[b] United States Activities and Schedule [/b]
[i] January, 2015 [/i]

Overall view: The U.S. wishes to become a more individualistic nation, and is withdrawing slightly from the global stage, cutting down a bit on trade and becoming self-reliant. Effort is being put into streamlining multiple processes and removing unnecessary layers, along with a new initiative aiming for low homelessness, unemployment and obesity rates. Tax is rising, but being placed more into product tax instead of income tax.

The Big Problem for the U.S. right now is the Ebola outbreak. It wants it solved, ASAP. The possibility of it spreading beyond Africa could put the entire world into a danger state, so the U.S. wants to corner it now and stomp it out before it can get any further. Wants to open up one of their [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#Biosafety_level_4]Biosafety Level 4 Labs[/url] to an international team to take care of it.

[hider=Trade] The United States will start focusing on drawing back business to within the U.S. The Department of Commerce and Labor both agree that, with all factories and the jobs that follow it being outsourced to China and other countries, there's a large hole in vital infrastructure, leaving unemployment and poverty in it's wake. Beginning February 2015, an initiative to bring companies and their jobs back to the U.S. will begin, offering tax breaks to those same companies.

Along with that, the U.S would like to make a move to become an exporter again, not an importer, and will re-open several old rare earth metal mines, that have been closed for years. The spokesperson for the Department of Labor is declaring that "these mines, when re-opened, could all over several thousand jobs each in their respective areas." Environmentalists are of course in an uproar, and want to see a 'Solution for Pollution' before re-opening these mines again. With some possible technologies that can lower the carbon footprint of these mines, one is being selected for use.

Trade is going well otherwise. [/hider]

[hider=Public Services] Along with the opening of more jobs, the biggest goal, called "Under Five Percent" wants to start aiming to make sure that nearly all citizens in the U.S are all capable of getting access to making money, living in a home, and being healthy overall. The Under Five Percent initiative will aim to get unemployment, homelessness, and obesity (a national issue) all under 5%. The initiative includes building public housing in rural areas, which could possibly bring extra business to those places, and a health focused regime at public high-schools, with efforts in Physical Education to get those overweight and obese on the right track (provided that it's fat and not just a lot of muscle).

Under Five Percent wishes to have completed its goals by 2035, and make some first steps to progress by 2020, with noticeable differences by then. [/hider]

[hider=Taxes] As expected of the rather ambitious projects, there's also going to be a re-working of the tax system, along with a slight raise for middle class and above. The tax system is definitely broken, with loopholes installed there by companies looking for a way around such thing as 'tax compliance'. the Department of State claims that a hundred billion dollars could be recovered with the reworking, so that taxes can be lower in the future.

Currently, the tax will rise. Income Tax will go up 1% for the average middle class family, and up to 5% for upper class. The rest of the increase will be present in such things as fast food restaurants, where there will be a new tax that will raise prices by possibly 10%. McDonalds complains, but tax breaks are offered right back at them to purchase and use higher quality ingredients, along with healthier ingredients. Lastly, there is a court case of the United States Government vs. ATT, Time Warner, and Verizon for not fulfilling the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and actively working against it in times. The case is currently in the Supreme Court, and the general public is unsure of what the results may be.

Lastly, the Department of State claims that the debt will be the next goal, but once the tax systems are reworked and there is possibly a surplus amount, it should be paid back faster. Some people are criticizing the move, but most agree that it's better to have an efficient system of gaining money than losing some from the holes in the pockets. [/hider]

[hider=Military]The Military is a rather extreme tax drain, and the government is aware of this. However, it does open up thousands of jobs that are extremely valuable to the government itself and to the people working for them. So a number of reforms within the military is going on to make wages a bit more fair, in terms of people who put their life at risk should earn more than those who don't.

The US Army is pulling out of Afghan and some other stragglers in other areas, though in Afghan five (now permanent) military bases are being left behind as part of an agreement to assist Afghanistan until they can self-sustain their own military. These military bases will be around for a while, so all serving there now are being offered a chance to go home for a while, and some fresh-spawn to go to replace them, and maybe raise the total number.

Drone warfare is still being worked on, since it keeps men from dying unnecessarily. Unmanned and manned drones are both present, and an agreement is being sorted with the government of Afghanistan to allow these drones to fully and accurately map the entire country, allowing the militaries to see any terrorist activity. On that, manned drones are currently looking for the leaders of the new terrorist group, and any information for their location.

This group is a bit extreme, so the Reserve is now being kept on its toes, just in case of another 9/11. [/hider]

[hider=Immigration and Emigration] Immigration has always been a big problem, with many illegal immigrants looking for a better life in the land of the free. The government is aware that plenty of these illegal immigrants work extremely hard to stay where they are, and the Department of Homeland Security is also streamlining the process for immigration. While it still has an advanced screening of all individuals looking to naturalize, it does now offer the opportunity for people to gain citizen status or even a work visa a lot more easily. Some people complain about how these immigrants are taking all the jobs, but it's pointed out that these immigrants take the jobs that nobody else wants, and are extremely good at it. 

The TSA is also streamlining the process. Aware of the fact that it is ridiculed everywhere for it's high standards, it's requesting a budget increase to allow for a new system, where people can walk straight into the U.S. Of course, they'd walk through the new scanning machines that can recognize different elements instead of just metal, which is going through testing right now by some local law enforcement in some areas. The reviews are positive, as for the most part it isn't intrusive, and the TSA just need to watch the screens and keep the crowd flowing. Most reviews are positive, apart from a few patriots. 

The immigration across the Mexican border is still strict for now, though (see Organized Crime)[/hider]

[hider=Organized Crime]Always a problem, it's grown a bit more in the Americas recently, mostly in the South continent. The U.S. is keeping restrictions on the Mexican border, and keeping drugs out of the country. [/hider]

[hider=Ebola Outbreak]The U.S. now places it top priority to solve the outbreak before it spreads beyond the continent. the Biosafety Level 4 Labs in the U.S. are now focusing exclusively on Ebola, and possible solutions. Nanobots has come up again and again, but more testing is needed. The U.S. is willing to put forth a budget and work in an international team to solve the problem ASAP, putting aside any possible differences. In terms of humanitarian aid, the U.S. will help fund the Red Cross and airdrop any necessary supplies. [/hider]

[b] END REPORT [/b]