American Society

American society has so many positives and negatives that it would be impossible to compile that list. This is a country that draws people from all over the world with dreams of freedom and success. Sometimes it is easy to forget the freedoms that exist when you are overcome with the negatives that blanket the news related to government and business. The fact that only a small percentage of eligible voters turn out to voice their opinion at the polls is one of the large negatives. There is so much dissatisfaction with what takes place, but people have apparently reached a point where they feel it doesn’t matter if they vote. The depressing aspect of the situation is at election time the voters have no reasonable choices when it comes to individuals running for office. Money dominates the election process and the process screams for drastic changes. The candidate that is able to raise the most money and dominate with name recognition gets the most votes no matter what the real issues are in the campaign. The process should allow for anyone that is qualified to run for office and controls should be in place for each individual to have equal time and equal advertising. The money factor should be taken out of the equation and allow the citizens an opportunity to have representatives that actually have their best interest at heart. Term limits should be in place for all elected officials. If this ever happened, government might return to what it is supposed to be and that is to serve the people. Government fraud and business fraud is at an outrageous level. Young people grow up with an attitude that this type of behavior is normal and that is a sad legacy for each generation to pass along to the next. Our government shows a blatant disregard for the environment and this failure to take the necessary actions will have a drastic effect on future generations. There are a lot of people living fantastic lives in the American society, but at the same time there are a lot of people barely surviving. If you make the effort, you can see people of all races in this country without homes, without food to eat, and without hope! Government wastes billions of dollars when so much could be addressed and so many problems could be solved. Society has changed over the years with many changes for the good, but there is so much more that needs to be accomplished.

Deregulation

Deregulation supporters say it has led to more efficient and innovative businesses, but others say it has led to higher prices and poor service. The move for deregulation really took off in the 70’s/80’s and this was supposed to bring great changes in industries such as airlines, banking, financial services, trucking, railroads, electricity suppliers, and telecommunications. The American public will have to determine if this effort by government representatives has produced the desired results in any of these industries or made matters worse or made any change at all. Have we had lost jobs, higher prices, fewer choices, and poor service? Is deregulation responsible in part for the economic conditions we face today? Are our political representatives asleep at the wheel? Should government be striving for a more balanced regulation situation? Yes, nobody can predict the exact outcome, but current conditions would seem to indicate things have gone wrong somewhere along the line. Maybe it is time to evaluate the results in certain areas and consider making some changes. Consider the numerous problems that have occurred in more than one industry over the last 20 years. A complete overhaul of deregulation might not be called for, but it is evident that some changes would be desirable.

Military Service & Draft

Military service and the American draft haven’t been discussed much in the news lately. I, like many people, may have mixed emotions about the subject, but this is something that has crossed my mind in recent months. I have noticed more and more young people with bad attitudes, bad manners, and outright rudeness. This would also include drinking habits and bad driving abilities. They seem to have a lack of respect for other people in general. These young people appear to be in the age range of 17 to 25, with some 25 to 30. I have to associate this behavior with the parents of these young individuals and a failure in parenting skills or possibly parents not being around enough during the growing up stage. I am not condemning the majority of this group, but I am talking about a large percentage. I will admit that there are a lot of very stable, polite, great young kids in society.
In my opinion, reinstating the draft in some format would be beneficial to society. Having to at least experience six to eight weeks of boot camp and training would provide some discipline, structure, and better attitudes. The American family has changed drastically over the last 25 years as a unit and this does seem to have affected a generation in many ways. The volunteer military that exists today may serve the needs (even though that may be questionable), but it wouldn’t hurt to have a pool available if a situation occurred in society that called for additional resources. There could also be a period of time after basic training where there is required community service to assist the needy and poor in their own community. The draft could serve more than one purpose and would be for everyone in a certain age range (nobody excluded) and then utilized as a reserve call-up list for a 1-2 year period of time. This would create a spending issue that many taxpayers would probably oppose, but needs to be explored. If this is not a possible avenue to consider, then is there anyone with an explanation for the situation and a possible remedy?

Youth Vote

The younger generation that talks about change appears to be caught up with only that phrase and not seriously looking at what the candidate can actually produce. The office of President has limited power when it comes to actually making changes. Congress is the body that the younger generation needs to focus on when looking for change. Members of Congress have become overly complacent when it comes to their responsibilities and American society in general. Greed, pork barrel politics, and self-satisfaction rule the current environment in Congress. My previous comments cover numerous issues that need to be addressed by those members and the younger generation needs to recognize those facts and become more involved in those elections. The condition of American society calls for those issues to be addressed and action taken in order for even small steps to be taken in the desired direction. I call on the “change” generation to become more involved in the entire process of government and actually bring “change” to society.

Term Limits

Term limits is something that should be in place for all elected officials and should be of more importance when it comes to members of Congress. In my opinion, the lack of action by Congress on issues such as drug cost, healthcare, lobbying, economic conditions, social security, and government waste (along with many other issues) can be tied to the greed factor related to staying in office as long as possible and accumulating a large net worth along with a nice pension. Money, as always, is the controlling factor in accomplishing anything in government. If members of Congress were limited to two terms, maybe there might be some interest in working to perform the duties associated with the office. The goal of government has been lost for many years and seems to continue drifting away. Of course, term limits is not the miracle answer to problems associated with the U.S., but it would be a step in the right direction. Yes, certain members of government will say the more seniority they have, the easier it is for them to get things done. I say this relates more to pork barrel spending than really accomplishing things that are important and need to be done for the public in general. Corruption can be tied to new politicians, but longer-term members are better targets for individuals or groups interested in buying influence. Since members of Congress are the ones to implement such a change, this can only happen by the public demanding for such action and voting out all members that have been in office more than two terms. The chances of this ever happening are slim, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a more efficient and productive government!

Lobbying & Washington

The relationship between politicians and lobbyists is completely out of control and could be considered a large factor in the potential destruction of American society. The thousands of lobbyists in Washington is an example of how greed has taken over society and made life for the average citizen very difficult. This segment of government operations is long overdue for a complete overhaul. The public needs to demand that Congress make drastic changes to eliminate this destructive aspect of government. The American public suffers in the areas of drug cost, gas prices, bank fees, healthcare, credit card interest rates, predatory small loan companies, and numerous other areas. This is caused by lobbyists utilizing the greed of politicians to prevent regulations and/or controls that would protect the citizens. Over the years the process of lobbying has been allowed to more or less control how government operates. “For the love of money is the root of all evil” could be an appropriate phrase to apply to the current situation. There is always talk about this subject around election time when promises are made that will never be addressed again or any action taken to correct the situation. Is it possible for any representatives of the people in Congress to actually take steps to correct this situation? Regulations to control members of Congress becoming a lobbyist or setting up a lobbying firm are circumvented in simple ways such as retiring early to beat a deadline. This needs to change and lobbying should be taken out of the equation when it comes to how government operates. If you agree, voice your opinion to your representatives.

Military & News Media

A few days ago I read an item that brought to mind past thoughts related to how the news media covers different aspects of society. This item was about a group of U.S. Marines returning home after a year’s duty in Iraq, with some having completed a second tour of duty. They arrived at a local air center and were taken to a Marine center where they were greeted by their family and friends. Missing from this event was the news media. They were apparently notified about this homecoming, but must have felt that this was not newsworthy. A large percentage of Americans may disagree with this conflict or war, however you want to classify the military campaign, but the country needs to pay more attention to these men and women as they return home. These members of the different branches of the military are involved in something they believe in and are putting their lives on the line. They do represent, serve, and protect the American public and even if they are volunteers, they are still our military. The media gets so involved in ratings wars that they seem to forget about covering news that could be important to the public. The news stations are too involved in sensationalizing the murder or other crimes along with giving away a car in order to obtain that top rating. Certain network news anchors do try to include a feel good story and I applaud them for taking those steps. I realize that society is burdened with tragic news every day, but it would be acceptable to include some good news stories.