Question: America
is the world leader in exactly what? Your answer cannot be war, because that is
already widely acknowledged. Only positive, meaningful endeavors for which America can
claim pre-eminence in the world can be considered. While this is a very difficult
question to answer, two things come to mind; being the world's leader in imported products
from other nations, as well as being the biggest debtor nation - both are negative indicators
of a nation's economic health.
At the conclusion of World War II, America
projected a sense of strength, purpose and direction; we had confidence in who
were, we had a vision of what we wanted to achieve and how to get it done. That
is no longer the case. Today, America
conveys an impression of a nation that has lost its confidence and is searching
for its lost identity. The former positive vision of the future has been
replaced by uncertainty and a fear of the future.
The American economy and our system of capitalism resembles
a rusting car with 250,000 miles on the speedometer, worn out tires, a leaking
radiator and black smoke pouring out of the exhaust. Our mechanics, the U.S.
government and the president, are trying to fix this wreck by doing more oil
changes, filling the tires with air and changing the air filter when what the
car really needs is a new engine, tires, radiator and exhaust system; or better
yet, trade that old beater for a system that, once again, makes American
manufacturing the driving force of our economy. Only one problem: where can we
find the leadership and talent to make it happen?
Here are but a few examples of why we find ourselves
caught up in this dilemma:
America's aggressive,
media-savvy generals keep escalating and surging but the insurgents remain in
control of their country. This Afghan fiasco is a lost cause but the Pentagon keeps
pumping billions more into that giant furnace that consumes invading empires
that attempt to conquer it. In economics that's called diminishing returns or
throwing good money after bad.
The Republicans continue filibustering and blocking
critical legislation. They keep saying NO because their next idea will be their
first. As nasty and ugly as they have been toward the American people, many of
these same Americans are on the verge of electing the very same misfits that
have been stabbing them in the back.
Millions upon millions of Americans want to get up every
morning and go to work but there is nowhere for them to go unless they want to migrate
to China
to try to reclaim their jobs. And suffice to say, our government and our
president have no idea how to get any of these jobs back.
Wall Street and the banks accumulate billions and enrich
their CEO's but keep the lid on loans to small businesses. They have no
interest or concern about the plight of millions of Americans as they fatten
their own coffers. Real customer service, eh?
The poverty level is now 13.3% or 43.6 million Americans. Today,
the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans owns more wealth than the bottom 90
percent. With this massive inequality of income in America our system of capitalism,
fueled by consumer demand, cannot and will not work. If this poverty level
continues to grow, the violence in America is going to reach epidemic
proportions. And, when that happens, where will the ultra-rich hide?
In the midst of a major decline in ethics and morality in America, churches
in our nation remain silent, afraid to speak out for fear of offending someone.
They are fully aware of America's
illegal and immoral invasions of foreign nations, and the resultant spilling of
innocent blood. Many of these churches who espouse the Ten Commandments seem to
have lost track of a couple of them, specifically; you shall not kill and you
shall not steal. The silence of the American clergy, save for a small minority,
is deafening.
Something is terribly wrong; America is extremely good at
creating and developing weapons systems but those talents, quite obviously, are
not being extended to the creation of new manufacturing industries that would,
once again, bring stability to our nation. America needs a renaissance, a
modern-day industrial revolution, a national transformation; but how do we get
there? The "American Dream" is dying a slow death; you know, that dream in
which you can own a home, have a decent paying job and a good retirement, and each
generation can look forward to a better standard of living than the previous
one.
Things are getting very dismal and depressing so let's
dream a bit and think about what America
might be like if we could free ourselves from the mental prison that is
limiting our vision and stifling our creative thinking; let's dream of a way
for America
to recapture its identity such as portrayed in this scenario:
*In 2012 a new presidential candidate suddenly appears out
of the blue and is elected, a totally unexpected new leader who has the vision
and the determination to transform America from a reactive nation into a
proactive one; a leader who refuses to be dominated by the military and takes
action to end the illegal wars, who will oversee the rebuilding of America's
manufacturing and infrastructure and, once again, honor the American people as
the keystone of our democracy.
*This creative leader quickly adds a Department of Industrial
Development in his cabinet. This department will represent a major breakthrough
in the goal of creating and developing a new industrial sector that will be
manned exclusively by American workers. Outsourcing by transnational corporations
will banned or be severely restricted by new tax rules and the end result will be
a stable, on-going industrial base designed to grow and sustain our economy.
*This president and the Congress finally decide that the
interests of the American people must be their #1 priority. They work together
to completely overhaul the U.S. Senate's outdated, unworkable structure and
rules. The current totally undemocratic system of two senators from each state,
regardless of the state's population, will be replaced with one that has one
senator from each of the 50 states plus additional senators for the most
populous states. The destructive, obsolete filibuster rule will be eliminated
and the Senate will follow majority rule.
*This bold president appoints a special commission, and
becomes its chairman, to begin an immediate study to determine how to
completely restructure the Pentagon and reduce the scope of America's
military operations worldwide. The major objective will be to strategically
reduce our military empire of over 750 military installations to a system that
guarantees the safety of Americans, substantially reduces the more than $1
trillion Defense Department annual budget, and eliminates the need to invade
and occupy entire nations by using new techniques and strategies to deal with
terrorist threats.
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