A Political New Year’s Wish List for 2017

  

  1. Instead of whining over the election results, let American’s gather together behind our new President, Donald Trump, and wish him well in his endeavors to bring Peace and Prosperity to America for the next four years. Like him or not; he is our duly elected President and he is not going anywhere.  Protests and marches are only divisive at this point.  You cannot impeach an individual for winning an election! 
  2.  Let our New President and Congress bring our troops home safely from overseas and reward our veterans and their families with policies that respect them and acknowledge their service to this country.
  3.  Let our Congressional, State and Local representatives stop using their political positions for their own selfish purposes, stop lining their pockets at taxpayers’ expense, cease with the partisan politics, and actually begin to represent their respective constituencies with solid fiscal legislation and strong policies to protect the rights of our citizens, and to deter discrimination by gender, race, creed, or sexual preference.
  4.  Let American citizens finally wake up and vote for competent, dedicated politicians instead of voting by party. Let a legitimate third party arise to challenge the corruption of the current two party system and give voters a real choice.  Let there never again be a Clinton -Trump debacle where the American public is relegated to settling for two bad choices to represent the United States of America as our President, embarrassing us in the eyes of the global community.  
  5.  Mandate that Congress balance the budget and lower the gross national debt every year. At the current rate of growth of our national debt, the interest on our national debt will exceed the gross national product within fifteen (15) years. This will endanger the fiscal stability of America and compromise the future of this once great country for our children.
  6.  Institute mandatory term limits and age limits. This country does not need lifetime politicians, enriching themselves at the expense of the American public.  We do not need octogenarian Supreme Court Justices and Congressional Representatives.  Even if these individuals are still competent, there is a time to step down.   How can an eighty-year old truly understand the needs of the new generation? And if they cannot comprehend the needs, how can they honestly represent them?
  7.  Let Congress prohibit lobbying by ex-Presidents and ex-Congressmen for a minimum of ten (10) years.
  8.  Cease giving benefits to Senators, i.e. pensions and health care after only five (5) years. There should be a minimum of fifteen (15) years of service to qualify for a benefit package.   There are few jobs in the universe where one can work for a few years and receive these types of benefits.  This is all on the backs of American taxpayers. 
  9.  Stop allowing legislators to keep unneeded military bases open in their respective districts. It is understood that when a base closes jobs are lost, which is unfortunate, but our tax dollars should not be used for this purpose.  If anything, these tax dollars should be utilized to help our veterans and their families.   
  10.  Let Congress pass new tax legislation that (a) forces Wall Street hedge fund managers to pay tax at the full rate, in lieu of the current discounted rate; (b) forces Wall Street firms to stop with the proliferation of insider trading; (c) monitors the exorbitant fees charged by Wall Street firms to clients even when the clients lose money on their investments.
  11.  Let President Trump reestablish a positive relationship with the State of Israel, after President Obama trashed it. Let America recognize that, regardless of the fact that we may not agree with all Israeli political decisions, it is the “Only Democracy” in the Middle East, and the only nation over there that we can possibly trust. 
  12.  Let Congress get out of the business of investigating our professional athletes for steroid use or other abuses. Millions of tax dollars and wasted time were used investigating Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, etc.  Let the various leagues pay for any investigations; this is not the responsibility of our legislators.  Note: too much interest, possibly because several of our representatives have investments in professional sports. 
  13.  Leave education to educators, not legislators. “No Child Left Behind” was a lovely, naive idea, but it never had a chance.  Until our representatives grasp that demographics govern the success of education, it is impossible to “fix the system”.  Decisions like the Abbott decision in New Jersey do more damage than repair. Billions of dollars are poured into urban areas, with predictably negative results.   In large cities, poverty; urban crime, e.g. gangs; absentee parents, and ignorance are the major culprits in preventing many children from receiving a quality education.  Our legislators would consistently blame the problems on school administrators and teachers, but these individuals are not at fault.   Problems in our educations system are extremely complex, including but not limited to social promotions, mainstreaming of special needs students; curriculums that include creationism; extreme testing, e.g. PARCC.  Let our educators design the programs, without government interference, and our children may actually receive the quality of education that they truly deserve. 
  14.  Address Immigration issues in an intelligent fashion. If proper vetting is not possible, then the U.S. has to utter an emphatic “NO”!  We must recognize that terrorism is an ever-present threat, one that cannot be taken lightly.   Legislation to eliminate “anchor babies” is necessary, i.e. citizenship should be earned, not stolen or achieved by default.   Consider amnesty for illegal immigrants who contribute, and deny it to those on the public dole or with criminal records, i.e. deport them.   Streamline INS policies in order to speed up time frames for legal aliens to acquire citizenship.  Encourage immigrants to learn “English” by providing free educational opportunities.   
  15. Let ignorant politicians, e.g. Mike Pence, recognize all the good work done by Planned Parenthood and understand that this organization has been a life-line for many American women in times of crisis.
  16. Let a new generation of our young people enter politics with an attitude of service, in lieu of “self-service”, to allow the United States to be prepared for the very difficult global issues it is certain to face in the near future.
  17. Let Governor Chris Christie have his book deal.  However, let there be a codicil to the agreement that 50% of the profits go the New Jersey State treasury as repayment for all the funds he wasted campaigning for the presidency and then following Trump all over the country, with tax dollars paying for his police protection.  

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This list could go on ad infinitum with our current political system is a state of total disarray.  The 2016 Presidential election was a clear reflection of the rage of the American public at both Republicans and Democrats.   As Peter Finch stated so clearly in his tirade in “Network”, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” It is time for a change and the best time to start is today! Welcome 2017!  Let this be the dawn of a new “Era of Good Feelings”, where Americans unite with a common purpose and a sense of National Pride.   

Happy New Year to All!