Congratulations America! We have officially become the Keystone Kops of the global economy.
The sheer volume and magnitude of screw-ups, mulligans, half-baked plans, excuses, blame shifting, wishful thinking, and dumb mistakes coming from America's "leaders" is a national embarassment.
It would actually be funny if it wasn't really happening!
If the world's leaders are a room full of philosophers and Ph.Ds, America is the guy in the corner inviting you to his house to sell Amway.
"Hey Buddy... what if I could show you an opportunity to get a better life? We'll get to the details later... just trust me. By the way, how soon can you get your hands on $500? "
If we really want respect in the world, let's start earning it. Here's a few ways to get started:
1. Make AIDS treatment regimen and vaccine research available to the world.
The Federal government could purchase the patent rights from Big Pharma, and nationalize the production of these drugs. Yes, this would be expensive, but considering the billions we provide in foreign aid, peacekeeping, and military presence, a drop in the bucket.
What better way to gain trust and respect from the rest of the world, than by no longer trying to explain why helping the sick is only important when they're wealthy?
2. Reinvest in American cultural institutions.
For most of our history, our leaders have poured money and talent into sending out the best America has to offer. We led the world in the quality of our cinema, acting, symphonies, artistry... and shared it with our global neighbors.
Today, we unwittingly broadcast our worst to represent us. Let's give people halfway around the world something better to judge us by than Cribs & My Super Sweet 16.
3. Stop interfering in foreign politics... especially when we have no idea what we're doing.
Self-explanatory.
4. Create a fair and efficient system for becoming an American citizen.
The difficult, lengthy, and expensive process for citizenship has (surprise!) gotten even more difficult and expensive.
You're telling me that we can create technology to send me an ad targeted at my age, ethnicity, location, and income based on my Wal-Mart shopping history, but we can't process a visa in less than 3 years and $1400?
5. Make world travel affordable, practical, and mandatory.
While students in other nations speak two foreign languages by 12, our kids graduate still struggling with English.
Let's create some funding for sending high school students to study abroad, like the rest of the civilized world did 40 years ago. Maybe then, mainstream America will begin to see other cultures as more than "those weird people on TV".
Posted By: Jon C.
Friday, August 10th 2007 at 11:15AM
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