My Bipartisanship Politics, Unwritten
Credit: poorlydrawnlines.com + Brat Green bg
These are the ideas I’ve debated, refined, and ranted about, but never quite turned into full essays. Maybe one day.
1. The Tax Code Should Be Simple Enough for a High Schooler to Understand
We pretend taxation is complicated, but it’s only complicated because certain people benefit from the confusion. Why should billionaires be able to find thousands of loopholes while the average worker just hopes they don’t get audited? The tax code should mimic good programming principles, like the Zen of Python—broken into readable chunks, using specificity where needed, and organized into modular sections. If engineers can design systems that scale across millions of users, there’s no reason the government can’t design a tax system that regular people understand.
2. Blockchain Voting: The Future of Transparent Democracy
Trust in elections is at an all-time low, and every cycle brings new accusations of fraud, suppression, and manipulation. But what if voters could verify that their ballot was counted—without compromising their privacy? Blockchain technology offers a way to do just that, and in 2025 and beyond, the "pitfalls" of blockchain voting are nonexistent because everyone has access to a computer. While I personally believe elections shouldn’t be anonymous—since they impact entire populations—as long as we insist on anonymous voting, blockchain is the best workaround for transparency and trust.
3. The Lie of “Free Markets” in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
America claims to have a free market healthcare system, but what kind of free market allows drug companies to charge 10x more for the same medicine sold overseas? This essay would explain how monopolies and regulatory capture have twisted the medical industry into a rigged game, why competition is artificially suppressed, and what policies could actually lower costs while maintaining innovation. It would also explore how we can use globalism—including medical tourism—to drive down prices. If people want to fly to Turkey for hair transplants or Cuba for lung cancer treatment, that’s a good thing. Competition + Specialization = lower costs + better outcomes.
4. Crime and Opportunity: Let Prisoners Work Off Their Debt
If prison is meant to rehabilitate, then why do we make it nearly impossible for ex-convicts to reintegrate into society? Instead of endless cycles of debt, homelessness, and reincarceration, we could offer structured work programs that allow prisoners to pay off their fines, learn skills, and rebuild their lives. Rehabilitation isn’t just about sitting in therapy—it involves restructuring neural pathways, which requires the incarcerated to engage in work that society finds meaningful. This essay would highlight models where this has worked and explain why both conservatives and progressives should get behind it. It would cite OJ Simpson as an example.
5. Why Big Investment Funds Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Buy Up All the Housing
This is a no-brainer issue, yet somehow the policies still favor big investment firms over everyday people. It’s not about economics—it’s about a rigged system where only the ultra-rich benefit from housing being kept empty. The fact that major corporations can sit on thousands of unused properties while people struggle with skyrocketing rent is indefensible. This essay would make the case for restricting institutional investors from hoarding residential real estate and restoring housing as a public good.
So, no, I’m not 100% Laissez-faire minded! Get over it!
6. Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN—State-Sponsored Media Should Be Labeled as Such
We already label Russian state media like RT as propaganda. Why not apply the same rules to all government-funded news? Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN—there’s a state-sponsored news source for nearly every letter of the alphabet. This essay would argue that I have no problem with governments sponsoring media, as long as it’s labeled transparently, like NASCAR driver uniforms. The real issue is when state-backed narratives pretend to be independent journalism while shaping public perception.
PS, The Guardian should be labeled a neo-N@zi website. Alongside the lesser known MintPress, The Guardian are the most racist publication out there, making Stormfront look like Wikipedia.
7. Therapy Is Overrated. Group Support Is Underrated. Let’s Fix That.
We’ve over-medicalized mental health to the point that people think expensive one-on-one therapy is the only path to self-improvement. Meanwhile, group therapy and community support—historically some of the best ways to process trauma—are often overlooked. And it doesn’t just have to be groups of PTSD patients or groups of addicts. Diverse group therapy prevents rumination, exposes people to different perspectives, and helps them move on instead of staying stuck in their struggles. This essay would argue for shifting public mental health funding toward more scalable, community-driven models.
I will plug the book Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up a 2nd time on my blog: https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Therapy-Kids-Arent-Growing/dp/0593542924
8. Paternal Libertarianism: Incentivizing Good Behavior Without Government Overreach
Libertarians argue for total freedom, progressives want high government spending, but what if the best approach is neither? Paternal libertarianism suggests we should nudge people toward better choices—like tax breaks for fitness, education, and preventive healthcare—without forcing them into anything. These incentives could include tax cuts, lower healthcare costs for maintaining good health, and even recognition-based programs that reward good habits. This essay would outline how smart incentives can improve public health, economic mobility, and personal responsibility without creating a bloated welfare state.
9. Fine Social Media Companies Until They Fix the Bot Problem
We joined social media to converse with real people—but bots and inauthentic behavior are drowning that out. Every election, crisis, or major event is manipulated by fake engagement, astroturfing, and AI-generated outrage. Tech companies claim they can’t do anything about it—until their ad revenue is threatened. This essay would make the case for penalizing platforms for failing to police inauthentic activity, forcing them to clean up their mess instead of playing victim to it.
10. Cutting University Funding and Redirecting It to Native Colleges
The U.S. pours billions into elite universities that already have massive endowments, while Native American colleges and trade schools struggle for funding. Why not shift public money away from Ivy League institutions that churn out hedge fund managers and into programs that directly uplift underserved communities? This essay would break down why the higher education funding system is broken and what a more equitable redistribution would look like.
11. Legalize and Tax to Win the War on Drugs
The debate over marijuana legalization is mostly over—the real question now is how to regulate and tax it responsibly. This essay would examine the best (and worst) models from states that have already legalized cannabis (and other recreational drugs), looking at what works, what doesn’t, and how we can avoid repeating the mistakes of other regulated industries. Spoiler: A legal cannabis market should resemble local breweries—not be dominated by corporations like Anheuser-Busch or, even worse, Big Pharma. Spoiler 2: Cocaine should be legalized.
12. How Technocrats Could Save (or Ruin) Democracy
What if people who actually understood economics, technology, and governance had more say in policy decisions? Should votes be weighted in favor of those with technical and accounting expertise? This essay would explore both the promise and potential dangers of technocracy—how it could fix bureaucratic inefficiency but also risk becoming an elitist dystopia. The key to making it work is to run government alongside algorithms and code that allow for gradual adjustments, rather than incentivizing extreme policy shifts. Instead of mass deportations followed by open borders, a more sensible approach would be small, controlled changes that actually respond to reality.
Watcha think? Comment and maybe I’ll add another 12 bipartisan ideas, or expand upon one of them.
