I was discussing politics earlier with fellow bloggers and I just can’t seem to get a few notions out of my head.  There are things that have bothered me for years and they are the reasons I rarely ever discuss politics with anyone.  I just leave the conversation feeling like I’m going to be ill. I have to get a few of them off my chest.

So if you will please allow me my non-partisan and entirely personally fueled rant, we can get back to what’s important…

…The blogger steps up on his apple box…

To both of our Presidential candidates.  I don’t care which one of you wins this race.  I could give a rat’s behind what your age, color or religious denomination might be. I don’t care if you like broccoli or not.  I will never lose sleep over your gender, sexual preference, sexual prowess or lack thereof. There are just a few things that I would like to see happen in my lifetime, which they tell me is going to be longer than any generation’s before mine.

So if I could take a few minutes of your time, these are the things that I think you should address over the next four years:

Thirteen things I would like to say to The Next President of the United States of America:

Stop talking about improving health care and get to it.

This is not time for a committee.  Free health care is achievable and has been for the last half century.  Every state already has a system in place for giving assistance to those who cannot afford basic health coverage.  Subsidise these entities and give out basic guidelines for minimum requirements. Allow the states to set up their own infrastructures, it’s what they are there for and it will cost a hell of a lot less of my tax dollars than the committee you were planning to investigate the feasibility of doing something extremely simple.  Job done. Problem solved, free health care of at least a basic level for everyone.

Stop spending our money to defend our foreign energy interests and put it into finding viable alternatives.

As far as petroleum goes, we’re running out of time one way or the other. We are currently spending billions of dollars every year to keep U.S. men and women in places which endanger their lives so that we can wait on politicians to waffle out whether their chosen lobbyist has the right idea or not.  This is a screwed up thought process and needs to be evaluated.

Believe it or not, this humble citizen has an idea that might just work.  Let’s put that money into building known ecologically friendly methods of power generation NOW. Take the troops we’re sacrificing on lines that are questionable and put them to the task of constructing and defending this new energy infrastructure. It is their honor and duty to defend the United States and her allies.  It is also their duty to maintain a state from which we are less vulnerable to outside influence, and the U.S. Military is a very, very effective force when a task needs to be completed. No conflict of interest and our service members can be both safe and happy in their jobs while making this country a greater place.

Disband the current political parties, they don’t work anymore.

What the Democrats and Republicans stood for when they were conceived has been diluded over time.  Both of these parties are now in existance simply to draw power from other people with questionable interests. By removing parties altogether and forcing politicians to form alliances based on the needs of their constituants, you might actually force Washington into doing positive things for the vast majority of this country.  Just a thought.

If you insist on leaving parties involved, please rename them to something that fits the meanings and agendas of the parties in question.  may I suggest the “liars” the “cheaters” and for the independents, the “undecided”. At least that way we’d know just what we were voting for.

Make Freedom of religion a reality, not just lip service.

Freedom of religion means freedom of all religions. If it is acceptable for an Islamic group to post signs in a city or neighborhood, it should be legal for Christians, Jews, Hindi, Buddhists, Catholics, Protestanst, Wiccans, Satanists and any other of the thousands of groups out there that do not promote hatred or violence in some way that might harm some person or the stability of this great nation.

having said this, it is also not in the best interest of this country to allow one group to find the other group’s writings so offensive that portions of them should be removed from public places where thay have stood for over one hundred years.  In my opinion this equates to allowing a national monument or historic building torn down because one person in the city thought it was “old fashioned.”

Do not continue to allow the courts to dictate law.

It is not the place of the U.S. Court system to dictate law or to create new laws. It is the duty of the courts of the United States of America to interpret and enforce existing laws to the best of their abilities in an impartial manner. The fact that the U.S. Supreme court has recently moved past this scope is reprehensible. It is reprehensible and appalling that any court int his country should ever do so, yet it happens far more often than anyone should be comfortable with. It is time for the members of court to be held liable for actions such as these, whether they be county circuit court Judges or the Supreme Court Justices of the United States of America.

Make educational excellence a priority that is enforced.

I know that both candidates have spoken on this topic. Our current president swore to be a leader in this field. So did the last. I’m not convinced.

The current state of education in the U.S. does not rely solely on better pay for educators, though they do deserve better pay. It does not hinge on creating a system where no child feels threatened or uncomfortable because someone in class may be smarter than he or she is, and it damned sure will not come from creating a “caring and nurturing environment with a focus on positive reinforcement.”

The brutal fact is that our students are expected to perform at minimal levels with a kind of automaton-like conformity to other students in their particular age group. competition has been suppressed, as has recognition for excellence. The buzz word of the day is mediocrity, and as long as you are mediocre, you will be rewarded.

This cannot be allowed to continue. These are not the methods used by the countries and institutions turning out the best educated young people in the world. As a matter of fact, they are laughed at by most places outside the U.S.

I could go on for thousands of words on this topic, but suffice it to say, the system is broken and it needs to be fixed sometime last week.

Always focus on Domestic Policy before Foreign Policy.

Whether this country is in the middle of a conflict or not, the economy and well being of the people at home must be thought of as the first priority. If it isn’t, how can you justify the life of even one American to defend it? we must always make sure that if we are going to send our young men and women into harm’s way, that they have a viable economy to return home to. If anything, this is the greatest responsibility of any body that asks a person to put his or her life on the line.

Re-examine Tax Policy.

There is something to be said for the flat tax. The current tax structure favors anyone but those who are making a lot of money. From lower to middle class, tax rates rise exponentially. The wealthy, very wealthy and corporations pay diminishing percentages. This does not strike me as reasonable.

it strikes me as even less reasonable that the nay-sayers of this tax structure are the very people that claim that the “little man” is the person that they champion.  When I lived in California, I paid the usual payroll taxes. One to the state and one to the federal government.  I also paid tax on all non-food items. When I was done figuring it up, I paid a total of 40% of my $2,000 per month income to state and federal taxes. Do you wonder why a 10% global tax sounds like a good idea to me?

Lead by example

America and by definition, her president cannot ask the rest of the world to adopt policies we do not strictly adhere to. This is not limited to foreign policy. It includes each and every point we wish to make, from health care and education to energy consumption and reliance on foreign fuels. We must learn to use our position as a global power to lead, not to intimidate.

Don’t call it a “War” unless you plan to win it.

I’m sick of hearing about the “War on Drugs”, or the “War on <insert favorite topic here>”. These are not wars. If they were the U.S. would fight them with the gusto we have always fought a war. That’s the thing about war,  it’s not pleasant. It’s not fun. It’s nothing anyone wants to do, but when you do have to fight one, fight it to win.

In that respect we have lost the war on drugs. It was a war that was never fought. We gave it a lot of lip service and on the surface we might have made a dent, but in the end we accomplished nothing. The same is true of most other internal “wars” we have done nothing but talk and make a few token gestures. If this is a successful campaign then I would like to know what, exactly, a victory is.

Keep your enemies closer.

The U.S. has made a terrible mistake. It has forgotten the value of good diplomacy. It has also forgotten the teachings of the Art of War which states “keep your friends close and our enemies closer”. By this I mean that we have simply decided that our policy towards countries that we have poor relationships with are countries to either be ignored or shunned. this is not an intelligent policy, nor is it doing the U.S. any good in repairing or improving those relations.

The last case in a long line, Cuba.  You go read the statements.  I don’t have the heart to go through it again.

Be unflatteringly honest.

The last president that held office lied to the American public and the world at large. Granted, it was about his personal life, but here’s the thing:

There is no room at all for dishonesty to the people you serve in an office of that magnitude. Period.

You may or may not disagree with me on this one, but I feel the man should have been run out  by his heel.  I feel that any president who lies to us should be, regardless of party, race, creed or any other factor. It might be just me, but  I don’t see any room for that.

Listen to your people.

Last but not least by any means on this list. Mr. Future President, please. PLEASE. Listen to the people of the United States of America. I do not care what the lobbyists say.  I do not care what members of your party say. Hell, I don’t care what the media says. There is a large portion of this country that is underrepresented and they need to be heard, not just given lip service.

these are the poor, or the rural, or the less affluent…  Oh! Wait, they are the people who make this country great, and they deserve a voice. Whether you want to believe it or not, people in Washington have become detached from the every-day American.  it’s time that this disconnection was repaired, because if it isn’t, this country will be a much sadder place to live in.

In conclusion:

Though some may question what I have to say, please let me say this:

I am a proud American, a veteran and the husband of an active duty service member. I swore an oath to this country at 19 years old that I never personally relinquished. I consider this the greatest country in the world, despite its flaws and the fact that I can write this is proof of that.

In the end, Mr. Future President, Both my wife and I will follow what you have ordered this country to do. We will trust in you to maintain peace and prosperity. we will trust in you to ensure that our children have the resources that they need to make their way in a future that still holds the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, because we have both sworn to make sure that it would happen.

And now, Mr. Future President, we expect that of you.

*And the blogger steps off of his apple box and quietly walks away*