Log In | Register
Image credit: Max Shlubman, Creative Commons/Flickr.
Image: NASA files. An early artists' conception of the Apollo mission to the moon.
Image Credit: Jamie Hernandez, Creative Commons/Flikr
Where are the jobs? Why do the cost of basic necessities and energy keep going up? Where's that recovery we were told would happen by now? Tough questions, with an easier answer: It's up to Americans to keep an eye on the ball and knock it out of the park.
Using a sports analogy is a little simplistic, but there is truth in it. The housing bubble and the stock market plunge only accelerated what was bound to happen anyway. Our trade deficit with China, the vast amount of U.S. currency we send to countries who don't even like us - simply to power our vehicles and way of life - this is the majority of the problem. Couple that with our lack of investment in education, both K-12 and college, and this is a recipe to become a second or third-rate country within a decade.
In a way, the current recession is like a war. If you want to climb out of it, then you have to do your part.
Here's a few ideas:
Encourage our government to expand education to everyone, and ensure YOUR school district is doing its best on K-12. Even with all the college funding in the world, most Americans will finish their education as soon as they graduate high school. This mean our K-12 system needs to be the best it CAN be.
We must Go Green. The rising cost of energy is a serious drain on the economy. Two simple things here. The first country that goes green and becomes the primary manufacturer and producer of renewable energy WINS. That country is guaranteed a strong economy and plenty of jobs. Charity begins at home, though. This means Americans must do their part to cut back energy use.
It's time to return to space. One failing of the Obama administration has been its shortsighted view of NASA. The truth is that NASA employs some of the most intelligent people on the planet, and space work encourages interest in science and math - two subjects that are key to life in the 21st century. NASA's current budget is less than $20 billion a year. This funds the Houston Space Center, the IV and V Center, White Sands, the HQ in DC, the Cape, Glenn Center, Michoud, and a number of others. They also do interactive work with the public, our schools, students, and their teachers. Most of the real cost for NASA was paid for during the Space Race when all the infrastructure was built to go to the Moon. If we don't keep up with the competition, it will be the Chinese, the European Space Agency, or even the Italian Space Agency who become the Keepers of the High Ground. With some governments, this might not be a good thing for America.
Taxes on the rich should go up, while those on the middle class and the poor need to decrease. No one envies those who achieve the American Dream. But if you can afford more, you should PAY more. To the Rich Folks: Don't worry, no one is suggesting you be taxed back to the Stone Age. Just pay your fair share to support a free country that made it possible for you to get rich in the first place.
On the subject of taxes, a Windfall Tax should be instituted on oil companies. These funds should be earmarked specifically toward alternative energy implementation and research. It's going to cost a lot of money to get off Big Oil, and since Big Oil has made so many billions selling us crude for a hundred years, they should have to help pay for the shift to other energy sources. It's better for them (in the long run) and better for us in the short term.
Companies complain that they can't find qualified workers to fill jobs these days. As most people realize, education is good, but on-the-job training often produces better workers. Instead of complaining, corporations and large companies should institute aggressive hiring-with-training programs and stop their whining. They will fill their manpower needs more effectively, and put more people to work.
Try to cut back on two things whenever you can. Drive less, thereby using less oil, and buy more U.S.-made products. The oil deficit is our second highest trade deficit. Goods purchased from China are Number One.
Clint Eastwood may have touched on the spirit of America with his Super Bowl bit.
In any case, I think he and I agree on a few things.
