A Call to Action: Grievances and Suggestions of an American Citizen
By Z. Hamilton Mahlum
Preface
In these times of social upheaval at home and abroad, I feel it is necessary to provide my limited insight into the problems I perceive to be present in my own country, the United States of America. I do not align myself with a particular political party, faction or movement. Everyone has their biases, for better or for worse, but I feel that my opinions are moderate and show concern for the citizens of our great nation.
Introduction
The great experiment undertaken by our Founding Fathers has been marked by great advancement since its implication more than two hundred years ago. Today, all legal citizens over the age of 18 are eligible to vote for members of their local village or city government, school boards, State Representatives, State Senators, and for the President of the United States. Though we have the power to vote, we are not being properly represented. Unfortunately there are aspects of our democratic system that are in need of immediate reform. These aspects include ineffective campaign restrictions, the practice of corporate lobbying, foreign policy that undermines the right of foreign nations to self-determination, a defense budget that is unnecessarily enormous, a tax revenue system that benefits the wealthy at the expense of those with less fortunate, and a lack of effective, government run education and healthcare systems.
Campaign Restrictions
In order for all candidates seeking public office to be equally competitive on a national scale, there must be major restrictions placed on the candidate’s election campaigns. The amount of disposable income available to a candidate should not be a deciding factor in their eligibility for office. Therefore, I advocate a strict time limit for the campaign season, curtailing it from an indefinite amount of time to a period no greater than six weeks. A similar system is effective in Canada, and there is no reason why it could not be effective in these United States. Additionally, a citizen seeking office should not be impeded in his endeavors by a limited amount of funding. I propose that there should be equal television and radio airtime allotted to each candidate for the purposes of campaign advertisements. This would lessen the influence of the two major political parties by eliminating their ability to run innumerable campaign advertisements that a non-party affiliated candidate would not be able to fund. Also, I propose limiting the amount of money that can be spent on a campaign to $100,000. I also propose that corporations not be allowed to donate any assistance to a campaign. Additionally, term limits should be abolished for presidents. If the people find a president to be effective, they should have the power to re-elect them.
Corporate Lobbying
Perhaps the most harmful aspect of our current governmental system is the presence of corporate lobbying. The effect of corporate lobbying is that it takes representation away from the private citizen. I, as a private citizen, would not be able to lobby congress or the senate with my personal grievances, so why should a corporation be given this opportunity? Also, corporate lobbying helps to install its leaders in positions of political power. For example, the think tanks and economic policy makers of the past thirty years have, for the most part, been high-level executives in major banks. They then implement policy decisions that benefit the industry and themselves personally, not the consumers of the industry’s goods, i.e. the private citizens of this country.
Foreign Policy
One of the reasons our American Revolution was successful is that the colonists themselves initiated the revolution and saw it through to its completion. No foreign government installed a leader it thought would be best suited to control the fledgling nation, or be sympathetic to the wants of that foreign entity. Self-determination is the basis of an effective nation. Every nation should have this right, but for the past sixty years or so, the United States Government has acted in direct opposition, funding whichever organization it feels would best serve its own interest, not necessarily the best interest of the people. One can see this policy in the administrations of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Monroe Doctrine, the Roosevelt Corollary, and the Truman Doctrine are abominations of foreign policy legislation. The United States is not a global police force. We have no authority to meddle in the affairs of other countries. The only global assistance we should provide is disaster relief and asylum to those affected by oppressive regimes.
Defense Budget
Why must our nation maintain such an extensive, global military force? There is no reason for our government to maintain military bases in South Korea, Germany, and Latin America. No other country spends as much money on their arsenal. We effectively bankroll NATO and the United Nations military forces, even though our presence in other countries is often a violation of their rights as nations. Cutting the defense budget drastically would allow us to eliminate our national debt and fund social programs.
Taxation
There is absolutely no reason why successful corporations and wealthy private citizens should not pay a higher percentage of their income into the tax pool. My reasoning here is that those wealthy corporations and citizens gained their wealth on the backs of those less fortunate. Even self-made millionaires are guilty, not only those born into their wealth. For example, Andrew Carnegie would not have amassed his fortune if it were not for the steel workers that labored in his foundries. These additional revenues should be used to fund social programs that would benefit all, not just a very few.
Expansion of Social Programs
I advocate the implication and expansion of the social programs initiated by Franklin Roosevelt and subsequently expanded by Lyndon Johnson, which were dismantled by later administrations. There is no reason why the United States should be the only “developed” country that lacks a nationally funded healthcare system. I advocate a single payer system, similar to the one established in Canada, which would cover all citizens of the United States from the womb to the tomb. This would not only increase the quality of life for all uninsured and underinsured Americans, but it would also provide greater mobility for those seeking new employment by eliminating the fear of giving up one’s corporate funded health insurance. This would also decrease labor costs for corporations, since they would not have to pay for health coverage.
I also advocate a general reform of the education system in these United States. My entire generation is mired in debt accumulated through the process of trying to fund an ever more costly, and ever more necessary, higher education. First, I propose that the Government heavily subsidize education at all levels. Not only would this decrease the amount of debt students would accumulate, but also it would create a better-informed public. The basis of democracy is a well-educated, well-informed, and politically engaged population. Without a competent population, it will be impossible to maintain a viable elected government.
Conclusions
These grievances and suggestions lay before you are by no means comprehensive. I wrote this piece with the intention that it be short and effective, that it may stimulate the reader’s interest on the subject of our government’s inadequacies. After having read my opinions and suggestions, I urge the reader to take any action they see fit to address these problems, whether they agree with my views or not. Taking action is the first step to achieving results, and an active populous is an effective entity capable of enacting much needed change. This can be done by protesting and by writing letters to congressmen, senators and the president. Most importantly, be an informed voter, and cast your ballot with confidence.
About the Author
Z. Hamilton Mahlum is an undergraduate student of history, residing in upstate New York. He comes from modest yet comfortable means. He aligns himself with no political party, faction or movement, mainly because the current parties, factions and movements do not adequately address the problems at hand.