If I was President/Prime Minister here is what I'd do

[Ganceann]

This is not a complete plan as people in such positions would just rip off parts of it :P)

Slash spending in the following sections:

- End politically correct BS and focus on common sense (this would save hundreds of millions of public money annually)

- Impose sensible public sector wages (is there ANY justification for ANY public sector job to ever earn more than 4 times the average national wage? NO... by imposing a strict upper limit of between 2 - 4 times national wage it will save loads more public money

- Public sector workers would receive maximum pay rises at the rate of inflation

I would also seek to put an end to No Win No Fee compensation scams where the only winners are the Lawyers.

Naturally I would develop a sustainable energy program that made it possible for all households to acquire green/clean energy and would ensure every new-build was designed to be energy efficient from the outset.

In addition, I would introduce the policy of USE-IT-OR-LOSE-IT when it comes to existing buildings. If a property was vacant and unused for a set period of time (or if it was in a state of disrepair), if it wasn't developed the state would take ownership by default... I am sick of seeing buildings in great locations lying empty/undeveloped due to idle landlords.

Argh - this could get long if I thought much more about it as I had already considered loads of ideas before the bank bail-out about a new style of state-lending where it would help put an end to people being evicted through advanced ownership transferral. Basically whenever someone fell behind with 3 payments the state stepped in and took over the debt... payments would then be made to the state and any outstanding debt would become repayable on death or sale of the property.

[arwen54]

That's some great ideas, Ganceann!

here's the crux of the problem as I see it. Big business runs our countries, not our presidents or prime ministers. Big business is what supports special interest groups that governments spend tax-payer money on. So we need to elect people in power who are not afraid to stand up to these big businesses, who really do care about everyone, rich, poor, healthy, or sick - equally.

I would like to see our education systems completely over-hauled. Our kids in the public sector have been dumbed down. They really have . Many high school kids today still don't know their times-tables, and can barely spell.
I would like to see personal development taught in high school. I would like to see books like Think and Grow Rich and The Master Key System implemented as required reading for senior students. Can you imagine the brilliant entrepreneurs those kids will become if they were taught how thoughts are things in school?

I would like the medical profession to become caring again and not servants of big Pharma! I would like drugs like Ritalin banned! (did you know Ritalin has the same properties as crystal meth?) scary stuff...

I would like our senior citizens to be cared for and treated with respect, the very same way the Asians respect their elders. Did you know that here in Canada (at least in Ontario), prison inmates' daily food budget is higher than the daily food budget in most senior homes? That is pathetic!

I could go on, but I'll get off my soapbox now, and let someone else chime in., lol

It will be interesting to see what others would do to change things up if they could.

Great topic!