Bratcher 2028

Lending:

• Out debt-based economy has caused irreparable harm.
• We live as indentured servants to our lenders, owing money for our housing, our transportation, and the myriad of amenities and niceties that our impatience has led us to borrow funds to attain before the proper time.
• We propose the grandfathering of all current loans and the abolition of all future loans, on the grounds that lending at interest is exploitative and immoral.
• Profit should come from honest work, not exploiting the covetousness and impatience of others.

General Policy:

• To isolate ourselves completely, or
• to meddle in the affairs of every other nation.

As a general rule, we oppose interference in the local affairs of any other nation, except where existing treaties establish a duty to aid.

Unless there is a legal, just conflict occurring in which we have pledged ourselves to render assistance to one side or another, our military forces shall not be deployed.

Foreign Aid:

Domestic Aid:

Gun Control:

• We absolutely believe in gun control. You should definitely have complete control of any gun that you own.
• Use two hands if necessary.

Founding Texts:

"When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil."

• Ecclesiastes 8:11 (Berean Study Bible)

"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!"

• Proverbs 26:3 (Berean Study Bible)

General Principles:

• We believe that justice must be swift. From the time charges are filed to the time sentence is passed should take as little time as possible.
• However, justice must also be fair. Therefore, we propose a substantial increase to the number of public defenders and public prosecutors.
• We also believe that justice should not be determined by wealth and resources - therefore we will promote legislation to eliminate the private legal industry. All lawyers will be public lawyers, with the same benefits as all other government employees (See: Right Governance)

Particular Policies

Justice should be restorative in nature. Therefore, we propose that all theft be punished by restitution. The amount of restitution will be determined by the court, and will be based on the value of the stolen goods, and the time and effort required to recover the goods.

If a thief cannot afford to return what was taken, he/she must pay for it through labor via wage garnishment or direct service to the victim.

In the case of murder, the penalty is death. (Deuteronomy 19:11)

Murder shall be defined to mean the intentional killing of a human being for reasons of malice, hatred, or selfish refusal of personal responsibility. Life must be protected from conception to natural death.

In the case where an accuser brings false or unsubstantiated accusations against a defendant, and such accusations are found to be false or unsubstantiated, the accuser ought to receive sentence equal to that which the accused would have received, had the accusations proven to be true.

"The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 19:18–19)

Foreign Policy:

We will not interfere in their affairs so long as they do not interfere in ours.

Domestic Policy:

All States shall bear the financial burden of support for the National Guards proportionately.

Federal Armed Forces

All existing branches of the Federal Armed Forces shall be funded commensurate with the voluntary contributions collected each year from the citizenry.

Central Intelligence and the Coast Guard are of critical importance to keeping our borders safe.

The Army, being outdated and impractical, shall be dissolved.

The Navy and Marines shall cede their assets to the Coast Guard and shall be dissolved.

The Air Force shall continue on a limited basis for tactical, just, retaliatory strikes against foreign aggressors.

Note on Atomic Weapons:

The use of atomic weapons being totally unjustifiable under any conceivable circumstances, we therefore resolve to push for the complete nuclear disarmament of the United States. We would make this as a good faith gesture to the nations of the world who have lived under presumed threat for decades, and accept any theoretical consequences of disarmament as being beyond our control.

The Proper Role of Government

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. Consequently, the one who resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work. Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due."

• Romans 13:1-7 (Berean Study Bible)

Our Goal:

Our goal is to make the Apostle Paul's assertions a reality. It is critical that all governments recognize that their authority derives from God, and their purpose is to promote Justice and Peace, not to place unnecessary financial burdens upon the People.

We believe that taxes, too, should support the efforts of the government to promote Justice and Peace. Therefore we propose that all government officials in the Justice Department have all of their living expenses paid for by taxes. This will reduce or eliminate the incentive for corruption and perversion of justice that we see run rampant in most modern systems.

For more details, see the section on Justice.

Who will pay for the roads?

The States. The individual States will take care of road maintenance.

Interstate highways operated by the Federal Government will all become Toll Roads, and the tolls collected will be allocated 100% toward roadway maintenance.