Pass a second national health care bill
If you didn’t like the first one, you’ll love the second one. We need a national health care bill that actually does something to make health care more affordable while helping medical professionals succeed. The new bill would start with tort reform. Imagine watching TV without being bombarded by lawyers telling us to sue someone for a medical problem, whether real or perceived. Picture doctors practicing aggressive medicine, not defensive medicine. Let health insurance providers compete in the marketplace the way they do for homeowners or auto insurance. Competition will bring prices down. I’m feeling better already.
Let people and companies fail
It you insulate people from failure there is no incentive to succeed. People learn from failure … it’s one of the best motivators. Just look at how many elections Lincoln lost before he became president.
For every new law Congress passes, make them repeal two
Soon only the laws we really need would be in effect. Barry Goldwater got it right when he said:
I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is
not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to
cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose,
or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden.
So let’s get started because less really is more.
Encourage Americans to travel more
If two-thirds of Americans have never been outside of the country perhaps that’s why so many of us think the Old Country is part of Busch Gardens. A better understanding of the world comes from learning first hand that the British drive on the other side of the road, not the wrong side, and that in Tahiti Santa you more likely to arrive in an outrigger canoe than a sleigh. Be the foreigner instead of just talking about them.
Teach our children not to use the word “fair”
There is no such thing as “fair.” It’s just a concept that perpetuates misery. Life is not “fair” and the sooner young people learn that the better their lives will be. The truth is, being honest with them about how the world really works is the only “fair” thing to do. Trophies only for winners, not losers.
Limit presidency to single six year term
American presidents spend their first term too focused on getting re-elected. If they succeed in getting a second term they only have two years to get anything done before they become lame ducks. Two productive years out of eight is no way to run a nation. A single six year term would be long enough to fulfill a mandate and deliver on an agenda. Conversely, it’s too long for the opposition to wait them out. Everyone wins.
Embrace capitalism
It’s the only system that works. Soviet-style Communism failed; Socialism has destroyed Europe; and the Utopia perpetuated by American Progressives is a pipe dream doomed to fail as well. When someone takes their own money, not taxpayer money, and creates jobs we should embrace them, not demonize them. Want a job? Hug a Capitalist.
Create a streamlined and expert Cabinet.
There are many problems with the way the Cabinet is structured: it’s too big, members aren’t necessarily experts at what they do, and they work in silos rather than together. In other countries, such as Switzerland, the executive branch is called a “collective presidency,” a committee of seven elected leaders representing multiple parties and reaching consensus on major issues. They even rotate chairmanship each year. Seven heads are better than one. Given that Trump has never been in politics, a cabinet with real governance experience would be especially useful.
Eliminate Government Redundancy
The cabinet should be trimmed down, merging bloated agencies to force cooperation on related issues: the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development could be combined into an Infrastructure Department; the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, should be fused into a Department of Energy and Environment; the Department of Commerce with the U.S. Trade Representative; Defense with Homeland Security; Education with Labor; and so on.
Replace the Senate with an Assembly of Governors.
In recent decades, the Senate has become nothing more than a smaller version of the House, a bastion of populism focused on filibusters and other arcane procedures—and of course fundraising for reelection. Indeed, in the past the Senate was largely composed of former Governors; now it is mostly former Congressmen.
It’s time to go back to a Senate that knows how to actually do something, and the best way to do that is to abolish it completely and replace it with an Assembly of Governors. America’s governors actually run their states, oversee large bureaucracies, manage complex budgets and understand local realities. Unlike squabbling senators, governors get along extremely well with each other and overwhelmingly favor cross-border projects that enhance their connectivity to each other. Rather than each state having two senators, it should have two governors—either running on a joint ticket or with the two most popular candidates being chosen. After the election, one will work in the state capital and the other in Washington coordinating priorities and agendas and sharing successful policies with their peers from other states. Especially since Senate rules have barely evolved in 200 years, this would at least ensure fewer filibusters and more actual policy.
Reintroduce and treat Trade Schools as equal to the College Prep Diploma During High School. After high school, there are a lot of people who don’t attend college and need a way to provide for themselves. There was a time where students could take courses in high school that would lead to a career once they were done. They were offered courses in, auto mechanic and body work, nursing and medical areas, cosmetology, horticulture, various cooking classes and the list goes on. Why can’t we restore these things and give the people who don’t attend college a fair chance at life as well
Mandatory Gun/Self Defense Classes in Schools
If schools are sincere about anti-bullying and safe schools campaigns, one of the better things they could do is require students (especially females) to take a few semesters of some form of self defense, whether that's jujitsu, krav maga, judo, kickboxing or some other defensive martial art as well as basic gun safety. Teach kids that guns aren't scary or dangerous when they are used responsibly. Teaching students life and death responsibility wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for them.
If you didn’t like the first one, you’ll love the second one. We need a national health care bill that actually does something to make health care more affordable while helping medical professionals succeed. The new bill would start with tort reform. Imagine watching TV without being bombarded by lawyers telling us to sue someone for a medical problem, whether real or perceived. Picture doctors practicing aggressive medicine, not defensive medicine. Let health insurance providers compete in the marketplace the way they do for homeowners or auto insurance. Competition will bring prices down. I’m feeling better already.
Let people and companies fail
It you insulate people from failure there is no incentive to succeed. People learn from failure … it’s one of the best motivators. Just look at how many elections Lincoln lost before he became president.
For every new law Congress passes, make them repeal two
Soon only the laws we really need would be in effect. Barry Goldwater got it right when he said:
I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is
not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to
cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose,
or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden.
So let’s get started because less really is more.
Encourage Americans to travel more
If two-thirds of Americans have never been outside of the country perhaps that’s why so many of us think the Old Country is part of Busch Gardens. A better understanding of the world comes from learning first hand that the British drive on the other side of the road, not the wrong side, and that in Tahiti Santa you more likely to arrive in an outrigger canoe than a sleigh. Be the foreigner instead of just talking about them.
Teach our children not to use the word “fair”
There is no such thing as “fair.” It’s just a concept that perpetuates misery. Life is not “fair” and the sooner young people learn that the better their lives will be. The truth is, being honest with them about how the world really works is the only “fair” thing to do. Trophies only for winners, not losers.
Limit presidency to single six year term
American presidents spend their first term too focused on getting re-elected. If they succeed in getting a second term they only have two years to get anything done before they become lame ducks. Two productive years out of eight is no way to run a nation. A single six year term would be long enough to fulfill a mandate and deliver on an agenda. Conversely, it’s too long for the opposition to wait them out. Everyone wins.
Embrace capitalism
It’s the only system that works. Soviet-style Communism failed; Socialism has destroyed Europe; and the Utopia perpetuated by American Progressives is a pipe dream doomed to fail as well. When someone takes their own money, not taxpayer money, and creates jobs we should embrace them, not demonize them. Want a job? Hug a Capitalist.
Create a streamlined and expert Cabinet.
There are many problems with the way the Cabinet is structured: it’s too big, members aren’t necessarily experts at what they do, and they work in silos rather than together. In other countries, such as Switzerland, the executive branch is called a “collective presidency,” a committee of seven elected leaders representing multiple parties and reaching consensus on major issues. They even rotate chairmanship each year. Seven heads are better than one. Given that Trump has never been in politics, a cabinet with real governance experience would be especially useful.
Eliminate Government Redundancy
The cabinet should be trimmed down, merging bloated agencies to force cooperation on related issues: the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development could be combined into an Infrastructure Department; the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, should be fused into a Department of Energy and Environment; the Department of Commerce with the U.S. Trade Representative; Defense with Homeland Security; Education with Labor; and so on.
Replace the Senate with an Assembly of Governors.
In recent decades, the Senate has become nothing more than a smaller version of the House, a bastion of populism focused on filibusters and other arcane procedures—and of course fundraising for reelection. Indeed, in the past the Senate was largely composed of former Governors; now it is mostly former Congressmen.
It’s time to go back to a Senate that knows how to actually do something, and the best way to do that is to abolish it completely and replace it with an Assembly of Governors. America’s governors actually run their states, oversee large bureaucracies, manage complex budgets and understand local realities. Unlike squabbling senators, governors get along extremely well with each other and overwhelmingly favor cross-border projects that enhance their connectivity to each other. Rather than each state having two senators, it should have two governors—either running on a joint ticket or with the two most popular candidates being chosen. After the election, one will work in the state capital and the other in Washington coordinating priorities and agendas and sharing successful policies with their peers from other states. Especially since Senate rules have barely evolved in 200 years, this would at least ensure fewer filibusters and more actual policy.
Reintroduce and treat Trade Schools as equal to the College Prep Diploma During High School. After high school, there are a lot of people who don’t attend college and need a way to provide for themselves. There was a time where students could take courses in high school that would lead to a career once they were done. They were offered courses in, auto mechanic and body work, nursing and medical areas, cosmetology, horticulture, various cooking classes and the list goes on. Why can’t we restore these things and give the people who don’t attend college a fair chance at life as well
Mandatory Gun/Self Defense Classes in Schools
If schools are sincere about anti-bullying and safe schools campaigns, one of the better things they could do is require students (especially females) to take a few semesters of some form of self defense, whether that's jujitsu, krav maga, judo, kickboxing or some other defensive martial art as well as basic gun safety. Teach kids that guns aren't scary or dangerous when they are used responsibly. Teaching students life and death responsibility wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for them.
