Affordable Housing
Callum is committed to making housing affordable for all. Drawing inspiration from Vienna's successful tenant-based model, Callum aims to implement large-scale programs that ensure long-term affordability, community involvement, and sustainable development. Our plan focuses on building affordable rental units with strong tenant protections, under-market rents, fostering community participation, and using environmentally sustainable practices.
New HUD Division: Create a new division within HUD dedicated to selecting cities or towns for trialing new affordable housing models.
Standardized Laws and Regulations: Develop a set of laws and regulations for cities or towns to follow when implementing the affordable housing model.
Pre-Approved Designs: Use pre-approved housing designs created by HUD to eliminate the need for cities or towns to design proposals, speeding up the implementation process.
HUD Authority: Allow HUD to overrule local zoning and building boards in the selected cities and towns to ensure swift and consistent application of the affordable housing model.
Better Bureaucracy
Callum envisions a government that works efficiently for its people, free from the divisive influence of politics. Good service shouldn't be a political issue, and Callum plans to make this a reality. By creating a division free from political influence, we will develop a cutting-edge technological infrastructure for state and federal agencies. This policy foundation will support and enhance all subsequent policies, aiming to improve transparency, efficiency, and user experience across all government services.
Introducing the Government Digital Agency (GDA):
End Dependency on Contractors: Eliminate the reliance on contractors for building digital infrastructure, ensuring that critical government services are built and maintained by dedicated public servants.
User-Friendly Government Services: Maintain a clear, easy-to-navigate, and welcoming front door to all government services, making interactions straightforward and accessible.
Common Platforms for Better Services: Develop and maintain common platforms that assist departments in creating better digital services, enhancing overall functionality and efficiency.
Central Coordination: Leverage our central position in government to unify efforts, connecting the dots across various services and departments.
Single Login System: Provide a unified login system for all government services, simplifying access and ensuring secure identity verification.
Streamlined Digital Components: Build common digital components that make it easier for departments to develop superior digital services, promoting consistency and reliability.
Personalized User Experience: Connect data around users to deliver a faster, more personalized experience of government, tailored to individual needs.
Standardized Government Websites: Create a digital standard for government websites, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly interface.
Domain Consolidation: Condense thousands of government websites into a streamlined, efficient system, reducing complexity and improving accessibility.
Elections and Campaigns
Callum believes in making the democratic process more accessible, transparent, and equitable for all. Our major election reform initiatives aim to simplify running for office and ensure every citizen's voice is heard.
Standardized Candidate Platform Portal: Create a centralized portal where candidates can easily register, track contributions, submit documents, and manage their campaigns. Each candidate will be assigned a liaison to guide them through the entire process, making it easier for younger and less experienced candidates to run for office.
Universal Mail-in Voting: Ensure every citizen in the US has access to mail-in voting, allowing everyone to participate in the electoral process conveniently and securely.
Expanded Early Voting: Make early voting available up to three months before the election, giving voters more flexibility to cast their ballots.
Automatic Voter Registration: Implement automatic voter registration to ensure all eligible citizens are registered to vote, increasing voter participation and making the process more efficient.
Remove Primaries and Introduce Ranked Choice Voting: Eliminate primary elections and implement ranked choice voting to ensure that the final election more accurately reflects the will of the voters and gives all candidates a fair chance.
Matching Funds Program and Spending Limits: Introduce a matching funds program and set spending limits on both campaign expenditures and personal contributions to level the playing field and reduce the influence of money in politics.
Enhanced Transparency: Require candidates to upload real-time updates within 48 hours for disclosures regarding assets, debts, and donations, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Healthcare
Callum is committed to ensuring that every American has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Our healthcare policy focuses on reducing costs, increasing access, and improving the overall quality of care.
Universal Healthcare: We will work to establish a universal healthcare system that guarantees comprehensive coverage for all Americans, regardless of income or employment status. This ensures that every individual has access to the care they need without financial barriers.
Preventive Care: Our policy emphasizes preventive care to keep people healthy and reduce long-term healthcare costs. This includes free annual check-ups, screenings, vaccinations, and wellness programs aimed at preventing illness before it starts.
Dental and Preventive Dental Care: We will expand healthcare coverage to include dental services and preventive dental care. This ensures that oral health is treated as an integral part of overall health, providing access to regular dental check-ups, cleanings, and necessary treatments.
IRS Funding & Revamp
Callum is committed to transforming the IRS to better serve the American people. Our comprehensive plan focuses on modernization, simplification, and enhanced customer service to make tax filing easier and more transparent for everyone.
Increased Budget and Modernization: We will massively increase the IRS budget to modernize its entire technology infrastructure from the ground up. Partnering with the new division focused on better bureaucracy, we will create a state-of-the-art system that enhances efficiency and reliability.
Enhanced Customer Service: We will overhaul IRS customer service by introducing online chats with real agents, making it easier for taxpayers to access information and support. This will streamline the process and reduce wait times.
Simplified Tax Code: Our plan includes simplifying the tax code to reduce complexity and the number of tax provisions. By increasing the standard deductions, we aim to minimize the need for itemized deductions, making tax filing simpler for most people. Additionally, we will launch a clear guidance initiative that uses plain language to improve understanding for all taxpayers.
Improved Compliance and Enforcement: We will enhance compliance and enforcement through risk-based audits and reinforce identity verification in collaboration with state IRS agencies. This will help ensure fairness and reduce tax evasion.
Transparency and Accountability: We will provide each taxpayer with a detailed IRS portal login that offers access to all the information the IRS has on file for them. This will improve transparency and allow individuals to manage their tax-related information more effectively.
Education
Callum is dedicated to transforming our education system to ensure every child has access to quality education, regardless of their background. Key initiatives include:
Equitable Funding: Redistribute resources and increase federal grants to underserved and low-income schools, leveling the playing field for all students.
Curriculum Reform: Balance STEM education with arts, humanities, and social sciences, emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
Leveraging Technology: Integrate educational technology into classrooms and ensure all students have access to necessary devices and high-speed internet.
Effective Policy and Administration: Use data and research to inform policies, implement accountability systems, and ensure continuous improvement in school performance.
Standardized Curriculum: Develop a comprehensive curriculum and resource array to support teachers and provide consistent, high-quality education nationwide.
Veterans & Veterans Affairs
Callum is committed to ensuring veterans receive the support and care they deserve. Our plan focuses on modernizing the VA system and improving access and quality of services. Key initiatives include:
Centralized Login and Integrated Services: Develop a technological infrastructure with a single login for veterans to manage VA claims, healthcare, housing, and more.
Expanded Mental Health Services: Increase access to comprehensive mental health care and implement user-friendly interfaces for easier navigation.
High-Quality Healthcare: Ensure accessible, high-quality healthcare services, including expanded telehealth options, and streamline benefits to reduce bureaucracy and wait times.
Enhanced Efficiency and Transparency: Provide more information under one domain, introduce a built-in chat for quick assistance, and improve interdepartmental communication for seamless coordination.
Advanced Data Integration: Use data integration techniques to keep veterans' information up-to-date and easily accessible across all relevant departments.
Abortion
Callum’s approach to abortion policy focuses on reducing the need for abortions through prevention, providing robust support for women and families, and ensuring safe and compassionate care when necessary. Here are the key points:
Affordable Contraceptives and Sexual Education: Ensure access to affordable contraceptives, including over-the-counter options, and implement comprehensive sexual education programs in schools.
Expanded Healthcare Access: Increase funding for women’s health services and family planning clinics, ensuring all women have access to necessary healthcare.
Economic and Social Support: Develop programs offering financial, nutritional, and childcare support for low-income families, and advocate for family-friendly workplace policies.
Safe and Legal Abortion Services: Maintain access to safe, legal abortion services as a last resort, with high medical standards and comprehensive post-abortion care.
Data-Driven Policies and Transparency: Use data to continuously improve programs, ensure transparency in reproductive health services, and engage the community for feedback.
Birth Control Programs
Early Intervention Programs
Callum’s comprehensive approach to early intervention ensures healthy development and long-term success for children by focusing on the following key areas:
Nutritional Support: Expand school meal programs, summer meal programs, and increase SNAP benefits to ensure all children have access to healthy food year-round.
Stable Housing: Increase subsidized housing, expand housing voucher programs, and provide emergency assistance and transitional housing to prevent homelessness and ensure stable living conditions.
Early Childhood Education and Care: Increase funding for affordable, high-quality childcare, implement universal pre-kindergarten, and strengthen Head Start programs to support early learning and development.
Health and Developmental Support: Ensure access to regular pediatric care, mental health services, and conduct regular developmental screenings to identify and address any delays early on.
Family and Community Support: Offer parenting classes, home visiting programs, and establish family resource centers to provide comprehensive support for families, enhancing their ability to nurture their children’s development.
Environment
Callum’s comprehensive environmental policy focuses on key strategies to tackle climate change, reduce pollution, and promote sustainable development:
Climate Change Mitigation: Invest in renewable energy, promote energy efficiency, and implement carbon pricing.
Pollution Control: Enforce stricter regulations on industrial emissions and strengthen the Clean Water Act enforcement.
Conservation and Biodiversity: Expand and protect national parks and wildlife refuges, and strengthen the Endangered Species Act.
Sustainable Development: Promote green building standards and support sustainable agricultural practices.
Public Engagement: Integrate environmental education into school curricula and ensure public participation in environmental decision-making.
Criminal Justice Reform
Callum is dedicated to creating a balanced and fair criminal justice system that enhances public safety and promotes rehabilitation. Our approach focuses on practical, common-sense reforms that resonate with all communities:
Community Policing: Support community policing initiatives that build trust and cooperation between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Rehabilitation Over Incarceration: Promote rehabilitation programs for non-violent offenders, focusing on education, job training, and mental health support to reduce recidivism and help individuals reintegrate into society.
Fair Sentencing: Advocate for fair and proportionate sentencing, eliminating mandatory minimums for non-violent offenses to ensure that penalties are just and appropriate.
Improved Accountability: Enhance accountability and transparency within law enforcement agencies through better training, oversight, and community engagement.
Support for Victims: Strengthen support services for victims of crime, ensuring they receive the help and resources they need.
Immigration Reform
Callum’s comprehensive immigration policy focuses on modernizing border security, streamlining legal immigration, and enhancing humanitarian protection:
Modernizing Border Security: Utilize advanced technology like drones and sensors, implement smart border management, and ensure humane enforcement practices to keep families together.
Streamlining Legal Immigration: Reduce visa application backlogs, simplify immigration procedures, and expand work visa categories and family reunification policies.
Humanitarian Protection: Improve asylum processes, raise refugee quotas, and provide protections for vulnerable groups such as victims of violence and individuals under DACA and TPS programs.
Pathway to Citizenship: Establish clear legalization programs and pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, integrating them into society and the economy.
Public Engagement and Oversight: Engage the public in immigration policy decisions and establish oversight mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability.
Equality for All
Callum is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, medical history, or any factor outside of their control, is protected and treated fairly. By strengthening and enforcing anti-discrimination laws, advocating for equal pay, developing inclusive policies, ensuring equal access to quality healthcare, and supporting community programs that promote understanding and unity, Callum aims to build a society where fairness and justice are upheld for all. Our goal is to create an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Social Security Reform & Revamp
Callum’s approach to Social Security reform focuses on means-testing benefits, offering investment options, and ensuring a smooth transition. Here are the key points:
Means-Testing Benefits: Set income thresholds for eligibility, conduct periodic reviews, and ensure a basic minimum benefit for all to maintain a safety net for the most vulnerable.
Investment Options: Allow individuals to invest Social Security contributions in approved ETFs or mutual funds, provide a default option for traditional investments, and offer education on investment choices and risk management.
Addressing Challenges: Develop transparent criteria for income thresholds, establish a robust appeals process, and conduct regular assessments to ensure the system’s long-term viability.
Public Engagement: Launch public awareness campaigns, engage stakeholders in the planning process, and maintain ongoing communication to explain changes and gather feedback.
Callum advocates for implementing age caps for elected positions to promote generational diversity, ensure mental and physical fitness, and enhance governance. Here are the key points:
Promoting Generational Diversity: Age caps bring fresh perspectives and new ideas, ensuring leadership that reflects the demographic makeup and priorities of younger generations.
Ensuring Mental and Physical Fitness: Addressing cognitive and physical demands, age caps help maintain leaders' effectiveness and reduce risks of health crises affecting governance.
Preventing Entrenchment and Promoting Turnover: Limiting career politicians encourages more frequent turnover, combating stagnation and fostering dynamic governance with broader opportunities for younger candidates.
Enhancing Accountability and Responsiveness: Younger leaders adapt more readily to societal and technological changes, promoting accountability through regular evaluations and responsive policies.
Encouraging Retirement Planning and Mentorship: Age caps encourage structured transitions, allowing older leaders to mentor the next generation and ensuring proactive measures against diminished capacity.
Age Caps
Court Reform & Revamp
Callum is dedicated to modernizing the court system to make justice more accessible, efficient, and transparent. Our plan includes the creation of a standardized platform by the federal government for use in every state, ensuring a unified and user-friendly court experience.
Unified Portal: Develop a standardized platform that provides access to case information, court schedules, rulings, real-time filing, and all court-related activities. This portal will streamline processes and make it easier for everyone to navigate the judicial system.
Increased Accessibility: Ensure that the platform is accessible to all, offering intuitive navigation and support for individuals with disabilities, making the justice system more inclusive.
Enhanced Transparency: Provide real-time updates and detailed information about cases and rulings, increasing transparency and public trust in the judicial system.
Efficiency and Cost Savings: Streamline court operations through digital integration, reducing paperwork, speeding up case processing, and saving costs for both the courts and the public.
Data Security: Implement robust security measures to protect sensitive information and maintain the integrity and confidentiality of court records.
Home Ownership
Constitution 2.0
Callum believes that to truly serve the people, our nation's foundational document must evolve to meet the challenges and realities of the 21st century. Rewriting the Constitution is a bold step towards a more inclusive, transparent, and effective government. Our vision includes:
Inclusive Process: Ensure that the process of rewriting the Constitution involves a diverse range of voices, representing all demographics and regions of the country. Public forums, town halls, and digital platforms will be used to gather input from citizens.
Modern Rights and Protections: Update the Constitution to include protections for digital privacy, environmental rights, and access to healthcare. Ensure that civil rights are expanded and explicitly protected for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
Government Transparency and Accountability: Establish clear mechanisms for government transparency and accountability. Implement term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court to prevent entrenchment and promote fresh perspectives.
Electoral Reform: Reform the electoral system to ensure fair representation. This includes eliminating the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote for presidential elections, implementing ranked-choice voting, and establishing independent redistricting commissions to prevent gerrymandering.
Judicial Independence: Strengthen judicial independence by ensuring fair and impartial appointments to the judiciary. This includes a more transparent selection process and safeguards against political interference.
Balanced Federalism: Rebalance the powers between federal, state, and local governments to ensure more effective governance. This includes clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each level of government to prevent overreach and inefficiency.
Cyber Security
Callum is committed to strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity to protect citizens, businesses, and government from digital threats. Our comprehensive cybersecurity strategy focuses on prevention, rapid response, and robust defense mechanisms.
Enhanced Infrastructure Protection: Upgrade and fortify critical infrastructure, including power grids, financial systems, and communication networks, against cyberattacks. Implement advanced monitoring and defense technologies to detect and mitigate threats in real-time.
Public-Private Partnerships: Foster collaboration between government agencies and private sector companies to share information, resources, and best practices. Encourage joint initiatives to develop cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies and solutions.
Cyber Education and Workforce Development: Invest in cybersecurity education and training programs to build a skilled workforce capable of addressing current and future cyber threats. Promote cybersecurity awareness campaigns to educate the public on best practices for digital safety.
Data Privacy and Protection: Enact robust data privacy laws to safeguard personal and sensitive information. Ensure that organizations adhere to strict data protection standards and hold them accountable for breaches.
Conflicts of Interest
Callum is dedicated to ensuring that government officials act in the best interests of the people, free from undue influence and conflicts of interest. Our plan focuses on enacting strict laws and regulations to maintain the integrity and trustworthiness of public service.
Post-Government Employment Restrictions: Enact laws that prevent elected, appointed, or government officials from taking jobs with companies or industries they regulated for a significant period after leaving office. This cooling-off period will help prevent conflicts of interest and ensure decisions are made in the public interest.
Financial Disclosures: Require comprehensive financial disclosures from all government officials to identify and mitigate potential conflicts of interest. These disclosures will be regularly updated and made accessible to the public.
Independent Oversight: Establish an independent ethics commission to oversee and enforce conflict of interest regulations. This body will have the authority to investigate potential violations and impose penalties as necessary.
Lobbying Restrictions: Implement strict restrictions on lobbying activities by former government officials to prevent undue influence on policy decisions. Former officials will be barred from lobbying their previous departments or agencies for a set period.
Mandatory Ethics Training: Require all government officials to undergo mandatory ethics training to understand the importance of conflict of interest regulations and the ethical standards expected of them.
Phasing out the Penny and Nickel
Callum proposes a practical and cost-saving measure to modernize our currency system by phasing out the penny and nickel. Transactions will be rounded to the nearest tenth cent, simplifying transactions and providing significant benefits for both the public and the government.
Cost Savings: Eliminating the penny and nickel will save the government millions of dollars in production costs. Currently, the cost of producing these coins exceeds their face value, leading to unnecessary expenditure.
Streamlined Transactions: Rounding transactions to the nearest tenth cent will simplify cash transactions, making them faster and more efficient. This will reduce the time spent handling small coins and improve the overall flow of commerce.
Reduced Environmental Impact: Phasing out the production of pennies and nickels will reduce the environmental impact associated with mining, metal processing, and transportation required to produce these coins.
Economic Efficiency: Businesses will benefit from reduced handling and counting of small coins, leading to greater efficiency and lower operational costs. This change can also streamline accounting practices and reduce errors in cash transactions.
International Precedent: Several countries, including Canada and Australia, have successfully phased out their smallest coins without negative impacts on their economies. The US can follow this proven model to achieve similar benefits.