A great artist died today. We can gain inspiration from his words.
Who is responsible for America’s problems? I believe the answer is right before us. It’s the Man in the Mirror.
I’m Gonna Make A Change
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right…I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
Questions
What should be our goals in reforming America? How should we go about it?
You know what is our true path. All I ask is that you act on your answer. I have faith. Not in your answer, specifically, but in our collective answer. You and I might fundamentally disagree, but I have confidence that together we can work out a course that will work for America.
Inaction — whether from complacency, despair, or sloth — is one of our greatest enemies. The other is disunity. Each side in Rome’s social wars thought they fought the Republic’s enemies. Together they destroyed it, making the Imperium inevitable. Life is about results, not being right.
Afterword
Please share your comments by posting below. Per the FM site’s Comment Policy, please make them brief (250 words max), civil, and relevant to this post. Or email me at fabmaximus at hotmail dot com (note the spam-protected spelling).
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For more information from the FM site
To read other articles about these things, see the FM reference page on the right side menu bar. Of esp interest are:
- About Financial crisis – what’s happening? how will this end?
- About America – how can we reform it?
- Good news about America, a collection of articles!
Posts discussing solutions, ways to reform America:
- Diagnosing the Eagle, Chapter III – reclaiming the Constitution, 3 January 2008
- Obama might be the shaman that America needs, 17 July 2008
- Obama describes the first step to America’s renewal, 8 August 2008
- Let’s look at America in the mirror, the first step to reform, 14 August 2008
- Fixing America: shall we choose elections, revolt, or passivity?, 16 August 2008
- Fixing American: taking responsibility is the first step, 17 August 2008
- Fixing America: the choices are elections, revolt, or passivity, 18 August 2008
- What happens next? Advice for the new President, part one., 17 October 2008
- What to do? Advice for the new President, part two., 18 October 2008
- How to stage effective protests in the 21st century, 21 April 2009
- The first step on the road to America’s reform, 29 May 2009
Fabius Maximus
Chet
don
GI Wilson
Joe Bonham
Tom Hayden
Marcus J. Ranum
Everything old is new again.
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Fabius Maximus replies: Some problems are inherent in human affairs. Some we’ve gotten better at. Some we have not.
Agenda as follows:
1. Get out of Afghanistan. There’s no threat there, and it’s too expensive.
2. Reform health care, and socialize all its costs. Lower payments to doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies.
3. Adopt diversified energy policy to provide a wide base of energy sources. Modernize electrical grid.
4. Establish 40 year plan to update and modernize rail freight and passenger services. Make work and make something at the same time.
5. Re-balance income equities through a combination of much higher taxes on the well-off and much higher wages for the less well-off.
6. Invest in highest quality educational infrastructure: schools as edifices. Increase teacher standards, teacher training, and teacher pay.
7. Get banking in line. After defense and space exploration, no sector is as dependent on government support as the financial sector. How the hell do those guys pay themselves so much money?
Write the White House, contact your congressmen, badger the media. Work, work, work.
I think *nothing* changes until we end the mechanism of corruption, specifically all the campaign contribution and revolving door mechanisms. Salaries for powerful government officials should be higher, so they can earn just as much serving the public good as serving profit. And eliminating all the time they spend fundraising, and all the influence of all the lobbyists, will get rid of the kleptocracy that has pretty much toasted the system. No one should have any more access to the system than the average person just because they donated money, or have a personal connection, or are paid for by a large business. That’s the root of all our problems, the disproportionate influence on government by money and people who have it.
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Fabius Maximus replies: I agree. It’s important to recognize points of leverage in the system, things to change that have systemic effects. The way we compensation and election of officials should be at the top of the list, IMO.
Wall to wall coverage of Him is certainly inspiring me to change and act . Where do I sign up to join Al Quaeda ?
Look for ways to regain control of your life; shrink your horizons. Promote local business, local power aggragation, invest your money locally, be involved with city and county goverment, use big box stores selectively, protect your local libary and public schools; amke your community a place where anyone would want to live.