Hmmm. What Political Relevance Is There With The Number 1600 ?
SC6 has reached yet another milestone post - 1600, and still going strong. The goal is to hit Post Number 2009 sometime next year, then we'll decide if it's time to hang the cleats up.... But, to have 1600 come up on the weekend before the Presidential Election is quite astounding. The irony of it all is not lost upon us......
In a mere three days, America will elect a new President. Things certainly seem to be going Barack Obama's way, but funnier things have happened. Either way, I'm writing this letter to whoever our next President is, to offer him a few suggestions once he takes office. I say him in the likelihood of West Rhino's Hillary Clinton comeback scenario not happening...
For as much of a reputation I have as a 'Bad Boy' or a 'Flamethrower', I am actually a pretty moderate and sensible person. To hear the extreme accusations and outright lies being thrown around on both sides really distresses me. My first piece of advice to both Obama and McCain is to ignore those lunatics who are pushing this election to the extremes . My bacis advice here overall is to do like the drunks do - moderation.
There has been an overidding term used this year. Change. You might have heard it once or twice this year. As nice and needed as some change will be this year, I caution against going apeshit and radical with the change. I change my underwear everyday, and it's served me pretty well. I wash them. I get a new pair every now and then, but I don't decide to go commando when they get dirty. The moral? A certain amount of change is always needed, but there are basics that must never change. Always wear clean underwear......
So what am I talking about, besides shorts? While both of you argue over tax credits and exemptions and capital gains taxes, might I suggest that you end the huge mess and just make a Flat Income tax with a single standard exemption. I didn't buy a house for the exemption. I don't plan to have kids for an exemption. I don't invest in a 401k or buy a Prius for the exemption. Just make a simple plan where EVERYONE pays a little tax, and work the budget from there.
Speaking of the budget, stop making impossible promises with no way to pay for it. Be honest. Call a budget cut a budget cut, and stop calling a 6% budget increase (as opposed to 6.5% increase) a budget cut. Don't promise to fix or nationalize health insurance when Social Security and Medicare are going bankrupt this decade. Eliminate the pork and those government programs that are useless.
Find a way to balance the budget again. The Federal Goverment is HUGE !! Major changes do not really need to be made. Small tweaks here and there, with some contributions from every department. Cut the military a bit. Stop raising entitlements by 8% a year. I haven't had a pay raise since 2001, and I'm still here. South Carolina just had a budget pow wow, and they got it done. Get Congress to do the same. Lock all of the lobbyists and special interests that you both use, and trim that puppy down.....
On the foreign stage, finish up what we have accomplished in Iraq, save us some money there, and focus on Afghanistan and going underground in Pakistan and knocking Al-Qaeda out for good with a few select people , not 150,000 National Guardsmen. Do foreign policy like Reagan and Bush 41 did. Talk tough, kick a bit of ass here and there if needed. Look strong on the outside, but work behind the scenes to create an environment of diplomacy between nations.
Most importantly, help the economy by protecting us from both crooked businesses and ourselves. Regulate smartly. Don't go apeshit in either way. Fix the laws that allow businesses charge us 50% interest on our own cars, and $39 for being a day late or quadrupling the interest rate on a credit that we've never been late on.... But don't make America our Nanny State. Goverment is the problem, not the solution.....
In short, the Federal Government needs to simplify. It's big enough that radical change isn't going to fix anything, but more likely, make it worse. Tweak.... Skimp.....Adjust - just like we do when things go to hell...
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4 comments:
Nicely put.You know you wanted to keep going!
I always think there will be nothing to blog about, but something always comes up.
Our foreign policy is the most screwed-up thing out there.
It's ok to send hundreds of thousands of troops overseas and spend tens of billions of dollars, but if we pay a handful of dirty-tricks specialists to handle things nice and neat behind the scenes ... that's playing dirty politics. Can't do that. No, no ... gotta be nice about it.
Black Ops don't make easy targets, but it is the prudent thing to do, no matter how you look at it.
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