I specialize in satire, but this isn’t satirical. It’s not funny or sarcastic. Hopefully it is thought provoking. I don't know why I'm still trying, but maybe as long as I still have breath in my lungs I can't help myself... If you can be so kind to take the time, please read on...
Aside from the fact that we're already in deeper poop than that kid from Slumdog Millionaire when he escaped the outhouse, and we have been for some time now due to actions undertaken in our history, maybe we can still make an effort to fix our great nation before it's too late...
People keep telling me to stop bitching and provide solutions, and I keep saying that most of the solutions are unacceptable to the people with wealth and power because they might lose a little of both... Nevertheless, it is time for real solutions and real change and here's some of what I think needs to be done... feel free to comment or enlighten me if you think I'm wrong...
Attitudes that Need to Change:
The first attitude that needs to be adjusted is the concept that the government is our enemy. That's true if you are obscenely wealthy, want to be left alone, want to be free to profit in safety and security provided by a tax-paid military but don't want to be taxed at all to fund that military, and feel you are above any law. For the rest of us, however, Our Government is not our enemy - it is OURS and it is supposed to serve us and provide things the free-market cannot or will not - which it can do if we demand it and get the "monied interests" that Jefferson warned us about out of it. Legitimate governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, just as it says in our Declaration of Independence.
Expansionism and the misguided concept of Manifest Destiny set our nation on the wrong path and we became downright Imperialist in our quest for increased commerce and profits... in the process we claimed global leadership and the moral high ground, along with the "right" to interfere in other people's business - which, unfortunately, traditionally has only been for purposes of blatant greed and not related to freedom, democracy or human rights - if human rights were the issue the first country we would have bombed and invaded would have been Saudi Arabia. In addition, places like Taiwan and Tibet would be free countries and other nations would be stable, functioning democracies, including Cuba, Iran and all countries in Central and South America.
Third, we must come to terms with the fact that the United States is not the be-all and end-all, with morally superior chosen-by-God people that are without a doubt better than everyone else, that always thinks of the children and always does what Jesus would do. While many Americans may in fact be pious and follow spiritual or religious beliefs, the interests in control are nothing more than greedy, hypocritical, common criminals and they are the ones manipulating the discussion and policies, and it needs to stop. But first we need to acknowledge that the powerful do things that benefit the powerful and when things are done anywhere, domestically or internationally, chances are 99.9% that it is not for the children or in the interests of freedom and democracy, despite the rhetoric we are inundated with through their biased, corporate-controlled media.
Things that Need to Change:
Redesign our Political System:
- We must revamp our political system and do away with career politicians from two sides of ONE CORRUPT PARTY. Term limits need to be instituted for Representatives, Senators and Supreme Court Justices. Military service (or approved and verified community service) should be a requirment to run for and hold public office - this might on its surface seem stupid or petty, but people that have served in the military are more likely to be diplomatic rather than hasty in starting wars or sending other people's kids to war. On the reverse, records prove that our most pro-war politicians have never served in uniform and a great many ducked out of service when the opportunity presented itself (and chances are their own kids have not and will not serve either).
- All members of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches, along with all their staff members (and immediate family members) should be restricted from holding stocks in any company whose share prices would be impacted by legislation they are, or would be involved in, proposing, passing, signing into law or reviewing through the judicial process. They get paid very well - much higher than average Americans - that should be sufficient for them - that's the "service" part of public service and should not be too much of a sacrifice while holding office. Violations of this law should be a felony, with instances involving companies that make weapons or war materials a capital offense.
- Mandatory and independently verified drug testing should be immediately instituted for all members of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches, along with all their staff members - or outlawed for everyone except those persons operating commercial transportation or heavy equipment, with sobriety testing done just prior to their shifts or flights, etc., but at no other time.
- The American political system needs to introduce viable 3rd and 4th parties. In addition, all presidential candidates should be required to participate in debates, not just Democrats and Republicans, with questions posed by truly independent, unbiased actual journalists, historians and economists. Only questions related to public policy in a Democracy and administration of government should be allowed and no mention of a candidate's religion or questions requiring a religious precept or opinion should be included.
- Outlaw lobbyists. Let the free-market system function as a free-market system and let supply and demand, consumer wants and customer service & satisfaction dictate who succeeds and who fails.
We must revamp our education system to one that actually educates. Independent Critical Thinking and Creative Minds might be dangerous to those in power who have all the wealth but they are the only things that will advance freedom and democracy, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity and get us out of the mess we are currently in.
We must create a truly independent, government-run and operated print, radio and television media and populate it with truly independent, unbiased, actual journalists, historians and economists, not political pundits or corporate shills posing as journalists.
We must reverse the Supreme Court decision that gave the same Constitutional rights that Citizens have to corporations. Citizens deserve the rights and protections detailed under our Constitution - corporations do not.
We must abolish the Federal Reserve. Volumes have been written on this subject, look them up. The bottom line is that it is not "Federal" at all other than in name; it is a private bank that railroaded Congress, Woodrow Wilson and the People into claiming the unjust authority to print U.S. currency and "lend" what should be the People's money to the People at interest - thereby perpetrating, for all practical purposes, an economic coup of our nation and starting us on our road to insurmountable debt. The U.S. Treasury should authorize, print and regulate the People's money - and the People need not pay anyone a profit for that.
End all Income Tax. This eliminates one Class Warfare argument. In addition it is and has been illegal since the 16th Amendment authorizing income taxes was never properly ratified under our Constitution, it was just bullied into existence, then enforced by a corrupt, tyrannical IRS.
Institute a National Sales Tax. If you buy it you pay a tax on it - with the exceptions of food, clothing, shelter, medication and specific healthcare items approved by the People as recommended by qualified medical professionals, not lobbyists or insurance companies.
If we are truly at a point in the evolution of "civilization" where we cannot survive without banks then they need to be regulated and limited in power and scope, with fees on all their services, including credit cards, capped so as not to gouge consumers - we have laws preventing price gouging on things such as gasoline and generators after natural disasters like hurricanes, the current economic crisis should be no different - except this isn't a natural disaster, it was perpetrated by the same small group that has profited, is profiting and will attempt to continue to profit off of it at our expense unless we stop them through an efficient, functioning government accountable to the People.
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