Ten-Point Program for Saving America
The presidential candidates are rushing toward the middle in the hope of capturing undecided voters. This is good; Americans are fundamentally a centrist people. Just in case the winner is too tired to remember his platform, here’s one he can use:
1. 100% energy independence within ten years. A massive investment in green technology, pumping up our economy along the way. An “all of the above†approach to energy production, coupled with massive conservation efforts.
2. It’s time for a radical simplification of our tax system. No taxes for anyone earning $50K or below. 10% for those earning $50K and $100K. 15% on all earnings above $100,000 and below $250K. Above $250K, go to 20%. Everybody pays, no exceptions.
3. Fix our public education system. Go into a crash course to boost our math and science and vocational training. Bust up all educational bureaucracy, both administrative and union-imposed. Let’s allow vouchers and start more charter schools.
4. Root out all corruption in public – and private – life. Make illegal all self-dealing (earmarks, etc.). No more crazy pay packages for CEOs – especially the bad ones. TV networks agree to give all candidates for public office a reasonable amount of free TV time so as to reduce the cost of campaigning (and, by extension, the influence of money).
5. Health care. Keep the private insurance or a direct-pay system for those who can afford it or want it, a basic (and government paid for) system for those who can’t.
6. It’s time for the Iraqis to provide for their own security. We can’t afford it. If the Iraqis really want us to stay, then they should take their $80 billion in reserves and pay for our military efforts. As a way of thanking us for removing Saddam Hussein, they should sell the U.S. up to 25% of their oil output at 50% of market prices for the next 10 years – at which point, we’ll no longer need it (see number one, above).
7. Let’s tell the Islamic fanatics that we’re willing to try staying out of their hair if for a while if they stay out of ours. Let’s see if things calm down. But if they continue to make trouble, we need to find Osama bin Laden and deal a crippling blow to al Qaeda once and for all.
8. Finish the fence along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Let those who are here already, stay. We could never track them all down and send them home anyway; besides, we need their help to run our economy (and their taxes to help balance the budget). Start a guest worker system that we can monitor.
9. Engage in a massive reduction in bureaucracy and wasteful spending. Get out the meat cleaver, nothing gets spared. Every program takes an across-the-board 10% cut. We can revisit individual programs after getting to this starting place. But we need to get onto a “pay as we go†system – and then stay there. Let’s start paying down the debt.
10. All citizens agree, as part of their civic duty, to do their personal best to stay mentally, physically, emotionally and financially healthy, to be as productive as personally possible, to stay informed – and vote. Public service opportunities will be made available to all. Those who serve in the military, the Peace Corp, TeachAmerica, infrastructure upgrades and other similar services get free college tuition at public universities.
We’re up against the wall, this will take hard work and common sense. But we can do this. We have to. Whoever wins, let’s all rally to the cause, our next president will need all the support he can get.
