Policy Prescriptions For A Sick America Part III

A continuation of Policy Prescriptions For A Sick America Part II:


21. National Sales Tax

This nation is built upon consumerism. It is a false and dangerous premise. To ebb the flow and raise money for things we collectively need, a national sales tax needs to be instituted.

22. Glutton Tax

Beer, cigarettes, drugs, fatty foods, and luxury items should all be taxed at a moderate rate. People who over-consume, or continually get fatter and more and more unhealthy, are indirectly punishing those who live their lives frugally. Freedom is one thing, but being gluttonous in every aspect of life is unacceptable.

23. A Solar Panel On Every Home

While this is not amazingly efficient in every area of the country, it does help. At the very least, it will make the industry viable and will usher in a massive wave of ingenuity that will produce huge leaps forward in solar technology. It will also save us from using large quantities of energy derived from burning dead plants.

24. School Busing Must End

This reform had noble intentions, but making kids get up at 5am to trudge to a bus that will take them miles from their neighborhood is ludicrous.  It was also a driving force in "white flight" which created a host of new problems. We must work to make all schools equal, not force schools to be transport services.

25. Free School Lunch

It is an unfortunate fact that students in low-income areas sometimes go hungry. Free lunches can go a long way to remedy this problem. Free school lunch programs already exist in some places, but we must make it national. It is also imperative that the lunches be balanced, healthy meals.

26. Foster The Arts

The arts are dying in schools across America. When funding dries up, the arts are the first to be dumped. We can't just leave this problem in the hands of charity. The Federal Government must ensure that the arts are taught to all children from the very start of their education by providing adequate funding.

27. Urban Tax Break For Middle-Incomes

The Federal Government must provide a tax break for middle-income families that choose to move back into urban areas. The American city died a slow death in the 1960's-70's due to white flight and the overwhelming assault of Conservatism. Citizens can be lured back to the cities with tax breaks.Tax breaks should be given to those already living in cities as well. This will revive cities and their schools, provide more revenue for the cities that desperately need it, make sure we are driving less, and reduce urban sprawl.

28. Tax Financial Transactions

We have allowed people, who do nothing more than move money around, to get away with murder. We must tax all of their transactions to stem the tide of useless financial tools that they keep inventing, such as credit default swaps, derivatives, and the clever repackaging of debt.

29. End The "Corporate Person"

When crafting the Constitution, our founders did not count on one major thing - the corporate entity. Our wonderful judicial system decided that corporations have the same legal rights as an individual and should be treated as such. This has caused catastrophic damage and must be revoked as soon as possible. Corporations must be treated as what they are: greed machines. Regional monopolies must be attacked and broken up, and damages for injustices must be levied.

30. Constitutional Convention

The Constitution should be reviewed every  25 years to account for changing times and the fixing of mistakes. The document was meant to be flexible and yet we view it as if it is set in stone. It is a good idea to periodically review the document to make proper changes and to account for things the founders would never have dreamed of. Surely, a system could be enacted to allow the country to make changes to the Constitution if a majority of the population wills it.