tell them something safe to retain the gilded office.

This bold statement and the correctness of this detailed paradigm is emphasized in the following points.

No politically polarized President can direct the Federal Government as an outsider to malfeasant political process. It can only be accomplished by a Presidential persona with a deep, nearly spiritual, entrepreneurial, "the company (country) wins if the customer (taxpayer) wins", business and team building mentality.

A brief personal reflection covering the last six years of missing United States Presidential leadership has aroused an angry electorate. Civic organizations of all kinds, like United-We-Stand-America, are promoting sweeping Congressional elections, which are washing the political pollution from Capital Hill like tidal waves.

ii. A CONTRACT WITH AMERICA: Raise the Presidential Performance Bar

Presidential Executive Presence In 1996, issues of honesty and integrity must be foremost, not political experience. In-depth leadership insight, a solid national plan and the ability to identify irrefutable available resources of people and materials will provide the hope and fuel to propel this popular, voter Presidential referendum.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The primary role of the 1996 President of the United States (and future Presidents) will no longer emphasize the drafting of legislative program content. The singular outstanding responsibility of our President must be to define, develop and implement the inspirational process by which new leadership will step forward to take the reins of a United States Federal Government that will be much more of a participatory government than a representative government.

There are many actions that a visionary United States President will do to promote the development of a participatory government of this NEW United States of America.

Explicit actions of a magnanimous President as a true leader would include; (briefly)
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1. Stand down from the historical established position as the polarized symbol of the political party "in-power". Perform the many well-defined non-partisan actions that would preclude the alienation of groups and persons who promote contrary but responsible positions.

2. Define, propose and champion the creation of a process for a national focus and formal recognition of the role of civic activists as the leaders of societal change. Developing Federally encouraged civilian activist programs through cooperatives with local alternative programs or distant allied programs. Provide formal status for service in Congressional oversight functions.

3. Define and achieve an equitable and responsible national taxation system. The current IRS system is discriminatory at best and economically repressive at worst. A consumption taxation system is considered the responsible replacement by many economists and civic organizations. The ability to gather and process financial data, from all consumption financial transactions, in real time, with individual encryption security, safe from government and/or commercial misuse is required while maintaining absolute personal control.

4. Lawlessness is the national problem that everyone agrees upon. Too often, creative conformance to the letter-of-the-law is possible at the expense of the spirit-of-the-law and with suffering of innocent people. There is an existing, historic legal system to resolve this destructive and growing problem.

5. Congress is the legislative representative of the people. Congress must be subject to the people's remedy in a time frame less than the next election cycle and in ways that circumvent the power of that office to avoid redress by the people. As the military is subject to immediate supervision by a civilian (non-military) Commander-in-Chief, the political Congress must be subject to immediate supervision by a civic (non-political) authority.

6. CREATE A FORMAL CAUCUS, A CABAL, by Presidential Executive Order, CONSISTING OF ALL FRESHMAN CONGRESSMEN, regardless of political party, and each of the United States Vice Presidents, as appropriate to the issue, to meet together on a weekly schedule, reflecting the explicit voter mandate of Congressional Freshman, to emphasize responsible personal conduct and deployment of bipartisan legislation to moderate the power of the politically polarized, standing congressional committee structure in Congress.

7. Define and champion a formal, legislation ally empowered Federal/State congress consisting of all State Governors, one of the United States Vice Presidents and a select committee of academic leaders. This Congress of Federated States would define the mandate and content of legislation (federal and state) that would correct current and potential inequities in federal and states-rights issues, responsibilities and authorities.

8. The demands on the Executive Branch have dramatically expanded from two hundred years ago. The President should define and propose a constitutionally amended Executive Branch consisting of a President and multiple Vice-Presidents (perhaps as a super Cabinet). Each Vice-President with defined, specific constitutional operational responsibilities and authorities.

9. Accept from the Federal Congress an official list of potential Cabinet, Judicial and Ambassadorship appointees. Such a list would carry explicit Senatorial pre-approval. While not a mandate for Presidential appointment, the list would be a highly visible manifesto of Congressional political nepotism or responsible insight fullness. Presidential selection of any such recommended persons would imply a voluntary shared responsibility with the resultant potential for decreased Federal inter-branch conflict.

10. While it is not possible for the President to meet every person in the United States, it is possible to create a formal procedure to provide a process for the opportunity and there are several possibilities for this.

While it may seem difficult if not impossible for such a Federal paradigm to be adopted, there are many conclusive examples that history can make the seemingly impossible come true.

• Who would have believed that in 1974 the United States would have a President and a Vice-President that neither had been voted for by the electorate?

• Who would have believed that in 1991 the Soviet Union would cease to exist and that the President of the United States would lament its passing, as creating a de-stabilizing danger to international security?

• Who would have believed that in 1994 the United States would have a President that for the first time in the two hundred year history of our country would necessitate a legal examination if the President can be sued for illegal conduct committed prior to his election?

The US approaches a critical intersection in history. The results of the 1996 United States Presidential election could empower the world and the future of mankind with an impact greater than the sum of all the revolutions that have changed the names on the map of Europe.