To crudely paraphrase Jefferson who said there should be a political revolution every generation to keep government on the path of integrity. The current political scene surely is probable cause for a revolutionary change in the ways things are done or more so not done.
Foreign Affairs
The Afghanistan conflict now in its fifth year and proportionately just as bloody as Iraq is essentially a forgotten war. Though we try to give aid and comfort to its people, it is cumbersome and mostly ineffective because there is no true national infrastructure to fairly meet required needs. The tribal systems there are brutal and highly defensive and suspicious of change for the better. Short of total war — the Soviet experience has taught us this to be impossible — the best we can do is set up international humanitarian organizations to soften the drudge of the country’s destiny and begin pulling out NATO and US troops and let the Afghans try to improve their lot on their own. If they have no will to defeat the Taliban insurgency, so be it; and if Al Qaeda dares to set up training camps they will be annihilated.
Enough already with Iraq. Bring the troops home at a rate of a division a month and end our presence including the coalition there by Christmas. We gave Iraq regime change; it is now up to the new government to evolve into anything it so chooses — even if it means civil war. It should not be our business to see that they become truly democratized. Today’s nation building is never going to reach the magnificent level of MacArthur’s installation of Japanese democracy. As for nation building, it must cease. If we cannot work through international peace organizations to better the lives of unfortunate nations — including Cuba and Haiti — we must announce to the world that we have enough domestic problems of our own to take care of without getting involved in other nation’s shortcomings, yet never abandoning humanitarian assistance.
Iran and North Korea are their own problem, not ours: they know full well the disastrous consequences of renegade actions. Our commanding position in atomic power should be sufficient to stem the tide of our paranoia over every country that wants its own atomic defenses. More important is to concentrate on an accounting of nuclear stockpiles that terrorists conceivably could get their murderous hands on.
We must put an end to the “War on Terror” across the globe and settle for a viable enclave of home defense, particularly in securing our borders and seaports. Nations that are infiltrated by Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations should deal with it themselves or request UN and US action. However horrendous September 11th, it is unrealistic for us to attempt disruption of the entire globe and to expect sustained universal empathy. It is history that we must learn to live with.
Home Affairs
On the home front, what’s good for seniors is good for the country. The Medicare system should be extended to all without a cost effective insurance plan. The current Medicare payroll tax for younger people would remain the same but a plan B would be instituted for those without insurance and taxed accordingly and incrementally. There should be a moratorium initiative on public debate concerning pro-life and pro-choice while a special commission is set up to resolve the issue through reasonable compromise. So, too, should debate on cultural values that really have no relevance be curtailed.
The time is ripe for the nation to get down to business and revitalize its industrial base out of a sense of pride, defense and renascence of the middle class. In the meantime, by attrition exports should be minimized. A nation loses its greatness by idle hands when reliant on others to satisfy our endless consumerism. Restoration of the great American capital/labor tradition and innovation is essential to a thriving economy of real goods and services into this young century engraved with craft and knowledge made in America.
Public education served the needs of this country for centuries until modern complexity of special needs — handicapped, learning disabilities, the bilingual incursion, poor home support — overran it. Too many inner city schools are in disrepair and operation poorly credentialed, requiring massive federal assistance, along with scholarship incentives to draw in better instruction. Suburban schools also need more monetary assistance since the local and state school taxes have reached a saturation level. The current frenzied approach of testing is of no consequence without a national commitment to facilitate a scholarly and vocational environment.
All we ever hear is that social security is in trouble without ever noting that it is a substantial contribution to the economy. The actual cost is somewhat irrelevant in light of the spinoff effect it has in creating millions of jobs and freeing the younger family members the burden of caring for their elders. In addition, it loans billions to the government, preventing the need for higher taxes. It is true that the baby boomers will unduly tax the system, but on the other hand, it must be noted that they will be much better off and educated than their forebears who will have left them modestly sizable estates. Of course, in order to counteract the reduced ratio of workers and retirees, additional retirement accounts must be mandated at the age of twenty-five. Even the lower wage worker should be expected to contribute to an IRA at tax time, and if necessary some kind of matching fund by the government.
In conclusion, this is but a partial list a liberal kook as I would propose to direct the greatest nation the world has ever known.
Copyright © 2006 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 23, 2006.
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