Currently reading Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandlebaum's "That Used to be Us". I would highly recommend it. They provide some great ideas upon which we can get things on track in this country. Reflecting upon that book here are the things I would enact to get this country on track:
- raise the Social Security retirement age by 3 years over the next 7 years (people are living longer, so the retirement age should reflect that)
- Raise taxes on those making over $100k (as Ronald Reagan said...we need some "revenue enhancements"...btw, Reagan did raise taxes occasionally)
- Extend the accelerated depreciation tax cut for small businesses to encourage reinvestment
- Reduce the size of the Department of Navy and reallocate half of those savings to intelligence and special operations forces
- Invest in alternative forms of energy so the US can be the leader in this field just like we have been in most other game-changing technologies
- Create math and science charter schools in underserved neighborhoods and increase the number of vocational skilled trade schools
- Eliminate the primary election system - Have two rounds of elections where the first election pairs things down to two candidates and then the general election is between the two remaining candidates
- Reduce Medicare reimbursements on end-of-life medical interventions (50% of Medicare expenses are incurred in the last 3 months of a person's life)
- Make all states right to work
- Legalize the morning after pill and teach contraception and abstinence in schools to reduce the number of wedlock, poverty-stricken births
- raise the Social Security retirement age by 3 years over the next 7 years (people are living longer, so the retirement age should reflect that)
- Raise taxes on those making over $100k (as Ronald Reagan said...we need some "revenue enhancements"...btw, Reagan did raise taxes occasionally)
- Extend the accelerated depreciation tax cut for small businesses to encourage reinvestment
- Reduce the size of the Department of Navy and reallocate half of those savings to intelligence and special operations forces
- Invest in alternative forms of energy so the US can be the leader in this field just like we have been in most other game-changing technologies
- Create math and science charter schools in underserved neighborhoods and increase the number of vocational skilled trade schools
- Eliminate the primary election system - Have two rounds of elections where the first election pairs things down to two candidates and then the general election is between the two remaining candidates
- Reduce Medicare reimbursements on end-of-life medical interventions (50% of Medicare expenses are incurred in the last 3 months of a person's life)
- Make all states right to work
- Legalize the morning after pill and teach contraception and abstinence in schools to reduce the number of wedlock, poverty-stricken births
