I am going to do something here that I promised myself I wouldn't. I am going to start to write some unfinished (maybe never finished) thoughts and see if I can run with them. I have been, well, completely depressed about our current president on many levels. One thing in particular that bugs me about the last election is that Bush got any votes at all for being a better communicator that Kerry. I think that the Republican platform is generally bad for America and particularly bad for many segments of America. How come the Democrats couldn't get that across to the millions of Americans that they needed to win the election. There are many reason and I won't try to come up with them hear. However, I started to wonder, what would my ideal president say to me, what would he talk about, and how would I realize that this guy (gal?) was the shit?
Wouldn't it be nice if he(she?) had a document that codifies what they believe the troubles of the US and how he will change things. Not just a marketing tool that regurgitates the drivel that every one expects (stronger America....ugh), but a real thought-provoking look at the big issues and which ones are not. For instance, the deficit is an issue, but why and potentially why not. What does every American need to understand about the deficit and the public debt? What is not important about the public debt? A hard stance on the debt (i.e. budget cuts ,increased taxes) will have consequences: some good, some bad. What are they?
Well, that is what I want to do. I want to write a document in time for the next election that details the policy issues that I think the president should deal with and why? Detailing the outcomes I would expect and what the net befits and costs will be to Americans. What are the issues I will talk about? Well for starters (1) Crime, (2) Health Care, (3) Budgets, Government Reform, and Taxes, and (4) Foreign Policy. Social Security would be an example of something that is worth writing about for the fact that I would not recommend changing it. More to come....
Update 1: Include Civil Liberties and Education to list.
Update 2: Guiding principle 1 - I am not an expert on any of these matters and neither should be the president. In my opinion the president should be a generalist who listens to experts and make great judgments based on the level, good advise of his advisors. Therefore, I will draw on expert analysis and site it where necessary.
Update 3: Include Homeland Security.
