It’s that time of the year, the time we set aside to sit down and write our New Year’s Resolutions. I decided to do something different this year. Instead of deciding on a set of resolutions for myself, I decided to write a list of resolutions that would be good for the country, presumptuous, I know, but necessary. If everyone wrote a list and sent it to their representatives in both the House and the Senate, and the executive branch maybe we could provide the country with direction and make sure that our representatives spend less time posturing and more time writing and passing legislation that puts the country back to work. Here is my list of ten, I’m sure you have your own.
1. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – We need a stimulus package large enough to accomplish two tasks. The first is obvious, put people back to work. The second part of the stimulus package should provide earmarked funds for infrastructure, especially green infrastructure. We need to move Americans out of their cars and into light rail. We need smart roads and bridges that control traffic and prevent congestion. And lastly we need alternative means to move people by building neighborhoods that provide work, schools, shopping near enough to housing so that the car doesn’t have to come out of the garage for a quart of milk.
2. The government needs to use grants and tax breaks to encourage green energy. Too much of this nations treasure is going to countries whose foreign policy is geared to work actively against the goals and ideals of the United States.
3. The innovations and prosperity of the second half of the twentieth century did not come by accident. By using the GI Bill the government t provided and educated workforce that put a man on the moon, computers on every desk and the internet into every home. Programs like the Dream Act have to be pushed through congress. Funding education and teaching the fundamentals of math, science, English, music and art should be encouraged. Grants, scholarships and government guaranteed loans need to be easier to obtain but we must put into place stringent requirements for repayment.
4. Paying for the programs above would be easier if we walked away from two wars that are costing this nation the respect of the world and too many dollars.
5. Most of the rest of the world has accepted that Health Care is a right of the citizenry. The United States cannot be a country
where only the rich can afford the best healthcare. Charitable institutions cannot handle the numbers of citizens who are currently without health care. The last congress passed a health care bill that was incomplete and only the first step on the road to providing our citizens with the rights enjoyed by other democracies. Despite the fact that top notch health care is available in the United States, it is not available for everyone. According to the World Health Organization the United States ranks thirty-seventh in health care among countries in the world. We should be ashamed. How can we hold up our head in the community of nations where we rank number one in weaponry, and thirty seventh in the health of our children?
6. Social Security needs to be protected. Social Security is a promise to our citizens in the form of insurance for which they pay premiums out of every paycheck in exchange for and old age pension. Yet it is expensive and because of the population shifts in favor of the old over the young, could soon begin to run in the red. Add that to unfunded programs like Medicare Part D (prescription drugs) and we have a huge fiscal liability driving us into debt. Right now the Social Security tax is paid on only a portion of our income. Once you cross that threshold, no more social security tax. My suggestion would be to pay social security tax on your entire income thereby eliminating the threshold and bringing more money into the program to balance the funds outgo. My second suggestion would be to have the government buy all drugs wholesale at the type of prices negotiated by other Western Democracies. With drugs at a lower overall cost, the amount of money the government would have to shell out for prescription drugs would be reduced and the amount of co-pay coming out of the citizens pockets would go down.
7. The programs helping homeowners with underwater mortgages need to be more effectively administered. The money isn’t going to where it should go, namely the homeowners.
8. Tax breaks should be given to all companies who bring jobs back to the United States. On the other hand, companies who outsource jobs overseas should pay larger tax bills. Loop holes that permit large US corporations to get away with paying little or no taxes should be immediately closed, no exceptions.
9. After this two year extension is over, tax breaks for millionaires should be eliminated. No wailing, no gnashing of teeth, just gone.
10. Until the unemployment rate goes back down to 8.5%, unemployment stipends should be extended. Trade apprenticeships and green technology jobs should be funded through legitimate trade schools and junior colleges. Retraining of the unemployed who were put out of work because technology took their jobs should be paramount.
Now you have heard my top ten list. What is yours?
AC Katt’s novels can be found at www.ackatt.com and www.captivapress.com. Shattered Glass is available in both Kindle format and paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook and paperback at Barnes & Noble. Both formats and others are available from Captiva Press.
I enjoy hearing from others about my blogs and books, write me through my website or through mlhansel@msn.com.
It was supposed to be all about “jobs.” That promise made to voters before the November 2010 election has been largely ignored by the new Republican Congress, state legislators and governors.
