I am open to Forward mainly out of my frustration that started to happen before the 2020 election began. It was at this time I realized I wasn’t sure if I fit in with either political party based on the candidates and their supporters. I think it is a travesty that we have a two party system and seems unacceptable. All American’s still need to be able to present “new ideas and beliefs” just like the main movers of history did that have changed the world. We need more politicians who also stand on principles even when it means going against their own political best interest like Republican Liz Chaney. Politicians need to let go of their convictions and have alternatives available when they know it is for the good of ALL AMERICANS to do so.
I feel our society is deeply divided over the very definition of justice, maybe because it is always “judgmental.” Aristotle and his followers said: Unless you can determine what human beings are here for, you can’t answer that. True progress must begin with wisdom about what it means to live well.
In our own country, the weak educational system that society provides for inner city youth sets them up for failure. When we add personal wrongdoing and crime to the larger forces of exclusion and oppression, we have a potent mixture that locks people into poverty. Government programs, public policy, calls to personal responsibility, or private charity, is not sufficient to address the problem.
Back in 1967 80% of Americans supported a guaranteed basic income. I’ve read reports that when the poor receive no-strings cash they actually tend to work harder. It’s a notion that’s been proposed by some of history’s leading thinkers. Back in 1967 it was attacked on three grounds: futile because we can’t pay for it, dangerous because people would quit working, and perverse because ultimately a minority would end up having to toil harder to support the majority. Fast forward to 2022 – for the first time in history, we are actually rich enough to finance a sizable basic income. It is now within our means to take the next step in the history of progress: to give each and every person the security of basic income. It’s what capitalism ought to have been striving for all along. We should see it as a dividend on progress, made possible by the blood, sweat, and tears of past generations. This wealth belongs to us all. If you knew the more we, our family and friends stand to gain through the welfare state, would you be more willing to support a universal, unconditional basic income? The welfare state, which should foster people’s sense of security and pride, has degenerated into a system of suspicion and shame. It is a grotesque pact between right and left.
Like poverty, solving the homelessness problem is preferable to merely managing it. In the U.S., there are 5 empty homes for each person without one. We should stop fighting the symptom and not allow the tools of choice to be control, surveillance, and repression. There are solutions and resources available.
For some reason, it is difficult for politicians and taxpayers to see the real value of education and care. They see only the costs. Do they realize the richer a country becomes the more it should be spending on teachers and doctors? We should see these increases as a blessing, and not viewed as a disease.
I want you to know I have lived in Nebraska all my life and been involved in agriculture a good share of that time. I have also owned my own business and worked for the U.S. Postal Service trying to make ends meed while raising a family. I am a volunteer, have led Bible studies, and am currently on the board of my Home Owners Association. I love to read, garden, play bridge, bird watch, hang out with family and friends, and so much more. I absolutely love life and love my country. I’m retired, but as long as I am able I want to do my part to see historical progress that will make America strong again. We need unity to bring about bipartisan victories to do this. We just may need to let go of our convictions in order to come up with a clear plan for what is best for America.
Deb
“Leadership is wisdom and courage and a great carelessness of self.” – Inscribed on a grave marker of a WWII soldier