oops!! Sorry Fred.... er Nancy....
3 things:
LOBBYING
Elected official are elected by individuals, not corporations… yet corporate lobbing exerts unfair influence on “public servants”… resulting in state and federal government that is more beholden to corporate masters than the citizens who elected them. Ultimate result is bloated government, excessive spending, misguided state, domestic and foreign policy.
SOLUTION
Legislation must be passed, at the state and federal level that:
- Bans corporate lobbying altogether OR
- Prohibits elected officials and their personal staff, legislators, appointed officials and department directors from becoming licensed lobbyists within 24 months after departure from their government positions.
- Prohibits corporate contributions to campaigns for public office. Since the office is elected by the individual vote, only individual contributions should be allowed.
- Mandate publicly funded elections.
ENERGYThe United States has greatly benefited from the historically stable cost of oil. After the end of WWII, the U.S. was the clear superpower, and the war greatly accelerated manufacturing and consumption, all of which relied on oil as a base energy unit. As consumption increased, so did the demand for energy. To encourage continued expansion, the federal government began to subsidize the energy industry, keeping the cost of energy stable and artificially low. This has also kept the cost of goods relatively low to the average American.
Fast forward to today… there isn’t enough oil to satisfy the rising world demand…. And US subsidies can no longer suppress rising costs.
The “Achilles-heel” of the US economy has always been energy. Cheap energy was the driver of our rapid economic growth post WWII. Until now, the cost of energy has been low enough to not adversely impact the cost of manufacturing, transportation, etc., which ultimately results in price increases to the average consumer.
A new energy paradigm must be rapidly executed if the U.S. is to maintain economic stability.
SOLUTION:
We must change the “base energy unit” of the US economy from oil to electricity. This will require significant investment in the alternative energy R&D field. Our cities, factories and automobiles must become electrically based. Frankly, we must quickly adopt the same sense of urgency advocated by President John F. Kennedy when he challenged this great nation to land on the moon in less than 10 years.
We must also become a global net energy “producer”… only then will we be able to control our destiny as a society. The benefits are obvious:
- No longer will we have to temper our foreign policy - period.
- As a net energy producer, electricity effectively becomes a “currency”, stabilizing our dollar abroad and domestically.
- We can trade electricity to developing nations in exchange for infrastructure development. This will naturally lead to additional trade opportunities. This also stabilizes regions by raising the living standard, and increases our sphere of democratic influence in a fashion consistent with American ideals and values.
TAXES
Abolish the IRS, or reform it and institute a flat tax. If abolished, the Government would still have a plethora of avenues to acquire revenue, including constitutional methods: tariffs and excise taxes.
Today individual income taxes account for only approximately one-third of federal revenue. Abolishing the IRS today would eliminate one-third of the 2007 Federal budget, which would STILL be greater than the 2000 Federal budget!
Most middle-class families are in the 28% to 38% tax bracket... Imagine the boost to the economy if 20% to 38% of every tax-paying Americans paycheck was no longer simply taken by the IRS....
Actually, it's Nancy; I hate my handle, my son picked it out for me when I first posted here... Okay, now I'm really sad. Can't this be averted? I kind of knew the Fed ran the economy but I was wanting to blame the Republicans really bad!! 
. What can we as a country do to head this off?
