Average Joe Schriner arrived in Athens early yesterday afternoon. He stood on Court Street in khakis, a button-down shirt and a fleece vest, stopping residents as they passed by to introduce himself and his cause.
What is his cause?
Schriner is an independent write-in candidate for U.S. president.
I'm running as a concerned parent
Schriner said. And I'm running to win.
According to his Web site, Schriner has traveled the country since 1990, researching American people and looking for new ways that regular people have found to deal with issues in their communities. Now, he would like to put that research to use in helping the nation.
For instance, Schriner's answer to current health care problems is based on the Marillac Clinic, a model he found in Grand Junction, Colo. Low-income and uninsured residents can be treated there by any one of approximately 140 volunteer health care providers for dental, optical and even surgical needs. Nobody is turned away based on inability to pay, he said.
On the topic of the war in Iraq, Schriner said that as president, he would not pull troops out of the country because it would destabilize the country and cause harm to Iraqi people. However, he says he would have handled the situation differently by lifting sanctions to allow the Iraqis to have the necessary food and medications. Schriner would also create a U.S. Department of Peace to promote peace on an international level.
Schriner has a plan for the economy, too. He supports house-sharing among families, with at least two families to a home.
There is a 60 percent divorce rate in America that leads to troubled homes and troubled angry kids Schriner said. I'm not in line with the other two guys on 'jobs
jobs
jobs.' We think 'sharing
sharing
sharing.'
Under the house-sharing plan, he said families could cut expenses in half and would be able to spend less time at work, perhaps cutting down to as little as 20 hours per work week. With the extra time, families would be able to spend more time together building healthier family relationships.
While Schriner admits that plan cannot be legislated, he hopes to lead by example.
If I were to make it to D.C.
I wouldn't live in the White House
Schriner said. I would live in the inner city of D.C.
and I would house share. I would explain that during my inaugural address.
Schriner's education plan is similar. He proposes that up to half of all education from kindergarten to 12th grade should come from community volunteers.
I want my children to learn as much about helping people as they do about math
reading and science
