Bad Assumptions

There are two wrong assumptions that I can't seem to get away from. One is just an annoyance. The other is kinda serious.

1. Gagging (the annoyance)

I like to suck. I'm honest about how much I like to suck. I can't deep throat, because there's only 4 or 5 inches before whatever I'm trying to shove in there hits my voice box. I'm a small person. I occasionally get someone who wants a gagging show. I don't do gagging shows.

Why not? Because gagging is what happens before you throw up. I HATE anything to do with throwing up. I hate the act. I hate the precursor to the act. I hate dry-heaving. I hate gagging.

Today, someone asked me to gag, then took me private without me having a chance to say that I don't gag. He left before the rest of everything he wanted because... I don't gag. Not on purpose. I do everything I can to avoid gagging. I don't find it sexy. it's a huge turn-off for me.

2. Spanking (the problem)

I enjoy being spanked. A lot of people out there have this belief that it should be done as part of a "bad girl" funishment roleplay thing. NO. I am submissive. I like doing what I'm told. I like doing the right thing. I don't like the idea that I did something wrong. If you mix up spanking with any implication that I did something less-than-perfect, I can't enjoy the spanking, and I start to fear the spanking, and pretty soon I start to cringe away from the person who does it as though I'm expecting to be punished for no reason. It fucks with me too much.

I want you to tell me how good I've been, then spank me and fuck me silly. I want you to be very careful that physical pain doesn't turn into psychological pain as well. I want to hear the words "good girl" as I feel the bite of whatever you're using on my ass. I want you to coddle my mind while you abuse my body.

That's really all I had to say. But it had to be said. Because the one was last night, and the other was just now.

Clones and Eternal Youth

I have a limited knowledge of how genes work. So, I'm going off of my basic understanding for this.

The most important question in the subject of clones and eternal youth used to be "what makes us age?" We have the answer to that, and in the answer we found out why clones die early and other such information. What I'm going to say relies heavily on this, so I need to detail what we found.

At the tail end of the molecules which make up our genes is a random bunch that don't mean anything. As our cells replicate using those strands of DNA, the tail end that means nothing slowly disappears. When that end is gone, the molecules which make up the important bits of our DNA start to disappear. When the brake-down becomes too much for the body to handle, the person dies.

The issue with cloning is that when we make a clone from an adult, the tail end of DNA which determines how long the clone will live is the same length as the adult its cells were taken from. To fix this, we need to either make our clones while the original is still just a few cells. Or, we can take one of those cells from when the original is really young, and store what the sequence is. Then, we can use gene therapy to add the missing bits before making the clones.

Here's the point. If we can figure out how to extend the length of the tail end of the genes which belong to someone who is already alive, we can have the fabled eternal youth. We can also make clones which do not die too soon. I think the first thing is to see if the tail end has to be something specific, or if it can be anything. If it can be anything, we can just make a sequence to throw on there. If we can figure out how to make it, we won't even need to try to harvest cells from a fetus.

My guess is that there are a number of different sequences which will work for each species, but that only closely related species will be able to use the same sets of sequences. But that's not for me to figure out.

Why did I feel it necessary to point this out? Because I believe I remember people saying that they need to figure out how to stop the loss of the tail, instead of figuring out how to add more to the tail as it disappears. And I realized that the same technology which allows them to make rats glow using genes from a jellyfish would allow them to insert more "tail" on the genes.

Clothes can change...

Tonight, on AmberCutie Forums, I had to hide the post of someone. Because he hit my pet peeve with how he browses models. He goes looking for a model who is currently wearing the specific clothes that he likes to see, passing by plenty of rooms whose models would probably be happy to change into those stockings he loves so much just because she's not wearing them NOW. Now, I understand that he might not want take the time to ask every model if she happens to have red stockings, or fishnet stockings, or whatever. But, seriously, I've had guys come in and actually ask if I'm wearing socks, and then leave because I'm not, nevermind the fact that I'll gladly wear them for the member in private or exclusive, and it's only $5 for me to change into them in public chat for an undefined period of time, which will be at least 5 mins, usually 10, possibly more.

Maybe I'm only bothered by it because I don't really wear them unless it's wanted by the other person. To tell the truth, the only reason I don't get on camera naked is because on MFC I'd make nothing, and on Streamate I'd get banned. Maybe the biggest reason I'm bothered by it is because these gentlemen seem to have no idea how much said stockings cost, and how easy it is for them to break. Seriously, I get 2 uses out of anything cheap, and 5 uses out of anything expensive, before they start to run. Then one or two uses before I can't use it anymore. Shit, there are some expensive ones that I really only get 2 uses out of, because they're so thin that they tear both ways.

New Stuff!

I got some new stuff from amazon.com. Here goes:

Daylee Naturals 100% Cotton Terry Bath Mat (white)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZNYQ8E/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm allergic to dust mites, so I prefer a bathmat that I can just throw in the washer and dryer. While the fuzzy ones with the grip on the bottom can go in the washer, you have to dry them on low or let them air dry. At the moment, anything that would have to be done on low, I tend to just air dry. So, the terry-cloth ones are the best.

32GB 32G Memory Stick PRO Duo for PSP, Camera, Phone, Photo Frame, MicroSD + EnjoyGadgets Adapter

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZH9OFI/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a 32GB MicroSD card with an SD adapter and a Memory Stick Pro Duo adapter. Got this for a friend's PSP. If it works well, I plan to get another one for my own PSP. The awesome thing about it is, it's a lot easier and cheaper to find "large" micro SD cards (by large I mean the amount of storage space on it) than "large" Memory Stick Pro Duo cards. So if this works as well as I think it will, I'll be able to upgrade how much memory is in my PSP much cheaper. But, the reviews said it can be tricky, so we'll see. My friend is good at making electronics work, which is why the first one goes to him.

iCollection Women's Sexy Sheer Pink Halter Teddy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085IRWUA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a pink teddy, that's why I got it. When it arrived I discovered a couple surprises. The first is that it's got underwire for the bra part. Not sure how I feel about it, but it was comfortable enough. When I put it on, I discovered that it's crotchless. :) It does make the back of the ass look a bit weird though.

SpicySpot Lace and Mesh High Neck Teddy with Thong Back

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040MK5XQ/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's a white one, a red one, and a pink one. I got the red one. I got it because it's a red teddy, and I don't have one of those yet.

Solemates Purse Pal Foldable Bowed Ballet Flats w/ Expandable Tote Bag for Carrying Heels

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TDNST6/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got the pink pair. The fact that the bottom is made to be foldable combined with the elastic around the hole of the shoe means that they are permanently folded unless I'm wearing them. The fact that the elastic is about half the size it needs to be for the design of the shoe means that it cuts into my foot. So, I won't ever be wearing them on a regular basis. But, they're good enough for an hour or two, so I'm willing to wear them on camera for tips. Which is exactly why I got them.

To the gentleman who gave me the gift card which resulted in these purchases:

Thank you so much! I will not reveal your name unless you want me to, but you do know how to contact me. If you wish pictures of me using the items in question, I will gladly send them. Just need an email address from you ^_^. Of course, there will be publicly posted ones eventually, but they will not be the same quality.

Fun with pm

I leave my pm's open on MFC. Sometimes, it produces a bit of fun. Last night the following conversation happened. I have changed the gentleman's name, because I'm not in to public humiliation on any side of it. I have changed the color of some of the text to aid in following the conversation, as there is a point where we're talking about two things at once.

09:07:27 PM member1: hey there, want to watch me jerk off and cum?
09:07:43 PM LadyLuna: I would love to! Take me private, and I gladly will. 
09:08:08 PM member1: how about we go fool around on Skype?
09:08:48 PM LadyLuna: Why? Skype is risky for you, risky for me, and doesn't like me when it comes to calls
09:09:40 PM LadyLuna: MFC private, you don't risk dropping a load of tokens and not getting anything, because you can stop it before it gets too far.
09:09:53 PM LadyLuna: And I don't risk you finding out my personal information.
09:10:10 PM LadyLuna: PLUS you get a recording of the private (usually, on occasion it doesn't work)
09:10:47 PM member1: ive gotten scammed 3 times on mfc so its no better
09:10:53 PM LadyLuna: If you're afraid of using all your tokens without realizing it, MFC has this thing called the bank. Only keep as many as you want to have available for the
09:10:54 PM LadyLuna: private
09:11:02 PM LadyLuna: How have you gotten scammed?
09:11:27 PM LadyLuna: I honestly don't know how you could get scammed out of more than 60 tokens...
09:11:42 PM member1: Skype would be just for fun......2 people who enjoy watching people masterbate
09:12:08 PM member1: they were for private shows
09:12:10 PM LadyLuna: While I do find this fun, it is still my source of income.
09:12:31 PM LadyLuna: Yes, you start the private show, and within one minute you can figure out if the model is pulling your leg
09:12:40 PM member1: oh i thought you enjoyed sex ??
09:12:43 PM LadyLuna: 60 tokens is one minute
09:12:46 PM LadyLuna: I do enjoy sex
09:12:54 PM LadyLuna: is there a rule that says you can't get paid for things you enjoy?
09:13:15 PM LadyLuna: Is there some rule out there that you're supposed to hate your job?
09:13:35 PM LadyLuna: I've never heard of this rule. In fact, we were advised to think of something we'd do for free, and find a way to make money off of it.
09:13:38 PM member1: but if u like what you see and i like what i see.....why do I have to pay?
09:13:59 PM LadyLuna: If a painter really enjoys painting, why do you have to pay him to do one for you?
09:14:14 PM LadyLuna: If a mechanic really loves working on cars, why do you have to pay him for fixing yours?
09:14:36 PM member1: i like the barter system then
09:14:52 PM LadyLuna: So do I, unfortunately, I can't pay rent in chickens.
09:15:03 PM member1: lol
09:15:32 PM member1: great chat!!! i guess you dont do this for the cock!!!! bye
09:15:57 PM LadyLuna: But I do do it for the cock. I also do it for the money.
09:16:04 PM LadyLuna: The two are not mutually exclusive.
09:17:50 PM member1: so enlighten me!!! how much for a skype show? and what will you do in it?
09:18:11 PM LadyLuna: I already gave you my reasons for not doing a skype show. It's less risky to keep it to the privates on MFC.
09:18:25 PM LadyLuna: What I will do in the private, is anything within reason that you want to see.
09:19:52 PM member1: WOW!!! :hotdogface
09:22:14 PM LadyLuna: ?
09:22:39 PM LadyLuna: I do not understand the gif... sorry. I'm a math major, so my mind works literally
09:22:59 PM LadyLuna: if you're wanting me to get some hot dogs and pour them over my face, I do have some in the fridge I could use for the private.
09:23:09 PM member1: open my camera and watch me cum on my stomach
09:24:42 PM LadyLuna: The reason I don't watch cameras in public chat is that I can't keep up with monitoring my music, reading a bunch of pms, public chat, AND watching your camera.
09:24:51 PM LadyLuna: I can do three of them.
09:25:12 PM member1: so do u wanna see?
09:26:16 PM member1: do you like having your ass hole licked?? :bootylick
09:26:31 PM LadyLuna: I do want to see. If you take me private, I will gladly watch.
09:26:37 PM LadyLuna: I have never had my asshole licked.
09:26:45 PM LadyLuna: If you don't mind, I also like to play while I watch.
09:27:33 PM member1: private is to many tokens
09:28:06 PM member1: would you like me to stick my tongue in your ass?
09:28:30 PM LadyLuna: How about you tip me 80 tokens, and I'll watch your camera? (please note: I only offered this because I was pretty sure he wouldn't tip it)
09:28:45 PM member1: that seems like alot
09:29:08 PM LadyLuna: Well, I was going to say 150, but I saw that would be most of your tokens. (This is true, he had 169 tokens. Half of 170 is 85, for the next bit.)
09:29:13 PM LadyLuna: and I don't want to make you broke.
09:29:21 PM LadyLuna: 80 is a little less than half.
09:29:33 PM member1: how about licking your wet pussy? :lickclit2
09:29:34 PM LadyLuna: Keep in mind, I'll be having to hold myself back, because I can't play in public chat.
09:29:54 PM LadyLuna: I refuse to answer those types of questions unless you've tipped for me to watch your camera.
09:30:12 PM member1: awwwwww your no fun
09:31:10 PM member1: have you ever had a guy cum in your ass? :wirthanal7
09:34:40 PM member1: i just found your pictures!!! Wow my cock is hard now!!! FYI my cock is about the same size as your purple dildo
09:34:58 PM member1: i might have to cum looking at your pics
09:36:53 PM member1: u can have a free peak if you want, another girl wants to watch me cum
09:40:03 PM member1: see?
09:52:45 PM member1: suck my cock please?
09:53:33 PM LadyLuna: I am not watching. I told you my requirements to watch, and to sex-chat with you, and you have not fulfilled them. As much as I want to, and as much as I hate
09:53:35 PM LadyLuna: saying no
09:53:52 PM LadyLuna: I cannot make allowances for one person, or I'd have to for everyone, and it's too much.
09:55:06 PM LadyLuna: So, I don't mind you staying, and watching, but if you keep pestering me for freebies, I'll have no choice but to ban you.
09:55:47 PM member1: but i love you!!!
09:55:55 PM LadyLuna: You know nothing about me. (considering he was asking for skype, and both my profile and my website are quite clear that I don't offer skype, I know he read neither. So he didn't even know that much about me.)
09:56:23 PM member1: you break my heart!!! 
09:57:01 PM member1: i find you very attractive
09:57:14 PM member1: i LOVE innocent looking women
09:58:07 PM member1: ill leave u now.....sorry, bye sexy :giveflowers

And there the conversation ends. That's right, I didn't even say good bye to him. I found this conversation mildly amusing, I thought you might as well.

Mercedes Lackey

I love the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey. The characters are wonderful, and the stories are touching. But they've always left me slightly uneasy as a writer. I have finally figured out why.

I'm going to have to go over a few things before explaining it exactly. Specifically, the narrative voice. There's a few types of third-person narrations a writer can use. The first is the type which knows everything one character is thinking and feeling. The second is the type which knows what all characters are thinking and feeling. And the third is the type which doesn't know what any of the characters are thinking or feeling. Many authors will use the first type, but switch character perspectives between the different scenes.

Here's my problem with the Valdemar Series. She uses the first type, switching characters between scenes. All right, that's fine. But, she has this tendency to narrate as though it's the character themselves thinking about it, while still referring to the character in the third person. It makes it really difficult to separate the characters from the narration. To make matters worse, sometimes in the same scene it switches which character the narration is focusing on. The one thing about it which might be considered good by some people is that it has the effect of drawing the reader further in to the story. The problem is that it leaves the reader slightly confused.

Now, I specify that it's my problem with the Valdemar series, because I haven't read the other ones well enough. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe her other books don't do that as much. I can't know that. I just know that it annoys the hell out of me.

My other problem with the Valdemar series is the over-use of shock-value tactics. Just like using the word "fuck" all the time limits the impact of the word, if every few paragraphs is a single-sentence paragraph, and every few sentences has interrupts sprinkled throughout, they aren't as powerful. But maybe that's the point... Also, it feels like every other sentence she writes starts with a contraction (and, but...). You're not supposed to do that, but it's okay to do it once in awhile, again, for shock to emphasize it. Plus, people tend to think that way, so doing it in the string of thought areas is fine. But as I said, she writes the narration part as though it's the same as the thought-part. One thing I didn't say is that the characters have a tendency to interrupt the narration. Again, once in a while, this can be used, but she uses it at least three times a scene.

I will always love the Valdemar series. This is the series that taught me what empathy is, and how to look at myself and tell if an emotion is coming from within me, or from someone else, and how to block it out if it's coming from someone else. This is the series that opened my mind to the idea that same-sex pairings are okay, and primed me to be able to accept the idea of multiple partners being okay (which Stranger in a Strange land then completed the opening.) Even with that, the writing is... well, it's not good. I won't say it's terrible, it certainly elicits an emotion from the reader, and certain parts give very vivid images. I don't get as good a "movie" from it as from others, simply because the little cues aren't always there. But it's not terrible.

Time for the Male Pill (at least)

Women have the right to decide whether or not they want to be a mother completely separate from their decision to have sex.

Men do not even have the option of opting out of fatherhood.

Why is this a problem? I mean, women are the only ones who go through pregnancy, right? But the men are the ones who have to foot the bill. There are two things men are required by law to pay for whether they want to support the things they are paying for or not: taxes and babies. "So what, if a man and a woman agree not to have a child, he's covered, right?" Maybe.

Consider:

-There is a long history of women lying about their state of birth control, (even going so far as to flush the pills so when the man double-checks, there's no evidence she didn't take it), and women poking holes in the condoms men use, to get pregnant against the desire of their sexual partners. I mean, we're talking about me being able to remember hearing about this in the news when I was 11 (that's 17 years ago, shit, that poor shmuck only has one more year of child support to pay!)

http://www.independent.ie/woman/love-sex/orla-barry-i-feel-guilty-for-tricking-my-boyfriend-into-having-a-baby-29437589.html

-Relatively new to my knowledge is a spree of women taking condoms out of the trash to impregnate themselves.

-A woman went to a sperm bank, was successfully impregnated with sperm from an anonymous donor. Woman tracks that donor down and the family court judge decides that this man is now required to pay child support.

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2013/07/24/ks--sperm-donor-child-support.html

(same case) http://cjonline.com/news/2013-07-23/defendant-sperm-donor-case-seeks-summary-judgment

-A woman raped a 15 year old kid, and successfully sued that kid for child support when he turned 17.

http://livewirereview.com/pay-child-support/?utm_sou%C2%AD%C2%ADrce=taboola

Now, I'm not saying that if a man agrees to help with the kid, which influences the woman's decision to get pregnant, he should then be able to abandon her to fend for herself. But there are two things that need to happen here:

1. a male pill needs to be introduced. If a man has a way to prevent his sperm from being fertile, then he will be able to make sure a woman can't go behind his back to get herself pregnant.

2. a contract of sorts needs to be created, legally binding on both parties. When a woman finds out she is pregnant and first goes to the doctor, the man needs to be called in, and in the presence of a notary sign saying that he was informed on such and such day that the woman is pregnant. He then has at least a week, at most a month, (depending on how far along the pregnancy is; don't want to go past the abortion window) to opt-out of fatherhood through legal channels. If he does decide to opt-out, he can do so on his own, and the court will send a letter (and try to reach through phone and email) informing her that if she carries this child to term, the court will not assign child support to the father. It's called legal paternal surrender, and I think the method I just outlined will prevent it from being abused. One more thing about it, if the man had less than a month to decide if he wants to be a father, and he decided against, but changes his mind before the baby is born, then he should be able to, but once he changes his mind he's fair game for child support if he leaves again. It's a big decision, and a man might panic if he feels pressured by lack of time.

In cases of rape with a male victim and female perp, the male victim needs to be automatically excluded from the necessity of paying for the child which resulted from an act he never agreed to.

A male pill combined with legal paternal surrender will work to keep a man from being forced into a role he never agreed to take.

Random Thoughts Collection (#?)

I shall call this Collection #1, though I know it's far from the first such collection. But since the collections started in my high school years, and this is the first in the official series, I shall call it #1

Speed Limits

I was in a bit of a bunch-up, with cars all going 40. A look at a sign showed me that 40 was actually the speed limit. A curve revealed a cop just behind the first couple cars of the bunch; mystery solved. But when the cop turned to continue on his patrol, and the cars naturally started speeding up, they didn't stop at 45. No, the car in front of me stopped at 50, and the cars in front of (him?) were even faster than that. And it got me thinking

The reason we even have speed limits are a sign of just how bad society is. If people were considerate and used judgement about what was safe for everybody, and not just themselves (or even just their own convenience), then we wouldn't need speed limits. As it is, without them, people would go 40+ in residential areas, 50-60 in business areas, and 80+ on the highway. And schools would not constitute a slow-down. Shit, the only thing that kept those people on the road the other day from doing 60+ on a road with the occasional business and stop-lights every couple miles was the fact that there was a cop. This is a sad state of affairs.

Streamate's 30-second Peep

The 30-second peep is the bane of every Streamate model. Especially the assholes who abuse it, popping in and out of private staying only 20 seconds each time. I get that members should be able to have a bit of a preview, but damnit, why is it so easy to abuse?

There are many proposed methods of making it harder to abuse.

1. Make it so it doesn't start-over every time the person leaves and comes back.

2. Put a limit to how many of them a customer can use in a session.

3. Put a limit to how quickly customers can use them.

Now, I have managed to get a couple of them banned from the site when I emailed Streamate and complained that they were too fast for me to catch to ban from my room, that they were disrupting my chat, and that they had never in their entire time spent any amount of money on me, not even in tips. But the very fact that I had to do that was off-putting, and the fact that people abuse the 30-second preview feature tends to ruin my session for a little while. It makes me very irritable with people.

So my idea has a few parts to it:

1. Member's time in private is tracked. If they have less available funds than they could use for that model, they get a warning pop-up when they hit the private button. If they have less available funds than 31 seconds, they cannot initiate or join the private at all.

2. As long as there is no one in the room past the 30-seconds, there is a warning mark on the model's screen, so she knows when the preview is over and the real stuff can start.

3. The timer for the 30-second preview is not reset for the model unless it is a new private initiated by someone other than the person who has already had a 30-second preview. The person gets 1 30-second preview initiated by himself, and then he cannot initiate another private without paying money.

4. there is a timer for the member to see the thirty-seconds, counting down (but the timer is very small, just above or below the model, and disappears completely once the 30 seconds are up)

5. There is no 30-second preview in exclusive chat. (because exclusive kicks everyone else out of the room.)

Models will not be penalized for showing stuff in the preview, after all, the entire point of the preview is to allow the member to see more than he can in public, and change his mind about private if the model lied about her pussy hair or waist or something like that.

----

This has been another installment of Random Thoughts from Luna's Mind. I hope they made some sort of sense.

Economic Stability Plan

I am not an economist. What I'm about to say is the opinion of someone who is only semi-informed.

So I've been thinking a lot about the economy, and how we could give it a nice kick-start and possibly cut away a lot of the deficit of the government spending. It's based on a few things I've gleaned from a few different areas.

-the war on drugs costs a shitton of money in both increased patrols and the prison system, when legalizing drugs could earn the government money
-people don't understand how things work at all
-the more regulations the government places, the harder it is for the average person to start their own business
-minimum wage makes it harder for people to find jobs, but until people understand how to fight for the wages they deserve, they need it in place.
-men getting a bad deal is hurting everyone

The very first step is to end the war on drugs.

Put in place the age-limits we have for cigs and alcohol- 18 for weed, 21 for anything else. Companies which sell bad drugs will get a bad rep, which will lead to fewer deaths by OD and/or bad mixes. 80% decrease in the prison population means that less money needs to go to prisons. Money from taxes on the drugs will flow in. Druggies who steal will go to jail for theft, ones which kill will go to jail for murder, but that will still cut the prison population by at least half. Companies are still allowed to decline to hire anyone on drugs, but there's no fines to them for deciding to forgo drug tests. Druggies who are driving while high get the same sorts of penalties as drunk drivers, as they cause about equivalent chaos.

Summary of Bonuses to Step 1:
-prison population is decreased, which cuts spending
-more products to be taxed increases revenue
-new jobs created by new industries helps with unemployment
-new workers from those formerly criminalized means more revenue form income taxes
-fewer people dying off of bad drugs and overdosing means less money spent on the health care and more revenue from income taxes

The second step is to rework the housing codes.

The requirements that housing has increases the cost of housing and makes it harder for people to have their own place. While it's incredibly important that housing companies be completely honest about what issues a person living there might face, a person on the street probably isn't going to care much if there's a full kitchen and full bathroom in their apartment. So: inspections should not be legally required. Instead, houses/apartments need to be honest about whether or not there was an inspection, and if there has been one, how long ago it was. They need to be honest about issues which they know about with the building, things which the person doesn't need to worry about (with appropriate proof that it's not an issue), and things that COULD be wrong. They need to offer an inspection, but they could require the tenant to pay up to half of the inspection fee. And this needs to be available the whole time.

Yes, an apartment which is little more than a wooden box is not a great place to live, but it's definitely better than nothing, definitely better than a couple newspapers, and definitely better than a cardboard box.

The next bunch, I'm not sure which order would be best to do. But they do need to be done before the last two.

Rework the affirmative action guidelines.

New guidelines say that if the choice is between two people of opposite sex who have exact same qualifications, then choose the one which is not as heavily represented. If the choice is between two people of different races that have the exact same qualifications, then choose the one which is not as heavily represented. Get rid of quotas in regards to percentages, all those do is prevent the people who want to do things from doing them, and force comapnies/coaches/classes to take those who aren't as well suited to the job/sport/class.

Rework the legal code.

Go back to "innocent until proven guilty" for everything, including cases of rape and abuse. There will be three separate judgements: -guilty, not guilty, and innocent. The case of innocent means that the accused was proven to be innocent of any misdeed, and the accuser will stand trial for misuse of the system, in which the jury tries to determine if the accuser really thought the accused was guilty, of if the accuser was just holding a grudge or trying to get attention. If it's the former, no punishment to anyone. If it's the latter, the accuser will be punished with a sentence no less than half as severe as what the accused would've faced, but not more than as much as the accuser would have faced. (half for a first offense, and slowly building until it's the full for each time). If accuser was found to be purposely misusing the system, the accuser will be required to attend an anger management sort of class about how to let go of a grudge and what constitutes proper use of the system, not to be counted as part of the punishment.

Educate the people.

Billboards and fliers pointing people to websites which spell out the following:
-everything which will be on the upcoming ballot. Each candidate has their stated views and past actions listed, every proposed law or levy has cost/benefit analysis done by every political party.
-contact information of all government officials
-drug facts
-video tutorials on balancing checkbooks, doing taxes, and budgeting- one set of cartoon animated ones, one set of person in front of blackboard style ones, one set of person just doing it at their desk. Powerpoint tutorials on the same thing (one set with mostly notes, one set with mostly pictures). Workbooks for practicing these skills.

Each citizen takes a class which details the hows and whys of petitions, boycotting, being on a jury, and what voting day is really about (which is not the presidential candidates)

Lenience for new companies.

The first five years, if it's discovered that they're breaking some sort of law, they are given a year to fix it before fines are instituted. If they haven't fixed it after a year and a half, they may be shut down. Exception: a company which is stealing, or deliberately causing pain to people, or killing people. They also do not get taxed until they are making a profit of more than $100,000, and it starts at a minimum tax rate and gets bigger as the company grows, but not more than 20%.

End Subsidies.

The issue with subsidies is that they cause the market to be flooded with more product than is actually needed. A lot of money that the government is spending will also be freed up.

Pull out of most conflicts, and scale down the military.

Do we really need to be spending more on our military than the next 9 countries combined, 8 of which are allies? Well yeah, but that's because we've decided to determine how other countries are being run. We're supposed to be about freedom, so why is it that the other countries aren't free to decide how to rule themselves? Instead of sending military in to be white knights who aren't welcomed, send in teachers to educate the populace, teachers who emphasize how good it is to live in a country where you're not ruled by a dictator. Then, maybe support the people when they decide to overthrow the dictator for themselves, but only by sending in tacticians and trainers for the local populace. Why? Because they aren't going to value their freedom if they didn't fight for it themselves. It's like how that money that you actually earned is worth more to you than the money your friend let you borrow.

Push For the Internet Learning, ditch No Child Left Behind.

One huge problem with the education system is the lack of individualized classes. Everyone has their own learning style, and everyone has their own pace of learning. So, videos of teachers doing the various styles, whichever that teacher is most comfortable doing. With an contact form beneath the video which will, when filled out, tell the recipient exactly which video the student is asking the question about. Forums for discussion on topics, (both online forums, and offline debates and study groups).

On-site, most of what's needed is supervisors and tutors. The supplemental course teachers can take turns supervising the students who are doing computer work. Teachers can work from their homes, answering the emails. Teachers will still be required for the first few grades, to teach reading, writing, basic arithmetic, computer skills, and how to use the teaching system. Also, teachers will still be needed to teach kids how to study. Physical education, the arts, and science labs will also need on-site teachers, as well as teachers for those students with severe disabilities.

It's important that the computers have very limited internet access. They should be able to access a school email, the school sites, and online libraries. Any government site should be accessible, and any approved educational sites. I also recommend that there be one room with access to social media, youtube, and some certain entertainment. I expect the children to be at school from 8am to 6pm (minus the two hours for high schoolers to work, see next step), but I don't expect them to spend that whole time learning. I expect a couple hours of learning, a half hour lunch, and a half hour of break time. (Make note in the break rooms that a youtube video can be paused, added to the "watch later" list, and will automatically start at the same time at which it was paused.)

In high school, each kid spends two hours a day getting experience at various entry level jobs.

Throughout the school year, each kid will spend two months working two hours a day at each of the following jobs (note, there is some flexibility in which year the kid should experience these things, scoffolding to make the most difficult jobs be the last ones. Stocking shelves should be the very first job in all ases):
-clerk at a gas station or convenience store (freshman/sophomore)
-cashier at a grocery store or walmart/target/k-mart style store (freshman/sophomore)
-stocking shelves (first experience)
-fast food (sophomore/junior)
-answering phones (sophomore/junior)
-telephone marketing (junior/senior)
-salesman (junior/senior)
-entry level position in career of choice during senior year

First will be two weeks to a month of training (depending on how much training the company feels they need), then the two months of actually working the job. The supervisor will then give the student a (video-taped) verbal review, and a written review. The supervisor is allowed to share contact info with the student, and the company may request to be informed when the student is finished with high school or college, though the student themselves will be the one who gets the list and does the informing upon graduation.

The point of this is to teach students that work is difficult, and to give them a chance to experience various minimum wage and slightly higher than minimum wage jobs. This could give them contacts with the industry, and really drive home what is needed. The two hours is taken out of the student's school day, and is counted as a class.

The Second to Last step is to simplify the tax codes.

Go ahead and keep it complicated for the middle-middle class and up. But lower-middle class, working poor, and actual poor, they can't afford the $100 to hire a CPA. So make it simple. Anyone making more than twice minimum wage pays at minimum 10% (AFTER deductions). Anyone making twice minimum wage or less pays nothing, because they need that money to pay off debts, pay their actual bills, and have some spending money left to keep the economy going. This is second to last, because the revenue from the other steps will

The Last Step is to Change Minimum Wage Laws.

Minimum wage laws don't apply for the first two years of employment. This will stop the cycle of "can't get a job because I don't have experience, can't get experience because I can't find a job." See, the way minimum wage works, people who don't have experience become not worth employing. Minimum wage goes up, the availability of jobs goes down. Do this last, because there will now be plenty of jobs, and housing that people who don't have minimum wage can actually afford.

As I said, I'm not an economist. But I really believe that if we were to do these things, letting things stabilize between each step before changing the next one, we could fix this country.

And yes, I'm well aware that there are more things which need to be done to make this country truly free, but I don't believe that we can do them until these other things are put in place. First, we need to fix the economy, cut back government spending, and fix the education system. That's what this plan is meant to do. Then we can quibble about gay marriage (or if marriage should even exist as a legal status anymore. I'm not sure it should, but I'm all for gay people being able to marry as long as straight people have that option. But that's a blog post for another day.).

Fellow Americans- the importance of knowing about your LOCAL government

Hey everyone!

When I was in US Government class in 12th grade, I was taught that participation in government is not just about the presidential elections. There's the state, county, and local elections. There's the motions and propositions which are on the ballot. All of these things are incredibly important. You can help with campaigns, sure. You can also sign petitions and join protests. Sure, it's difficult to do anything about the national government. That's because there's not supposed to BE a big national government. You're supposed to care about the local stuff though. That's where the power to influence your day-to-day life is, and that's where you can have the biggest influence.

But, this guy said it so much better than I did:

Why you should at least register to vote (a youtube video)

He even gave some links to help you with getting started!

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

BallotPedia is "an interactive almanac of US politics" (according to them). You can find out what issues are currently being considered for the ballot, what issues were recently voted on, and who is currently in office, along with how to contact them.

Also, http://www.usa.gov/

An important site. Bookmark it. It doesn't just deal with big government stuff, it deals with local stuff too. Want to know about your credit history? They have links there to find it out for free. The REAL free ways, not the stupid "freecreditreport.com" which isn't actually free. Questions about taxes at any level? This is the site for you. Have a small business and want to know the current laws about it? They have a section for that. Concerned citizen looking to know about your laws and such? They have a section for that. You can find out how and where to register to vote, when the upcoming elections are and where they will be held.

Both of these sites are great resources for getting involved at a state and local level, not just the national level. Getting the attention of your state and local officials is a hell of a lot easier, and it's easier to make a difference here.

Happy politicing!