Looks like a Bernie vs Trump race is shaping up – though the DNC may still figure out a way to knife Bernie at the convention. Be that as it may, we are heading into an election where the choices will be stark. A real “which way do you want to go?” election. It isn’t differences of mere emphasis or method – it is differences about what sort of America one wishes to exist…and visions of America which cannot, ultimately, tolerate the other vision. So, a lot is at stake.

Personally, I think Trump will win – barring the marvelous, all factors are working in his favor. A strong economy. No new wars and old wars winding down. Trump is now scandal-free because the most intense effort ever made in political history to tag him with scandal failed. People are now used to him as President and people have a natural disinclination to make huge changes while things are going well. Meanwhile, his opposition has staked out positions which vast numbers of Americans furious reject – what we’ll find out in November is precisely how many. It could be a lot – but, we learned in 2016 that anything is possible. If Bernie emerges victorious, we’ll know that we are the decided minority in our country and we’ll have to draw some stern conclusions from that. But worries and triumphs are for tomorrow, what I want to do here is lay out, in 2020, what I – Mark Edward Noonan – believes.

The basics remain the same as always: I subscribe 100% to the faith and morals teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. I diverge not an iota from official doctrine. I do, however, think that some changes are needed – more in form than substance – to reflect a greater understanding of how things work and how God’s will is to be applied in practical terms. But, that can be for another day: for this, it suffices to say that I view all matters through the prism of Catholicism, while understanding I live in a pluralist Republic.

1. Some people have so much money that they can buy massive amounts of influence. This wouldn’t be so bad if the purchasers of influence were a mixed bag of differing view, but they’re not. Nearly all of them are one version or another of Progressive who only disagree on minor details – nearly to a man, they despise the people, hate patriotism, think Christianity is evil and are working to consign concepts like private property and the family to the dustbin of history. They have been like this for more than a century – and it is time we start taking away their money as a means of taking away their ability to distort our political life. Bloomberg is turning out to be a disaster on the campaign trail but remember that he straight out bought second place in the Democrat primary for a while…and may yet purchase the Democrat nomination. I know conservatives reading this will get their backs up about how I’m advocating Socialism – but, I’m not. First off, I want the confiscated funds passed out to regular folks but, secondly and far more importantly, once we’ve got the money away from these creeps, hosts of Progressives simply disappear…do not underestimate the number of pundits and scientists and lawyers and advocates who are employed by these vastly wealthy people to sucker you into thinking their way. Find something you don’t like about America in 2020 and, rely on it, if you dig far enough back you’ll find a Progressive rich person who funded the group which got the ball rolling.

2. The post-war system of alliances has to go – it was a stupid idea to begin with and was set up to contain the United States. We haven’t won a war since 1945 because we are pre-committed to losing due to our alliances. Alliances should be temporary and only to serve a specific foreign policy goal.

3. Public education was a bad idea and it should be abolished. Provide funds for poor parents, if you like, but don’t set up school systems. And I mean no credentials for schools, at all; no regulations. Let people do whatever they want in this area. Let anyone who wants to teach, teach – and teach whatever they like. As attendance would be entirely voluntary, the presumption is that it would probably be fairly interesting and it’ll certainly work out better than the current system which passes out diplomas to functional illiterates. Right now it’d be better if the kids were hanging out on street corners…at least there they’d learn something.

4. The States need to be broken up – but Constitutional Convention, if necessary. In my view, no State should have more than 10 million or so inhabitants. Generally, once you get to that large a number of people you’re getting a situation where some large percentage is simply be rolled over by a majority who have different interests. But it isn’t entirely population that matters here: There are also economic and geographic considerations. What does Buffalo have in common with New York City? Bakersfield with San Francisco? Not much – but San Francisco and New York City essentially dictate to Buffalo and Bakersfield. That sort of thing has to come to an end – we’re supposed to be a Federal Republic…not a collection of tyrants lording it over minority populations.

5. The Experts ain’t. In other words – they aren’t Experts in anything, they just have credentials. Remember, for the most part, they are all coming out of the same education system which passes out diplomas to illiterates. It has all been dumbed down…even the elite education establishments have dropped various requirements over the years. Someone from Yale may be better educated than someone from Cal State Northridge…but only marginally so. Even in the hard sciences, there has been a drop off and we’re really just producing mechanics who have Masters degrees. The result of all this is that the people who are in charge – and who believe (often quite sincerely) that they have special insight – haven’t a clue what they’re doing. Time to turn them out…not necessarily fire them all, but start bringing in people who aren’t certified Experts. Imagine if the Department of Labor was headed up by a guy who owned a plumbing outfit in Akron and if it was staffed by a bunch of people who just came in from the private sector? On and on like that.

6. The military needs to be reformed. I doubt our ability to fight a first rate power at the moment. I think that decades of having officers promoted via checking off SJW boxes and having an army of lawyers second guess combat actions has degraded the warrior ethic in the military. If I could, I’d seriously cashier everyone above Lt. Colonel and give everyone in six months to get entirely in shape or get out. Then I’d insist on the most rigorous training exercises for all branches to weed out the dead wood. And I’d institute rigorous physical requirements for joining and no distinctions made based on sex…if the requirement is that a soldier be able to run a mile carrying 80 lbs, then every last soldier in the army will have to do it, or get out.

7. Trade is good – but it must be reciprocal. If we buy from them, they have to buy a roughly equal amount from us. The bottom line is that US economic policy should be geared towards meeting our needs by domestic production if at all possible. Only if we simply can’t make it here should we be looking outside for it…and even then, we should be seeking for ways to start getting it here.

Anyway, that’s where my mind is at on some major issues. Others can have different views, of course. But, I’m right.