The Missing Track for Real Progress

At a recent Unitarian Universalist service, we were contemplating our generation’s inability to unify efforts, so that progress and development would be across the board in all levels of our lives in a standard manner, in contrast with the many visions of our youth for a better future, like the futuristic societies depicted by some science fiction movies or activist movements of the sixties and seventies.

One track of our modern society continues generating inconsistent slews of insidious misguided irrational events such as extremist despots taking command of large populations, corrupt officials squandering tax monies, exploitation of children by mafia bands, and violent, almost medieval behavior that continues in total contrast with the second track of society where major advances in research, technology, and science, continue to develop in a positive manner for an improved quality of life, if only the first track were not so dysfunctional and could permit these developments to be more accessible. 

 

As it stands, it does little good to have some parts of the global population receiving quality healthcare, when as soon as they travel outside of their homes they are quickly exposed to a majority of the population that does not. What good does it do to have the latest technology in transportation, when only a minority can afford it, or if it is put to use the roadways are totally inadequate?

What good does it do to have better contraception methods when the poorest populations rarely know how to use them or are able to afford them?
The cause for this huge divide and lag between the development and improvement of political and legal systems resulting in such a disparity of inequality, violence, and chaos for the most vulnerable and underprivileged populations is largely the result of the ever-growing lack of interest by our greatest intellectuals to invest efforts in the development of these areas at the same pace as other areas of learning, and additionally the reluctance to take on leadership roles that may or may not be attractive due to the personal sacrifices in lifestyle involved.  This reluctance of intellectuals to come up with better governmental and legal systems is the immediate cause of an overall lower quality of life for the grand majority, even in spite of the advances made in the other areas.  It is only too obvious that the lifestyle of a “politician” is more than a bit unsavory for the majority of intellectuals, but it might be more enticing if the positions were revamped in some novel way, to be more of a group of volunteers providing guidance than a celebrity icon.

It seems almost unconscionable that we still have not come up with a global modern efficient model of organizing ourselves to ensure and provide people with sustainable lifestyles in a more humane way across the board, although there is always the exception of a few countries that have made good attempts, like Sweden, but why this has not occurred on an academic educational global scale in step with all other areas of knowledge and education is the real failure of our generation’s greatest thinkers to have real progress become a reality.

Citizens of the World

While growing up my family had to move more than my siblings and I would have liked to keep in stead with my parent's international careers.  When I was about eleven, I remember asking my parents if we would ever really put down roots.  My father explained to me that I should not think of myself as tied down to one place, he would laugh and say "The world is your oyster!  Our home is where we hang our hat and we are citizens of planet Earth.  If someone asks you where you are from, tell them you are international, after all you come from a long line of travelers."  He always  emphasized the added benefit of learning at an early age to adapt to different environments as part of our over-all development, although our neighbors thought we were nuts.  One of his favorite sayings was "Keep your ear to the ground, and your outfit collapsible.".  Later on he would comment with pride that I was just like a cat, that he could throw up in the air, but would always land on my feet.
I suppose he was right, and the lessons learned have helped me along the way with an ever-changing world.  However, as a citizen of the world I have become more and more aware of how the global environment has gone for a spin, much like Alice's falling down the rabbit hole and finding things twisted out of sense, the international environment has become more unpredictable than ever, and people fear traveling perhaps even more than before.  Air travel is definitely less pleasurable than it once was, and unless you have pre-planned your travel well, you can face more discomforts upon arrival for certain.  Everything from medical insurance to baggage size has to be weighed into the equation.  Even international students have to go to greater lengths to obtain student visas.
The economic global crisis, has made people in general, less accepting of foreigners in most countries, even when they come as tourists, there seems to be more mistrust than ever before.  I am sure that part of this is due to the malicious behavior of many of the large corporations and the resulting crisis.
It is unfortunate that as of late, the call of "One World" is not heard as much as during my youth.  It is also sad that travel is becoming less and less affordable, and fewer young people are able to do so.  The world has changed so much in one generation, that unfortunately the value of learning about different perspectives and lifestyles through travel no longer seems as accessible as it once was.  For many it has become too much of a hassle. 
I have to admit, that the golden age of travel has come to its end, and the "citizens of the world" seem to be fewer and farther between.  Somehow, corporations continue going global, but international opportunities are not.  It is almost like "the powers that be" are fencing folks in to keep the upper hand and insure low costs by keeping production in countries where the governments allow exploitation of workers, while continuing to sell at high profits in countries that don't.  In other words, companies still have the benefit of globe trotting, in a time when few people get a chance to travel outside their immediate communities, and much less have the opportunity to find work in a better job market.

Universal Health Care

There is an old adage "That as long as you have your health, you are blessed", but do we actually make it a main priority in our lives?  Many folks have asked me, if there would be a simple way to assure that health care be universal, without it being an unfair burden for the legitimate taxpaying citizens of the country, but by the same measure guarantee that the residing population maintain preventive health care accessible to reduce the cost and number of emergency cases and lower the catastrophic risk of pandemics occurring and spreading out of control? 
The answer is a definite, yes there is!  If the cost of universal health care was directly funded by sales taxes, there would be universal health care without the need of greedy middlemen like insurance companies causing more red tape and added expense to the overall cost and accessibility of health care.  There would actually be enough funding for dental care, vision care, as well as mental health care, since with the amount of purchases made by foreign tourists that could also be made taxable, there would be a good cushion to insure universal health care and even funding left over for medical research and preventive health and hygiene counseling for the population.
It is quite simple.  Every person that purchases anything pays a sale tax.  All people who are inhabiting a region for whatever time they are residing there pay sales tax.  Property, estate, and income taxes could be allocated towards the rest of the less urgent costs of food, shelter, education, transportation, and public maintenance, which although important, do not present a health security risk for the population at large, such as the threat of a pandemic spreading out of control.  Additionally the population would be much healthier and productive.  Please keep this in mind when you speak with your legislators and ask them why we can't make this simple change in the system to benefit everyone.

The Progressive Humanitarian

A Progressive Humanitarian Democratic Government Model or Something Close

Recently, I was asked why such a grand imbalance exists in the so called “global economy”; the answer is pretty tragic; the human rights factor has never been taken into account in the “global equation”. 

So called “global corporations” could care less about human rights, and have been permitted a disproportionate amount of unregulated latitude by government authorities. Governments have ignored their responsibility to assure that the global market be a fair and ethical playing field. 

The large corporate entities, such as banks, were allowed free range to charge outrageously high interest rates without limitations, purchase and sell loans and mortgages as if they were stock, and change the terms promised earlier to borrowers, without any fear of judicial repercussions.  When the crisis came, the government rescued the banks, but the banks kept the homes, instead of returning them to the people.  So where was the justice in that?  

Any legal recourse is so forbiddingly expensive for most individuals, that they rarely are able to do more than accept their losses.  For the few individuals who actually went to court to try to fight for justice, they rarely found it, and much like in the cases of people who lost their homes to corporations pleading “eminent domain”, even the highest courts looked away and favored the large corporations. 

Internationally, global corporations have reaped rewards in hundred-fold by easily transferring their operations and manufacturing facilities to under-developed countries where they pay wages of inequitable purchasing power in comparison with the minimum wage in their homeland.  These corporations and their executives continue to make millions at the expense of the workers in both countries and consumers.  The consumer and worker of the homeland is charged the same elevated price for a good made abroad, while paying slave wages to the workers, without any interference by government regulations. 

In other words, the tee shirt a person buys in the US, may cost $7.25 (in dollars), or approximately one hour minimum wage in the US, but the worker in China will make a hundred of these tee shirts in the same hour for a minimum wage of approximately $1.26 (in dollars) at best, that could buy him a half a loaf of bread. The Chinese worker would have to work approximately six hours to pay for the same $7.25 tee shirt in China (approximately 45 Chinese Yuan Renminbi).  In the meantime, the worker in the US goes unemployed and the worker in China dreams of leaving to work in the US.  The only way to stop global corporations from causing huge immigration problems and unemployment is to establish a global minimum wage of equal purchasing power for workers in all the countries participating in the global market.  In other words, in order to give the workers a fair chance, we need to ensure that the minimum wage of the worker in the US and the worker in China or any other country have the same value in purchasing power.  This would make immigration less attractive and also ensure the fair competition for jobs between all workers globally.  This would be one of the main goals of the Progressive Humanitarian Party to ensure the rights of the workers in their own country and in the global market.

How did the global corporations gain such unbalanced power to play havoc with the lives of billions of people that inhabit the planet?  Very simply, a true democratic governmental model that would ensure the rights and livelihoods of the citizens it represents has yet to become a reality.  At most the governments we have at present around the world have done very little to protect the human rights of those that inhabit their countries’ borders and have handed over the majority of the control to huge global entities that merely use corrupt unethical practices to exploit workers and the citizens of the countries they do business in.

There is dwindling hope for improvement, since these global corporations have gleaned so much wealth and power that the democratic process has become little more than an orchestrated act, to give the population some illusion that stability and a better future outcome is still a possibility.  The one person, one vote, system is further diluted by an old established Electoral College of representatives in Congress that have the final say over the votes made by the people in their district.  This needs to be eliminated, and one person, one vote needs to become the true reality for the people to ever have a chance for a change.  It should not matter where a person votes, the presidential election for the Federal Government should be a nationwide election, without Congress’ involvement.

For this reason, many people are looking for a new model of government, since even the wealthy find the results of the unbridled greed and corruption, too shocking to tolerate.  Families in the streets eating out of dumpsters had not been seen since the Great Depression, but commonplace in many cities today.  Some of the mega wealthy have asked to be taxed at a higher rate, realizing the tatters the working class has been left in.

In one generation, we have seen the banking and credit system adopt unbelievable usurious practices with no regulation or reprimand for the economic crisis they have also contributed to.  We have seen large corporations pollute our environment with no close supervision or regulation to the extent that the air, land, and waterways have become contaminated and to the point that humans have now succumb to a variety of health problems, often fatal ones, for generations to come.  We have witnessed an ever-shrinking middle class and the demise of educational opportunities for the majority of young people.  Amidst a time when medical and scientific breakthroughs should be benefitting a large majority of the people, there are budget cuts to healthcare and less and less people are able to afford even the most basic level of medical care.  We see millions of dispossessed and homeless families being driven into the ground by the harsh and unaddressed problems that have arisen from the economic crisis, with no resolution in sight.   We see the governments themselves shifting resources in haphazard manners, funding more destruction and military actions, instead of giving the resources back to the people facing hardships within their own borders.  The public schools have undergone so many cuts, that parents often worry for the safety of their children while at school, and many have resorted to home schooling after witnessing the chaotic manner in which many schools are managed and the poor quality of education and care that the schools provide during the school hours.  Young people, who already come from disadvantaged homes, find only more despair in the schools they attend and rarely receive the inspiration, support, or preparation they need to be able to find rewarding jobs. 

The system has fallen short of all of our expectations.  Even the wealthy can not sleep at peace at night, realizing the danger that abounds and the high possibility of an all out massive revolution.  At this point, the current models of governments are a far cry from where they should be in securing the advancement of this generation or the ones to come.

Many of us wonder how things have gone so wrong and what can be done to stop the considerable trend of chaos and disservice.  Towards this end, I propose that we go back to basics.  We need a progressive humanitarian model of government; one that’s foundation lies on giving priority to the human rights and the needs of its people.   This is not to dream the impossible; we just need to step up to the situation at hand and deal with it.  We need our government modeled to focus on the fundamental basic rights and needs of the people.  For this reason, I implore you to join me in supporting a Progressive Humanitarian Party for a functional and efficient government model that will improve the standard of living for everyone by serving the people and not just corporations. 

I can not run for office, since my health makes it hard enough for me to assume routine tasks, but I wanted to throw out some of these ideas to at least have a forum where people of similar sentiments could unite to at least consider and discuss the options of a better government model.

When we think of governments, what roles should a government occupy its time with?

Commencing with the basic concerns of all citizens we can list twelve major areas that require constant attention:

1)      A government needs to respect and protect the human rights of the people by focusing resources on those areas that affect all the citizens.  This includes the basic right to survive, the right to travel freely, freedom of speech, peaceful protest, and the pursuit of happiness.  This means being inclusive and sensitive to individuals regardless of their customs or preferences.  It does no good to focus on details that are not relevant to the majority, rather we need to concentrate on ensuring everyone the same rights to make their lives as fulfilling as possible.  We need to focus first on those matters that affect all of us in general, and respect the privacy and space of issues that are of a personal nature.   Just because a person does not share the same personal lifestyle or spiritual beliefs, is no reason to divert attention to this, instead of focusing on the general common needs and rights of each and every citizen.  It is ridiculous to become obsessed on personal matters where the government has no reason to be involved, such as the choice of a medical treatment, the decision of making a commitment to a life partner, or getting involved in family planning decisions.  It is just as inappropriate as if an employer hired single employees over married ones.  Once the person is at work, their personal life should be of no difference to their employer.  By the same token, the personal life choices of every citizen should be respected and not interfered with as long as they do not infringe or harm others’ equal rights and freedom.  The government models should focus on the common denominators that affect all of us, the environment, the economy, the quality and accessibility for everyone to education, medical care, housing, food, water, energy sources, means of transportation, access to communication, and maintaining the safety and rights of the citizens.  To ensure these rights be upheld at all times a Citizens’ Rights and Benefits Department will be organized to help counsel and resolve issues when they occur with the full cooperation of any other government bodies required.  Additionally, this Department will supervise the Social Security Agency to assure contributions, benefits, and income for Social Security funds and interest, are only accessed by the contributors and recipients in a highly secure manner, separately from all other government funds, to be held in an insured account by the Federal Reserve Bank in it’s entirety.  The Social Security funds belong to the citizens and should not be used otherwise.

2)      A government should ensure the safest health standards possible for the population and medical care.  This needs to include, food, drugs and medical treatments, air, water, and energy sources.  We need to make sure the Food and Drug Administration has enough agent coverage to confirm that the food and drugs are truly safe.  Additionally, there needs to be more vigilance of the safety of our food and water sources to assure the limited use of antibiotics, hormones, and toxins in our own food chain.  We need to support agencies like the Center for Disease Control, to be able to prepare populations and warn of impending viral threats.  We need to understand that every person is entitled to regular medical care as a basic right to survival.  People will not utilize preventive medicine and check-ups if they can not afford to do so.  It only makes sense to encourage regular check-ups and good health practices by covering these as a basic government funded costs and in the long run, reduce overall higher long term costs.  The Health Department will continue to oversee the FDA and CDC and will also come up with an advisable schedule of preventive care for citizens to have access to, and this will be provided as basic care, unless the condition of a patient requires more.  In cases of illness, all citizens will be covered by health funding for medical care as per their physicians’ recommended treatment and instruction.  We will go back to the times when the physicians could care for their patients in an individualized manner, taking only into account what was best for the patient and could stand true to the Hippocratic Oath they have vowed to unfettered, with the patient’s consent.

In the same manner, we have to come out of the dark ages and realize that too many young people end up incarcerated, when what they need is drug rehabilitation and, or therapy.  We need to change the laws to have individuals treated immediately, as soon as they fail a first drug test, in order to get them into programs where they will not fall prey to drug abuse again.  Too many families can not afford the cost of rehabilitation centers, and so this is another area, where if our commitment to solving the problem is genuine, the government has to assume this mental health cost like any other.   Many of the mental health clinics have been closed due to lack of funding, and the patients have become exposed to all kinds of abusive and dangerous situations.  It is preferable for tax dollars go to the rehabilitation of a citizen, than to the cost of crimes that may be incurred due to their addiction or lack of mental health.  We need to get to the source of the problems and nip them in the bud. Many future criminals are also victims of abuse, and have mental health problems that have gone unaddressed.  We need to create safe havens for those that need help, to get the support they need to get off the streets, before it is too late.  These are health problems and must be treated as such.    

3)      The government needs to protect and preserve the rights of the workers and consumers and assist to defend these rights against any exploitative behavior.  The Labor Department and the State Department will assume new roles in making this a priority.  This entails establishing and ensuring a global minimum wage with equal purchasing power.  Those countries that refuse to participate with a minimum global wage will not be able to trade in any way with our country, and this is where the State Department’s role in diplomacy and negotiation will be required.  The Labor Department will also be responsible for the development of job centers to enable workers to gain continuing education and training for new opportunities and assist workers to find compatible employment.  The government needs to establish an ideal number of work hours per week to ensure the health of citizens and allow people to have more time for medical check-ups, parenting, exercise, and personal growth. An evaluation should be considered into creating a maximum work week of 30 hours inclusive of an hour for lunch.  A four-day flexible week should be permitted whenever possible from nine a.m. to four-thirty p.m. for those with long commutes, and the option of a five day work week with shorter hours from nine a.m. to three p.m. for example, for workers with children. A shorter work week may very possibly create more jobs.   

If a person becomes unemployed, that person should not have to make countless calls to get the unemployment he or she is entitled to.  It should be required to be reported by the employer to the Labor Department’s Unemployment Agency, and done two weeks before a pink slip is handed out.  The last thing a person who is layed-off needs is to have more stress.   This would also be a way that the actual number of those that are jobless would be accounted for and kept up to date, by type of job in order to assist job centers to be more effective in the areas that need it most.  Additionally, the policy of the unemployed receiving less income during an already difficult time should be reviewed.  If anything, it is more expensive to look for work, than to have a job and go to work.  The cost of living does not go down when a person is unemployed, and the best way to get them back to work is to make it as easy as possible for that person to prepare resumes, get job training, and go on job interviews.

4)      Government should ensure that fair housing is an accessible right for all its citizens, no matter what the level of their income, and even added assistance for those groups of people considered as vulnerable or high-risk populations.  This needs to be a main objective of the Housing and Adaptive Design Department.  If anyone is left on the street, it will be considered a failure on their part.  As a disabled person, I was always disappointed by the few housing options available with wheelchair access.  There are often extremely long waiting lists and the affordability is often not manageable.  The cost of adapting a home is prohibitive for most people at a time when there income has never been lower.  There simply is no excuse that in this day and age, with all our technology we have not even been able to provide proper housing for the many disabled citizens.  However, the same could be said for lower-income families, people at high risk due to prior tragic circumstances, such as those recovering from a natural disaster, victims of crime, or persons battling health problems or addictions.  We are not a third world country, and to see our people on the streets for any reason is not acceptable.  Charity begins at home.  We should not be helping to build homes abroad when our own people are homeless.  Most of the people who are in need of help, have helped others here in our own country in the past, and they deserve assistance before those who are abroad.  If private groups want to donate to the needy abroad, that is not coming from tax payers’ dollars whose families have contributed in the past, and now deserve the benefits of being helped out.  When the day comes that we have no homeless here, then we can offer our assistance elsewhere.  I have no doubt that that day is a possibility, if we start now. 

5)      The Department of Commerce needs to safeguard citizens from another financial crisis, by ensuring a cap on interest rates of no more than 5% that can be charged on any mortgages, loans, or credit of any kind.  A new agency called the Ethical Financial Supervisory Agency will enforce and assure that changes of any kind to the original terms of loans in terms of the fees, payments, principal, interest rate, or payment dates will not be tolerated and banks will be prosecuted and fined.  All loan contracts should be no longer than three pages in 12 size printed font.  All loans will be reviewed and legally witnessed and stamped by an official Lending Citizen Advocate to assure that there are no terms that are usurious or dubious in any way.  Many people may ask why this interest rate stability is so necessary, but the reality is that without stable interest rates, it is impossible to plan in a manner of any predictability.  It will also force the banks to lend more money.  Additionally in view of the economic crisis, the Department of Commerce will make available low interest rate incentive loans and counseling support for those who want to start their own businesses, especially for those young people who are looking to start a small business, with few possible job opportunities in their area.  It would be best for these loans to come directly from the government, through an agency of small business development, since the banks have been so unreliable in loaning government funds back to the communities.  Additionally, legislation should make it more affordable and feasible to incorporate a small business as a legal entity in as simple a process as possible.  An Insurance Regulatory Agency will ensure that insurance companies are also held accountable of all of their obligations by close and regular monitoring and that the amount of paperwork that they can include in their processes is limited to a realistic minimum in terms that are clear for customers’ information and legible in 12 size print font at the very least, with a maximum of two pages per contract.  Their claims processes must be streamlined and approved by the Insurance Regulatory Agency that will fine them in the future for claims that go unpaid in a timely fashion.

6)      A government needs to have crisis centers and plans at the ready, to start to facilitate the assistance and transition of people in times of crisis until they are once again independent, especially in times of natural or unexpected disasters.  We need to have well publicized preparedness systems in place to be able to mobilize housing, food, water, clothing, and medical care where it is needed.  There is no excuse for us not to have plans in advance.  The Federal Government needs to assure that every state has a confirmed and viable plan to meet the needs of its people in times of crisis.  The Military and Federal Crisis Department could do well in making this an efficient operation, since security is a main issue during these times of crisis, and a major area that they should be employed in within our own borders.

A proper humanitarian government should have checkpoints at all levels of community, from state, to city, to town, to neighborhood, so that no person goes unassisted or unaccounted for in a time of need.  We need to bring back a sense of community.  There should never be a person that goes hungry, injured, or ignored.  We should not expect the individual in need to have to wave a red flag.  Too many times during the crisis, I heard of cases where people would say, “If I had only known…I would have been more than happy to lend a helping hand.”  It shouldn’t be a mystery, it should be a given.  In many emergencies victims may be unable to ask for rescue due to a variety of problems.  When a person in our community is down, it should be our civil duty to help them back up.  For this reason, we will have a Citizens Advisory Agency, with a 24-hour hotline, to help out when things go wrong and assist the person in need to be provided the proper assistance.

We have to be humanitarian.  We have to live up to our ideals if we are ever going to get ahead.  When a person is disabled by an accident or illness, the last thing they need is to be told is that they will receive less income or health benefits now.  However, that is exactly what happens.  Most disabled have gone through a nightmare of a maze that is undignified and unwarranted.  Many times, if they do not have family to support them they can find themselves in dire straights.  Once they are finally put on a disability pension, the income is much less than before their disability, and usually by then, they have already exhausted all their savings to survive during the long, sometimes months, of disability evaluations.  After being told they qualify to receive their disability pension, they are also told that they have to wait for two years to be covered by Medicare, even though they have just been evaluated and considered to have a permanent disabled status requiring more health assistance and care than when they were healthy. 

This is the cruelest and most unforgiving of policies of actual governments who tout themselves as being “pro-human rights”.  For one thing, it is totally irrational medically speaking…if you have a patient who is disabled, you know they will probably need regular medical attention to avoid illness and complications.  They will need assistance to adapt to their limitations which often includes the purchase of medications, and/or medical equipment just to be able to make it through the day.  They often need wheelchairs or other costly mobility devices, early on before they have any covered medical benefits.  Is it any wonder the high suicide rate among the disabled?

There is also no excuse for food stamps for struggling families not to include the purchase of items of basic hygiene, like soap, deodorant, paper products, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brushes, and laundry detergent.  Again, we need to be more considerate of those in troubled times, not less. 

Most importantly, we have to be aware that many veterans have given up so much and still suffering setbacks; many have lost their youth, health, and precious time with loved ones.  We can not have them endure more sacrifices and need to have an agency with resources and counselors appropriated to assist veterans in any way needed to be able to return and live as healthy a life as possible.  They need to have all our respect, support and understanding especially in times of crisis.

7)      As far as natural resources, we have to take better care of them.  There is no reason for us to continue to devastate the planet, by not encouraging more friendly energy sources or recycling of items into other products.  We need to support the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the Department of Transportation to find better ways to reduce contamination of the environment in methods of transportation.  We need to be sure that our public areas, waterways, beaches, and forests have proper vigilance for citizens to be able to always enjoy them and areas that have been ruined to be revived, and towards that end we will have an Environmental Restoration Department.  We need to heavily regulate and inspect those areas of our environment that can lead to dangerous and fatal consequences for all of us.  We have to give additional support to those enterprises that are environmentally conscious.  Whenever possible we need to encourage employers to permit workers to work from home and avoid energy wasted in office space and energy spent by workers commuting.  By the same token, we need to build consciousness to preserve the rights of animals to have natural habitats reserved for them, and continue to support research and support in areas of conservation.

8)      Closely related to the area of proper use of our resources, we must also develop better systems to use energy wisely and modernize our infrastructure towards the same end.  The Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation, while continuing to supervise the safety of our energy plants and infrastructure, need to focus on the research and development of ways to improve our use of energy and put into effect newer and safer models and designs for energy generation and efficient means of transportation.  We need to rebuild our infrastructure to assure the safety of commuters.  One of our goals should be to renovate the rail system to make massive transport less costly for all commuters.  Additionally, air travel should also be examined closely for possible improvements in safety and accessibility.

9)      Education should be included as a basic and fundamental right.  It is definitely up to the Federal Government to do better in the rebuilding of schools, and to ensure the accessibility of an education to all students at all levels attainable and to encourage the same.  A student should not have to waste time looking for funding for an education.  In other countries much less fortunate, education is free for those students who want to prepare for a productive career. The schools are a current embarrassment by any international measure.  We need to invest in education or will suffer the consequences of loosing growth opportunities.  We can not leave this task simply to the states or local governments; because there needs to be more supervision to assure that a basic standard of education is provided to all communities.  There have been too many cases of school funds of communities going to corrupt local officials instead of the schools.  There are too many cases of teachers having to use personal money for supplies for their students. The federal government has to supervise and provide a quality standard model for each level of education and then fund and manage the performance of each and every school through The Department of Education, so that every school in the country will have the basics tools to succeed.  If communities want to have after-school programs to focus on additional activities or crafts, that should be up to the communities, but the Federal Government needs to ensure that every school has the same amount of funding nationwide regardless of the populations’ wealth or location to provide the basic education needed for students to learn. By the same token, the government needs to provide more funding and encourage clinical and technological research to improve the health and safety of the generations to come and that will be headed by the Agency for Research Advancement.

10)  We should be able to live in safety and peace within our communities.  We have to revisit the judicial system and find better ways to prevent crime.  It is no doubt that the prior governments have invested billions abroad in military surveillance and activity, but the security from within our borders needs much more attention and vigilance.  It speaks volumes when schools have to employ metal detectors.  We need to have better systems to track guns and have regular gun inspections to be sure that the owners of weapons are keeping them responsibly.  There are too many guns in the hands of those who are not licensed to have them.  This is an area, again where our military are needed at home to lend their knowledge and expertise in defusing areas of high violent crimes and restoring the safety to the residents who live there.  Regular gun education and inspection could be managed by the military as a means to lower the number of illegitimate weapons and free up the police to pursue the most violent of crimes.  We need their proficiency in making sure that those that own guns keep them secured, locked, tested, and registered, and that those that have weapons that are not registered have them confiscated.   The Department of Crime Prevention and Investigations will delegate the tasks needed to improve the overall security for citizens at all levels and develop a nationwide program with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Military to be implemented in all neighborhoods. They will devise a plan that is goal oriented starting in those areas that have the highest incidence of violent crimes to prevent and protect them with evaluations every six months to measure crime reduction.

We need to ensure that violent crimes especially against children are prevented as a major priority, by making sure that predators are kept under vigilance and control and parks and areas that children frequent have security cameras and constant vigilance during the day.  We need more security teams for parks and public areas, especially in high-risk areas.  It is sad to think that the majority of citizens fear their own streets over the ones in other countries.

We need to give families the counseling they need free of charge if children are victimized in any way, before their well-being is endangered any further.  Towards this purpose we need to have a Children’s Safety Agency to ensure that proper counseling and support is given to children who are victims of violence or neglect.

A government needs to regulate the largest economic entities to ensure that they do not engage in unfair and dangerous practices.  In addition, the majority of crimes committed daily go unreported, because many are not violent crimes, and the victims have no way to report these robberies or be compensated.  There needs to be an agency of the judicial system where consumer complaints of unfair business practices can be easily reported, investigated, fined and the consumer reimbursed.  The small claims court systems are too inaccessible for the majority of individual consumers who has been cheated by an unfair practice or action of a faulty business and does not have the resources or know how to pursue vindication and reimbursement.  I think more than one of us has had the unfortunate experience with a telephone company that has charged us for unsolicited calls made in our absence by criminal entities in Vanuatu or some other foreign scam artists that call our answering machines and reverse the charges with an all too cooperative telephone company.  Others have had their identities stolen by phone companies only to find that their confidential information was mishandled and they are now being billed for expensive phones that were delivered to distant abandoned addresses.  These unbelievable violations of many large businesses go often unreported, since the companies often will negate any responsibility, and of course the individual consumer may not dispose of time or resources to launch a full investigation and legal action against the companies that participate in these crimes.  There are constant abuses by companies that go unchallenged because the individual citizen has no access to an efficient judicial agency to call upon.  Yes, it is true that the old adage of “buyer beware” may apply to some instances when the product is sold in an “as is” condition, but there are many predatory corporations that often keep an entire department of lawyers to rotate the few lawsuits that actually do get filed against them for years, in countless appeals, and often till the death of the consumer plaintiff, without ever going to court.  In many other countries the consumer laws are binding in that any service or product that does not live up to its promise is refundable in its entirety.  Therefore, it is imperative that the judicial system go back to the days when might did not make right, and a judicial agency with authority to investigate and assist consumers in an efficient and measurable manner is created to enforce proper responsibility by companies towards their customers.  There needs to be more vigilance of companies in the way they operate.  There needs to be a hotline number where a customer that has been taken advantage of in an inappropriate manner, can call and have an investigation launched, in order to maintain respectability and ethical practices in doing business.  The Better Business Bureaus and consumer websites while helpful for consumers to find reputable businesses, can not help reimburse or fine corporations that continuously participate in scams or cause damage to customers.  There are many companies that are almost impossible to reach to file complaints and even when a complaint is registered, there is often no compensation for the consumer.  The consumer needs to have free access to legal assistance and representation to be able to contend with the corporations’ legal departments, and the offenses committed need to be reported, investigated and fined.  We should have a Consumer Investigations Bureau lead this objective.

11)  As far as foreign policy is concerned, consistency with our internal objectives is crucial, in order to represent our commitment towards arriving at a harmonious coexistence with other nations.  At the same time, we need to be proactive and use preventive measures to de-escalate possible conflicts.  We have to respect the autonomy of other countries, and reinforce the security of our own borders, which have been immensely neglected.  Our ports need more surveillance to assure that trafficking of illegal items is kept to a minimum. What good is it to have a larger presence abroad, while neglecting the security within and at our own borders?  We give off mixed messages.  We can not expect other countries to adopt measures that we are not willing to adopt.  For instance, in the case of the environment, we can not suggest that other countries take measures to reduce emissions that pollute the air, when we ourselves have not made a nationwide effort to do the same.  We need our military at home first and foremost, and should not deploy forces abroad without an actual declaration of war.  The amount of military resources we have spent abroad often causes more confusion and tension and can endanger our own security in creating more hostilities.  We are not imperialists looking to colonize or change other countries.  Each nation needs to go through their own development, in order for their own people to feel the ownership of the systems they put in place.  The most we should offer is humanitarian aide in form of food and assistance in times of natural disasters or famines in a non-political fashion.  The best way we can lead is by setting a successful example.  Military weaponry spending has reached a peak.  If anything, we should be investing in less fatal weapons where their use would render the person unconscious, but not dead.  While there is no real victory in war, it would be more honorable if the opponents were held hostage and not killed until a security agreement is reached.  Wars should not be taken on lightly, and should be considered as a final option.  We should encourage more diplomacy and negotiation by keeping good relations with other nations in a non-intrusive manner.  The State Department should continue to set policies towards this end.

12)  With regards to taxes, there needs to be a much greater analysis, to be sure that the burden is not greater for those with less income.  As is, the majority of people are barely able to survive.  It is time that entities with profits to spare, should be taxed in a commensurate manner.  There are too many loop holes for the corporations and too many taxes for those of the middle and lower classes.  A full audit of the tax system has to be re-visited and a newer easier plan has to be put into place with no loop holes.  Businesses of a million or more in profits should have income taxed at 35% flat rate.  Business of less than a million of profits should be taxed at 25% flat rate.  Families or Individuals with incomes above two hundred thousand should not be taxed more that 20% as a maximum overall with Federal, State and City taxes included.  A sliding scale of 1% per every ten thousand over twenty thousand of income, and under two hundred thousand, as a flat rate for individuals or families.  Those individuals or families earning twenty thousand or less should not pay more than sales tax on purchases.  The Internal Revenue Service, Government Budgets Agency, and Treasury will be under the supervision of the Department of Government Financial Management.

In so much as balancing the federal government budget, once the estimate has been made of the total amount of tax revenues expected, we need to keep the total budget under close control to be sure that the government spending will never exceed 80% of this estimate, in order to keep emergency funds and pay down the deficit.  The allocation of expenditures should be as frugal as possible to attain the objectives previously recognized.  All government and administrative costs should be kept at a minimum and submitted for review and approval by cost managers that have been designated to do so by each budget manager at each level and region.  All budgets will have to be approved with justification in advance by budget managers, who should look for ways to cut administrative costs that are not productive.   Each of the fifteen bodies of government will receive the same amount in proportion of funding initially (approximately 100 Billion dollars the first year as a maximum for each), after six months; they will have their budgets and productivity reviewed for any needed adjustments.  All budget items should have related prioritized performance measured goals in order to justify the expenditures.

So we could expect government spending to approximate to the following pie chart for a total of one and a half trillion dollars a year during this time to make sure that Social Security funds are replaced intact and the deficit is paid down.  Any foreign aide will come from the State Department’s budget.  Total taxes collected this year were approximately 5.1 trillion, so the first year will be useful into seeing how we restore the balance in spending and the economy at the same time.  It can be done.

These are the main areas of focus that we consider appropriate of federal government action and spending.  We expect these areas to be focused on as main priorities for the greater majority of citizens.  We need to bring common sense and civility back to government.

Government offices need to me more service oriented and look to provide solutions as their objective not punish or humiliate the citizens they serve.  All government workers will attend mandatory annual sensitivity and customer service orientation training in addition to security training.  All new government workers will have a supervised internship of at least a year and pass a Federal Government administered English Proficiency Exam, before being allowed to attend to the public without close supervision.

When a person visits a government office, they should be attended with respect, logic, and caring.  They should be served as quickly and attentively as possible, and be certain to have the matter resolved in a satisfactory manner.  All government officials will bear name tags with job title during hours of work.  All correspondence sent out by a government worker will have their name, title, telephone contact, number, office address, and signature.  There will be efficiency and transparency restored to government as a main operating standard.

Public offices should be a reflection of the effectiveness of the government and should be inspected by federal quality control agents on a regular unexpected basis to be sure that they are operating properly, at every level of government, federal, state, city, and municipal.  An Internal Affairs Department of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, with a government hotline should be easily available to all the citizens to report any inadequacy or comment to improve the quality of service provided to them by any government office.  More than anything, we should make every attempt to have standard operating procedures in public offices across the entire country, so that regardless of the region, the quality of attention and service by public offices is uniform.  This in itself could restore the confidence that citizens will have in the changes provided in their new government administration and their country.