John Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980. He was truly a gentle soul. The country was in the midst of a terrible recession in 1980. His lyrics were hopeful and optimistic. His brutal death seemed to usher in a more divisive, materialistic, greedy, selfish, consumer society. Lennon’s lyrics from his song, Imagine, are farther from today’s reality than ever before.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one(John Lennon, Imagine)
The spirit of change that has swept the country offers us a chance to imagine how our country could be.
- Imagine Washington DC not being dominated by lobbyists, lawyers, PACs, money, lifetime bureaucrats, media consultants and political hacks.
- Imagine a Congress that operated under term limits so that high quality people ran for election, knowing that they were giving the country six years of service, rather than seeking a lifetime profession.
- Imagine a President who understands history, our Constitution, and makes decisions based on facts, rather than ideology.
- Imagine a President who would tell the American people the truth, not just what they want to hear.
- Imagine a President that will surround himself with smart, honest, non-partisan advisors.
- Imagine a government that did not spend more money than it brought into its coffers.
- Imagine a government that would get rid of Departments that did not accomplish what they were supposed to do.
- Imagine a government that allowed its citizens to have liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom to live their lives as they choose.
- Imagine a country that was respected throughout the world because of its principles, actions, and example.
- Imagine CEOs who led by example, managed for the long-term, made ethical decisions, and were satisfied with compensation 20 times the average worker, rather than 500 times the average worker.
- Imagine a financial system that allowed failure and did not reward poor decision making.
- Imagine a government that did not bailout companies that should be in bankruptcy.
- Imagine a financial system that did not depend on a Federal Reserve to print money in order to keep the Ponzi scheme going, while devaluing the dollar.
- Imagine a currency backed by gold that would automatically restrict overspending by Congress.
- Imagine a military that was used to protect our country, rather than start pre-emptive wars.
- Imagine what could be accomplished if 50% of the $1.4 trillion annual military related budget was redirected to debt reduction, energy independence, and infrastructure rebuilding.
- Imagine a “Manhattan Project” to develop new energy sources which would eliminate the $700 billion per year that we send overseas for foreign oil.
- Imagine the number of high paying jobs that would be created rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of the United States.
- Imagine the number of jobs that could be created by building nuclear power plants, wind farms, and converting vehicles to natural gas.
- Imagine a simple tax system based on a national sales tax, rather than taxing earnings and investment.
- Imagine Americans who lived within their means, used debt only for long-term assets, and saved for their retirement.
- Imagine Americans who were satisfied with what they have, rather than desiring what their neighbor has.
- Imagine a country where home prices were low enough that someone with an average income could buy a home with 20% down.
- Imagine a country where two cars per household were satisfactory.
- Imagine an education system that produced the best and brightest students in the world.
- Imagine parents who demanded excellence in school, rather than excellence on the playing field.
- Imagine that Americans treated their fellow man with civility, honesty, trust and openness.
- Imagine Americans giving more to deserving charities than they spend on Ipods and HDTVs.
- Imagine a world where people respected all religions and didn’t vilify those with different beliefs.
- Imagine a society where people listened to other opinions, debated issues without screaming, and compromised for the overall benefit of society.
- Imagine that your voice counts, your actions matter, and your opinions are heard.
- Imagine a brotherhood of man where all children did not go to sleep hungry, did not die from common illnesses, and had the love of a family.
I believe that the internet can be used to spread the message of the people. I leave you with more words of wisdom from a Founding Father.
“One man with courage is a majority.” (Thomas Jefferson)
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