The Future

There are a number of things politically that I would like to see done in my lifetime. As you read this list, however, you will likely see how unlikely it is that any of these things will occur in the next 50 years. Here is my idealist view of the future of the United States:

1. The U.S. defense budget greatly slashed and U.S. troops brought home from most or all of their stations in countries around the world. The United States usually spends about 50% of its total budget each year on defense. As a result, this country spends more on defense than the rest of the countries of the world combined. No other countries can rival us, so what are we afraid of? Terrorists? The War on Terror should be an intelligence and police action rather than an actual war---especially considering that such a war would be perpetual, since terrorism is a part of human nature and can not be eradicated. Our budget priorities should be re-organized to favor things like education and infrastructure.

2. A federal program that pays for college education in the United States, up to Ph. D. level. As for highschool and younger education, I support the repeal of the "No Child Left Behind Act", which places too much emphasis on testing and removes funding from schools who do the least well on the tests (removing funding from schools that need the money most).

3. The enactment of the National Initiative for Democracy proposal (ni4d.org), which will empower the American people to make laws in partnership with their elected officials. This is a historic proposal to change the paradigm of human governance.

4. A significant plan and action against poverty in the United States. Components of this could be: a living wage, public works programs, fair trade policies, and urban and rural revitalization plans with tax incentives for companies to remain in the United States and re-locate to depressed areas.

5. A significant plan and action towards solving our global warming problems. This could include a carbon tax and increased use of such clean energies as wind and solar.

6. A single-payer, not-for-profit, government-run healthcare system which provides most everything from eye-glasses to dental.

7. Public works programs to rebuild America's infrastructure (and other projects such as the building of a national rail transportation system), which can help create new jobs and improve the country.

8. Breaking up of corporate media monopolies and the corporate control over our information supply. Also implement major election reform and public campaign financing in order to limit corporate influence in our government (the NI4D may also help with this).

9. A living wage (not a minimum wage that people can't live off of), the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and increased Union activity (unions can fight for workers' rights), and the implementation of Fair Trade policies (with tariffs in place to protect manufacturing jobs in the United States). All of these things will help protect the worker and increase the rights of workers.

10. Civil rights in general should be increased. The Patriot Act should be repealed, abortion and gay marriage should be made legal nationally, the failed War on Drugs should be ended. Marijuana should be legalized, as it is less strong than some forms of alcohol, and other drugs should be distributed only by a doctor's prescription: drugs should be a public health issue, not a criminal issue. We should have heightened civil liberties in this society, with equal rights for all and greater rights than what we have presently.

11. Simplification and replacement of the U.S. tax system, which is currently a complex and corrupt income tax system with many loopholes. The complexity of the tax system can allow the richer citizens among us to exploit the loopholes and evade paying their fair share of taxes. Only the rich can afford to hire people to find these loopholes. Replacements for this current tax system could be the Fair Tax, a flat tax, or some other option I have not yet heard of. In addition to this, the Bush Tax cuts, which benefit the wealthiest alone in society, should be repealed. Inequality between the rich and poor should decrease, and one way to do this is to create a fairer tax system that is helpful to the middle class and the poor, and not just the rich.

12. Peace, diplomacy, cooperation, and friendship with all other nations in the world. Use an uderstanding and respectful foreign policy rather than an aggressive, militaristic, and threatening foreign policy. Perhaps this cooperative friendship could be used to combat global warming, among other things. If the people of the world are united in their goals, then what shall be able to stop them? People like to divide things between East and West, but, if I know anything, I know that East always meets West somewhere. And, in this case, that meeting is in the fact that we are all human beings with an interest in maintaining human life on earth.

13. Voting age lowered to 16. In my view, if you are allowed to work a job, if you are allowed to take your life and the lives of others into your own hands when you are driving a car, then you should be allowed and you should be considered responsible enough to be able to vote. Suffrage should be expanded, and the disenfranchisement of this group of American citizens ceased.

14. Increased funding for space program, put a man on Mars. Also increase funding for research for diseases such as AIDS and cancer: hopefully, if any cures exist for these previously incurable diseases, government policy shall make these cures easier to be found. In the area of science, the United States should attempt to contribute to human progress.


These ideas, though not exclusively, greatly comprise my ideal view of how this country should be in the future. How the world should see us. With equal rights for all, citizen empowerment, a citizen-oriented society. Striving towards new precedents and contributing to the progress of humankind on the planet earth. With a cooperative, understanding, and peaceful foreign policy. Taking steps towards a human society where the emphasis is most greatly laid on the rights and goals of humanity---a humanist society. Will this ever come to pass? The question is not whether the current established society will pass away---it will, for it is the law of Time and of the Earth that it must do so---the question is what will replace them. The question is whether these societies which never existed will ever come to pass.