Well, the Democrats are partying in Denver and the Republican bash is just around the corner. It’s far to early to see what changes will be wrought, but I am cynical and really expect it will be “business as usual” with all the change trappings. Been there, done that and heard all of that before! We need solutions and leadership. The “change” mantra is simply a smokescreen. What was the expression? Something like “while Rome burns…”?
As I see it, there are a number of critical issues which none of the politicians will address. There is collusion between both political parties, I fear. I expect this will continue indefinitely unless external forces come to bear or a third political party puts the entrenched politicians against the wall. As it is now, Party R gets elected, screws things up, and then passes the baton to Party D. This cycle goes on forever. Bash the other party and tick off the electorate, and the baton gets passed to the other guy (or gal) and so on.
Here are a few issues which I suggest be addressed as “critical”:
- Social Security and Dept. of Health and Human Services. I put these first, as they are absorbing ever increasing funds. It is only a matter of time until all US taxes go into servicing these and the national debt. So if we want anything else to occur in the country, we need congress to close the loophole which permits them to “borrow” from the SS trust fund while simultaneously increasing the revenues to that fund or reducing entitlement payments, or both. But first we have to keep our congressmen and Senators from stealing from the trust fund. Note that this "stealing" is required under law - aren't our politicians crafty? Under US law, all surpluses in the trust fund; that is, any money that is collected as social security "taxes" and not paid out as benefits are required under law to be spent. Then a special form of IOU is put in a drawer. This system allows the money collected to be used for other purposes. Those purposes are selected by Congress, and include pork barrel projects such as bridges to nowhere, etc. Yes, Virginia, your Senators and Congressmen are on a daily basis spending your social security benefits. So where will your retirement benefits come from when, in the future, you retire? Why, from the social security "taxes" collected from future workers, such as your children and grandchildren! What you say, that sounds like a Ponzi scheme? Well, you are absolutely correct. That is exactly what it is! But isn't a Ponzi scheme illegal? Yes, it is, but be clear, Congress makes the laws. So this Ponzi scheme is legal.
- Energy. We have been propping up non-democratic governments all over the world for decades because the American citizen is addicted to oil. What regimes, you say? Those friendly regimes in Iran, the “old” Iraq, Russia, Venezuela, African Despots…. The list goes on and on. Presently, the entire US auto industry is in the tank and with it a sizeable chunk of American manufacturing, because it is based on selling us what we want, which are gas guzzlers large and small. OK, so you say you have a Honda Civic or a Toyota Prius. I’m sure you feel good about that. However, they are still guzzling gas. So where to go from here? How about a crash program to get automobiles off of gasoline and diesel within 10 years. That’s right, no more gasoline! And sorry, Ethanol from food or feed stocks is not the answer. The answer lies in true alternatives and that includes the electric car. However, the numbers I have seen indicate that an electric car requires 200 watts of power to go a mile. Americans drove 250 billion miles in June 2008 per the fwha.dot.gov website. That would require a lot of electrical energy. So it would seem we are going to need a lot of power plants, and so that also has to be part of the solution. Oh, and by the way, there is a question that the current electrical transmission system is incapable of supporting the wind generators planned for this country! So how is it going to support any of the other energy initiatives out there? (Note: Using DOE data for 2006, the U.S. consumed 20.7 million barrels of oil per day, about half of which reputedly goes into gasoline. The U.S. was the largest consumer of oil of the top 18 consumers. The U.S. consumed 33% of the oil in that group.)
- Health Care. What a joke! The politicians (that’s our Senators, Congressmen; the Democrats and the Republicans) have successfully turned this into a debate about insurance. As in, somebody else should pay. I don’t see insurance as the major problem here. True, if you don’t have insurance, then you can only get health care if you can afford to pay for it. However, the problem is, no matter if you can pay or not, quality health care is not available universally in the US. It starts with the AMA which is responsible for policing itself. Sorry, that is like letting the wolf into the hen house. If taxpayer money is to be used to fund doctors, hospitals and so on, then there must be federal mandates and licenses. Look, we have OSHA, MSHA, and the EPA to keep businesses in line and keep workers and the environment safe. So why not protect our citizens from incompetent medical practitioners? Why not have some standards with TEETH!
- A shift in foreign policy. We are no longer the 800 pound gorilla. We need to adjust to the new world order. Governments in Europe will continue to operate like the small duchies each is descended from. As Europe is energy starved and dependent upon Russia for much of their energy needs, all Moscow needs to do is jiggle the handle on the spigot and the Europeans will fall into line. The Chinese will eclipse everyone else on the planet, as they have sheer numbers. The Chinese government is godless, capitalistic and communist. It does not respect western law. Actually, after viewing the Olympics, I am of the opinion that it is somewhat schizophrenic. A global reaching “superpower” in the making which operates like a third world country. The Middle East is locked in a stranglehold or some sort of Russian roulette and will not be resolved in our lifetime. South America is owned by despots or the wealthy elite and that struggle will continue. Africa is the source of much human suffering on the planet and really needs help.
- Tax Law. The current tax system is stupid. We need a flat tax. Consider a tax on consumption. At present, work hard and we will tax you! Make more and we will tax you more! At present, savings are taxed. Think about it. Spend money and the US government gives you the nod. Save it or invest it, and any earnings are taxed. Seems like Congress has this one pegged. Tell us to save, but punish us if we do. Tell us to consume less, but provide incentives, such as allowances for home mortgages. Lest you misunderstand my view, I have no love for the rich, although neither presidential candidate is willing to definitively state what “rich” is (I exclude the recent comments of Obama and McCain as off the wall and not definitive).
- Overhaul the system which provides our military with soldiers. As I see it, the current system is why we are in Iraq. Make military service mandatory for each and every citizen. No draft, simply mandatory service.
- Education. According to census data, about 9.8% of children age 16 to 19 are high school dropouts. Parents, government and the taxpayer have abrogated their responsibility. Of those that do complete high school, how many have any critical thinking skills? How many can have a serious financial conversation? How many are ready for their roles as citizens who will do their part for society? How many can successfully raise the children they are more than willing to have? I am of the opinion that the entire education system and that includes parenting, is a disaster. We need trade school programs as not everyone will or should go to college. But it begins with parenting. Schools cannot replace parents, no matter what anyone says.
- Immigration. The current system is a disgrace. Politicians march for immigrants, blurring the distinction between illegals and legal immigration. Too many businesses and individuals thrive in the current system. Need workers? Go to the local shopping mall parking lot, pick up one, two or a dozen for the day and pay them wages which are a joke. No worker’s compensation, no insurance, no income with-holding and no social security or FUTA taxes to pay. In the process, displace legitimate businesses that legally use legal citizens or immigrants, pay all the taxes and insurance. For years I had restaurant owners telling me about the illegals they were using in their businesses, my accountant told me he could spot them on the payrolls (work for 8 weeks and on the W-4 claim 8 dependents, then move on to another business under another name). As usual, in the present system, legitimate immigrants and businesses are penalized. Look, somebody is hiring those illegals, otherwise they would not be here. Yes, there are reasons we hire them. Many are hard working, and attempting to get people off of the dole is becoming impossible, so we hire hard working illegals. That does not make the system proper or right or ethical or moral.
- Education requirements for adults. Want to get married, purchase a home, etc.? Perhaps we need something akin to a drivers license. As it is, when the proverbial feces hits the fan, everybody stands up and claims ignorance. "I didn't understand what I was signing". "I didn't understand that having kids would be like this." In the end, the argument is to the effect that "I simply didn't know what I was doing". A sort of economic insanity plea. Well, that one needs to be stopped. If it is expected that the taxpayer is to bail out homeowners, unwed teenagers, raise parentless children, etc. then perhaps mandatory, specialized education is required to assure that people can't use the "I was ignorant" argument to avoid their responsibilities.
- National ID. I know, this one is a hot button. However, we need some sort of system to protect honest citizens from the sharks out there. At present, it is far to easy for someone to steal my identity. At present, it is far, far too easy for criminals to impersonate me, steal my identity and after creating havoc with my life, move on to perpetrate the same on the next victim. I then get to clean up the mess. Our Congressmen and Senators solutions to date have been feeble at best; I'm supposed to purchase insurance from credit agencies and bankers and the like. This does not prevent my bank accounts from being cleaned out, it simply provides me with something like health insurance for my identity. Well, we all know the benefits of health insurance. How about a little prevention here, with TEETH instead of the after the fact approach?
A few links:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/assets.html
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/51264.pdf
http://voxbaby.blogspot.com/2005/05/what-is-social-security-trust-fund.html
http://www.kidscount.org/cgi-bin/aeccensus.cgi?action=profileresults&area=00N
http://www.divorceinfo.com/letthesunwork/challenge/reserves.htm
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jun/consume.htm
Hey Dude!
ReplyDeletePerhaps we can get Barac and company to read your post!