Thoughts on how to improve the current system

[kandrathe]

My two bits...

CONGRESS
A two-party system has its inherent flaws, as we’ve seen in recent and past dead-locks that ensue with the lame-duck session. ...

Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe, the paralysis will force the voters to get better informed, to choose the direction and better candidates. Maybe it will get painful enough for there to be real meaningful reform.

Consider that even as our Congress stagnates in its decision making on cutting or taxing, the automatic "sequestration cuts" are only limiting the increase of our federal government to grow by 2 trillion over ten years. The cuts are really cuts to the size of the increase. Under Bush, and now Obama, spending has increased 25%, and income, due to recessions has reduced. I don't see that we really have a taxation problem. We really have a spending problem, and an employment/economic problem.

UNIONS
Unions ask for too much in a society that is struggling just to keep people employed.

Believe it or not... I actually like unions, as long as they are private sector unions. The problem with public sector unions is that it puts union members in a position to make electoral decisions amenable to giving them more money, even if that is not in the best interest of the State. Any group, whether that be union or corporation, when it corrupts government, it is a bad thing in my book. It's not the corporation, or the union that is bad, it is the corruption and golden handshakes that make the system unfair.

SCHOOLS
Children here in this country of school age must attend a state or private run institution of their choice until the 12th grade. ...

I would like to see parents receive vouchers, and enroll their children in the best school for their child. There needs to be more rationality to the level of co-curricular activities in schools. I'd like to see our tax funding mostly to curricular activities, and leave funding the co-curricular activities to the community.

MILITARY
A mandatory military service of 2.5 years ...

No. I'd like to see more 18 year old graduates, become entrepreneurs. It would be a much better use of the money to send the best and the brightest to college, vocational school, or a low interest business loan program. A country with a 25 million person army, is just more likely to use it.

Once their time is the Military is served, reformed individuals ...

Reformed? From being young?

ILLEGALS
On that note, both the Canadian and Mexican border should be removed completely. Citizens in North America should receive a pass, as they have in Europe, to travel around the continent and work freely.

No. You cannot control your legal system if you cannot control your borders. However, I agree roughly with your assessment. My solution would be to more vigorously fine the people who hire illegal workers, and remove the incentive. Secondly, to streamline the process of obtaining a work visa, and the citizenship process. Third, to vastly increase the number of allowed immigrants, especially those who already have the skills we need in our work force.

DRUGS
Legalizing drugs ...

A knee jerk in the other direction is still a knee jerk reaction. We need to decriminalize drug use (and clear the jails), but control (like any other imported product) the supply. Where government fails most is in not clearly understanding "Murphy", and in not thinking through the negative unintended consequences of their actions. I'm all about liberty, but just allowing unregulated drugs to flood the market returns us to the bad old days of snake oil peddlers and dangerous poisons killing the people.

LAWS {SPEEDING}there should be traffic cameras on all freeways and highways going into and out of every city in every state, and in front of every school zone...

OMG! NO! First, that camera system is mighty expensive. 2nd, research has shown that cameras actually do two things a) cause the light operators to shorten the yellow to red timing, and b) cause more accidents. 3rd, with digital recognition technology it is already too easy to set a system up to scan for a face in the crowd. This is getting too much like Big Brother.

HEALTHCARE
In our current system...

... we have the worst of all worlds. Corporate protections causing higher prices, multiple layers of administration and bureaucracy, lack of competition, lack of accountability, and severe limitation on the number of people allowed into the field. Just choose to fix one of those, and you'd see improvements.

FOREIGN RELATIONS... let countries ... fight their own battles. ...

I like the idea, but I think it needs to be a weaning rather than a cold Turkey situation. Like it or not, the US chose to be the great stabilizer after WWII. We see our role as interventionists, because of the global consequences of isolationism. The pendulum has swung too far toward involving ourselves in every brush fire wherever it flares up, rather than encouraging and helping our allies in tamping down local issues. It means giving (up) power to peace oriented regional coalitions, (like the Arab league, African union, EU, etc. ) to help manage their own local issues. But, also in enabling those regional peace keeping coalitions by providing training, equipment, strategies, etc.

TAXES
The current problem with the tax code ...

... is that it is used as a rewards system. I'm a fan of 9/9/9 if it remains revenue neutral in the short term, and can be reduced in the longer term (shifting responsibility to the States, and localities).