During the past two terms of the current administration, the US has plunged from a relatively good situation -budget surplus, sympathy abroad after 9/11, environmental progress- to what seems like the dark ages: a huge deficit, an environmental policy deviced to favor the oil industry, lying its way into a war designed to funnel funds into contractors of all kinds, despised and ridiculed abroad as much as by its own citizens.
Perhaps a positive note can be recovered from the catastrophe of the Bush administration: that many of those who, unquestioning, fell for the deceit that sank us into the current disaster, now know better. The eye-opening experience may perhaps explain the shift away from the right, and towards the center in the republican party. In any case, and regardless of the winner, both candidates are far closer ideologically and tactically than either one would ever admit in public. This, in my opinion, bodes well for the ability of the future president to get things past the legislative and accomplish the seemingly impossible task of repairing the damage done, only cooperation can achive that and all that needs to be done to make that happen. I believe that neither candidate can be bought by the those who own the current administration, both want to do what is right, and have what it takes -the task at hand, however, is monumental -heroic, even. But not impossible.
Here are my humble suggestions for the next President of the US:
1. Regain the trust and respect of the international community by promoting peace:
a. Apologize unequivocally in the world stage for the Iraq war and its consequences
b. Sponsor and lead the effort to create a Palestinian state. Do so with the support and agreement of the regional states G8, and the thirld world powers. Privately make clear to the Israeli authorities that anything short of full cooperation is not a good idea.
c. Publicly regret and reject categorically the use of torture in any form; enact laws to that effect.
d. Lead the creation of a global club of the richest nations on both the developed and developing world to faciliate development in the poorest nations, beginning with Afghanistan.
e. Encourge the creation of a European Chancelor and a European Armed Forces. A united Europe speaking with a single voice will add stability and balance to the world stage.
2. Embrace environmental responsibility:
a. Put in place and strongly pursue a strategy to replace the oil economy with one of renewable energy, by facilitating and encouraging the development of new technologies and industries.
b. Join global environmental efforts and lead by example on conservation and restoration projects.
3. Regain scientific and technological leadership; promote and invigorate scienceific research:
a. Put in place and strongly pursue technologies to replace the oil economy with one of renewable energy, by facilitating and encouraging the development of new industries.
b. Establish a permanent settlement beyond Earth orbit to capture the imagination of the new generations, promote the study of science, and invigorate the development of advanced technology.
c. Increase funding for scientific research accross the board.
4. Move to break the grip of special interest groups in the government and regain sovereignty for the people. Start with campaign finance reform.
5. Re-think the educational system:
This is not about getting students to learn more, although bringing the level of learning on par with other developed countries should be a priority. This is about a system that has largely remained unchaged for a hundred years. It is about changing the priorities, and preparing the children not just for a career, but first and foremost, for success in life. We now have the know-how to teach how to avoid the social and mental traps that lead to poor decisions, and reprogram our drives to follow our decisions, instead of the other way around. This cannot be accomplished in two presidential terms, but it should be enough time to firmly seed the idea.
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