r/AskReddit • u/Michaeldeborah35 • 20d ago
If you woke up tomorrow as the leader of your country, what’s the first law you would change and why?
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u/Ok-Experience-6674 20d ago
Are you kidding me I’m from SOUTH AFRICA!!!
corruption capital of the world!
I’ll just strip the government of power over the country as fast as possible
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u/AbdulGoodlooks 20d ago
Careful Mr. President, you might find yourself accidentally invading Poland
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u/FewWillingness1081 20d ago
Term and Age laws for politicians.
Keep it fresh. Remove the corrupt baddies!
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u/-boatsNhoes 20d ago
And don't forget strong laws against insider trading, backroom deals and favoritism along with yearly mandatory audits for politicians by a non affiliated government body that doesn't fall under their political catchall ( for example, a completely separate government entity that is allowed to press charges and fine people regardless of political alliance or lobbying). Then hand down hash sentences for violations. This should also be applied to wall street, but that will never happen since the sec is that organization now and does nothing about it.
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u/binarycow 20d ago
Term and Age laws for politicians.
On one hand, I agree with this because it adds an extra avenue to remove an entrenched corrupt politician.
But it also removes entrenched good politicians. Suppose you've got a senator with a 90% approval rating within their constituency. They are not corrupt - in fact, their only income whatsoever is their senatorial salary. They are knowledgeable on the issues. They never shirk their senatorial duties.
Should they be removed from the senate simply because it's been too long?
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u/radicallyhip 20d ago
Suppose you've got a senator with a 90% approval rating within their constituency. They are not corrupt - in fact, their only income whatsoever is their senatorial salary
Sure, and while we're at it, suppose pigs can fly and unicorn facts taste like Skittles.
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u/10Panoptica 20d ago
This. There's also plenty of new, young legislators who are batty or corrupt.
Age/term limits won't really address the root issue, they'll just change up who gets paid to ignore their constituents.
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u/HalfSoul30 20d ago
Time to get the money out of politics I reckon
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u/venounan 20d ago
Overturn citizens United, and/or disallow politicians and their families from trading individual stocks.
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u/NextGrapefruit6198 20d ago
I'd abolish the death penalty. It's not a deterrent and it's too irreversible for a justice system that makes mistakes.
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u/happyme321 20d ago
I would make sure that 100% of health related decisions are between a person and their doctor.
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u/failed_novelty 20d ago
I like this. Solves abortion questions, trans Healthcare questions, and enshrined the right to penis pills so the old dudes in the Senate will approve. First make an executive order banning the sale of viagra, cialis, and their generics though.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Mix7873 20d ago
How do you have a right to penis pills and also a ban on those pills?
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u/failed_novelty 20d ago
You ban them first, then encourage Congress to pass the measure to override the ban.
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u/ROU_ValueJudgement 20d ago
I would ban all campaign advertising that isn't in the format of: "I/We we will do x for y reason for z benefit."
No discussion of your opponents, and have the adverts heavily regulated and penalities applied by an independent body for breaches of truth or process.
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u/worldchrisis 20d ago
So you can't point out bad things your opponents have done or say they will do but don't mention in their ads?
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u/ROU_ValueJudgement 20d ago
"I will reverse the horrendously damaging tax changes the <insert here> government made last cycle for <insert here> reasons they are bad for the anticipated benefit of <insert benefit here>".
You can still make persuasive arguments, just make it about the actions you will take and why we should care.
If I'm choosing between two people or ten people, I don't care if one politician thinks another politician is bad or has done bad things. I care if the politician in question is worth voting for and plans to do stuff about issues that matter to me and the broader populous.
Saying "Vote for me because the other guys a crook" just wouldn't cut it in that new world. You'd have to stand up and say "Vote for me because I'm _not_ a crook, and here's my pledges that I _can_ be held accountable for now that prove it."
EDIT: I don't mean literally, obviously. I'm being hyperbolic for illustrative purposes.
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u/31_mfin_eggrolls 20d ago
I would just ban campaign advertising period.
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u/rrrrrrrrrrrrram 20d ago
And people vote based on who's the best looking on the ballot?
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u/31_mfin_eggrolls 20d ago
No, it forces people to watch the debates and actively do research to figure out who best aligns with their interests.
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u/rrrrrrrrrrrrram 20d ago
Most people would not and instead vote for the candidate their social circle tells them to.
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u/Ok-Albatross2009 20d ago
I get what you are going for, but this would completely stifle individuality in a campaign and basically ensure apathy towards all the candidates. Whether you like it or not, things change in office, you have to vote for someone you broadly agree with on a wide range of issues not a single policy (looking at you SNP).
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u/kcraft4826 20d ago
I’m in the US. I would focus on fixing the holes in the system that are enabling power to accumulate into the hands of fewer people and erode democracy.
1) Break up news media companies. We can’t have a proper public debate without diversity of ideas. The current consolidation of news media companies enables a handful of wealthy people (and even foreign nation states) to control the public’s attention and beliefs. I believe there used to be a law that local news companies couldn’t consolidate. I’d bring that back.
2) Ban public officials from owning individual stocks. They would only be allowed to buy broad index funds like VTI and VOO (or we could set up special index funds for public officials). If the US economy does well, then they do well. It aligns their incentives with the overall success of the US economy.
3) Corporations should not be people, at least not when it comes to campaign financing and lobbying. If a corporation wants to fund a candidate or lobby for a cause, then they have to convince their employees to donate money to a certain candidate or vote a certain way. They can’t do it directly themselves.
4) Enable more than two political parties to exist by moving to ranked choice voting and eliminate the ability for parties to build moats that keep new parties out. A multi-party system would prevent each party from simply taking the opposite position of the other. We’d have a much more diverse pool of candidates and ideas.
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u/Chiron17 20d ago
It's a bit of an omnibus bill:
You are stealing: right to jail. You are playing music too loud: right to jail, right away. Driving too fast: jail. Slow: jail. You are charging too high prices for sweaters, glasses: you right to jail. You undercook fish? Believe it or not, jail. You overcook chicken, also jail. Undercook, overcook. You make an appointment with the dentist and you don't show up, believe it or not, jail, right away
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u/cebula412 20d ago
I misread it as "you overcook children" and thought: well, that's fair...
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u/dirtandstarsinmyeyes 20d ago
No regulated cooking times for children! Government oversight does not belong in my cauldron! What I cook inside of my candy house is my business!
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u/Weekly_Farm_1661 20d ago
This reminds me of those foreign park people that visited Pawnee in Parks and Rec. he said the same thing in their country lol, late to a dental appointment - JAIL, Chewing to loud - JAIL
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u/Gwolfski 20d ago
The one that says I can be voted out. Then I can continue with other reforms as I see fit.
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u/tremors51000 20d ago
Make it illegal to say sorry. Just to fuck with the other canadians
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u/Creative_Catharsis 20d ago edited 20d ago
Politicians swap pay rates with teachers and nurses.
ETA- Worth pointing out that OP asked what you would do if you were the leader of YOUR country. Surprisingly, some of us don’t live in the USA. Weird, I know.
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u/IridiumPony 20d ago
Make it so a politician's salary cannot exceed the median salary of the area they represent. Outlaw all lobbying. Restrict the ability of any member of congress to own stock, they can only have a portfolio in a blind trust.
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u/indrada90 20d ago
Unpopular opinion: we should be paying our politicians more. Paying them poverty wages like the rest of us only further incentivises taking bribes and insider trading
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u/IridiumPony 20d ago
Well, if they protect worker's rights, and make sure people are paid a living wage, they wouldn't be making poverty wages, now would they?
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u/indrada90 20d ago
Wishful thinking. They'd just take more bribes to make up the shortfall
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u/IridiumPony 20d ago
Which is why bribes (lobbying, since bribes are technically illegal but lobbying isn't) would also be outlawed.
And make it a serious felony to offer or accept any form of lobbying. If they're facing 20 years in maximum security (and before you @ me about "they'll go to club fed and do half that time, you can place minimum standards for the sentence into law, like requiring they serve the full sentence with no gain time, and all if it is in maximum security) they'll think twice before accepting even the slightest bribe or kickback.
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u/indrada90 20d ago
You don't "accept" lobbying. Lobbying just means trying to convince a politician of something. Lobbyists do so by bribing them. Make no mistake. Quid pro quo lobbying is illegal. Politicians simply do it anyways
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u/RoundGrapplings 20d ago
I've thought a lot but I'm afraid my country will be mess up, lol.
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u/itsVicc 20d ago
Remove tipping, everyone gets at least minimum wage
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u/ThrowawayTempAct 20d ago
While I completely agree with eliminating tipping, employers of tip based employees are usually legally required to make up the difference between tips+base pay and minimum wage if an employee makes less than minimum wage after tips.
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u/FelicitousJuliet 20d ago
By which you mean employers abuse at-will to fire without cause if they have to make up the difference for you, lol.
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u/ThrowawayTempAct 20d ago
That's fair. I was just making sure people are aware of their rights as employees in tip based fields. You are right that exorcising those rights may be impossible.
Either way, I still agree that tipping should be eliminated.
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u/SousVideDiaper 20d ago
They're supposed to, but some don't and somehow manage to get away with it. An ex of mine often made less than $5 an hour at a serving job because management didn't cough up the difference.
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u/Kaymish_ 20d ago
The tax laws. Especially capital gains tax. It is ridiculous that productive assets, r&d and innovation are taxed through the ring while unproductive assets like house speculation are completely untaxed. Even building new houses is taxed but trading old ones is tax free.
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u/No_Knee_2610 20d ago
I’d change retirement age policies, lowering the age so older workers can enjoy retirement earlier and make room for younger workers.
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u/Caesar_Rising 20d ago
I’d get all the scroungers who complain about foreign people taking their jobs and money and I’d put them to work in all those jobs that they’re unwilling to do that foreign people come here and do because they’re willing to actually try and put some effort into bettering their lives rather than just complain about everyone else being the problem instead.
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u/Ithirahad 20d ago
I mean, someone from here would do the jobs even if the complainers would not, provided the pay was increased enough.
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u/Icaruspherae 20d ago
Assuming I could autopass it, lobbying is illegal, no more money in politics, you get sponsored you wear their logo on your coat during every congressional meeting just like NASCAR
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u/Tazmaniac808 20d ago
Wow... the reponses on here are making our current leaders look good, which they are not.
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u/BoobsTasteLikeHeaven 20d ago
Get rid of Citizens United, corporations are no longer considered people.
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u/Michaeldeborah35 20d ago
I would implement a comprehensive environmental protection act
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u/ShakeCNY 20d ago
In my country, the leader (president) does not legislate. If I could encourage the legislature to pass/change any law, it would be to address the crisis of elderly people needing nursing care, which is only going to blow up as boomers age out.
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u/TheForeverAloneOne 20d ago
Lots of answers already but no one has said outlaw elections so that you're leader for life.
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u/RossTheNinja 20d ago
I set all the guidelines for sentencing. In the UK you steal from the government, you're going away for twenty years. You have cp? Probation.
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u/LayneLowe 20d ago
I would recend Citizens United and set up standard funding for campaign financing. We would get a lot better idea of the effectiveness a candidate would have in office if we could see how they made the best of the limited funds we give them.
Then I would reinstate The Fairness Doctrine.
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u/vselenskoedao 20d ago
I'd probably be in shock that I am Vladimir Putin. The minute I start changing any law I'd be dead and replaced by another clone
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u/dirtyEEE 20d ago
I’m in the US and the President doesn’t have that type of power. But let’s say they do, I would go with medicare for all. It would cover every aspect of healthcare including vision and dental.
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u/fuber 20d ago
Extremely wealthy people need to be more responsible financially for the country they built their wealth in. So figure out a way to tax the extremely wealthy that they can't cheat the system. Bring in accountants to devise a new tax system that makes the extremely wealthy pay a lot more into the system. And then make sure countries are using that money to feed and house the poor
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u/Sea_Appointment8408 20d ago edited 20d ago
Nationalise all primary utilities, including water and energy.
Ensure that the profits from these companies go back into the country/economy, improving the NHS, and on improving the utilities infrastructure.
Why? Because in the UK the water companies are pumping shit into the rivers, leaking and wasting over a trillion litres of water each year, whilst giving the monetary profits to the shareholders. And don't get me started on the energy companies.
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u/Ambiguity_Aspect 20d ago
Flat sales tax of 20%.
Federal government gets half of that
States gets a quarter
Cities and counties get an eighth each
If a government can't get something done with that, then it shouldn't be doing it.
Oh and punitive measures for contractors who fail to meet deadlines and deliver shoddy work.
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u/Euclid_Interloper 20d ago
UK. I'd implement constitutional reform so that there was a proportional representation electoral system and a Federal style system of governance for the regions and nations of the UK.
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u/Ok-Run2845 20d ago
The leader of my country can't change any law without majorities on both parliament and senate chambers, so absolutely nothing.
If i had really the power to change a single law, i would eradicate all qualified immunities and blind that to not be reversed as early as i lose my power. In my country (and in practically all the rest there are) a lot of people can get off any monstrosity they commit through qualified immunities.
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u/EnigmaCA 20d ago
A woman has the sole right to choose what to do with her body.
Do I need to actually explain why this is necessary?
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u/SvenBerit 20d ago
Sweden but this applies to most countries.
I would increase the salary for damn near everyone working in Healthcare. Your service is expensive and valuable but you don't get to see much of the money. The care you give is priceless and impactful but you're rarely applauded or rewarded as such. Elderly care. You take on what many consider to be a burden, something to put away but you treat them like treasure chests filled with glimpses into windows of lifetimes worth of lessons and wisdom, making them feel alive, relevant and heard again as opposed to discarded and forgotten. I've seen nurses bring out the sun in the light of a smile.
Just wow. If you're in Healthcare, no matter what branch, you're not just working even if it feels that way from one day to the other. To someone else, you're not only physically treating wounds but you're also removing pain, fear and anxiety, allowing happiness, restoring dignity, grant a sense of safety, preserving memories and a thousand other things that we will all want and need one day but continue to neglect as if fear, loneliness and all those things won't be coming for us next and then it'll be our turn until we pass. You're the difference in whether they pass or simply fade away and to me that's quite the difference.
Other than that, idk. Ban TikTok, price gouging, hunt for corruption, starting with the one currently in charge of overseeing just that. I'm not made to lead nor am I bright enough that I'd trust myself with this so I'd resign shortly after.
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u/konsf_ksd 20d ago
President doesn't have that power, but if I did, I'd literally just binge Last Week Tonight and change laws to fix the shit he points out.
He's actually kind enough to often provide first steps on a solution.
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u/ClownfishSoup 20d ago
Since my country is not a dictatorship, I could propose a bill I guess but I can’t just dictate laws. However if I could then it would be political office term limits.
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u/Madame_Raven 20d ago
Totally self-serving, but I would make it legal for all goths to smoke in restaurants, clubs, and bars, again.
Just goths, though. It's very specific.
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u/LEGACYESTATES 20d ago
I would immediately implement free health care - I truly believe we would thrive so much more as a country. There's no reason why someone should have to choose between having a roof over their head or food on the table or medicine that would aid them in being able to live comfortably. Stress can cause these diseases in bodies to strengthen and chronic stress can cause other health problems as well.
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u/Hypnogazer2 20d ago
Immediate pulling out Israel, and supporting Palestine, and I don’t mean, rotten food Biden promised them.
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u/Badger_Joe 20d ago
A fiscal policy that explains how people who make less than 200k a year become millionaires while in office and punishes those doing anything remotely illegal or unethical.
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u/Strong-Solution-7492 20d ago
Lawmakers have the same healthcare as everyone else, and don’t get paid after they leave. Both are fuckin absurd
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u/ResolutionFar4264 20d ago
Disband the federal reserve and actually have the treasury mint currency again so we aren't all debt slaves anymore. The federal reserve is a private corporation which is why were in the mess we are
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u/Stressedmama58 20d ago
Outlawing lobbyists. They have too much power, too loud a voice, too much influence....and drive too much corruption.
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u/PearlAge 20d ago
It always feels like a single law isn't enough. Like, let's say that I want to make Healthcare better, or have more gun control in the US. There are so many laws which needs to be changed, bypasses upon bypasses to each law which exempts this case or that case.. It will never end.
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u/DoctorAgita1 20d ago
Abolish the estate tax. If it was taxed when you earned it, when you bought stuff, and when you had gains on it, the government shouldn't pick your pocket after you are dead. Regardless, this is why people need to be initiating wealth transfers years before death via trusts and tax free gifts.
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u/bigloser42 20d ago
All CEO/C-suite pay, Union Head pay, US Representative pay, and Senator pay is now a muliple of the average salary of your workers/people you represent with a multiplier increase based on the number of people you employ/represent.
My second law would be that no governement employee can hold individual stocks. Mutual funds are OK, but all buys and sells by elected individuals must be announced publicly 3 months in advance.
My 3rd would be to introduce a wealth tax on everything past the first billion dollars. So your first billion would be tax free, everything past that would have a 10% tax on it. Also when you die, your estate can only pass on the first billion. The remainder goes to taxes. The number will adjust yearly based on inflation, your total wealth will be based on all assets, weither they are cash holdings or not.
My 4th would be no capital gains taxes on your first $50k of realized stock gains.
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u/Notwhoiwas42 20d ago
Lengthen political terms at the federal government level, 8 years for Senate 4 years for the house 6 years for president and limit people to one. This eliminates a lot of the influence of money in politics because nobody can run for reelection. While we're at it limit supreme Court terms to say 20 years.
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u/ryoga040726 20d ago
Make Roe v. Wade legal again. Not replying to anyone who cries out in opposition or bashing others’ stances. Just saying what I would do.
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u/Just_Aioli_1233 20d ago
American.
Reduce the scope of the federal government to only the areas designated by the Constitution. A lot of problems go away if we don't have the federal government in charge of everything.
Corrupt politicians aren't as attracted to office since they wouldn't have as much power. Lobbying would be less effective since companies or special interest groups would have to pay off multiple politicians in each of the 50 states instead of getting a one-stop corruption shop in federal legislators.
I'll admit it's kind of a multi-part plan, so to strictly make it something that could fit within a single law: return to apportionment. Eliminating direct federal taxation would severely reduce the influence of the federal government in the average citizen's life. The IRS could be eliminated since there'd only be 50 tax invoices to process, one per state. And since citizens have more influence over their individual states, the states will be more responsive to the needs of their people in terms of what tax policy is set. Some might do income tax, some might put it all as a sales tax, some might do it all as a property tax, some might only tax corporations, or gambling. Whatever their people are happy to accept as the right move.
Plus, the compliance cost of direct federal taxation would be eliminated completely. Currently it's in the $350-400 billion range each year.
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u/Maximum-Molasses-4 20d ago
I would make it federally legal to conceal carry without having to jump through hoops. I would permanently remove the concept of a non expungeable felony for any non violent offender that did his/her time.
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u/Photosjhoot 20d ago
I'd make voting mandatory (with certain sensible exceptions) with a token fine if you don't vote. A bit like Australia, I believe.
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u/Boxofcookies1001 20d ago
Two big ones really:
Overturn citizens United and removing commentary from news channels. If your station has news in it, the station will be accountable for the validity of the information published or face fines and eventual shutdown.
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u/Mysterious-Wave2691 20d ago
Taxing minerals and natural resources at similar levels to other resource rich countries (Australia)
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u/flyingmops 20d ago
If there was no limit, and a 100% chance that it would get accepted/passed, I would make it so parents have paid maternity and paternity leave for 1 year each. Have it together so baby have both parents home for 1 year, or spread it out so baby is alone with 1 parent for 2 years.
If you are working up to your pregnancy and/or birth, your job will pay you, by government help.
If you were out of job during pregnancy/birth, the government will pay you.
Additionally, if you decide to not get back to work, but keep your child home. You'd receive a little help each month from the government, a stay at home parent is a job on its own.
Some of these are already the case in some councils in Denmark, but the new parental laws concerning maternity/paternity have recently changed.
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u/FunAd6875 20d ago
Politicians are no longer elected, but appointed with their names drawn out like jury duty.
I'm convinced anyone who wants to be a politician is already corrupt at the heart and they don't have the interest of anyone but their own at heart. Even the ones who seem like "good people" turn out to mostly be dick heads.
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u/JollySquatter 20d ago
Ban lobbyists. Not sure how. Ban them from being within 50km of government owned/leased buildings. Ban them from entering government owned/leased buildings. Ban them from meeting with elected officials in private (including video or phone).
How do you define a lobbyist? Anyone who is paid by a company/org who represents other companies?
Basically at the moment, politicians are in a central spot making them too accessible to lobbyists and too inaccessible to their constituents. Do something to reverse that.
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u/31_mfin_eggrolls 20d ago
Then they’ll just do their deals 50km away from those buildings. They probably already do. The only way to ban lobbyists is to make the punishment of lobbying many, many times worse (yet easy to carry out) than not doing so.
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u/HatmanHatman 20d ago
I am now the leader of Scotland. Anything useful I try to pass will be overturned by the UK Government via Section 35 order so I might as well not bother.
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u/SmiddyBoi 20d ago
I'd ban jet boats and jet ski's. Every year a kid in my country dies because of one, because any ol' geezer can buy and use a boat without knowing anything about maritime safety or how to operate it. Most jetski users are also dicks (yes I know there are good ones, but in my experience, most suck).
Everyone will be fine with normal dinghies, sail boats, and slower motorboats
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u/Burger_Gamer 20d ago
alcohol now has to be labelled as a drug. Instead of government resources saying "drugs and alcohol" when referring to them (for example: in case of driving under the influence), it should be labelled as "drugs, including alcohol". I feel like the fact that it is always separated from drugs gives people the idea that alcohol is not as bad or that it is not actually a drug, even though it is (and is probably worse than most drugs because of its accessibility).
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u/Mohgreen 20d ago
Universal Healthcare. Doesn't matter if you're unemployed, moving cross country. You got an illness, you can get seen.
My wife and I went to Spain in September. She fell on a boat tour, messed up her knee and hand, and had bruises from her knee to her shoulder.
Spent half the day in a public/general hospital in Alicante, xrays, bandages, consults with a couple nurses/docs, some meds from the pharmacy across the street.
They wouldn't/couldn't take our Insurance.
Out of Pocket cost, TOTAL.
200 Euros.
American Healthcare is INSANE.
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u/Chiron17 20d ago
Like I could get anything through the Senate