|
by Millie Howard
Millie Howard for President
Last updated 22 October 2000. Copyright ©2001 Millie Howard for President 1992 and beyond. All Rights Reserved. Published by permission of Millie Howard. What is a Birth Right Stipend? A Birth Right Stipend is an equal share in the bounty of one's country. That's it. I believe that a $10,000 Birth Right Stipend for all SOVEREIGN CITIZENS OF THE STATES AND ALL NATURALIZED CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES AS OF 12/31/91 IS EQUITABLE. This would be fiat money requisitioned by the States and issued by the United States Treasury Department and given interest free to American citizens for the purpose of bartering in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ONLY. The Birth Right Stipend would begin in June of our eighteenth year and end at death. This money shall replace all current give-a-way and do-good programs that are paid for in full or part by American taxpayers through legislation that sets up tax benefits or direct subsidies for some in our society. Such legislated benefits for the few only serve to build bureaucracies, encourage dependence on government and insure the propping up of irresponsibility and mediocrity in our society. This money will enable all of us to count on something coming in. Some may want to stay home with their children, others may see college as a reachable goal, some may be between jobs and still others may want to dedicate their lives to some good cause. This little extra money may enable our elderly to live in their own homes and have someone come in and help out. This $10,000 would be the total amount paid for people incarcerated. This $10,000 could be used for support payments to make sure American children who have suffered the loss of one or both parents have some means of steady support. This shall never be increased or decreased. This Birth Right Stipend coupled with a tax-exempt wage of $10,400 and a tax-exempt benefit package of $5,200 shall be the safety net for Americans. The Birth Right Stipend would be sufficient to pay tuition for many local colleges and universities that would end our children starting life out with thousands of dollars in debt. It would act as the carrot and stick for all our children to complete high school and be prepared to go on to college or to go into the work force because the Birth Right Stipend shall not be given to anyone who does not graduate from high school fourteen years after I take office. I'll need three years to work with the governors of the States to get a quality system set up in each State and then we shall hold parents, teachers and students accountable. After the three-year setup period and beginning in the fourth year all kindergartners shall be expected to graduate from high school to get the Birth Right Stipend. THERE SHALL BE NO PASSING WITHOUT PROFICIENCY. The money would start for all Americans today because many of us dropped out of school for whatever reason. We are in a global economy, which is subsidized by American citizens. We currently do not have an English only policy to make sure American children get a full day of class instructions in their own language. I believe there are other benefits that will be derived from a Birth Right Stipend. With an extra $10,000 - $20,000 per year coming into a home we may see less domestic violence. Parents who understand that their child will get $10,000 for life may view the need for education differently and will take a more active role in the education of their children. Teachers may find children coming to school ready to learn with home and school working together. Americans will not work in unsafe, unclean conditions detrimental to their health and well-being if they are not forced to do so in order to feed their families and we will not pit jobs against environment. With hope, our children may not find it necessary to drink, smoke, do drugs, or sell drugs and/or their bodies for money and/or attention. They will know they have a real chance at a better life and something to work toward. The Birth Right Stipend will replace all other social programs in America and save billions of dollars now used to redistribute wealth that will go to pay for the Birth Right Stipend. I believe such a policy will deter illegal immigration. There shall be no subsidies for health care, housing or education. As we expect and demand that American business absorb more of the social costs of their foreign workers I believe we shall see American business finding it more economical to hire American workers. As States set up a per capita education dollar for their entire state for all children employers of non-citizens shall be required to pay this for their worker's children. We have a shortage of low-income housing - businesses will be required to provide housing for their foreign workers. Our emergency rooms have become physician offices - businesses shall be required to cover all medical costs of their workers and the children of their workers. I believe the Birth Right Stipend is a Right in line with the General Welfare Clause of the Constitution so long as it applies to all equally. Americans are not so fearful of our future if we have something we can count on. It certainly would be much more efficient for States to requisition $833 per month for each American citizen in their state and transfer this amount by direct deposit to the citizens account. How many government bureaucracies would be abolished by this simple change in the way we set up a safety net for Americans? I do not know how many Americans would qualify for this Birth Right Stipend because of the 281,000,000 people in America counted by the last Census I do not know how many are American citizens that would be eligible for the Birth Right Stipend. However, I believe that we could save money and regain much of our liberty by implementing the Birth Right Stipend. The Birth Right Stipend will be spent primarily on housing, food, clothing, transportation and entertainment. All of these items shall be produced in America to create jobs and self-sufficiency. What I would suggest is a tax-exempt minimum wage of $5 per hour plus a benefit package of $2.50 per hour not to exceed forty hours per week for both employer and employee. This equates to $10,400 in wages and $5,200 in savings for full time workers. The $5 minimum wage and $2.50 an hour in benefits shall be paid to both full and part time workers. A worker in America can expect a minimum monthly income of $833 from the Birth Right Stipend and a MINIMUM of $866 from employment. The $5,200 in benefits will replace Social Security, Workers' Compensation and Unemployment taxes on the employer. There shall be three separate accounts opened up and under the control or the worker - $2,000 retirement, $2,000 health care, $1,000 unemployment. I believe $2.50 per hour in benefits is far less than business is currently paying per worker under the current system. What I'm suggesting is that we take government out of the equation and save money. In fact the whole theme of my candidacy is to remove all parties between the principals to secure our liberty and free will and for a more efficient America. In line with this thinking beginning at the age of sixteen with our first job we get $2.50 per hour put into savings. These funds will be for retirement, health care and unemployment. These fund shall be placed in an American bank with no foreign interest and shall not leave the country. The following shall outline how these accounts shall be handled. The $1.00 per hour retirement account funds can be taken out beginning at age fifty (50) with a monthly amount to be paid based on amount of money in the account and actuarial tables to insure some income until death. Any funds remaining in this account upon death shall be transferred to the retirement account of a spouse and then to children. Those individuals who do not have a spouse or children may designate these funds to anyone of their choice but they shall be transferred to a retirement account only. The $1.00 going into health care accounts beginning with our first job may be accessed for use by parents and children. These accounts will be accessed through a debit card. When you see a health care provider you simply swipe your card and payment is made direct to the provider. I believe this efficiency will cut health care costs dramatically. In the event there is a prolonged illness the Bank shall loan the necessary funds at an interest rate not to exceed 2% above what these accounts are earning. These amounts shall be paid back at one half of future deposits. Just as today with insurance premiums there is no refund there shall be no refund of health care dollars. These dollars are premium dollars but go to the individuals not the insurance industry. Health care dollars are used for the needs of individuals and their families and can be interchangeable within the family. The idea of this system is to make sure that when we reach our older years we have funds to see to our needs because there will be no subsidized insurance nor Medicare or Medicaid. As these funds build up over the years I foresee a healthy economy for the medical professions and excellent care for Americans. The whole idea of insurance is to disperse the risk. Under this plan we will accomplish this. Every worker in America will be paying into this health care plan but each having control of their own accounts with the assurance that if they run short there are funds available. Banks handling these accounts will pay three to four percent interest and lend at eight or nine. This spread will enable them to give the 2% rate on these accounts and at the same time make this money available for true economic growth rather than the insurance and government bureaucracies. Banks shall be required to hold a percentage of the previous year's payout in reserve to insure these dollars are available as needed. Once again such a health care system will be much more cost effective when the insurance industry is out of the picture. I see no reason why Americans would want the limited resources of one insurance company when they can have the resources of all Americans should they need them. And finally we have $1.00 going into an individual unemployment account that can be accessed the first day an American becomes unemployed. This amount to be determined by the frequency of unemployment and shall never exceed 60% of wages from last employer. The Birth Right Stipend and this mandatory savings of $5,200 per year does what we look to all the redistribution of wealth programs to do but we do it in a much more efficient manner by empowering the individual and taking the third party people out of the equation. Remember there is a tremendous cost to funding these third parties that can be better utilized by the individual and those they choose to provide these services. There is one caveat to this idea. NO PURCHASE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH DEBT. We shall not permit anyone to buy financial instruments on credit. If we are to have every American save for their healthcare, their retirement, and unemployment we must make sure that their dollars are safe. This requires vigilant regulations and monitoring to make sure these dollars made available to the Banks through public policy are safe and will be there when needed. These dollars shall only be used for investments in America that have tangible collateral. There shall be no wheeling and dealing with these funds. This whole idea of a Birth Right Stipend and minimum wage, individual accounts, and a State per capita education dollar can accomplish a great deal more. I believe we will see more people leaving over-crowded cities for other communities and with the Birth Right Stipend we will see more small business startups grow because there is money to be had. And if I can get the same dollar for education in a rural New York setting as I can in New York City I think I might consider it. We talk about the lack of physicians in rural areas I believe if physicians know that health care dollars are available to every patient who comes through their door you will see more health care providers trading urban areas for rural ones. And remember the State per capita education dollar is the same throughout the State. If teachers can teach anywhere in the State and get the same per capita dollar and same classroom size where will they choose to work? What happens is the economic considerations are gone and then we can think about quality of life and what lifestyle we want. Certainly there will be disparities in cost of living around the country but they shall not be a factor in setting government policies. WE SHALL ALL BE TREATED EQUALLY. We are not guaranteed any right to live wherever we choose if we are not willing to work for the privilege. Money is only a means of bartering but real value is in tangible assets, the good, service, or product that we create from raw materials. Rather than have government lend us money why not do the Birth Right Stipend and let us use the money to better the lives of people? Money is a commodity just like anything else. When there is too much around it drives up the cost of goods. I believe the $10,000 Birth Right Stipend will keep many of us from borrowing when we have that unexpected emergency come up. I believe that knowing we have something coming in will relieve some of the arguments in the home, which may result in happier families. The Birth Right Stipend is not to make car payments or credit card payments. The purpose of the Birth Right Stipend is to insure the necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, utilities, and public transportation. In order to have cars and credit cards people shall be required to work. I believe once we stop subsiding the market it will settle down to a real world value and $833 will be sufficient to survive if someone is not able to work. If elected to the presidency I shall implement the Birth Right Stipend. |
