We have a conflict of visions, of that there is no doubt. So let’s discuss visions.
We will try something a bit different with this one: semi-moderated. Meaning, if you run down the same old rabbit holes, we will delete your posts without the usual warnings.
No Trump. No Biden. No BLM. No white supremacy.
Your vision for the ideal, but feasible, United States. Say things that are feasible in the next 25 years.
I will babysit this thread to make sure we stay on track.
No attacking the poster, none.
Be civil.
Explain how your vision benefits the country. Don’t forget to address the negatives as well as the positives.
You don’t have to lay it all out at once. You can lay it out a piece at a time.
I have a vision of a completely different healthcare system. It has become patently obvious to me over the past few years that what we had/have does not meet our needs.
I would like to see some sort of single payer system. But it has to address quality of service and government bureaucracy, not turn us into cattle.
ETA: Tying healthcare to the employer/work doesn’t work for me anymore. It’s too complicated and we are too transient now.
With over 30 trillion dollars “lost” by the Fed, HUD, and DOD since 9/11, it’s become clear to me that we do in fact have enough money for all the social programs out there, plus a bigger defense budget.
There is no excuse for this country hosting people as poor as those found in Appalachia.
I have a vision for this country with regards to law enforcement; the Constitution is followed first and foremost. No more work arounds. No more “reasonable suspicion”.
Somebody a while back, might have been @tzu mentioned “on call services” or words to that effect in suburbs. That really stuck with me.
Eradicating involuntary homelessness. Even if they’re just plastic huts that snap together in painted squares on dirt fields. I believe every American should be able to get an address and a door they can lock within a week.
Cons: probably smelly, mentally ill neighbors. Pros: Still better than some housemates.
Education considered a matter of national security, and funded as such
Complete decriminalization of marijuana
Heavier emphasis on social programs, less on defense spending
I would happily adopt @WuWei’s vision of healthcare:
Rational, responsible regulation of business and industry that protects both public health and natural resources (think Roosevelt)
Flat tax; elimination of all loopholes
America as a leading, responsible member of the wider global community
A better balance between individualism and communalism in American society (We have drifted too far to the “I’m gonna get mine, screw everyone else” mentality.)
Religion respected in society but the strict enforcement of a non-political agenda if tax-exempt status is to be preserved
Civility, community, and personal responsibility taught early and reinforced throughout a citizen’s lifetime
The de-emphasis on sports/media/entertainment complex celebrity, and in its place the elevation of scientists, engineers, and teachers
You asked for vision, so don’t ask me how any of this is achieved in the current zeitgeist. Partisan rancor has destroyed much of my optimism for enough of us to find common ground to move forward on any of it.
During this pandemic, I’m starting to recognize a pattern with the way conservatives and liberals speak both about and to each other. And in connection with that, I’m starting to worry that the hate and vitriol used in language online is normalizing bad behavior pathways in our brain offline. My vision for America is one where each party can shake off this deeply ingrained defensive mechanism of the ego to project ones short comings unto others, pointing the finger and sticking each others nose in a pile of crap on the floor of a house with rotting walls and cracking foundation. Take a step back from the illusionary online persona of oneself and focus on internal and meaningful growth. If we came together to debate the correct path forward, I would hope one day we can shed the preconceived notions about the other side and agree that on a fundamental level we love this country.
But as it stands, right now I don’t get the feeling that either party believes the lives of the opposing party matter, because we are so polarized into looking past the fact that we are Americans first.
