A NON-TRUMP VIEW OF WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT
What follows is the result of a conversation with a Republican friend and Trump supporter who, after listening to me complain about what went wrong under the Trump administration, asked, ”What would it take for you to say America was great again?” I told him that, while I would not agree with that wording, I would make a list.
The results follow. Before reading it, I urge you to make your list, then get others to make their list, compare theirs with mine and yours and then talk about the results.
In making my list, I assumed that I could take for granted rights guaranteed in the Constitution and certain rights that, due to federal laws and agency regulations, I now have. Examples of the latter include: the right to marry whomever I wish (with their consent); the right to avoid being discriminated against because of my age, sex, religion, or sexual orientation; the right to practice safe sex, including birth control; the right to clean air and water (including being able to eat any fish I catch); the right to know that the food I buy is free of harmful containments; the right to have confidence that any money of mine held by a bank is safe; the right to live anywhere in this country I can afford; the right to know that products I buy are safe; and, thanks to the 2021 Infrastructure Bill, safe roads and bridges.
My list begins with my five top-ranked items. №1. is number one in priority. The next four items tied for №2. To facilitate later referencing, I labeled them 2a, 2b, etc. The remaining 20 items are listed in alphabetical order. Brief explanations of several are provided to ensure understanding.
MY FIVE TOP-RANKED ITEMS
№1.Voting rights and voting security. This is a prerequisite for everything that follows.
(Tie) 2. a. Selection of competent, truth-telling people at the local and state levels and in Congress, the Cabinet, and executive-level positions. The passing of legislation ensuring №1 is a necessary prerequisite to increase the likelihood of this happening.
(Tie) 2.b. Global warming — action is taken to end further global warming and reverse past actions and inactions that have already contributed to it.
(Tie) 2. c. Reduction of the influence of racism and discrimination in our country. The increased realization of the influence of these in our country, and the support for changes from №1 and 2 above, result in actions designed to eliminate any remaining legislation that supports or encourages racism or discrimination.
(Tie) 2.d. Shift to fact-based news reporting — Subscriber criticism reaches the point where both cable and network news media are forced to abandon their “heads talking about the news of the day” and their opinionated approach to programming and shift to factual, unbiased reporting including more “think piece” analyses that focus on real issues such as those addressed in the following 20 topics.
Campaign funding — The 2013 Supreme Court ruling that removed reasonable campaign contribution limits and allowed wealthy donors and special interests to use dark money to influence election outcomes is ended by bipartisan legislation.
Childcare — Bipartisan legislation is passed to fund Pre-K education and to provide a viable child care tax credit (with income limitations).
Constitution and traditional norms protection — Concern about threats to well-accepted norms and inferred constitutional provisions during the Trump administration results in bipartisan legislation to prevent future presidents and their administrations from repeating Trump-era practices.
Divisiveness — Due to №1 and 2a above, competent people are elected who are careful to avoid deliberately doing or saying things that divide people.
Foreign interference in our Democracy — Because of №1 and 2a above, foreign influence ends because all countries know our competent elected and appointed representatives will not tolerate it.
Gun control — Another result of №1 and 2a above is bipartisan federal legislation that outlaws military-style firearms and ensures that only people who pass background checks are allowed to purchase or own firearms.
Health care — Bipartisan legislation ensures all citizens have access to healthcare through Medicare, Medicaid, Obama Care, or private insurers and can purchase prescription drugs at prices no higher than those paid in other countries.
Higher education — Postsecondary education (including apprenticeships and vocational schools) is made available at a reasonable cost to all who can benefit from it and low-interest loans or grants are made available to those who would otherwise not be able to attend. In addition, providers make needed changes in curriculum, instruction, and administration to ensure K-12 not only prepares graduates to compete for jobs requiring only high school graduation but improves the general literacy of all graduates in the 21st Century Skills emphasized by employers. These include skills such as problem thinking and problem-solving, flexibility and adaptability, working in teams, and oral and written communication.
Immigration — Bipartisan legislation is passed resolving issues related to the millions of non-criminal, tax-paying undocumented workers living in this country and their children born here or brought in as young children. This legislation also meets the critical needs of various industries and businesses for seasonal workers and talented full-time employees who possess knowledge and skills in short supply in the US.
Internet access and security — Bipartisan infrastructure legislation needed to provide the funding for broadband access has already passed. The new legislation provides funding for safeguards to ensure security.
Job training — Funding is provided to pay for regular local, state, and national surveys of business and industry that are designed to identify changes all educational providers need to make to ensure employers have the workers they need and that these workers are well-prepared.
K-12 education — Recognition of the importance of K-12 education to providing the educated citizenry essential to any democracy results in bipartisan legislation that provides needed revisions in: pay and preparation of teachers and administrative staff, curriculum design, and school funding.
Lobbyists’ influence — Better controls to regulate the influence of lobbyists are put in place through local, state, and federal legislation passed by competent elected representatives elected because of №1 above.
Military spending — Bipartisan legislation results in routine evaluations to ensure the military is using taxpayer dollars in a cost-efficient manner to both protect our country and guard against cyber warfare.
National debt — Due to bipartisan legislation and oversight, waste and unnecessary expenditures are reduced, thus increasing the likelihood of budget surpluses that can be used to pay down the debt
Relations with other countries — The successful implementation of other items on this list shows the rest of the world what can occur in a true democracy. This leads to a worldwide movement to end authoritarian regimes and implement democracies.
Social Security — Bipartisan legislation results in a long-overdue increase in the earned income subject to Social Security deductions thus ensuring solvency for the next 30 years.
Tax fairness — Bipartisan legislation results in a tax system that reduces income inequality; is fair for everyone (not just the wealthy); and provides the income needed to balance the budget.
Trade agreements — Bipartisan legislation ensures that future trade agreements: encourage companies to produce their goods in this country; avoid unreasonable cost increases and facilitate our country’s ability to export its goods.
Veteran’s Support — to drastically reduce the number of homeless veterans, bipartisan legislation is passed that produces long overdue accessible medical care, both physical and psychological.
Not surprisingly, when my Republican friend read the complete list, his comment was, “Be realistic Jim. While I agree with most of the items on your list, it’s just not going to happen.”
My response was: ”You asked me to list what I thought would have to happen for America to be great. You have my answer. Given the behavior of the current Republican party, I will admit to being hopeful versus being optimistic. I also realize that every item on my list depends on my top-ranked №1.
If significant action on the top two ranked items on my list does not happen soon, my Silent Generation (born 1925–1945) may not live long enough to see most of the other 23 items on my list come to pass. My greatest hope is that Generation Z will behave like the Greatest Generation did and put America first, not just by voting, but by becoming active participants in protecting our democracy.
I want my grandkids and their grandkids to live in a better country and a better world than that which exists today. To avoid an uncertain future, we must take positive action on the 25 items on the preceding pages. That does not mean we must have 100% agreement, but we must have enough people at the local, state, and national levels who care about our country and our democracy to pass needed legislation.
To change, leadership at all levels will be essential. The number one quality required of all leaders will be the ability to communicate truthfully and clearly and to inspire and motivate.
I readily acknowledge that it will not be easy. The greatest challenge will be to ensure a significant majority of Americans rely on true facts when making decisions.
Thank you for reading this! I write because I think readers will find what I write informative and thought provoking. Happily retired, I now have the time it takes to take an idea, do the research needed to fully understand it (and not embarrass myself!), make the first outline, then the first draft, then start the rewriting, and, finally, the editing. Then it goes to several friends, including a Ph. D. in English. Then, it’s back to rewriting and editing. Then it goes out to possible readers. What you just read was the result of that process. Despite their help, I assume full blame for any mistakes (and there have been some).
If you are still reading and you found what I wrote worthwhile, you might want to look up my other Medium articles.
One last note. I write to make readers think and because I enjoy it — not to make money. Any income derived from my writing is donated to the local library as part of my annual contribution.
Thanks!
Jim Hammons
“Think Piece” Commentaries
