7. I would decriminalize marijuana and tax it to death. Marijuana is easy to cultivate and could become a booming new industry in the country. Let’s be honest about pot, it doesn’t hurt anyone. We could use it in place of all those anti-depressant medications constantly being shoved down our countries throat. It would add to the tax pool and help create even more jobs to bolster our economy. This would also help to destroy the Mexican gangs currently making our southern most border a blood bath. We can take the money away from the bad guys and then use it to help fund programs for our citizens. I would put an end to the “War on Drugs” and set free all non violent drug offenders thus cutting down on our prison population. This money could be turned into educational programs to help children understand the dangers of persistent drug use by using facts instead of propaganda and fear.
8. I would insist that we stay out of all other countries’ business unless we are asked nicely to intervene. If Iraq wants us out, then let’s get out. Why are we still fighting there right now? Do you believe it’s going to fall into chaos if we leave? We are not going to be there forever, and weather we are there two days or two hundred years, chaos will ensue. That’s because the land is not ours and we have no stake in it or the oil we went there to steal in the first place. We need to take care of our land and our people. Our opinion does not need to be that of the rest of the worlds. Will we need to be involved in some aspects of the world? Yes I do believe we will. For example a place like Darfur certainly needs our help. But that stems from the fact that they lack basic human rights. They have no clean drinking water and no active sewer system. So let’s start by helping them and all third world countries to get basic necessities they need. When we pick and choose what countries we want to help it breeds anger and resentment towards us. Such anger and hatred for each other is pushing us all to the brink of extinction.
9. I would give all current illegal aliens the opportunity to become citizens or ask them to leave within ninety days. If an illegal does not want to be a citizen he will not receive any health care or other social programs. Nor will any offspring born to them while illegal receive citizenship. If caught, said illegals will be deported and unable to ever attain a visa to return. Currently the number of illegal aliens who inhabit this county is massive and continues to grow. Some are of the criminal element and are circumventing many of our society’s laws. I would then close our borders and make that the responsibility of the armed forces to protect. We would update our immigration policy to allow foreigners a chance to become citizens after they meet an attainable set of guidelines. With the tax revenue that the millions of illegal aliens currently living in our country would provide we could create even more jobs to help protect our shores and citizens. All incoming shipments would have strict verification guidelines. Nothing gets into the country without being fully searched in some form or another. Americans would be able to see that joining the armed forces did not mean you were definitely going to fight a meaningless war. They would be staying home and protecting our country.
Article comments
1 - jacksmith
Finally, the time has arrived to fix Americas Healthcare crisis, and Americas healthcare knightmare. Hundreds of thousands of you are killed needlessly every year by your healthcare delivery system in a rush to profit. And because of a rush to profit Hundreds of thousands more of you are needlessly dying from treatable illness that people in other developed and civilized countries don't DIE! from. Rich, middle class, and poor alike. Insured, and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies.
Additionally, thousands more of you are driven into financial ruin, and bankruptcy just because you, or one of your loved ones got sick or injured. And all of this is happening at a time when America spends twice as much of it's GDP (Gross Domestic Productivity) on health care than any other country in the developed world. Individual Americans spend about ten times as much on health care as any other people in the developed world. This is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. AND IT MUST END!
But before we can truly fix this healthcare crisis and disgrace, everyone needs to clearly understand what the problem is. And everyone needs to clearly understand the real enormity of the problem. The problem is that HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL DELIVERY IN AMERICA IS SEVERELY CORRUPTED AND COMPROMISED BY GREED! AND THE PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MOTIVE. And it is corrupted, and compromised IN EVERY ASPECT, AND EVERY PLACE OF HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL DELIVERY. Unfortunately for all Americans, compromised healthcare ALWAYS results in needless suffering, injury, disability, and or death. Which is exactly what is happening now in America in shocking numbers.
Health care is NOT! a private for profit business. Healthcare is an essential public service. Like police, and fire. And healthcare is also a human right! PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE IS AN OXYMORON, AND AN IMMORAL AND UNETHICAL PERVERSION OF HEALTHCARE AND HUMAN RIGHTS.
So how do we fix this healthcare disgrace? I believe the fix for Americas healthcare disaster is essentially the same thing that every other developed country in the World has essentially done. "NOT FOR PROFIT, TAX PAYER SUPPORTED, SINGLE PAYER, AUTOMATIC, FREE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE FOR ALL. Essentially HR676 (enhanced, and expanded medicare for all). Just like every other CIVILIZED! country in the developed World has. There is no other way to truly fix and reform our current disastrous healthcare delivery system.
All Universal health care systems work best when everyone participates. But I know that the healthcare lobby, and some politicians will try and undermine "Not For Profit, Tax payer supported, Single payer, Automatic, Free Universal Healthcare for all" by falsely claiming that it will limit your choice, and require you to participate.
So, I propose that everyone be included in the national plan unless they choose to opt out. If you opt out and need medical care the national plan will insure your provider that they will be reimbursed under the rules for members in the national plan. But those who opted out, and their insurer will be responsible for the FULL! cost to the national plan for providing your care if you or your private insurer fails to reimburse the provider or the national plan in a timely manor to at least the standards of the national plan.
Including reporting you to credit agencies, withholding of taxes, leans, and garnishment of wages for unpaid medical bills. Just like you have now under private for profit healthcare, and private for profit health insurance.
Further, people who opted out will be required to provide proof of financial responsibility for future illness or be required to participate in the national plan. And everyone with children will be required to participate in the national plan. Or provide proof of insurance coverage on each child to the standards of the national plan. It will be against the law to report anyone in the national plan to a credit agency for unpaid medical bills.
Frankly, only a dope would want to opt out of the national plan and opt to keep our current disastrous private for profit medical, and insurance plans. But they will be free to choose. The most important thing is that the vast majority of Americans that want the protection, benefits, and higher quality of a universal national plan have that choice.
You see, one of the most important aspects of a universal healthcare system is easy access, and patient protection. This is accomplished by having a single payer without a conflict of interest in patient care. And by having a payer who has the power to enforce minimum standards of excellence in healthcare delivery for everyone in the plan. This is much of what Medicare does now for senors. "Aeger Primo" (The patient first). Unfortunately in our healthcare system the patient comes last. We are just a peace of meat to them. Cash cows to be slaughtered for profit.
So this is IT! my fellow Americans, My fellow human beings, My fellow World Citizens. And my fellow Cyber Warriors. :-) The time has come. D day. H hour. HEALTHCARE REFORM THIS YEAR! Let no one stand in our way. Contact your representative and tell them you want "Not For Profit, Tax Payer Supported, Single Payer, Automatic, Free Universal healthcare for all. And tell them you want that choice now. Tell them you want President Obama's budget passed without delay. President Obama's budget is brilliant. And exactly what is needed now.
President Obama, and his allies will need all the support you can give them. The healthcare lobby will try to take out his people if they can, like they did with Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer. And they will try to neutralize President Obama's popularity, and political power. Or they will try to take him down someway. Don't stand for it. If they attack him. Go after them ten times harder and remove them from office. We had an election. And you the people chose President Obama's leadership, and change agenda. Let no one in government disrespect the will of the American people and remain in office.
To President Obama, his Cabinet, the Congress of the United States, and the Supreme Court. I have noticed for some time a disturbing tendency for key members of your bodies to come down with illness, or medical problems at critical legislative times. This may just be coincidence. But I can tell you that there are a million subtle ways to medically injure someone just by doing nothing when something needs to be done. Or by doing things to someone when nothing needs to be done except to give them reassurance. I know for a fact that there are those that would have no qualms about hurting any of you to preserve our current disgraceful medical status quo.
So, I recommend as a matter of national security that you enlist the help of a friendly power to regularly review, and oversee the medical care you receive from your local regular healthcare providers. Briton, France and many other countries have excellent medical providers. As well as Canada. Briton, and Canada may be less of a language barrier for Americans.
Let's get this healthcare reform done now my fellow Americans. This year. Take no prisoners.
God Bless All Of You
Jack Smith -- Working Class :-)
2 - roger nowosielski
Cool article, Brian. Spoken with clear and strong voice.
3 - Joanne Huspek
When are you running?
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
If I were president, I'd just do something about all the problems.
Nice ideals without any practical means of implementation is a wonderful thing to share.
5 - Clavos
Couldn't stand it anymore.
Just couldn't.
6 - Red
Spoken like a true patriot!
7 - diana hartman
Nice ideals without any practical means of implementation is a wonderful thing to share.
ideals are never practically implemented because they're ideals...values, on the other hand (that which we're willing to invest our time and energy in rather than just dream about), are valid enough to at least warrant a step forward - and anyone who doesn't agree would do well to step off out of the way of anyone who did move forward...
brian took the time, which is more than i can say for those who don’t follow up their complaint with anything else...these things may still be far off, or just off, but writing them off gets us nowhere (else) fast...
that a problem can't be solved overnight or resolved completely regardless of the solution is the lamest excuse for doing nothing...
8 - Mr. Dock Ellis
To do all the things you want doesn't require socialism, it requires fascism. I guess that isn't all bad. I mean Churchill did say Mussolini got the trains to run time. However, I'm not sure most people are down with Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot etc. . . To be sure, they all said they'd solve all problems through living space, collectivization and rustification respectively, but we all know were it ended : poverty, insanity and mass murder.
Incremental change works because we can examine problems and gradually apply solutions so too many people don't get hurt if it doesn't work.
Last thing, you say "Lets' be honest about pot, it doesn't hurt anyone." Then later you mention the "dangers of persistent drug use." Well, which is it? Is this good or bad? This seems to be the only conflict in your black and white universe. Perhaps this is nothing, but maybe there needs to be some attention paid as to why this conflict exists.
As to the subject itself, I agree with Bonnie Raitt on this one: "Smokin' that stuff will make you hurt yourself."
9 - Ruvy
Brian,
Stick something in there about leaving us a free hand to kick our enemies' asses and getting out of our (Israel's) affairs, and I'll write your speeches for you.
10 - Jordan Richardson
poverty, insanity and mass murder.
Ah, the good ol' U.S. of A. Last, best hope...? Something like that?
Incremental change works because we can examine problems and gradually apply solutions so too many people don't get hurt if it doesn't work.
Of course, the philosophy of incremental change doesn't quite apply to foreign policy and US intervention in other countries. Now those suckers need quick, rapid change in the form of a dictator or two to help keep the doors open for American businesses. Ah yes, what's good for the goose is...good for the goose.
11 - STM
Brian has some really nice ideas here, but there's a few missing and these would go a long to eliminating many of America's current problems.
First up, you'd ring Liz at Buck House and ask if America could come back to the fold, possibly as the head of the Commonwealth. That solves all the problems of executive decisions, and leaves the government and the president to get on with the job of ... governing.
Second, having got that out of the way, you'd organise to get a proper flag by replacing those stars with a Union Jack to create a Union Jack and Stripes. This is only about aesthetics, and should be regarded simply as a feel-good move.
Anyone who doubts that this is a much better- looking flag should google the state flag of Hawaii for a look.
Then replace baseball with cricket so that you can play a world series that actually does involve the world - or a fair part of it - and when you play Australia, come to the understanding that sport is really about participation, and getting an absolute tonking, not neccesarily about winning.
Put the "u" back in words like colour, honour, etc ... because as we all know, phonetic isn't spelled with an "F". Liz, by the way, would be terribly well disposed to Americans learning the Queen's English.
Part of America's world problem today is that no one else can understand what Americans are saying - especially if they work for the government.
Clear speech is as important as free speech.
Lastly, put the steering wheel on the proper side of the car and learn to drive on the proper side of the road. Be different, and proud.
Voila ... STM's handy home hints for a much better America #101!
Too easy.
Even I'd go and live there.
12 - Dr Dreadful
Put the "u" back in words like colour, honour, etc ...
And 'Labour'?
;-)
13 - STM
Yeah, you're right Doc. It IS a disgrace. Also, no one's ever been able to answer my questions as to how that came about.
We just never spell it here without the U, except in the name of the Party.
Perhaps the buggers just couldn't spell. Back in those days, they were all active trade unionists and very few of 'em would have had private-school educations.
Thanks for commenting elsewhere BTW. The more the merrier.
14 - STM
People will probably think I'm a bit biased (honest, I'm not :), but I reckon this one from Hawaii is the nicest-looking of all the state flags of the United States.
There's just something about it that I can't out my finger on.
Meanwhile, these people are breaking new ground in their bid to turn the United States into a better place.
Some of their ideas might dovetail very nicely with the new, more liberal, kinder, softer and gentler America we're bound to see under President Obama as he makes his planned sweeping changes to the very fabric of American society.
15 - 3344885
I think that you well put the heathcare bill part. but Y should U.S.A go off of some other heathcare bill in some other county. SO WHEAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT SMART GUY. And you jack asses out there think that this guy is right that is bull .
16 - becca
my a lesbion ,so you are saing that if we used this heathcare bill me and my wife could get healthcare .OK so bring on the bill!
17 - Silas Kain
And people wonder why I scream about education so much.
18 - johnn
does #15 have spell check? WHEAT DO YOU THINK?
19 - amaka
wooooooooooooow!!!!!!!so nice i liked i8t
20 - JImDugan
bravo.