50 Terrible Ideas That Could Become Law If Trump Is Impeached And Pence Becomes President

50 Terrible Ideas That Could Become Law If Trump Is Impeached And Pence Becomes President

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

As many Americans ponder the prospect of Donald Trump being removed from office, they should take a deep breath and look at what a President Mike Pence and Republican Congress are likely to do if the disrupter-in-chief is sent packing.

Vice-President Pence, along with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are cut from the same far-right cloth of every other Republican presidential candidate in 2016. Trump stood out because he was less of an establishment political animal, but let’s look at what the Republican establishment could actually impose upon America.

It’s worth revisiting the Republican Party platform—its wish list—for what this dismal trio would do. The GOP 2016 platform would make Christianity the official American religion, English the official American language, replace sex education with abstinence-only advice for teenagers, privatize almost all areas of federal services, cut taxes and regulations for the rich and titans of industry and impose a belligerent foreign policy and military build-up.

Here are 50 excerpts from the 2016 GOP platform.

1. Tax cuts for the rich: ā€œWherever tax rates penalize thrift or discourage investment, they must be lowered. Wherever currentĀ  provisions of the code are disincentives for economic growth, they must be changed… We propose to level the international playing field by lowering the corporate tax rate to be on a par with, or below, the rates of other industrial nations.ā€

2. Deregulate the banks: ā€œThe Republican vision for American banking calls for establishing transparent, efficient markets where consumers can obtain loans they need at reasonable rates based on market conditions. Unfortunately, in response to the financial institutions crisis of 2008-2009, the Democratic-controlled Congress enacted the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, otherwise known as Dodd-Frank.ā€

3. Stop consumer protection: ā€œThe worst of Dodd-Frank is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, deliberately designed to be a rogue agency. It answers to neither Congress nor the executive, has its own guaranteed funding outside the appropriations process… If the Bureau is not abolished, it should be subjected to congressional appropriation.ā€

4. Repeal environmental laws: ā€œWe call for a comprehensive review of federal regulations, especially those dealing with the environment, that make it harder and more costly for Americans to rent, buy, or sell homes.ā€

5. Shrink unions and union labor: ā€œWe renew our call for repeal of the Davis-Bacon law, which limits employment and drives up construction and maintenance costs for the benefit of unions… AlthoughĀ  unionizationĀ  hasĀ  never been permitted in any government agency concerned with national security, the current Administration has reversed that policy for the Transportation Security Administration. We will correct that mistake… We support the right of states to enact Right-to-Work laws and call for a national law to protect the economic liberty of the modern workforce.ā€

6. Privatize federal railway service: ā€œAmtrak is an extremely expensive railroad for the American taxpayers, who must subsidize every ticket. The federal government should allow private ventures to provide passenger service in the northeast corridor. The same holdsĀ  true with regard to high-speed and intercity rail across the country. We reaffirm our intention to end federal support for boondoggles like California’s high-speed train to nowhere.ā€

7. No change in federal minimum wage: ā€œMinimum wage is an issue that should be handled at the state and local level.ā€

8. Cut government salaries and benefits: ā€œThe taxpayers spend an average of $35,000 a year per employee on non-cash benefits, triple the average non-cash compensation of the average worker in the private sector. Federal employees receive extraordinary pension benefits and vacation time wildly out of line with those of the private sector.ā€

9. Appoint anti-choice Supreme Court justices: ā€œOnly a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of lawĀ  expressed within the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including the inalienable right to life and the laws of nature and nature’s God, as did the late Justice Antonin Scalia.ā€

10. Appoint anti-LGBT and anti-Obamacare justices: ā€œOnly such appointments will enable courts to begin to reverse the long lineĀ  of activist decisions — including Roe, Obergefell, and the Obamacare cases—that have usurped Congress’s and states’ lawmakingĀ  authority.ā€

11. Legalize anti-LGBT discrimination: ā€œWe endorse the First Amendment Defense Act, Republican legislation in the House and Senate which will bar government discrimination against individuals and businesses for acting on the belief that marriage is the unionĀ  of one man and one woman.ā€

12. Make Christianity a national religion: ā€œWe support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of our history and our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage and further affirm the rights of religious students to engage in voluntary prayer at public school events and to have equal access to school facilities.ā€

13. Loosen campaign finance loopholes and dark money: ā€œFreedom of speech includes the right to devote resources to whateverĀ  cause or candidate one supports. We oppose any restrictions or conditions that would discourage citizens from participating in theĀ  public square or limit their ability to promote their ideas, such as requiring private organizations to publicly disclose their donors to the government.ā€

14. Loosen gun controls nationwide: ā€œWe support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abidingĀ  Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states. We support constitutional carry statutes and salute the statesĀ  that have passedĀ  them. We oppose ill-conceived laws that would restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popularĀ  andĀ  common modern rifle.ā€

15. Pass an anti-choice constitutional amendment: ā€œWe assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to makeĀ  clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.ā€

16. End federal funding for Planned Parenthood: ā€œWe oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts rather than provide healthcare.ā€

17. Allow states to shut down abortion clinics: ā€œWe condemn the Supreme Court’s activist decision in WholeĀ  Woman’sĀ  Health v. Hellerstedt striking down commonsense Texas laws providing for basic health and safety standards in abortion clinics.ā€

18. Oppose stem cell scientific research: ā€œWe oppose embryonic stem cell research. We opposeĀ  federalĀ  fundingĀ  ofĀ  embryonicĀ  stem cell research. We support adult stem cell research and urge the restoration of the nationalĀ  placental stem cell bank created by President George H.W. Bush but abolished by his Democratic successor, President Bill Clinton. We oppose federal funding forĀ  harvesting embryos and call for a ban on human cloning.ā€

19. Oppose executive branch policy making: ā€œWe condemn the current Administration’s unconstitutional expansion into areasĀ  beyond those specifically enumerated, including bullying of state and local governments in matters ranging from voter identification (ID) laws to immigration, fromĀ  healthcare programs to land use decisions, and from forced education curricula to school restroom policies.ā€

20. Oppose efforts to end the electoral college: ā€œWe oppose the National Popular Vote Interstate CompactĀ  andĀ  anyĀ  otherĀ  schemeĀ  to abolish or distort the procedures of the Electoral College.ā€

21. Require citizenship documents to register to vote:Ā ā€œWe supportĀ  legislation to requireĀ  proof of citizenship when registering to vote and secure photo ID when voting. We strongly oppose litigation against states exercising their sovereign authority to enact such laws.ā€

22. Ignore undocumented immigrants when drawing congressional districts: ā€œIn order to preserveĀ  the principle of one person, one vote, we urge our elected representatives to ensure that citizenship, rather than mere residency, be made the basis for theĀ  apportionment of representatives among the states.ā€

23. No labeling of GMO ingredients in food products: ā€œTheĀ  intrusiveĀ  andĀ  expensiveĀ  federal mandates on food options and menu labeling should be ended as soon as possible by aĀ  Republican Congress. We oppose the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food, which has proven to be safe, healthy, and a literal life-saver for millions in the developing world.ā€

24. Add work requirements to welfare and cut food stamps: ā€œNearly all the work requirements for able-bodied adults, instituted by our landmark welfare reform of 1996, have been removed. We will restore those provisions and, to correct a mistake made when the Food Stamp program was first created in 1964, separate the administration of SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program] from the Department of Agriculture.ā€

25. Open America’s shores to more oil and gas drilling: ā€œWe support the opening of public lands and the outer continental shelf to exploration and responsible production, even if these resources will not be immediately developed.ā€

26. Build the Keystone XL Pipeline: ā€œTheĀ  Keystone PipelineĀ  hasĀ  become a symbol of everything wrong with the currentĀ  Administration’s ideological approach. After years of delay, the President killed it to satisfy environmental extremists. We intend to finish that pipeline and others as part of our commitment to North American energy security.ā€

27. Expand fracking and burying nuclear waste: ā€œA federal judge has struckĀ  down the BLM’s rule on hydraulic fracturing and we support upholdingĀ  thisĀ  decision. We respect the states’ proven ability to regulate the use of hydraulicĀ  fracturing,Ā  methaneĀ  emissions, and horizontal drilling, and we will end the Administration’s disregard of the NuclearĀ  Waste Ā Policy ActĀ  withĀ  respect to the long-term storage of nuclear waste.ā€

28. No tax on carbon products: ā€œWe oppose any carbon tax… We urge the private sector to focus its resources on the development of carbon capture and sequestration technology still in its early stages here and overseas. ā€

29. Ignore global climate change agreements: ā€œThe UnitedĀ  Nations’ IntergovernmentalĀ  PanelĀ  onĀ  ClimateĀ  ChangeĀ  isĀ  aĀ  politicalĀ  mechanism,Ā  notĀ  anĀ  unbiasedĀ  scientificĀ  institution. ItsĀ  unreliabilityĀ  isĀ  reflectedĀ  inĀ  itsĀ  intoleranceĀ  towardĀ  scientistsĀ  andĀ  othersĀ  whoĀ  dissentĀ  fromĀ  itsĀ  orthodoxy. WeĀ  willĀ  evaluateĀ  itsĀ  recommendationsĀ  accordingly. We reject the agendas of both the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, whichĀ  representĀ  onlyĀ  theĀ  personalĀ  commitments of Ā theirĀ Ā  signatories; no such agreement can be binding upon the United States until it is submitted to and ratified by the Senate.ā€

30. Privatize Medicare, the health plan for seniors: ā€œImpose no changesĀ  forĀ  personsĀ  55Ā  or older. GiveĀ  othersĀ  theĀ  optionĀ  ofĀ  traditionalĀ  MedicareĀ  orĀ  transitionĀ  toĀ  aĀ  premium-supportĀ  modelĀ  designedĀ  toĀ  strengthenĀ  patientĀ  choice, promoteĀ  cost-savingĀ  competitionĀ  amongĀ  providers.ā€

31. Turn Medicaid, the poor’s health plan, over to states: ā€œMoving to a block grant approach would allow for stateĀ  andĀ  localĀ  governmentsĀ  toĀ  createĀ  solutionsĀ  forĀ  individualsĀ  andĀ  familiesĀ  inĀ  desperateĀ  needĀ  ofĀ  helpĀ  inĀ  addressingĀ  mentalĀ  illness.Ā  WeĀ  respectĀ  theĀ  states’ authority and flexibility to exclude abortion providers from federal programs such as Medicaid and other healthcare and family planning programs soĀ  longĀ  asĀ  theyĀ  continueĀ  toĀ  performĀ  orĀ  referĀ  forĀ  elective abortions.ā€

32. No increasing Social Security benefits by taxing the rich: ā€œAsĀ  Republicans, we oppose tax increases and believe in the power of markets to createĀ  wealth and to help secure the future of our Social Security system.ā€

33. Repeal Obamacare: ā€œAnyĀ  honestĀ  agendaĀ  forĀ  improvingĀ  healthcareĀ  mustĀ  startĀ  withĀ  repealĀ  ofĀ  theĀ  dishonestlyĀ  namedĀ  Affordable Care Act of 2010: Obamacare.ā€

34. Give internet service providers monopoly control: ā€œThe President orderedĀ  theĀ  chairĀ  ofĀ  theĀ  supposedlyĀ  independentĀ  FederalĀ  CommunicationsĀ  CommissionĀ  toĀ  imposeĀ  upon the internet rules devised in the 1930s for the telephone monopoly… TheĀ  internet’sĀ  freeĀ  market needs to be free and open to all ideas and competitionĀ  withoutĀ  theĀ  governmentĀ  orĀ  serviceĀ  providers picking winners and losers.ā€

35. Make English the official U.S. language: ā€œWe both encourage the preservation of heritage tongues and support English as the nation’s official language, a unifying forceĀ  essentialĀ  forĀ  theĀ  advancementĀ  ofĀ  immigrantĀ  communities and our nation as a whole.ā€

36. No amnesty for undocumented immigrants: ā€œIllegal immigration endangers everyone,Ā  exploitsĀ  theĀ  taxpayers,Ā  andĀ  insultsĀ  allĀ  whoĀ  aspireĀ  toĀ  enterĀ  AmericaĀ  legally.Ā  WeĀ  opposeĀ  any form of amnesty for those who, by breaking the law,Ā  haveĀ  disadvantagedĀ  thoseĀ  whoĀ  haveĀ  obeyed it.ā€

37. Build a border wall to keep immigrants out: ā€œOur highestĀ  priority, therefore,Ā  mustĀ  beĀ  toĀ  secureĀ  ourĀ  bordersĀ  andĀ  allĀ  portsĀ  ofĀ  entryĀ  andĀ  toĀ  enforce our immigration laws. ThatĀ  isĀ  whyĀ  weĀ  supportĀ  buildingĀ  aĀ  wallĀ  alongĀ  ourĀ  southernĀ  borderĀ  andĀ  protectingĀ  allĀ  portsĀ  ofĀ  entry.Ā  TheĀ  borderĀ  wallĀ  mustĀ  coverĀ  theĀ  entiretyĀ  ofĀ  theĀ  southernĀ  borderĀ  andĀ  mustĀ  beĀ  sufficientĀ  toĀ  stopĀ  bothĀ  vehicularĀ  andĀ  pedestrianĀ  traffic.ā€

38. Require government verification of citizenship of all workers: ā€œUse ofĀ  theĀ  E-verifyĀ  program — an internet-based system that verifies the employment authorization andĀ  identityĀ  ofĀ  employees—mustĀ  beĀ  madeĀ  mandatoryĀ  nationwide. We reaffirmĀ  ourĀ  endorsement of the SAVE program —SystematicĀ  Alien Verification for Entitlements—to ensure that publicĀ  fundsĀ  areĀ  notĀ  givenĀ  toĀ  personsĀ  notĀ  legallyĀ  present in this country.ā€

39. Penalize cities that give sanctuary to migrants: ā€œBecause ā€˜sanctuary cities’ violate federal law and endanger their own citizens, they should not be eligible for federal funding. Using state licenses to reward people in the country illegally is an affront to the rule of law and must be halted.ā€

40. Puerto Rico should be a state but not Washington DC: ā€œWeĀ  supportĀ  theĀ  rightĀ  ofĀ  theĀ  UnitedĀ  StatesĀ  citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state… A [D.C.} statehood amendment was soundly rejected by the states when last proposed in 1976 and should not be revived.ā€

41. Support traditional marriage but no other families: ā€œChildren raised inĀ  aĀ  two-parentĀ  householdĀ  tend to be physically and emotionally healthier, more likely to do well in school, less likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage inĀ  crimeĀ  or becomeĀ  pregnantĀ  outside of marriage. We oppose policies and laws that create a financial incentive for or encourage cohabitation.ā€

42. Privatize government services in the name of fighting poverty: ā€œWe call for removal of structural impediments which progressives throw in the path of poor people: Over-regulationĀ  ofĀ  start-upĀ  enterprises,Ā  excessiveĀ  licensingĀ  requirements,Ā  needlessĀ  restrictionsĀ  onĀ  formation of schools and day-care centers serving neighborhood families, and restrictions on providing public services in fields like transport and sanitation.ā€

43. Require bible study in public schools: ā€œAĀ  good understanding of the Ā Bible Ā beingĀ  indispensableĀ  for the developmentĀ  ofĀ  anĀ  educatedĀ  citizenry, we encourageĀ  stateĀ  legislatures toĀ  offerĀ  theĀ  Bible in aĀ  literatureĀ  curriculum as an elective inĀ  America’sĀ  highĀ  schools.ā€

44. Replace traditional public schools with privatized options: ā€œWeĀ  supportĀ  optionsĀ  forĀ  learning,Ā  includingĀ  home-schooling,Ā  careerĀ  andĀ  technicalĀ  education,Ā  privateĀ  orĀ  parochialĀ  schools,Ā  magnetĀ  schools,Ā  charterĀ  schools,Ā  onlineĀ  learning,Ā  andĀ  early-collegeĀ  high schools.ā€

45. Replace sex education with abstinence-only approaches: ā€œWe renew our call for replacing ā€˜familyĀ  planning’  programsĀ  forĀ  teensĀ  withĀ  sexualĀ  riskĀ  avoidanceĀ  educationĀ  thatĀ  setsĀ  abstinenceĀ  untilĀ  marriageĀ  asĀ  theĀ  responsibleĀ  andĀ  respectedĀ  standardĀ  ofĀ  behavior.Ā  ThatĀ  approach— theĀ  onlyĀ  one always effective against premarital pregnancy andĀ  sexually transmittedĀ  disease—empowersĀ  teensĀ  toĀ  achieveĀ  optimalĀ  healthĀ  outcomes.Ā  We opposeĀ  school-basedĀ  clinicsĀ  thatĀ  provideĀ  referralĀ  orĀ  counselingĀ  forĀ  abortionĀ  andĀ  contraceptionĀ  andĀ  believeĀ  thatĀ  federalĀ  fundsĀ  shouldĀ  notĀ  beĀ  usedĀ  in mandatory or universal mental health, psychiatric, or socio-emotional screening programs.ā€

46. Privatize student loans instead of lowering interest rates: ā€œTheĀ  federalĀ  governmentĀ  shouldĀ  notĀ  beĀ  inĀ  theĀ  businessĀ  ofĀ  originatingĀ  studentĀ  loans.Ā  InĀ  orderĀ  toĀ  bringĀ  downĀ  collegeĀ  costsĀ  andĀ  giveĀ  studentsĀ  access to a multitude of financing options, private sector participation in student financing should be restored.ā€

47. Restore the death penalty: ā€œTheĀ  constitutionalityĀ  ofĀ  theĀ  deathĀ  penaltyĀ  isĀ  firmlyĀ  settledĀ  byĀ  itsĀ  explicitĀ  mentionĀ  inĀ  theĀ  FifthĀ  Amendment. WithĀ  theĀ  murderĀ  rateĀ  soaringĀ  in our greatĀ  cities,Ā  weĀ  condemnĀ  theĀ  SupremeĀ  Court’sĀ  erosion of the right of the people to enact capital punishment in their states.ā€

48. Dramatically increase Pentagon budget: ā€œQuite simply, the Republican Party is committed to rebuilding the U.S. military into the strongest on earth, with vast superiority over any other nation or group of nations in the world.ā€

49. Cancel Iran nuclear treaty and expand nuclear arsenal: ā€œWeĀ  shouldĀ  abandonĀ  armsĀ  controlĀ  treatiesĀ  thatĀ  benefitĀ  ourĀ  adversariesĀ  withoutĀ  improving our national security. We must fund, develop, and deploy a multi-layered missile defense system. We must modernize nuclear weapons and their delivery platforms.ā€

50. Reaffirm support for Israel and slam sanctions movement: ā€œWe reaffirm America’s Ā commitment to Israel’s security and will ensure that Israel maintains a qualitative military edge over any and all adversaries…We rejectĀ  the false notion that Israel is an occupier and specifically recognizeĀ  thatĀ  the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) is anti-Semitic in nature and seeks to destroy Israel. Therefore, we call for effective legislation to thwart actions that are intended to limit commercial relations with Israel, or persons or entities doing business in Israel or in Israeli-controlled territories, in a discriminatory manner.ā€

Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including America’s democracy and voting rights. He is the author of several books on elections and the co-author of Who Controls Our Schools: How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and the Charter School Industry (AlterNet eBook, 2016).

This article was made possible by the readers and supporters of AlterNet.

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