I guess I still can't believe that four and a half years later that the man directly repsonsible for the 9-11 attacks is still at large and our leaders have taken their eye off of what should be the real focus of the War on Terror: the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I have to admit that I was heartened to see airstrkes by the CIA there a few months back even if they missed the Al Qaeda number 2, Ayman Al Zawahari. I hope these operations will continue in earnest.I talk to my friends who are supporters of this administration and they really believe that fighting in Iraq is the same thing as fighting anywhere in the War on Terror. They are wrong. It is a failed policy and, sadly, we will all know it when, not if, another major attack happens inside our country. There will be even more heart-wrenched families like the ones who currently testifying at the Moussaoui trial (left).
But out of this depression I began to imagine what our next president could be like. I guess, as a proud American, I have always wanted to look to our president as a person of great intelligence and honor....a leader who I will proudly follow. Rather than focus on the shit we are in right now, I began to feel hopeful as I imagined President Perfect and wondered what characteristics make a great president. And what would I like to see out of our next president?1. Strength WITH Intelligence. I want a president, preferably with military experience, who will truly understand the conflict that we are in without being sullied by corporate interests. We are quite literally in a fight of good vs evil and we need to have a leader that understands the complexities of the region. I am absolutely for using the military when we need to but it has to be in a thoughtful and intelligent manner.
2. Homeland Security. The ports fiasco has shown how absolutely porous our borders are. More funding needs to be given to beefing up security on our borders. We need to have a leader who makes this a top priority.
3. Health Care. The state of Massachusetts recently passed a Universal Health Care bill. The first thing the next president should do is insure all children immediately. If we can spend billions of dollars on weapons that don't ever get used, I think we can spare some change to give the nation's children free health care.4. Education. My ideal president would come up with a national education system that is totally new....something that would challenge the norm and re-write how we think about knowledge. People in this country need to be smarter and I would like to see a president who speaks to this.
5. Green Friendly. Whatever is causing global warming, it IS happening. We need to take better care of this earth. We are not doing it now and things are going to get worse if we don't work to understand exactly how global warming is affecting our environment. Again, money that is wasted in the military can be spent on developing strategies to take better care of our planet. Make no mistake....I am not so vain as to think the human race can destroy the planet with our current horseshit attitude about the environment but we will destroy our ability to live comfortably here. I would hope that my President Perfect would feel the same way.
6. Socially Liberal. The time has come for us to recognize that other people's sex lives are nobody's business....least of all the government's business. I see President Perfect as someone who keeps the government out of people's private business. If someone is not harming anyone or disturbing minors, then they are free to be married, be in a civil union, or do whatever they want to do. And if Joe or Jane Evangelical is offended by this, then they can FUCK OFF! And while we are on the subject of religion....
7. I see my ideal president as a person of PRIVATE faith. And I would want the president to keep religion and government as far apart as possible. There will be no references to God in any public institution. That is what church is for. My ideal president would basically bitch slap the evangelicals and their Nazi-esque agenda of enforcing their morals on me.8. Energy independent. The country of Brazil recently became energy independent using sugar for fuel. That is what this country needs to do. The next president should put us on a path so that we don't have to be beholden to oil interests that directly threaten our nation's security. President Perfect will have no ties to the oil industry.
So those are just some of the traits I would like to see in our next leader. I guess the next question is....is that person out there? Cynics would say that all the good people never run for president but I believe there are several outstanding candidates, on both sides, that I would like to see as president.
What do you think? What would you like to see in our next leader?
3 comments:
President Perfect would:
1) Never utter grandiose statements such as "health care for everybody" or "you can do whatever you want to do." Ridiculous statements such as those serve only to polarize the population who are not capable of dealing with the complexity and imperfection of the real world.
2) Absolutely have ties to big business/industry here in the US. Big business is what drives this country, and President Perfect needs to be intimately familiar with that fact. Petty jealously and petulant statements such as "in bed with" don't alter the fact that this country goes as our big industries go.
3) Commit our nation to a program of space exploration and colonization, which is intimately tied to #2. This country will not be as great as it can be if we resign ourselves to catering to third world nations and other nations incapable of keeping up with us. We need to continue moving ahead, and the most promising frontier for doing so is what lies beyond our planet.
4) Commit our schools to improving computer, science, and math skill sets. Provide incentives to schools whose students reach aggressive goals on standardized tests and who move on to preferred higher education institutions.
5) Call for the dissolution of or, at the very least, a complete overhaul of the United Nations.
6) Set the groundwork for the banishment of labor unions, to eliminate their undue influence on labor costs and pricing. The limited positive benefits of labor unions can be replaced by the enhancement and enforcement of a unified worker code.
7) Continue to aggressively pursue rogue nations that fail the common sense standard of conduct. Commit required dollars and hours to training our troops so that, on any battlefied in any environment, there is no doubt about the outcome.
8) Initiate a beautification/forestation program whereby unemployed individuals will receive a bus ticket, a place to sleep, training, and a paycheck for performing forestation, landscaping, construction, and cleanup tasks.
9) Overhaul the tax code to simplify it and link the receipt of benefits to the filing of a tax return, even if the return is to indicate no taxable income. Anybody with a SSN and anybody receiving benefits from the government should be required on an annual basis to validate their tax status, on the state and local level.
10) Not be Hillary Clinton.
I really like 3 and 8. Especially 8. Basically everyone who is unemployed could work.
Why space exploration? (And I'm a scientist, by the way...) Space exploration is cool and all, but as a taxpayer I need to see all those dollars are adding to America's overall wealth. It seems to me that the most practical thing to come from NASA is Tang (sorry, couldn't pass that one up).
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