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Don’t Get Me Started
Six simple solutions to fix America
Six simple solutions to fix AmericaGLEN SAINT MARY, FL - While sitting at my dining room table during Sunday lunch after Church, I told my wife and older children that there are three solutions on the domestic front and three on the international scene that would improve our great country. In fact, as I pondered these thoughts later on, I realized that they would change things so drastically that it would make our founding fathers proud. Term Limits The first item on the domestic front is the abolition of lifetime membership to the elite political class. I have written about this before. In fact, my plan calls for 12-on-12-off. If you serve for twelve years, you have to sit out a full twelve years before going back into the political arena, and that includes "appointments," "blue-ribbon panels," and other "holdovers" while waiting for the right election cycle. The only exception is if you are running for the White House or the Vice Presidency. In other words, go get a real job. FairTax I’ve written before about this brilliant idea as well. While no tax plan is perfect, this has the most potential to transfer power out of Washington back to the citizens. This plan encourages thrift, savings, and entrepreneurial initiative. It takes more than passion to implement. It takes lawmakers who are friendly to the plan to be heard in Congress. It takes a concerted, realistic grass-roots effort. And it takes intelligence on the part of the voters to tout the plan without sounding like a bunch of rebellious kooks. Abolish four federal departments Want to cut spending? Here’s how. Eliminate four federal departments and trim the rest. It’s time to cut the government’s functions down to the ones actually required by the Constitution. The first four I would eliminate if I had the authority are: Education, HUD, Homeland Security, and Transportation. Three of them should be left to the states. Homeland Security is a redundancy of Justice and Defense. Any regulatory functions that are still necessary should be spread to other departments or placed under an advisory board that answers to the Vice President. Require the remaining cabinet-level departments to trim their budgets by ten percent each year for the next four years. No reducing the rate of growth is allowed. Actually cut the budget! Don’t forget "quasi-governmental" agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Capture and kill Osama and all terrorists On the international scene (while I strongly disagree with Senator Obama -- he believes we "took our eyes off the ball"), I do believe we need to continue to hunt down, capture, and kill the mastermind of modern-day international terrorism. Leave no stone unturned. Inform every country of our continued resolve. Let them know that we intend on getting these goons -- with or without their help. A change of tactic may be in order, but our military and our intelligence services can multi-task. Iraq is not, and never has been, a distraction. But it’s time to find him, nab him, and put his head on a pole. And we should never rest until "terror" is a movie genre. Seal the borders There are far too many people streaming into this country illegally. Don’t believe me? Read Michelle Malkin’s book Invasion for a well-researched, thoroughly informed clearinghouse of information on how terrorists have taken advantage of our currently (still) porous borders. Fence? Yes. Virtual fence? Absolutely! National Guard troops? You bet. Allow citizens to protect our shores as well? Of course! Somewhat like my favorite energy plan: all of the above. Drop out of UN Pop quiz: How much of the budget of the United Nations comes from America? Answer: A full one quarter! Twenty-five percent! What in the world is up with that, over? We fund 25% of the most corrupt governing body in the world and we only get a single vote on the general assembly. Our vote is no more or less powerful than Cuba’s. In fact, tin-horn dictators like Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, and Fidel Castro get to come to our country, bad-mouth their host, and leave with our cash. That solution is simple. Remove our membership and our money. Give the UN three months to remove every diplomat, every staffer, and every scrap of paper. Let them find a new home wherever they will. When those three months have expired, anyone left back will be required to apply for passage or deported. Any others who have parking tickets, overdue leases, or criminal activity that they once used diplomatic immunity to circumvent will have to report to a New York City magistrate. Let’s see what will happen when all these are implemented. I know, "dream on Hefty." I will. It can happen. But only if Americans stand up with courage, passion, and unity to change things for themselves instead of waiting around for others to do their heavy lifting. Andy is a father of 13 children who lives with his wife of over 23 years in Baker County, Florida. His opinions usually center around mixing politics and religion with hot-button topics as his specialty. You can contact him at ACHefty@yahoo.com.
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