Our President will be given four more years to reshape our country, what will or, rather, should he do? He has already saved the U.S. economy, passed a sweeping financial reform, saved the American auto industry from ruin, ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” crafted the Affordable Care Act, almost as sweeping as well Medicare when introduced, gotten us out of Iraq and has begun an effort to improve our public education system.
What should he do in his next term? Here’s what I would like to see:
Reduce the annual and accumulated national budget deficit by changing the tax code; reducing our foreign military presence; eliminating waste and fraud in government programs; eliminating, combining and reducing government agencies; changing our immigration criteria; and discouraging the outsourcing of American jobs while encouraging the creation of millions of new American employment opportunities and creating a broader tax base.
Changing our federal income tax code for individuals by eliminating all itemized deductions (not including the self employed) and credits with only a standard deduction; considering all sources of income equally including capital gains, dividends, Social Security benefit payments, net earned income (subtracting only the FICA), food stamps, unemployment insurance payments etc.; and with only five tax brackets ranging from 10% to 35%.
Reducing our foreign military presence by closing many of our more than 700 foreign military bases especially in Europe and the Middle East. Remove all troops from Afghanistan as quickly as possible and give up on trying to create a new country there. We should also reevaluate our foreign aid and give it only to the most deserving on a very short term basis.
Eliminating, combining and /or reducing government agencies after determining what functions are now being done and which are either duplications of other efforts or have no impact on goals and objectives. Could the Dept. of Education by recombined with Health and Human Services, formerly know as Health, Education and Welfare? Could the Dept. of Energy be part of Interior? Could the many Homeland Security agencies be combined and eliminated? How many federally-funded think tanks do we really need? And we can eliminate most travel for training or conferences by government officials and workers. Should we still produce pennies and nickels when they are not even worth the cost of making them? Should any law enforcement resources be wasted on marijuana when it is more beneficial and less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes, which are considered legal?
Changing our immigration criteria by accepting applicants who have something to offer in terms of talent or skills and not inviting the poorest and neediest to our shores or people who are related to someone already here. We have tens of millions of Americans who are poor and needy, let us help them before adding to the problem. Those here illegally should be encouraged to return to their beloved homeland. All employers should check all their employees‘ status by running an EVerify on them.
Discouraging outsourcing by eliminating all incentives for it and by creating disincentives making hiring Americans more cost effective.
Secure the future of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits for the aged and disabled by raising the salary ceiling for payroll tax deductions and making Americans healthier through improved education, nutrition and exercise, thus preventing the onset of serious and costly illnesses like heart failure, cancer, diabetes and kidney failure. Currently, ten percent of our people account for 67% of all medical costs (five percent account for half of all medical costs). Let us focus on that 10% while keeping the other 90% from joining them. Reduce or eliminate waste and fraud which costs hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
Dramatically improve public education to ensure that every child can have an excellent elementary and high school experience which will produce an adult who can read, write and speak our language correctly; who can do math at least up to algebra - able to easily add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers; who understands how our government works as well as the world’s geography; who can relate to science and its methodology; and who can think critically by analyzing available information and coming to rational conclusions. Make junior colleges free reducing the cost of education and letting those who want a bachelor's degree only need two more yesrs at a four year college.
Reform politics by ending campaign contributions making all local, state and federal elections shorter, issue oriented and consisting mainly of public debates and interviews for the candidates. This will end the influence peddling that currently goes on and will keep the rich from buying elections. It will also end bribery disguised as lobbying. Lobbying would consist only of presenting the special interests’ positions on pending legislation - positions based on actual facts and figures organized in a logical argument.
If President Obama can accomplish these changes in his second term, I think he will be known as one of our country’s greatest presidents and we will begin a neutopia.
