In brief:
I. Find a source of clean energy.
Our dependence on oil and coal has ruined our foreign policy and is destroying the earth beyond the point of repair. Wind and solar power look promising, but adequate funding should be provided for all promising leads.
II. Re-industrialization.
America is almost on the verge of becoming a non-industrialized country. I say, away with the crappy service-sector economy, we need to be able to produce, not for profit, but for use and for need.
III. Free health care, education, public transit, and communication.
This goes without saying. Without these, no one can be a full citizen in modern society.
IV. Electoral reform
Namely, the abolition of the electoral college and the introduction of a proportional representation system.
V. Re-organization of industries into cooperatives
Clearly, our business executives are too incompetent, stupid and corrupt to run a business by themselves. Factories, workshops, farms etc. should be controlled by those who actually work them. This would also break up the agribusiness monopolies and improve the quality of American foodstuffs.
VI. Re-establishment and increase of the inheritance tax
American society is becoming rapidly stratified, and upward mobility is at its lowest level in decades. The emerging aristocracy must be destroyed before it can assume total control. And believe me, rich kids need a good kick in the teeth.
VII. Strong enforcement of the progressive tax system
Even under the current system, the IRS is owed about $300 billion more than it takes in every single year. If the wealthy would simply pay the taxes they owe, imagine what could be done with $300 dollars.
VIII. Legalization of marijuana
Pot is far less dangerous to health than tobacco and alcohol, and if those are legal, cannabis should be too. Making it legal would also reduce the prison populations by almost 40% in a single day.
IX. Subsidized arts
Increased funding for museums, theater, concerts, opera, etc. No one should ever be so poor that a night watching ‘La Boheme’ is beyond their reach.
X. Changing the national anthem
Make it something singable, dammit. Maybe ‘The House I live In’ or ‘Simple Gifts’
9 comments:
What does legalizing marijuana have to do with making America better? Not saying it shouldn't be, it just seems off point.
I take it you are against the private ownership of just about everything.
I think the 'drug war' is a much bigger part of American society than you realize.
I'm not against private ownership of clothes, books, furniture, etc. - stuff that it makes no sense to make public. But why should we entrust our health and security to a bunch of thieves who aren't interested in us, but only in profit?
I'll look at your points one by one:
I) American corporations will begin to change our energy policy once our SUVs begin to cost too much to fill up at the pump. Until then, all the alternative energy won't so a thing until people actually want to use it. Have not fear, clean energy is coming, but in due time.
Your concerns about foreign policy are valid, but we didn't need to go to war for oil. Misguided foreign policy by our leadership shouldn't be mistaken for a misguided energy policy. Personally, I'd like to see more domestic drilling until clean energy comes to the U.S. to stay.
II) I agree with you whole-heartedly. Though you do not say how this should be implemented, I offer a means: tariffs. Do away with this free trade nonsense and protect American jobs. Corporations will always act to maximize profit. We need to put in place policies that hurt them for taking U.S. jobs overseas.
III) I would disagree. The private sector is much better at providing for the health care needs of the American public. Get the government out of health care and allow health care to endure a market test.
Education is being run by the feds, and to what end? American students are near last in the industrialized world in almost any quantifiable category. We should embrace vouchers to allow the private sector to do the job better, as they have always done.
The same goes for public transit. You do not have an unalienable right to free transit.
IV) Electoral reform is important, but in different ways. We need term limits for all federal representatives, not just the President. Also, judges should no longer serve for life. Their isolation has not been a protector of justice, but rather allows them to do as they please without worry of losing their job.
Your proportionality idea is very interesting, especially to someone who espouses the idealogy of a third party. I shall consider this, but it sounds like a good plan.
V) Assuming for an instant that what you say is desirable, how do you propose to do this? I'm sure the corporations would just let you take away their power. Oh wait, no, they'd leave. Then we wouldn't be industrialized at all, and we'd be really short on tax dollars for all the newly unemployed. A brilliant idea.
VI) The inheritance tax is an unjust policy. The government can't allow people to have money in any form without wishing to tax it. Can't we allow people to pass money or property on when dying without Uncle Sam poking his dirty head in the middle?
VII) A progressive tax provides a disencentive to work harder. For each dollar one makes, more is taken from one as a percentage. This system is inherently unfair, and it's no wonder people try to cheat it. Instead, we should move to a national sales tax which will be less prone to abuse.
VIII) I agree, although, like Tran Sient, I don't know if I'd include this in the big ten. Still, a good idea.
IX) Why do we subsidize some arts and not others? Why do I pay full price for a hollywood movie? Why do we have NPR? The policy of subsidizing the arts is inconsistent and anti-market.
If there is a desire for something, there is no need to subsidize it. If there is no desire, no amount of subsidation will help. Art is important in a society, but we have art already, and art will thrive in a society that values it.
X) There are no problems with our current anthem. Why you would include this in your list of ten is a bit flummoxing. Surely there are more prescient problems.
I was with you on this one, but lost afterward.
I. Find a source of clean energy.
Our dependence on oil and coal has ruined our foreign policy and is destroying the earth beyond the point of repair. Wind and solar power look promising, but adequate funding should be provided for all promising leads.
In the 70's Mobile Oil put quite a bit of investment money on alternative energy research. It was a brutal loss for them. Sad as it is, oil remains the most viable source based on cost.
I'll leave Rovian conspiracies to your side, but... doesn't it seem coincidental that just every dufus buys a Hummer or Suburan, gas shoots up over $2?
It's almost as if it was planned ;-).
If you believe in democracy, you must realize that most of this won't fly. The first politician that runs on a platform of 'Let the Government run everything' will get laughed out of town. This little thing called elections stands in the way. Ask Lyndon Larouche. Nice thought provoking post though.
What? When did I say I wanted the government to 'run everything'? Other than national health care (which many other democratic countries already have) I don't see any great expansion of government influence here.
Don't forget, it's the government keeping big business afloat and protecting the assets of the rich. I'm just taking that away.
Socialized medicine has been resoundingly demolished at the ballot box as well. Even Hillary won't bring it up again.
That's because Hillary wanted a crappy version of it that would still involve private insurance companies.
Public support for Canadian-style health care is about 80% at most and 62% at least.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-10-19-health-poll_x.htm
From the article you linked above:
'That support drops significantly, however, if universal coverage would mean a limited choice of doctors or longer waits for nonemergency treatment.
When people were asked the question slightly differently in a poll a year ago, they were less enthusiastic. Asked if they wanted a taxpayer-funded, health care system run by the government, fewer than half said yes.'
Post a Comment