How would you save the USA from, well, whatever ails it?
There are concerns about public immorality of various kinds, endemic corruption, creeping crypto-fascism, environmental degradation, and conglomeratization trying to undermine both small independent businesses and the commons. Or whatever.
A lot of us in that thread acted like the USA was so fragile we could destroy it without trying hard. Can we save it? How would you save America? How will you?
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Me, I’m thinking it could help (among many other things, to be sure) to amplify some political voices who aren’t trying to be either sectarian Left or Right nor TV-network neutral. Someone to tell off both sides.
Possibly in a Pat Paulsen or Lord Sutch kind of way just to get some attention, but ultimately seriously. But maybe I’m wrong, and the absurdists just undermine real dissent by making it all ridiculous.
Do our actions have to be legal? I mean, could we posit a secretive team of ninja assassins taking out selected members of society and making it look like an “accident?” Or do we have to work within the system? Because I have a little list…
Actually, I would second this. I would abolish America’s presidential system and make it more like Canada’s parliamentary system: ceremonial Head of State (reinstate the monarchy if they ever so wished), with a government responsible and comprised from the Lower House of Congress, and an Upper House representing States but only able to delay legislation.
Dump the “winner-take-all” system of allocating Electoral votes. Every state has to allocate them proportionally by Congressional District, with 2 going “at-large.” That would get rid of the idea that a state is red or blue, and force candidates to deal with issues more than ideology.
Keep the Presidential system, but shift Congress to a Parliamentary organization, which would allow much greater participation by third parties and force Congress-critters to compromise or face extinction.
Ninja hit list takes care of some of the more annoying folks.
Do away with the War On Drugs completely and absolutely. Put every DEA agent and such to work picking up trash by the freeways.
Overturn the Supreme Court rulings on “corporate personhood,” term limits, and Kelo. Institute immediate, comprehensive and draconian campaign finance reform. Make every state adopt “motor voter” laws.
All redistricting is to be done by computer. The program is to be made absolutely equitable and any attempt to meddle with it is to be made a Capital offense.
Remove all tax exemptions from all churches.
Outlaw Scientology and place a bounty on the heads of its leaders, payable in gold.
Reinstate Clinton-level tax rates.
Constitutional amendments codifying SSM and “Right To Choose.”
Outlaw any Congress-critter from serving in any lobbying or advisory capacity for 15 years after the end of their term of office.
I’m curious: what does this mean? Do you mean retention of an elected President, but the creation of a parliamentary-style PM and Cabinet system, like France? Or something else, like Canada/Britain/Germany?
No changes to the Executive branch at all. No PM, no Cabinet from Congress crap. None of that British folderol. But institute some reorganization that breaks Congress away from being 2-party, and gives alternative views chances at representation. For example, California has 53 Representatives. Rather than electing them by district, they could all be elected at-large, with seats allocated by percentage of the vote.
I realize this is in conflict with the previous suggestion on my list. Big deal. Pick the one that works and skip the other one. I am large, I contain multitudes.
UFC - that goes without saying. Programmed by Canadian Unitarians, preferably.
Can we elect our statesmen on the sports field? I mean, put together a team, play a match (or round robin?), the winner forms a government. I still maintain that picking legislators by their ability to kick a soccer ball (or run a gridiron defense) is no more irrelevant to the actual job than picking them by their ability to win popularity contests that remind me of homecoming court.
While most of your ideas are intriguing to me and I would accept a free subscription to your newsletter, I’d add a small caveat to this. There are a number of historic churches/temples/whatnot in major urban centers whose architecture adds greatly to the character of the city. If the religious organizations were hit with appropriate property tax bills, I think many of them would have to sell, leading to the demolition of these buildings and replacement with bland condos or office towers, to the city’s detriment.
I don’t know what would constitute “saved”, but I can think of several things that would improve it greatly.
make a law that candidates for office can only use specific government-allocated funds (amount determined by population to be represented) to campaign with – not their own, not corporations’ secret monies, not the war chests of parties.
through legal means, return to (an improved) version of the Fair & Balanced idea of news. This could mean more government-supported media like the BBC model. Non-factual fake news outlets such as Fox News made impossible at least on a large scale.
put the issue of climate change at the top of the agenda of every department of government.
Universal single-payer healthcare.
Real and massive job-stimulus spending (emphasis on #3, above).
Reducing American military forces abroad to, say, proportionately, pre-WWII levels.
Hey, it’s not my country we’re talking about destroying or saving. I just look around and see a number of historic churches in Montreal and I figure Boston and New York have similar buildings, and losing them because the various parishes/congregations/whatever saw their property tax bills go from zero to $20,000/month would be kind of a shame.
Just putting a building on a “do not demolish” list doesn’t really help, though. Without steady use and maintenance, the thing becomes a crumbling eyesore. It’s a tricky balance, I know, deciding between urban character and urban renewal… I’m just skittish about doing it through taxation.
(1) Instant runoff voting – Makes it so you can have a meaningful third party that’s not a “spoiler”.
(2) Make voting mandatory – Right now, policies with broad based but tepid support lose out to policies that pander to specific groups. This will make it so if you want to get elected, you need to get 50% to prefer you to the other guy, instead of just pandering to a few key demographics who will turn up to vote disproportionately if you suck up to them enough.
(3) Eliminate the Senate and Electoral college. There is no need for these bodies except to deliberately hinder democracy by giving power out of proportion to population.
