23) A Marshall Plan should be initiated in pockets of poverty and unemployment here in the US, and infrastructure 20 year bonds issued in small denominations for common citizens to purchase.

24) NCLB should be scrapped and federal assistance to states increased for the purpose of restructuring curricula to meet the unique needs of each of the local districts that most require enterprising approaches.

25) Levy a luxury tax on automobiles that do not adhere to an average MPG of 25.

26) Strongly urge, not mandate, all states to adopt and enforce a law against automatic weapons for hunting. Call upon the NRA to help in this initiative and request their help in monitoring gun shows in violation of the waiting period.

Elaborate 23:

For those who argue against public projects, can they defend the construction of casinos, elaborate hotels, and stadiums, in lieu of the needs for public housing, improving railroads, supporting small farmers with grants for more efficient equipment and soil enhancement, finally doing something about the appalling poverty in Appalachia, developing the long promised greenbelt cities, massive need for correction of schools in disrepair? If private enterprise is so valued, why is it that it is so adamant in taking on the obvious needs of public property? Could it be that the government contracts are not sufficiently lucrative and carry plausible limitations? Touting Infrastructure Bonds would be similar to War Bonds during WW II and create a spirit of action.

Elaborate 24:

Public education for two hundred years had been the spinal cord of democracy. To excoriate and abandon it, borders on the unpatriotic. NCLB is much too negative in that it does not account for the innumerable affective variables in the cognitive development of a child. Furthermore, it is insulting to the profession as it presupposes that little of value has gone before. A new positive proposal should take into account the shabbiness of so many physical plants, especially in inner-city schools, is depressive to the learning challenge. Head start is a crucial factor and the age of entry should be lowered and greater access to the program. Evening programs designed to get parents involved in the learning challenges children face and corrective measures needed. After school tutorial help is essential, especially for poor children who return to a two-income or single parent unsupervised home. Curricular alternatives are needed for children of immigrants and those without basic academic skills. Incentives must be developed for teachers to opt for difficult, challenging schools. Class-size, too, should be prioritized for these difficult schools. College loans should be interest free for students committed to at least five years in the teaching profession. There should never be a shortage of updated textbooks in any school, nor should there be texts distributed to fit all. This leads to the significance of computer programming and teacher-aides to help individualized instruction.

Elaborate 25:

This is not a hardship, considering before Nixon there was always a federal tax on all automobiles. With all the hoopla of energy independence, there is no better way than to recapture the spirit of the 70s when all motorists were conscious of the imperative for energy efficient cars.

Elaborate 26:

How long must this phony culture war go on under the guise of the second and tenth constitutional amendments? No one is even questioning the controversial interpretation of the second amendment that the right of militia includes individuals. The point is in the right to bear military-like automatic weaponry under the guise of these amendments. The memory of the Columbine tragedy has been deleted from the nation’s consciousness. Nevertheless, an assault weapon against a harmlessly grazing doe — even the mountain lion — is unacceptable.

Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 2, 2004.