make our country great again
I always wonder what people mean when they say this. What does it mean to you,
JES?
That is a very good question, and I've had to give a bit of thought into how to respond (as well as find the time to come here and make a response.
I think we need a leader who is not bought and paid for by the corporations and wealthy, and will actually do what is good for the country overall, and not just the 1%
I believe that our country will remain weaker than in it's heydays so long as 90% of the wealth remain with 10% of the people (or are those numbers not quite right? It might be 99% for only 1%). The income inequality should take some form of priority. Abortion is an issue that can be tackled after that is solved for all I care.
Loopholes also really need to be closed, so the wealthy can't evade taxes. it is really bad when wealthier people pay less in taxes than those who make less.
If more people have more money to buy more things with their money, that will drive the economy more.
And an example where laws are way too lax on corporations is when companies don't have to tell us what is in the beef we eat. I believe that it is clear that the people need to be protected from the corporations, not the other way around, and that they have way too much leeway right now to do what they want (examples where lack of regulation has led to disaster was the near-depression in 2008 and the Gulf Oil spill a few years back. I think that it needs to be made law that these regulations stay in place).
Another form of misbehavior that needs to be discouraged is shipping jobs overseas, where corporations can get away with paying lesser wages and worker rights and benefits. I think a Job Export Tax for every job they ship overseas will make them think twice, while tax reductions for companies that increase their job numbers to the numbers that existed before they began shipping jobs overseas, as well as increasing wages would be in order. I think the tax increases/refunds should be based on the severity/rates. Actually, taxing corporations for bad behavior, and rewarding corporations for doing nice things for their workers and customers, especially when they don't necessarily have to (such as providing better healthcare/wages) wouldn't be a bad idea. Of course, it would have to be based on their overall actions, and not just on this one little nice occasion.
I also believe education should be a priority, at least to the point where our education programs are on par with the other countries that exceed us in that regard.
I know the military brass won't like this, but the best way to do this is to divert military funding.
I also think that at least as much investment in future energy sources like nuclear fusion and hydrogen fuel cell as in oil, coal, and natural gas should be encouraged, such as by giving tax breaks to companies that invest in cleaner, newer energy sources. Or is this already being done? We especially need to replace the fossil fuels used in aircraft, so that more focus can be placed on making supersonic and/or hypersonic aircraft, which is something I feel just isn't going to happen anytime soon as long as fuel prices increase (if at all, well except for the military, since they reasons/excuses/the research development money, not to mention they don't need to make a large fleet for everyday use). The supersonic/hypersonic aircraft aren't necessary to make our country great again, but it couldn't hurt to have something to make kids interested in science.
Speaking of cleaner energy sources, something needs to be done about climate change before it really bites us in the ass, if it is already not too late, rather than just ignoring it.
I could go on, but in short, we need something to be done about the wealth disparity, invest more in education and newer, cleaner energy sources, keep the corporations on a tighter leash, so their only main purpose is to provide products to their customers (and not to pay off politicians so they can get away with misconduct), and make it so that the wealthy are less able to control the government using their money.
If we have a president who will not do the bidding of the wealthy and corporations, that will be a start.
Other things that I'd like to see is for a major upgrade (or even rebuilding) of our highways, so they are more like the European Autostrada and Autobahn, allowing higher safe speed limits, though I think we should hold off on that until we have a clean replacement for fossil fuels safely in sight, and/or a transcontinental high-speed maglev rail system, similar to the ones in Europe and Japan, though I'm aware that this would cost billions. Still, it would create a lot of jobs, and I think once finished, it could be a source of national pride (especially if they were superior to anywhere else in the world). This isn't necessary to make our country great again, but it certainly would help.
Actually, I went on for way longer than I planned, but yeah, those are my thoughts, and I don't think any of this will be done if even Hillary Clinton is elected.
If the Democratic party blatantly refuses to offer Sanders as a candidate, I may vote independent again.
They'll nominate whoever wins in the primaries. It's not really up to the party.
Oh, then I wonder why everybody is saying that it is impossible that he will get elected? Or are not enough people yet aware that all of the Republican candidates will do whatever the wealthy and corporation want them to do, even if it's bad for the country, and unfortunately, the same goes for Hillary Clinton? Her refusal to answer her position on the Keystone pipeline (unless elected, by which time it will be impossible for people who disagree with her position to redact their votes, even if that would be a deal breaker) is an example of this.
The fact that the media won't focus on Sanders is probably not helping matters.
Well said, Locutus.
