Thursday, May 31, 2018

It is time for change. Real change


For far too long the Democrats and Republicans have failed to put together rational public policy, relying on old ideas, piecemeal products and now are completely unable to work together for the common good. We are well into the 21st century and their policies are still 20th century. There are new problems to face and for us to lead the world in the 21st century we need to tackle those head on and set the bar higher for all of us.

So here is my current rough draft of policy ideas to propel us forward. And all the while knowing that common sense, working with neighbors and allies, treating each other with respect, knowing and respecting our enemies, improving our health, offering opportunity to our children is the way of the future. Business, opportunities, growth, relationships will fall in line once people see genuine ideas with values put into practice.

Some factors to consider. Values cannot be legislated, nor morality legislated, but a society that has them thrives. Education and strong families are the foundation for strong values. That said many of the policies help families to thrive and promote better education for their children. Values are the stones on which we should continue to build our society. Our Republic needs a strong middle class. And that needs policies that support the whole of the country, not just a few, nor can any group be excluded.

I say often that the majority of this country is moderate to moderately conservative, yet policies need to reflect what will work best. Sometimes progressive ideas are needed and other times we need to pull back and regroup, this is why I support the development of two new parties. My thinking will lean to the conservative side; however, our country needs to push forward so I encompass progressive thinking couched in conservative pragmatics.  Eventually I would like to see the creation of two new parties to replace what we have now to continue the give and take of conservative and liberal principles to move this country forward. Right now, I am writing for the development of a new major party that represents the majority that exists today and the need to rebuild the vitality of the middle class.

This is a rough draft and for a change I hope to avoid long verbose commentary. Many of the ideas I will mention here I have written previously. This is a draft or framework pulling from those ideas. I will continue to refine my ideas from time to time. For now, I may reference something from my past writings, so some detail will be missing. Please bear with me and if you want more details email me and I will respond with where to find earlier posts.

And I am open minded. I offer my ideas as a starting point, however, if better ideas to achieve the same goals come along, I am all ears.

Here goes:

I do not believe in term limits and have not written much about campaign reform, but my top of the ticket policy for the new party will be revamping use of money in politics. We need a complete overhaul of what the Citizens United decision did in hiding money from public view. We need to address what can be given and why. I do not think you can dictate a dollar amount limit, yet you can limit the need for excessive spending. Transparency and accountability in every election is key. And fortunately, via social media candidates do not need as much money as they did before. Yet content on social media will also need to be addressed.

Second. We need to rewrite tax reform. What was passed last year was an abomination against the people of this country. It is a wealth grab and blatant attempt to wrest control of this country away from the people. I have written many ideas on tax reform previously and would incorporate those ideas.

Third:  We need to overall the infrastructure in this country. One reason Trump got traction because he flaunted this need. He is right. He hasn’t shown any productive ideas or policies to get it done, but it needs to be done. The aforementioned tax reform that was passed hurts the ability to improve infrastructure so the tools to achieve these two goals should blend together. One idea I mentioned previously to help these two goals leads into the fourth policy

Fourth: We need to strengthen and revamp the social security especially for retirement. Granted most people should shoulder responsibility for saving for their retirement yet having the system in place we have is a benefit. It should not be discarded or watered down. It is more than a safety net, it is a foundation that continues to bolster the strength of the middle class. A strong society that allows people to have living wages plus is needed so people can save for their own retirement, is also a society that realizes things do not always go well. The combination of public awareness and policy and people’s own efforts make us stronger not weaker.

As I mentioned I have written on the topic of ideas two through four. We need to learn to create public policy that incorporates many needs into one plan to help reduce the size of government and bloated bureaucracies. Systematically improving policy will create the secondary benefit of smaller government, reduce taxes, and make it easier for citizens to hold the government accountable to what was promised.

Fifth: We need top to bottom education reform. I have written extensively on the topic and truly believe it is time we make drastic changes to our public education system. The ideas by others abound. There are thousands of papers published on child development, how children learn, learning types, the list goes on. We still use models developed in the 1800’s. How can we expect to thrive in the 21st century when we cannot help a child speak our own language well? That is the start. There is so much more from basic math to civics to theoretical physics that our children need to be exposed. At some point every child should have a taste of what is available, and the schools need the tools to help children find where they will thrive.

Sixth: We need to reduce the size of our federal government. There are many ways to accomplish this goal. It does not have to be overnight, but a systemized plan of combining departments and normal staff reductions by attrition can accomplish much rather quickly. After that prioritizing what is needed for our country helps to determine where resources are allocated.

Seventh: We need welfare reform and in the spirit of combining policy, this is one area where different programs can be combined, and I am not talking combining social security. I should mention that should be reallocated into a stand-alone entity. Welfare reform is not welfare cuts. It is the determination that we want to move people off welfare and improve the standards of all Americans. We have generational poverty and generational welfare families through no fault of their own. A misguided system has created this problem, yet a dynamic country should strive to correct this mistake. I have written about this before and still stand by my ideas. It will take work, yet the work it takes will be the tools to help make the changes along with the previously mentioned education reform.

Eighth: Unfortunately, the Trump administration has created a disastrous foreign policy that attacks our neighbors and friends. This should not be such a high priority, but it has become one. We will need to rebuild trust, trade, and reaffirm our values in our foreign policy to stand up for the oppressed and help build a better middle class for the world. Historically we have spoken these words, but our actions have been inadequate at best. It is time we stood up for our values and show the world what leadership truly means.

Ninth: Economic development and renewable energy. We need to put into place a policy that helps us transition from oil to renewable energy. Oil isn’t going to go away overnight and new technology takes time to develop. The government’s role is help with the transition, so the overall health of the economy continues to grow, and no one becomes displaced or left out as we make the shift. Historically when there are shifts in energy etc., the country that takes the lead in the change is the country that thrives.

Tenth: Our society is ill. We need to determine who we want to become. Words like racism and misogynist are symptoms of a deeper problem and one we should have overcome many years ago. This goes back to the value of the strength of the family. Strong families that have hope, are educated, create opportunity teach strong values and respect for each other. We lost that. We had the opportunity to show the world something special. We need to regain the idea that respect for another person is first and foremost how we interact. You cannot legislate morality and values. Yet, we must teach them. And it starts at home. It has help with an education system that incorporates well rounded ideas and ideals for all. The home is primary. This means families need to know they can go to work and bring home enough not just to eat, but to live. To enjoy their homes, their neighbors, their children’s activities, their towns and cities, the arts, culture, sports, and more is a goal and more than a goal. It should be.

Our Founding Fathers incorporated the phrase: life liberty and the pursuit of happiness not as an individual mandate to be selfish, but as a goal to grow as a people. They gave us the greatest document created by man. We need to step up and put it into action. We no longer can abdicate our responsibilities as citizens. We, the people must act. This is our country and our lives, and no one should take it from us.


Any thoughts?



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