I am not a big fan of the make ’em and break ’em New Year’s Resolutions but hey I did eventually lose the 25 pounds I vow to shed every year (it was 35 actually and for all the wrong reasons). Despite that I do like broader resolutions that require people to think and act about our culture such as the #metoo movement.
Anyhow here are the curmudgeon’s top 3 New Year’s Resolutions for our country/culture to work on in 2018:
Medicare for All
I’m not going to debate this. We are the richest country in the world and the only industrialized county in the world that does not provide basic universal health care for every man, women, and child. The only people that benefit from our current non-health care system are insurance companies. Bernie has it right. And it will cost the government a lot less than our tax bill gives to the rich. Lets demand that the government stop playing political games with people’s health to appease the insurance/pharma/hospital lobbies!
Campaign Finance Reform
We need public campaign financing that outlaws private donations and any form of political advertising by anyone other than the candidates themselves. Reform that requires media outlets to carry a certain number public forums that includes all filed candidates as a part of their license to use the public airwaves, and finally that limits the campaigning to 6 weeks prior to the election.
Debate the details but this would:
- get the control of the election out of the hands of the 1% (remember we have the best government money can buy and the 1% has bought and paid for it).
- allow the best candidate to run for office and have a chance to win (have the democrats or the republicans really done anything lately except run candidates that can’t win and candidates that hate government respectively).
- allow representatives and senators to work on policy and actions instead of starting to run for re-election on day one of their current term.
- would be so much easier for the people to focus on an election if the noise was limited to a reasonable period instead of a one year or two year cycle of campaigning (we who live in Minnesota are in for a real treat of misleading campaign ads this year – thanks for nothing Al.)
Impeach Donald Trump
OK this is pie in the sky but I can only hope we can somehow get rid of this buffoon who not only demeans the Office of President of the United States but also its citizens!
Happy New Year!
gobblers nob 