What We Could Do If …..

A leader’s job is to solve problems.???To fix things that are broken or don’t work.??Sometimes the things that need to be fixed or addressed come out “out of the blue,’ the so called “Black Swans.”??More often problems are readily apparent, but indications and warning are unanticipated, unseen or just not acted on.???But the signs are there if a leader is curious and has the will to act. So seldom is there nothing for a leader to do, to act on, to address, who is looking, anticipating, learning, is curious……

Following are a list of things our national, state, and local leaders could “do” to address some of the obvious and not so obvious problems we face as a Nation or that we will likely face in the future.?Ideally, we would take some of these actions before there is a crisis.??Unfortunately, the tendency is to wait until things become a problem or reach crisis level to drive action.??Often it is too late.

Some who read this may disagree with the proposed actions to address these problems and that is fine.???Rationale reasonable people can disagree.???And there may even be some who think these are not problems at.??That they are just the way things are.???I for one cannot accept that.??So here goes, some thoughts on existing and potential problems and some possible solutions.

We could enact legislation that requires a 3 day wait period for a thorough background check to buy a firearm.???The age of the gun owner is to my mind, irrelevant.??We have the tools and technology to conduct such a search of medical and criminal records.??The state of Florida did this after the Parkland High School shootings and it has made a difference.??Most of us who are law abiding gun owners do not have a problem with such a law.??Buying a personal firearm should not be easier than buying a car or a home.???That said, it does not address private gun sales.???Venues like Craig’s List, eBay and Facebook Marketplace should eliminate all sales that involve guns, gun parts and ammo.??

We could implement a national ID card using a person’s bio-metric data, retinal scan and fingerprints, that would have to be shown or validated to vote, get a job, register for social security, receive Medicare or medical coverage or anything where the Federal or State Government pays out money.??Many states already have implemented such IDs for those without a driver’s license or passport.

We could require, in all forms of voting, that a citizen prove who they are to vote.??Showing proof of one’s driver’s license, passport, voter registration, state ID would suffice.??Proof of identity must be included with absentee ballots.??

We could encourage national service in our military, police and emergency response forces, forest and park services, public health service, Teach for America, or the Peace Corps, compensation for which would include elimination of college debt.??Immediately those serving in our military should be able to use the 9/11 GI Bill to pay off college debt.??The cost of our military is becoming unaffordable …… we could have a serious discussion about mandatory national service.

We could invest in a national power grid using all sorts of energy types….. Fossil, solar, wind, geo-thermal, nuclear, hydrogen and subsidize business and individuals who transition to renewable power.?Going green is great but we cannot be single sourced on energy.

We could put price controls on the price of gas and diesel.??The price of gas and diesel is the key factor in today’s rising inflation and increased costs.??Or we could tax energy company profits, which are currently very high, and use the money to subsidize consumers buying electric vehicles and expand the network of charging stations. If Russia provided 5% of US oil why have fuel prices almost doubled?

We could raise the age to draw Social Security, fully or partially, based on the increasing life expectancy of Americans.??Otherwise, the system will go bankrupt.

We could balance the federal budget if we were willing to get rid of waste, fraud and set asides, along with paying and collecting the taxes to support the things the majority want for this country:???Strong national defense, well trained and sufficiently manned law enforcement, new and modern infrastructure, secure and reliable power, clean and sustainable air and water, secure and resilient information networks, good schools and affordable prescription drugs and medical care.?

The states in the South and Southwest United States could develop and implement a water management plan to better recycle, reclaim, desalinate, and conserve water. The land in the Southwest of the US cannot handle the unmanaged growth in population without a plan for water.

We could, with an international coalition of the willing, and in compliance of the Montreux Convention, that guarantees passage through the Dardanelles from the Black Sea, organize a humanitarian convoy of food/grain from Ukraine to the rest of the world.??If we do not, Russia will continue to use food as a weapon in their war against Ukraine.

We could go to every refugee camp in the world and identify all with degrees and special skills who want to come to America, vet them and if they pass, give them green cards, and bring them to the USA.

We could provide extended legal immigrant status to any foreign national who has come to the US and worked hard, abided by the law, paid their taxes, and raised a family.???The children of these individuals could be granted a special status and allowed to remain in the country.

We could provide more fiscal, diplomatic, educational, and medical support to nations in this hemisphere and in Africa, with a priority to nascent democracies, to compete with China and other adversaries for access, markets, and diplomatic support.

We could transfer all nuclear power plant waste to the Yucca Mountain Facility as per the original plan.??The cost and risk of having spent nuclear fuel sitting around the Country is unnecessarily dangerous.

I could go on with network privacy laws, protocols for Artificial Intelligence, funding of police forces, the risks of continued legalization of drugs, mental health treatment and funding ….. you get the idea….. we have no shortage of problems to tackle.

Those problems and the potential solutions I have proposed in most cases are not unrecognized nor are the proposed solutions new ideas.??To many the solutions seem simple and straight forward, while to others, they are complex in the execution and/or the politics of getting consensus.??Simple, however, does not mean easy.??This is where leadership comes to the fore.??It takes work and will to educate people on the issues, to realize their importance and impact.??The need to act now instead of waiting until a crisis is upon us.??Where the leaders of the Nation must garner the political support to enact the change.???From our leaders must come the commitment and a relentless drive and a will to force change.???Seldom does change just happen.??It is mobilized and generated through logic, the provision of accurate information and repetition.???As great a Nation as the USA is, we have things that need to be addressed, that if “we have the will to take them on,”??will make us even better in the future.