If I ran America

These days a majority of Americans believe that America is on the wrong track. While we're certainly not in the best of straights I do believe that America is doing okay and can continue to do so. Despite that, if I could pause America, change a few things, and then let it continue, these are the things I would do.

If you find anything you disagree with or would like proof of please ask. Comments are easy at the bottom. I did not cite this article due to its length but all of my views can be backed up by reliable sources. And its entirely possible I was wrong a couple times in here. Point out evidence to the contrary of what I say if you can! I'd appreciate it.

Health

I would set up universal health care coverage for all Americans like most 1st world countries have. Reduce health care costs to levels found in Europe and other 1st world countries. Set up an effective system which reduces the likelihood of insurance fraud. America's health care system is currently rated 37th in the world despite an average cost that is higher per person per year. Not only that but mortality rates are higher in America for many age segments of the population than in many other countries and we're ranked 36th for life expectancy. How does that work out that we spend more but receive less? A difficult problem to tackle but it has been tackled in Massachusetts where over 99% of the citizens have coverage and in Vermont where they recently enacted a Universal Health Care law.

I would make sure that there was education on high fructose corn syrup and why it is a major cause in obesity amongst Americans. I would encourage Americans to eat healthier and reduce subsidies for corn and work on other ways to make healthier foods more accessible and less expensive.

I would try to reduce America's dependence upon prescription pills for mental problems such as depression and ADHD. It is my belief that these are not suitable long term solutions and that encouraging people to use introspection for self healing would be a better solution. That sounds like some quack bullshit to a lot of people but then they're dissing something they've never tried, which is completely free, requires no special equipment or doctors (although a psychiatrist might help some, or a helpful guide), calms the mind, and reduces stress at the least. (I believe one of the main reasons the Japanese have one of the longest life expectancies is probably the zen philosophy that permeates many aspects of their society). Stress is shown to cause many diseases including heart disease and reducing stress would be a very cost effective way to reduce health care costs throughout the nation.

The Middle East

I would attempt to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan with United States pride and status maintained. It is hard to pull out of a war if the country will collapse right after so I would ensure that systems which were strong enough and fair enough to survive world scrutiny were in place. The women from Afghanistan who I heard speak were grateful for United States intervention in their country. They're now risking their lives to take part in a new rising government which is to shape Afghanistan's future. We cannot let these victories go to waste and we are actually creating a better world in some ways with these wars. I would try to speed up the rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure and reduce the dropping of bombs to as little as possible. I would attempt to stop using predator drone strikes in neighboring Pakistan and elsewhere. I would support other revolutions and stop supporting Saudi Arabia until it got its human rights policies on track. I would apologize for the CIA assassination of the democratically elected leader of Iran in the 1950s that resulted in the current state of Iran, which is to say, not very good.

I would stop giving aid to Israel for arms. In general I would not give any aid to any foreign countries that consisted of arms. All foreign aid would have a big "not allowed to be used for guns or armaments" tag attached to it. Aid for food, refugees, water, health care, education, other necessities for life would be acceptable. Of course this raises the question of what to do for countries who might be crushed without arms and that is a prickly issue.

I would also encourage Israel to look for ways to successfully implement a one or two state system in the region reducing bloodshed in the region.

With respect to policies regarding terrorism I would, again, reduce the use of bombs. In Saudi Arabia terrorists are monitored and infiltrated. Cells are kept under watch and followed. This system is far better then the bomb dropping method America has implemented in many places. After you blow up a terrorist cell the survivors move and then America must start its search all over again. More people are encouraged to join terrorist cells and have anti-American sentiments after relatives, friends, and innocent civilians die in bombing raids. If you keep track of a terrorist cell you can see when they interact with other cells and learn more information about the network as a whole. The Saudi Arabians also infiltrate the cells but are far more successful than America because America generally doesn't trust native tongue speakers with sensitive information and white guys who speak traditional arabic instead of local dialects tend not to infiltrate much at all. Because of this I would encourage working with local governments so that those who infiltrate the cells spoke local tongues and America wouldn't have to worry about sensitive information getting into the wrong hands.

Education

Another area ranks rather poorly when compared to other countries is education. I would work to reform the education system. I would encourage the use of memory tricks to ensure children learned faster and more efficiently such as those taught by Dominic O'Brien (which I have used myself to memorize a wide variety of things with great efficiency, speed, and retention rates). These memory tricks also result in increased confidence, increased focus, and calmer minds all of which are rather beneficial traits.

I would look to increase the number of open ended assignments and hands on material available to children. I hope that this would increase interest for children because they would be able to learn things they're more likely to enjoy.

I would ensure all children were well fed because no one can focus when hungry and work on increasing the services to children so that the large majority are relatively happy, healthy, and more in shape to learn than so many in ghettos and poorer communities across America. (Interesting fact in suburban and higher income areas our schools actually are the best in the world, its only in ghettos and poor communities that we lose face and it drops our rankings considerably.)

I would make it easier to fire terrible teachers and encourage workshops for teachers to increase widespread use of the best known teaching practices. If someone has a class where everyone is engaged and learning consistently I would have them try to teach those techniques to the rest of the nation for further use elsewhere. I would keep art, music, and physical education to encourage children to use the right and left side of their brains as well as reflexes and bodies.

Finally I would reduce college costs in America. They've gone out of control. Graduates should not be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt upon graduation. College costs in America are far higher than in most other countries and it is my belief that since college tuition costs go up as banks allow students to take out more money every year for college loans, if we reduced the amount that banks allowed students to take out, college costs would in hand, go down. Its a case where the free market needs a slight guiding hand to ensure the best outcome for the majority of Americans.

Drugs

I would legalize and regulate most drugs and decriminalize the rest. It is time to face the facts whether you agree with drug use or not. Americans, and humans in general, have always been using drugs and criminalization does not decrease use or make Americans safer. Drug use generally only negatively affects the person who is doing the drug and no one else. If this is the case then instead of locking people up who are seeking happiness and putting them through the terrible time that is holding cells and court I would allow drug users to find help at clinics. The money saved from ending the drug war would easily fund these clinics that could provide methadone for heroin users and addicts of other prescription pain killers. These clinics as well as schools could educate the public on the straight and unbiased facts of drug use. Generally they would discourage the use of highly addictive drugs such as heroin, meth, cocaine, and tobacco and point out that when used correctly 'tripping' on magic mushrooms and lsd has had positive effects for many people including the likes of Steve Jobs.

Ending the drug war also reduces the amount of money which goes into drug dealers and criminal hands, reduces the prison population, and increases government tax revenue by creating taxes for the new drugs which are sold. It reduces police expenditures and creates a freer society. The amount of money saved would be great and some of that could go towards the proper education of the public about drugs both prescription and non. Prison is the number one cause for relapse, the war on drugs has failed, cartels get richer every day, deaths and beheadings in Mexico occur at alarming rates, its time to change our stance.

Guns

I would uphold the 2nd amendment rights of all Americans. Despite that I don't think anyone really needs any machine guns. I would step up background checks and waits for gun purchases and encourage the proper training required to handle, maintain, and use a gun effectively and safely. I'm not sure how I feel about conceal carry laws.

Prostitution

Many prostitutes start very young and it is not uncommon for girls who are not even teenagers to be prostitutes. Its the worlds oldest professions and sex is one of the most pervasive elements of our society. How many prostitutes have STDs or get killed every year? This is another instance where criminalization does no good and does not prevent people from obtaining prostitutes. There will always be prostitutes. Lets make it legal, tax it, and regulate it. There will be monthly STD tests for those working and it will make it safer for all people who are involved. If someone goes and gets a prostitute they might end up with a 13 year old girl even if they do not want a 13 year old girl, how often would that happen if they could go to a brothel at the edge of town? Never unless they were specifically seeking underground 13 year old prostitutes who would probably be a lot harder to find due to the reduced profits for Pimps.

Wall Street

I would reregulate Wall Street. I would reduce speculation on commodities and make it harder for individuals to obtain mortgages and loans. Many of the regulations that came to be after the great depression have been stripped away and I would re-implement many of these to ensure that banks weren't betting against their own clients and were building profitable portfolios based on safer more long term bets. I would make it impossible for banks to bet money they didn't have such as before the 2008 crash when some banks were lending almost 30 dollars for every dollar they actually had. The reduction of speculation would reduce prices for oil and many other commodities helping middle and lower class Americans out.

Energy

I would promote Nuclear power and less dependence upon foreign energy sources. Despite this I'm not sure how much uranium is left in the world so I would do some research on that before diving headlong into a nuclear power program. The reactor that failed in Japan was some 30 or 40 years old and did not have many of the safety implements that are now required and would have prevented the crisis that has since occurred. If encouraging nuclear power I would make sure plants were regularly inspected and updated their safety features as much as possible. Obviously cost analysis for power plant safety upgrades would have to be considered.

I would reduce the oil subsidies and increase subsidies for greener energy initiatives. This would ensure that America continued to reduce its use of foreign oil as well as developed products to sell to other countries in the future. Other countries are currently investing heavily into renewable energy sources and if we don't give our own programs a kick start we may fall very far behind and end up being dependent upon other countries for our energy and energy products anyways.

Gays

I would let gay people marry. Gay marriages break apart far less often than traditional marriages. Seriously, its such a nonissue I cannot believe that people still debate it. It is "Land of the free" isn't it?

Immigration

I would reduce the strict immigration policies and promote work programs that would allow foreign laborers to come in and work within the United States with relative ease. Many illegal immigrants actually contribute far more to society than they take out of it because it can be rather hard for them to obtain services Americans have access to. A lot of them also pay payroll taxes they can never retrieve benefits for and immigrants as a whole payed 11 billion dollars in taxes last year, that's 11 billion more than GE who received billions of dollars in government aid.

Job Creation

America's infrastructure is not in good shape. I would hire people to rebuild our roads, bridges, dams, sewage systems, trains, and power lines. This would be similar to the work program initiated after the Great Depression. This would cost money but it has been shown that reducing spending during a depression worsens the depressions, and reduces confidence by other countries in the country (meaning our loan rates would go up). Money that will improve the economy by creating jobs that is effectively spent is not a bad thing to do even with a 14 trillion dollar (and counting deficit).

The Deficit

I would reduce the deficit through reduction of laws (drugs, prostitution) which not only reduces budgets but also increases tax revenues. I would reduce defense spending. I would cut oil subsidies although I would put much of that towards renewable energy investment. I would attempt to cut a lot of the pork from government spending and instead of handing out money to do something with blindly as seems to be the current system, I would require people who have an idea to submit a proposal that would receive money accordingly resulting in less waste. I would create a committee specifically to find out where waste is occurring and reduce it as well as to streamline the government process. Health care and defense costs are currently the largest portions of our budget and if we can reduce the money spent on these then we can cut large amounts of money out of our budgets. As stated before I would work on leaving Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan as soon as possible and not having operational forces in these countries would also reduce expenditures.

Taxes

I believe in equality so I would work on creating some sort of flat line tax. This would mean that rich people would be taxed the exact same amount as less wealthy people. This would be difficult to do because as a necessity lower class persons spend more money on food and entertainment therefore paying more of their salaries into taxes. I would work on coming up with some sort of solution that would account for that. Taxes might have to raise a little bit but people and businesses wouldn't have to pay for health care so the trade off would be beneficial for all. I would also go through and fix the corporate tax code to ensure that multinational corporations couldn't dodge taxes quite as effectively as they do now but also make it fair so that corporations continued to be created and work within the United States. This would be difficult, and I'm not sure exactly what would have to be done for this to occur, but this is what I would work towards.

The Government

I would work for a more transparent government, less intrusive government. You might ask how I can say that after proposing universal health care, clean energy subsidies, and more and to that I reply that I would allow gays to marry, reduce laws, and work towards getting rid of things like the Patriot act that clearly inflict upon our rights. I would work towards a government where people know where there money is going. I would try to reduce the number of bases worldwide for our soldiers reducing expenditures and foreign involvement. Streamlining the government would make this far easier to accomplish. Imagine if the government was as streamlined as Wal-Mart. We'd save billions every year.

The Two Party System

I would get rid of the current political system. If you would like to run for office you would sign up granted you received enough signatures. Clearly not every single person could run and this would require some sort of budget to get a following. Maybe if you were interested in running you could apply for money provided you provided a valid campaign on which you planned to run upon. This would allow even small guys like me to have a small sum of money with which to create websites, run a few ads, and hire a few kids to go around the neighborhoods in order to get signatures for support. After that, those who were accepted would be featured in debates. Every candidate would have the same amount of money and every candidate would be in the same debates. There might have to be primaries before the big debates due to the time consuming nature of large debates for both the public and the candidates. All candidates would have an essentially equal say in the race and would receive the same amount of air time. This would also encourage voters to be educated upon who they were voting for as opposed to voting along party lines. And instead of someone proposing legislation and having everyone vote I propose people propose ideas and everyone works together to create the legislation. Finally this system does not allow for as much corporate influence. I would keep most of the current political structure in place because it does not allow any individuals to gain too much power.

Prisons

I would completely abolish for profit prison systems. These are terrible and result in influence upon judges and communities to imprison more people. Profit should not be a though in anyone's mind when debating the future of human lives (despite how many times it is unfortunately). I would get rid of the death penalty and send convicted rapists and murders to work in Alaska (depending on the severity of the situation. Serial killers and rapers would be good candidates. Rage induced cases are different and depend on the reason the rage was induced. Someone who murders a home intruder I don't believe in sending to an Alaskan work farm for instance.) I would work on closing Guantanamo bay and releasing the prisoners for whom no charges have been filed. I would encourage judges to think and side more with the individual than the corporation and hopefully protect every individuals and corporations rights in the process.

Environment

I believe in protecting the environment. If you don’t, take a trip to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, the Rockies, the Adirondacks, Assateague, the Everglades, Glacier, and all of the other beautiful scenic places in America and change your mind. We need to learn to live more in harmony with the environment.

Net Neutrality

I support net neutrality. I also support bringing America’s broadband speeds up to par with the rest of the world. Although many of the countries that have much faster broadband speeds have far less area to upgrade when they go about it admittedly.

Copywrite Laws

As the internet grows vaster there have been many issues raised about copywrite laws and prosecuting those who watch movies online. I do not believe this is the answer. How about if your movie or game is still being produced then it should be illegal to host it without the legitimate consent of the producer. However, if you’re movie is from the early 90s and isn’t in production then who cares if people watch it for free online. They’ve waited long enough that’s for sure and the only people who stand to make money off the movie anymore are people who are selling used copies and when ever it is played on tv stations. There have been many artists who have adapted to the internet and I think that the entertainment industry is going to have to follow suit. This is a time for creativity, not ridiculous law suits against random people who are doing the same thing everyone else is.

Conclusion

Well there you have it. Over 3000 words of what I would do to keep America on the right track. Now please remember that I'm a 21 year old computer engineering student. There may be a mistake here or there although I do believe that almost everything i have stated can be backed up with good data. Please comment. Tell me what you would do with America if you had the chance.