How do we fix our Nation?

[Wake]

My question is pretty simple. How do we fix our nation? All of you I'm sure are opinionated and informed, yet no one seems, imo, to have any solid solutions.

To me "the problem" is a collection of problems from social to economic issues. Where do we start? Would you join in on an exercise to come together with others and brainstorm solutions? I want to see some practical/balanced solutions to these problems. Sure, none of us have the power to change our nation with this course of thinking, but at least we can try to shed light on the problems and come together to reach a middleground.

I don't have a lot of knowledge on these issues, and I don't pretend to, either. I want to see some balanced solutions. Let's try to fix these problems as respectfully as civilly as we can. Would you perhaps spend a little time to come here, identify the problems, and come up with balanced solutions? We must be able to respect eachother and communicate. We must try to come with real, thoughtful solutions in order to make our future a better place to live in.

Please, help me in trying to find solutions.

 

[Helix]

we need to get Americans working again. i would suggest a new deal sized infrastructure rebuilding project to start. this would include roads, bridges, and electrical infrastructure. the imported energy model is failing, and we can use electricity as a transition to whatever is next. but we need to vastly improve the grid, and since it's a matter of national security, we can't wait until it becomes profitable to do so. this should not be funded by borrowing; money can and should be diverted from endless military projects. we spend more on that than the rest of the world, and it's time to start nation building right here in the states.

domestic energy R&D needs to be made a top tier priority. we need to be looking ahead 50 to 100 years and asking ourselves how we are going to power transportation and industry in a climate of decreasingly available oil. right now, nuclear and renewables seem to be the go-to alternatives.

health care needs to be untied from employment. it is an amazingly inefficient system of providing insurance, and the costs have become crushing for businesses and individuals. additionally, costs associated with care need to be addressed, as the current rate of yearly increase is unsustainable. in practice, this means a private exchange competing with an expanded medicare so that everyone has access.

finally, the nation needs a long term plan to address our deficits / debt. the last thing that we want is for the dollar to lose its status as world reserve currency. this will mean large tax resource reallocation, adjustment of individual rates, and development of new revenue streams.

these are all critically important issues. we do have some time to address them, but we need to start right now.

 

[Thunder]

My question is pretty simple. How do we fix our nation?....

let the Bush tax-cuts on the wealthy expire.

create a new tax-bracket for millionaires.

make the Glass-Steagall Act once again the law.

remove Freedom of Speech rights from corporations and unions.....or publicly fund elections.

 

[Paschendale]

"The problem" is not a single thing. There's millions of issues, some of which are problems to some and not to others. Trying to solve everything with a sweeping generalization isn't going to help. Helix and Thunder's solutions are pretty good, but they only address some of the issues.

 

[a351]

let the Bush tax-cuts on the wealthy expire.

create a new tax-bracket for millionaires.

make the Glass-Steagall Act once again the law.

remove Freedom of Speech rights from corporations and unions.....or publicly fund elections.

So more money and control should be shifted to the government? Good thinking, Why didn't they pick you for the deficit committee?

 

[Thunder]

So more money and control should be shifted to the government? Good thinking, Why didn't they pick you for the deficit committee?

cause they aren't smart enough.