Free Birds Overview

We are a party that wants to bring America together as one single nation. We want to improve the lives of every citizen in as many ways as we can, from deficits to education to getting healthy and living longer. We believe that we can restore America to the country we once started as. "The path to a happy ending begins with the awareness that something is wrong, that changes are necessary, and that we the people have to be the agents of those changes" (Friedman and Mandelbaum 369).

Works Cited
Friedman, Thomas L., and Michael Mandelbaum. That Used to Be Us: How America Fell behind in the       World It Invented and How We Can Come Back. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. 369+. Print.

Illustration by Rachel Tendall

Immigration

Immigration

America is a country that offers opportunities to immigrants from all around the world to professionally grow but it is also a way to economically help this country. Immigrants could strongly influence in it is economy.

It is helpful to take a moment to reflect on the important contributions by the generations of immigrants who have helped us build our economy, and made America the economic engine of the world. 

America is a country that offers opportunities to immigrants from all around the world to professionally grow but it is also a way to economically help this country. Immigrants could strongly influence in it is economy.

It is helpful to take a moment to reflect on the important contributions by the generations of immigrants who have helped us build our economy, and made America the economic engine of the world.

Citiation:

"Immigrant Tax Contributions and the Future of the U.S. Economy." Immigration Impact. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.

In the United States any person obtaining some form of income whether working for a company or independently is required to pay taxes to the government of the States, federal and sometimes local level, this includes including wages, interest on savings accounts , checking accounts, money earned from stock operations, scholarships, fellowships or grants, tips.
All immigrants should pay around 35% of their income. It is true that immigrants contribute to the United State economy. 

As Lina Newton state in the book Illegal, alien or Immigrant "The legal immigration means when people sponsor other people, immigrants, to come to this country, the sponsor has to give some fiscal accuntability"(Newton 111). All legal immigrant contribute to the economy of this country in order to work in America legally the the worker and companies that hire the immigrant pays taxes.

Newton, Lina. Illegal, Alien, or Immigrant: The Politics of Immigration Reform. New York: New York UP, 2008. Print.

Social Security Administration Says Immigration Reform Will Increase Tax Revenue, Boost Economy." Immigration Impact. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

America's Debt Crisis

Currently, America's national debt stands at about $16,800,000,000,000, and that amount is still gradually growing! The Free Bird Party's plan is to reduce the amount of money that goes into America's budget plan, and distribute a larger portion of funds to things that are more important and will stimulate economic growth such as education, science, and energy and environment.

Renewable Energy

  Using alternative energy has the potential to help solving America's debt crisis. If we used Renewable resources such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydroelectricity, vegetable biomass, algae fuel, and geothermal energy, we would save a tremendous amount of money while also helping the environment. 

Here are the summarized descriptions of the types of energy listed from http://typesofrenewableenergy.com/

1. Solar- This is the creation of energy using special panels (usually set on roof tops)  to collect solar energy from the sun. It can be used for heating buildings as well as water. 

2. Wind- Energy is collected from the power of air movement that spins a turbine and creates electricity. These turbines are usually built in particularly windy areas to capture the most amount of air movement as possible.  

3. Micro Hydro-  A smaller version of Hydroelectricity. It is used to power a single unit such as a house, but it won't supply enough energy for multiple facilities.

4. Hydro- Water whirls through a turbine and creates energy which creates electricity. 

5. Algae- Energy taken from algae is used as a "biofuel"which is collected from standing water where algae growth is plentiful.

6. Vegetable Biomass- "Corn, wheat, and other plant biomass can be used as an alternative source of fuel, heat, and power."

7. Geothermal- Geothermal energy comes from the heat that lies in the earths core. The heat escapes through openings in the surface, which is collected and produces electricity and power generation.

Education

It is extremely important that all children get an education, both high school and post high school.  Not only does getting an education help teach our children about the world and important principles, but also it increase their annual income.  "The hourly minimum wage of the typical college graduate in the U.S was approximately 1.5 times the hourly wage of the typical high school graduate in 1979.  By 2009, the ratio stood in 1.95.  This enormous growth in earnings differential between college and high school educated workers reflects the cumulative effect of three decades of more or less continuous increase. (Friedman and Mandelbaum 101)"  The chart below is from the U.S Census Bureau regarding how much an individual makes depending on how much education they have.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements, accessed atwww.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/people/p16.xls, on Sept. 9, 2010.

This graph shows that the more education you have the more money you make.  Unfortunately, it is very hard for many people to get a quality education because of the rising costs of getting a post secondary degree.  The Free Bird Party values education and wants every American whether young or old to have the opportunity to get a quality education.  We propose lowering the costs of education as well as lowering the interest on student loans to allow more students the opportunity to afford an education.

The U.S Treasury divides the federal government's money into three different groups.  There is mandatory spending, interest on federal debt, and discretionary spending.  Discretionary spending is where the government decides how much funding they would like to a given program, so for example, education.

The graph below shows the proposed spending of the government’s money in 2014.

This graph shows that out of all of the government’s money, only 30% goes towards programs that the government has implemented.

The chart below shows how the money used for discretionary spending is split up.

Unfortunately, only 6% of the total 30% of federal money is going towards education.  That is a very small amount for something as serious as well as important as education.

So putting everything into perspective, below is a graph of the total proposed spending in 2014.

Overall, the federal government plans on spending only 2% of the budget on education. This is completely unacceptable.  The Free Birds Party proposes that we put more federal funding into education and help not only public elementary, middle, and high school students and teachers succeed, but also college professors and public universities succeed.  If we put more funding in, the more we will get out.

The link below is a great source for learning more about what the government can do for you in not only paying for college, but also preparing for college.

http://studentaid.ed.gov/



Works Cited:

Friedman, Thomas L., and Michael Mandelbaum. That Used to Be Us: How America Fell behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. Print.

Works Cited:

"Federal Budget 101." National Priorities Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Obesity

Obesity in America is the second cause of preventable death.

Nine million kids and teenagers and sixty million adults are over weight in America alone.

Obesity increases risks in health diseases such as "breast cancer, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, colon cancer, hypertension, and stroke" ("Obesity Related Statistics"). 

"Obesity Related Statistics in America." GAFF. The Get America Fit Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 May 2013.

 We spend billions of dollars on obesity-related conditions.

If we became a fit and healthy country, we could use the spending for obesity-related conditions in other ways.

Some ways this could be done is by starting with the children of America. We could budget spending in school cafeterias to only provide healthy food. Children are very tempted at school to eat unhealthy instead of taking the healthy option. We could provide a food plan for the schools of America. The children can still be allowed options at Al A Carte but instead they would be delicious and healthy food choices. We would also replace all the vending machine garbage with healthy treats.

Another way to help our children stay fit is providing an incentive for being a part of high school sports. This could be provided as an extra credit to graduate or to raise students' G.P.A..

The young and grown adults of America are just as important to getting healthy and staying fit. The Free Bird Party believes we could do this by providing cheaper health insurance for people who attend the gym at least twelve times a month for an hour long workout. We could also provide funding for new improved menus at all fast food restauraunts. These new menus will cut down on the fat calories and the artificial food production.

"The Fit And Trim Travelers Guide To Healthy Fast Food." Ask The Weight Loss Maven. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Another way to provide more health for the communities of America is to establish more nutrition facilities. These nutrition places help people gain and establish a healthy way of life. These nutrition restaurants provide exercise and healthy foods. We have a few nutritional locations started already, but we would like to greatly increase the number. These establishments will help people to become more energetic and live life happier and longer. 

http://nutritionevolution.net is a diet plan that can help better everyone's daily lives. https://www.facebook.com/EvolveLakeville is one of just many local nutrition clubs trying to better people. They provide healthy shakes, tea, aloe shots and group fitness like zumba, yoga, and boot camp. They also measure your body fat and plan out a healthy diet to help you tone and loose weight.

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