NBC’s “Democrat Debate” looked more like the Hunger Games than a public service to sort out the candidates. The moderators gave uneven time to the candidates, the candidates interrupted and rarely answered the questions, and as one candidate complained it felt like a food fight. Is grammar school behavior and empty platitudes the best we can expect?
If so, we are in trouble because Congress isn’t any better. Let’s give all our politicians just one more chance in 2020 and vote them all out in 2024 if they can’t fix our problems. Here’s their “to do” list:
- Health Care. The US is the only rich country in the world without universal health care. Republicans have been complaining about the ACA for years without a single alternative offered. Democrats whine about whether or not to eliminate private insurance companies (do you think they’ve been lobbied?). Only one candidate, John Delaney, has offered a detailed plan of Medicare supplemented by private insurance with the plan’s cost details. The rest complain, promise, and wave their hands. Republicans simply complain. Just fix it.
- Immigration. Any economist will tell you that we need immigrants. Trump has brutalized the issue (e.g., criminalizing illegal entry), lies about it (e.g., immigrants are criminals), and exploits it for his own personal needs (e.g., Melania’s Einstein visa); 10 million unauthorized immigrants, mostly tax-payers, are in this country; 700,000 DACA people fear the rug being pulled out; while immigration laws/rules on the books are ignored and outdated. Update our policies, enforce the rules in the future, give a pathway to citizenship for those here (what are you going to do, deport 11 million people?), and help mitigate the horrible conditions in other countries that are forcing people to come here (do you really think all those people actually want to leave their homes and endure the misery of getting here?).
- Infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that $4 Trillion is needed to fix our infrastructure. Returning to the US from Europe and looking around at infrastructure exposes a US looking more like a third world country that a world leader. Infrastructure enables business and business is the economy, so perhaps business should pay for some of it. Of all our issues, infrastructure would seem to be the most apolitical, but politicians on a 4-year election cycle have no incentive to spend money on something with a 50 year life cycle. Just fix it.
- Wealth and Taxes. The number and scope of issues on this topic are overwhelming – 40% of wealth owned by 1% of the population, minimum wage inadequacy, egregious salary inequities between the top and bottom, regressive and complicated tax laws, uncontrolled national debt, government without a planned budget; crazy, outdated subsidies; and shaky social security to name a few. Big business exploits our weaknesses so well that the economic indicators soar. But don’t let that fool you – it is a house of cards. These issues are so complex and far-reaching that they won’t be solved overnight, but let’s see some focus and progress.
- War and Foreign Policy. Congress has the constitutional authority of war, but they have squandered it and Presidents now do what they want. And they seem to make a mess of it – endless war with no policy alignment and no end game. It used to be we need to fight war because of Communism, now it’s because of terrorism. While it is true that parts of the world are crazy and inhumane, the US’ foreign policy about that should be based on our own coherent objectives for our functioning in the world. What is enough of a treat to that to justify war and what inhumanity requires our moral response? Why and how do we offer help to other countries? Finally, with world war lessons under out belt and a rapidly globalizing world, we need to cultivate alliances not just for defense but also for commerce. In the past pillage, rape, and enslavement were the reasons for war, but those days are clearly gone. Although the US never motivated war directly for those reasons, it is time to update our foreign policy for a changed world.
- Trade. Trade is an opportunity, not a weapon. It is the very core of capitalism. Trade must be fair in both directions. At the same time, however, the US is in a position to be magnanimous (without being exploited). We need a clear vision for trade in today’s globalizing world and the world needs to be an orderly marketplace.
- Guns. The US has gone insane about guns. The Second Amendment never anticipated today’s condition – it was about militias being ready to fight tyrany because the Founders did not want a standing national army. Now we have both – militias of crazy people shooting up our children and a $600 Billion/yr standing army. Most Americans want sensible gun control. Why won’t the politicians give this to us?
- Education. The US ranks 26th in education, behind countries like Kazakhstan, Croatia, and Poland. College debt will eventually choke our economy. US universities cost so much because they’re obsessed with building buildings (being a “2 crane dean” is their status symbol). Education remains a racist tool. Local, state, and federal governments all have a hand in running schools, which can’t be efficient. We still live the “college dream” while our trades atrophy and many college graduates never use their degrees. If education pegs to our future, we need help. Fix this.
- Tech and Media. Recent Congressional hearings on the Facebook election fiasco and social media privacy invasion proved one thing – old white men in government don’t understand tech. Although the libertarian ideals in the old days of the internet were optimistic, those days are gone. The harm, pace, and power of social media’s and the internet’s disruption of information and commerce traditions require some reins on this mustang.
- Lobbying and Campaign Financing. Citizens United was one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation’s history and it will destroy politics and thus government if not undone. Get big, anonymous money out of politics and government. Do that and watch drug prices calm down, reasonable gun control take hold, health care costs decline below 17% of GDP, and energy policy, among other things, align better to a stronger future.
- Climate Change. Many reluctant believers argue that it will be too economically disruptive to fix climate change. But it will be more disruptive not to fix it. How has it come to be that climate change denial now seems to be a Republican party plank? Although it will take more than the US to fix this issue, we cause enough of it, have an obligation to lead the charge, and the means to make a difference.
Much more can be said about these issues and more issues could be posed, but one overarching comment applies – we need to fix them. Politicians – no more blaming the other side, pivoting, and excuses/diversions. Just fix it or we will vote you out in 2024.