State of my Opinion
James Dugan
Some rights reserved by Francisco DiezHow I wish the State of The Union speech really went:
Dear Fellow Americans, tonight we set a course that is different. And not that kind of superficial difference that comes from choosing a new seat to listen to this speech. I want to set a new agenda because I think our state of the union needs help.
In fact, I think our state of the union is divided: the rich vs. poor, business vs. government, military vs. social, legal vs. illegal immigrants. I think our housing bubble continues to deflate the wealth of the middle and lower classes. I think our tax system continues to punish the middle class.
So to strengthen the union I want to bring us together by addressing jobs, energy, education and military.
In jobs, I will offer a tax credit for any product over $500 that is 100% made in America. And I mean everything, from the design, to the production, to the sales. This will do two things: first this will promote small businesses because the large companies will have to change their strategies to take advantage of the incentive. Second, this will bring jobs to the local markets, promote quality by competition between American companies, and show ourselves how good we can make something while supporting each other.
I do not want more fuels to meet our energy needs. I want to use less energy every year until we produce the same amount of energy as we use. I do not want to go big. I want to go small. I want us to use less energy tomorrow than we did today. I want to ration our energy. I want us to rethink the future using only clean energies that will not damage our water, pollute our skies, and give us cancer. I want America to consume less and be responsible. But it doesn’t matter until we realize that more energy leads to more waste, regardless of the energy. It is the citizen’s responsibility to use less, but for government to provide the cheapest and safest energies possible for the nation.
We will provide a free internet school for any child in America that has national standards. They will be able to take Calculus in fifth grade. You can enroll as long as you have an address in America. Community colleges will be free for every student in America for two years. An American student will be able to use that same amount to the college of their choice. The final two years of college will be interest free loans. A bachelor’s degree is necessary for most future jobs but also promotes a lifelong passion for arts, culture, and education. Every student must be able to pursue their education.
We will bring our troops home. We will provide an education for them. We will take care of their housing with no interest home loans. We will be sensitive to missions and promise no 10 year wars. We will honor their service by bringing them home. There will always be wars and men and women willing to fight, but that doesn’t mean there has to be constant combat. We will use our intelligence to better fight enemies without continuing to sacrifice the lives and futures of our servicemen.
And finally, I want to go back to values of appreciation for our neighbors and citizenship. We do not need to be the best in the world in everything, but we need to support each other in what we buy, how we use energy, how we educate our children, and how we argue with the world. The planet does not have to be a competition; the smartest or strongest take all. We can remake America by supplying our own energy and jobs through education and citizenship. We need to rebuild America from the inside out and let the world take care of itself for awhile.
The state of the union exists, but if we continue to export our jobs, buy foreign goods, and involve ourselves in costly wars, then that will leave us so little money that we have to fight over it. Change now will help us avert a crisis where our students and workers leave these shores for other countries. If we do not focus on domestic issues, we will lose our democracy.
Reader Comments (4)
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
- Leonard Cohen
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
- George Orwell
Lol. I won't try to outquote you. You win.
I vote for President James Dugan!