I close my eyes and emerge at a time and place. Standing before me is an audience, a crowd of thousands, all watching as my mind turns thoughts into words with the sword that is my tongue. Goosebumps fill my soft, white skin throughout as I turn my finger to key. I open my eyes, and think about the presidential position. Aspirations of the highest level of government in the land have coursed through my mind for years, inspired by Barack Obama and the many great presidents that have come before him. Although I follow no party lines, I think of the many triumphs, achievements, and pitfalls of those who came before me as I ponder the position. What would I do about the economy, society, diplomacy, and the military? Thoughts and questions I wish to write to you about today, a compilation of correspondence between me and the world.
Business, economics, what a conundrum to begin with as we lay out the foundation of a manifesto of a man who wishes to bring change and clarity to the world clearly seeking it. I think back to my studies of Adam Smith in 1776 and his book Wealth of Nations. He laid out the groundwork, the foundation, of modern day capitalism. He believed in laissez faire economics where the government plays a limited role in the economy. Although this article is not about one man, I must write to you today to talk about the pitfalls of Donald Trump. It is worrisome to think that he is shying away from the core principles of capitalism in some regards. The U.S. government is now major shareholders in pivotal corporations. As a leaning conservative who listened to Reagan speak about this potential problem, I can't help but sit and contemplate how disastrous this can be to the economy and to the competitive nature that capitalism brings. Private capital and private capital only should be invested into the market. To bring the government in as a controlling interest in a corporation leads to a competitive advantage to those who have gained favor by the government in terms of capital investment.. The government now gets ownership and controlling interests in exchange for a piece of the pie in terms of stock ownership.
Investment should instead be made into the following things: healthcare, scientific research, and infrastructure on a broad spectrum. Healthcare and the common good should be of the utmost priority of the President. The priority of the government is to maintain the well-being of the people. To avoid or defund such measures is to turn one’s back on the people. Providing subsidies to the people, hospitals, and healthcare companies should bring down the cost of care for all while using tax payer money for something that provides for the common good. To remove such capital injections would cause price increases across the board. As I continue this story, we stop at research and development. It is the job of the U.S. government to provide business and institutions grants to well deserved individuals in science and technology. Research is a grueling and time-consuming process that requires large sums of money in hopes of one day turning a profit. To defund research, is to lead to the demise of our very nation. Research into bio-technology, engineering, and clean energy is of the utmost importance. We must lead the world in these categories to maintain our status as the world leading economy. As we lead into the final aspect of government allocation into the economy, I stop at infrastructure. To maintain the roads, airports, building structures, and bridges throughout the United States is crucial. Our roads and airports are the lifeline of our nation. Without upkeep, it creates travel problems that will inevitably hurt the people and business interests alike.
As we fast-forward, it brings me to the topic of society. Social order is tantamount to create favorable living conditions of a nation. We shall begin with the concept of marriage and home life. Marriage is the union of two people, and shall not be impeded by the government regardless of race or gender. To meddle into the lives of private citizens is not the job of the government and never will be. Regardless of one’s religious leanings, we live in a country based on the principles of individual liberties leading one to deduce that love is love regardless of who it is with. Citizenship has come to the forefront of my mind, leading me to wonder what can be done to fix the immigration problem. Instead of using brute policing to corral thousands if not millions of working men, women, and children into cages, provide a clear and simple process of obtaining citizenship. I know of a woman who is trying to gain citizenship and has paid tens of thousands of dollars in order to do so and she’s not there yet. To make things fair and equitable for everyone, the government should implement measures that make it clear, simple, and cost effective to gain passage and citizenship in this melting pot of a nation we call the United States of America. To burden the people with financial struggles who wish to better their lives, is to provide a disservice to humanity. Lastly, the state of America’s police force is in disrepair. To target people based on race or color is a thing of the past and should be left there. The government should force police organizations to take culture and diversity courses to improve their knowledge of the people they protect and serve. We have a society that has created individual prejudices and pre-conceived notions against people of color. To target people of color saddens me to no end and it must end. We must create a peaceful coexistence between the police and the people. We live in such a polarized society, created by the incumbent powers that be. We must reverse such measures now and forever and build a future where the police and members of society can live in understanding of each other and remove those who wish to fall short of their duty to maintain such balance and order.
Diplomacy, a term used to describe relationships amongst nations. Building a strong and co-dependent relationship with China is of the utmost importance. To maintain peaceful relations with the second largest economy in the world creates order both foreign and domestically. A positive relationship with the Chinese will create a global order that has strong roots, a foundation for which the rest of the world can learn from and emulate. In addition, we must respect the rule of law and national sovereignty. To attack nations who have established governments and a working legal system is detrimental to geo-politics. We must use logic and reasoning instead of brute force to bring about dually supported, positive change. Wars to gain political and economic advantages should be put into the past.
Living in Augusta, I have had a first hand experience with the military. Fort Gordon is the cyber command center for the U.S. Army. In addition, both my parents were in the military in their teens and twenties. Maintaining the military and its personnel is something that is quite important to me. Building a strong and effective military provides the protection a nation needs from threats throughout the world. It provides peace of mind to a nation and its people that the men and women who risk their livelihood are well compensated and taken care of during and after their time in the military. In addition, we must continue to allocate funds to improve both military technology and infrastructure to lead the world in such categories. Power is instilled by fear and mutual respect for the destructive power of thy neighbor. Although this is the caveman mentality, it is the honest truth of the matter and the world. Military might must be maintained by allocating what is necessary and proper to maintain a well equipped army of land, sea, air, and space leading into the 21st century and beyond.
Although it is but a dream, dreams are realized through effort, time, and the will to succeed through insurmountable odds. To live is to learn, to learn from those who came before you. To take what has worked and throw away what hasn’t. The most important aspect of a presidency is the people’s belief in them. To walk tall, and stand behind and believe in their cause. To improve the economy is to maintain the status of laissez faire economics, to keep the government out of the economy unless it is to protect the people and the environment. It is the job of the president and his government to protect the sanctity of society, to promote the justness and fairness of others before the law, to leave the individual to do as they please. As a man who has studied and taught every religion, I feel it has no place in politics and only in the home and community in which you reside. Diplomacy is achieved through meaningful and empathetic relationships built over time. To achieve peace is to serve the nation and the world as a whole. Peace leads to unity and prosperity for both the U.S. and the world for volatility leads to panic and economic stagnation and regression.
As this story comes to an end, I close my eyes once more. I picture a world better than today. In a country polarized by politics, it is hard to see the good, but it is there. The future is always one moment away, so seize the moment, become educated, and never stop believing in what is right. The presidential position shall follow suit with his people, striving to live good, and to never fall short of the promises given.
No comments:
Post a Comment