Thirteen Demands for Change
We the people, once again, need to make the United States of America an example to the world, as a better way to live. Which will it be; a new era of opportunity of enlightenment, OR an era of continued grievances of ‘us’ verses ‘them,’ which has polarized our country and has fostered ‘hyper-individualism,’ which has normalized selfishness? We are fighting each other instead of protecting the fabric of democracy. The social network and the news media has encouraged this phenomena. It is my hope that we are witnessing the last vestiges of a backlash to the negative impact of a globalized economy, a multicultural society and artificial intelligence technology that has traumatized the pubic with fear. How we meet theses challenges now, will determine our future for years to come.
Here, is my opinion about the future. Darwin says it is the survival of the fittest. However, I believe that’s only partially true. I believe humanity has progressed because of our connectedness, which has created civilization out of jungles. I am optimistic about the future. I believe Us vs Them’ and ‘Us vs Us,’ which promotes authorism solutions, has reach its pinochle and the pendulum is ready to swing back toward justice and civility. I expect the America people to say “enough”, as it did with slavery, women’s rights, unjust labor laws, civil rights and gay rights.
I believes in the meaning of Lincoln’s civil war ‘better angels speech’ when he said that the American people, at their core, love this country and that our better angels will once again prevail to bring out the basic virtues of our nation, which are kindness, generosity, respect, empowerment, community, joy, compassion and the common good. When you get off your phones and social media and meet real people, that’s what you find. You find a lot of kind people that have the same values and goals for ourselves and our families. I believe in the good hearts of Americans people and the good hearts of people that I have met throughout the world. And that includes the Russian people I have met in St Petersburg and the hundreds of people I have interviewed, over the last 3 years. All the chaos has us so frightened us, that we have forgotten what make us strong: civility, justice and our striving for the common good.
I am sure the pendulum will swing back toward justice, I just hope it happens in my lifetime. The ‘Great Experiment’ of a ‘melting pot’ society, is actually working. I know that from my grandmother born in Poland, my father born in Germany, from my wife born in Canada, from my daughter-in-law born in China, by my son-in-law born in Ireland, my oldest granddaughter’s husband born in Austria and my second oldest granddaughter’s husband born in India. E Plutus Unarm, Out of many One. For many of our children, it is already happening, because for them, more than 50% of our kindergarten students are non-white. In urban areas, they play together as one humanity and not divided by race. Their commonality and connectedness, just hasn’t bubbled-up to the voting surface yet.
As Pogo said in a 1970 cartoon ‘We have seen the enemy and it is us.” It is time to trash what divides us and to emphasis our common good. This is not meant to be a complete list of changes, or is it full of necessarily details. It is merely a starting point in what I hope will encourage an opening up of a discussion about our real issues with alternatives options.
Here are 13 items I am suggesting for discussion:
Call For Action: Thirteen Demands for Change
Item #1). The first thing on the agenda is to stop ‘Global Warming. I am immediately interrupted by hearing the opposition saying, “You mean ‘Climate Change,’ don’t you.” I say, No, I mean Global Warming. Many of our coastal areas, agricultural areas and forests are in immediate danger. If we don’t do something now, we are accelerating towards a disaster. This is no time to be coy. As Greta Thunberg says, “Maybe my grandchildren will ask me about you and why you didn’t do anything about global warming, while there was still time to act.” We are all complicit in our failure to act! What we do now, will affect our children’s future and the future of our grandchildren. Many scientists now predict that by 2050 some 100 million people in coastal areas will become refugees, as seas rise and that there will be worldwide food shortages. Recent polls show that 72% of the general public believes that global warming is happening and are worried. We need to make massive shifts to non-carbon based energy. In order to make our government more aware of what the majority of ‘we the people’ want, .We need a ‘radical shake’ up before total disaster occurs. I suggest that US school children and their parents, go on strike on the First Friday of every month. .and picket their schools and public buildings.
The opposition shouts, “What? You’re asking children to break the rules and play hooky?” I say, Yes, if we can’t save civilization by playing by the rules, we have to demonstrate our conviction. Since it is these children who will be affected by global warming, I suggest that is in the children’s best interest to shake things up a bit, so as to draw attention to what we adults are doing to ruin their future. I am suggesting that in order to stop the effects of ‘Global warming,’ the children of the United States and their parents follow in the footsteps of ‘woman’s rights’ and ‘civil rights’ activist’s movements and to conduct mass demonstrations. The children will in effect, will be attending a real live civics and democracy course, which they can personally participate in. I suggest that these demonstrations continue on the First Friday of every month, until the government officially recognizes ‘Global Warming’ and does something to stop this upcoming catastrophe
Legislatively, I generally back a proposal sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the ‘Green New Deal.’ The approach pushes for transitioning the United States to use 100% renewable, zero-emission energy sources, including investment into electric cars and high-speed rail systems, and implementing the “social cost of carbon. China is actually doing this now. In this country, it is unfortunately ‘Big Oil’ and their money that is stopping us. ‘Big Oil,’ is running our country and the world into chaos. They have many of us believing it is naturally occurring ‘Climate Change’ and not CO2 levels that is making the world unlivable for humans. Sure! It reminds me of ‘Big Tobacco” when they claimed smoking does not cause lung cancer. It is time we the people to be heard.
Item #2) I propose that Health Care is a right and not a privilege. I suggest a 2 tiered system, which allows the wealthy to continue to buy their own hearth insurance and access to ‘concierge doctors,’ while everyone else gets free coverage. I suggest that we first pass legislation that gives Medicare to those under thirteen years of age and to those above 60 years of age. Thereafter, little by little, ‘incrementally,’ we increase the age of the younger recipients and lowered the age of the older recipients, until the two sides meet and we wind up having Medicare for all. I also propose cancer, ear, dental and eye care are included along with child care and elder care provisions. It is time to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world.
The opposition says “How do we pay for it?” I say, First of all national health care could save billion dollars in costs, as the US now spends some 18% of its GDP on health care. This is the highest cost among developed nations, yet in health care, we are ranked 44th and we have the highest infant mortality rate among developed nations. The rest of the industrialized world averages medical costs at 10% of GDP. .The difference between 10% and 18% saves $256 billion in costs. Now, now more suggestion on how do we pay for it.
Item #3) How to Pay for increased Social Programs: Why is it that when we ask for money for social programs, we are told we can’t afford it and the Republicans call us socialists. However, when the Republicans ask for an additional $750 billion for defense spending or add trillions of dollars to our deficit through tax cuts for the rich, or give out billions of dollars in corporate welfare, they call themselves capitalists? I did’t leave the Republican Party, they left me, leaving our economic culture is one of gender and opportunity inequality, systematic racism and institutional corporate dominance, which has our society divided between the oppressed and the oppressors who lack health care. That has got to stop.
To pay for increased cost of social programs, I propose that we have an annual minimum tax on billionaires at 2% a year of their net worth and 3% of their net worth for those above a $50 billion net worth. This will create hundreds of billions of tax revenue (maybe a trillion dollars) It would also solve the problem of taxing those billionaires who avoid paying taxes, by showing no income and instead borrow annually against their assets for income. I also suggest that a tax deduction for theses billionaires to be allowed for contributions to approved non-profit organizations and special projects, like paying for college education, (which I will get into in item #4 to follow.) I also propose an advisory committee (8 economic professors and 5 CEO’s) be formed, to recommend changes in our tax code to set a minimum tax for corporations. .
Besides increased taxes on billionaires and Corporations, we can also use the proceeds from decreased defense spending. Defense is currently wasting billions of dollars on how to fight an old war. Our experience with the ‘ War with Iran’ and the ‘Ukraine War’ with Russia has shown that our expensive war machine, is out of date and can be replaced with a less expensive more creative one. Our War Department has to be modernized, upgraded and with increased effectiveness with less costly, more affective weapons. We also need to prioritize a defense against AI ‘cyber-attacks.’ The next war will probably not be nuclear or a ground war, but could be one that is waged against our privacy and bank accounts. Defense spending needs to be cut drastically from expensive old weapons and redirected to meet current challenges.
Item #4) I suggest free 2 year community college or trade school education for those that qualify. Let me begin by saying our educational system after high school, is a mess. Tuition over the last 25 years has gone up 85% adjusting for inflation. The average cost of obtaining a college degree is the highest among all the developed nations. Some 70% of college students have a college debt that averages $30,301 and 14% of the student’s parents have an average debt of $35,600. Total US student loan debt for some 43 million student borrowers now stands at about $1.86 trillion and growing. That is bigger than the entire US credit card debt. This burden delays marriages, family formation and home acquisition. The outcome is even worse for those that, for various reasons, were not able to finish getting their diploma. The wealthy have no problem spending $75,000 a year, or more, to send their privileged children to attend the elite Universities such as Ivey League schools and Stanford. At the same time the majority of high school student find it impossible to even afford to attend community colleges, for $3,500 a year.”
I think that two years of college education or trade school training should be a right for every qualifying student, just as Grade and High school education is now. There are over 850 community colleges in the United States. The estimate total cost to fund this kind of program is estimated to be $60 billion dollars a year. Much of this cost could be offset by contributions from billionaires to reduce their new tax burden.
I believe providing free two-year community college or trade schools to qualifying students would create a more educated and skilled workforce, reduce student debt and give young people and give working adults greater opportunities for well-paying jobs and home ownership. It would also help address shortages in essential fields such as nursing, skilled trades, technology, and advanced manufacturing, while strengthening the economy and improving social mobility.
#5). Voting must be made easier and fairer. We must stop the effects of gerrymandering on voting districts. It is hard to believe, but in the last election, the Republicans took over the House with only 48% of the vote. I suggest a bipartisan committee of equal Democrats and Republicans, which can be used to negotiate each district without obnoxious formations. And I suggest the expansion the Voting Rights Act, to make it easier for citizens to register and to vote. And we need to end ‘Citizens United.’ Corporations are not people. Congress needs to act now! Also, in the midterm 2026 election, it is estimated that $2 billion will be spent on political advertising. This money could be spent on social programs, Instead of large amounts of money being wasted on political advertising, of which most are highly exaggerated or untruthful, I suggest a program like Canada, where e government restricts run-away adverting for election and has a modest allocation spending plan regulated by the government.
#6). Intact Legislation: We must bring the Glass Stiegel Act to an end. With it, banks can act unethically between their banking and Investment Banking functions. In addition, we suggest that we pass regulations for our banks and enforce the old Dodd/Frank rules, so as to prevent the banks from getting the world into another financial crisis. We need to pass legislation to regulate automatic weapons. No more AK-47’s in public hands.
Item #8). We need to vote on an Immigration Act that give gives Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DOCA) and all immigrants a pathway to citizenship. Unfortunately, there is nothing that turns off the MAGA base more than to tell them that there loss of white status is part of societies march toward justice. Immigrants have made this country the great country it is today and their entry has always been objected to by those who were here first. I understand that immigration threatens the Trump base identity and radicalizes them. However, I have got some news for them, ‘White Privilege’ is out and ‘People’s Empowerment’ is in. It is about time we honor the words written on the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Item #9) Presidential powers must be limited. In general, Congress should endeavor to restore the constitutional balance, which prevents any one branch from becoming dominant. For instance: in Trump v. United States (2024), the Supreme Court recognized absolute immunity for certain core presidential acts and presumptive immunity for other official acts. While Congress can clarify the law, where it has constitutional authority, a statute alone may not override the Court’s constitutional ruling. However Congress can do some things. 1) Congress needs to provide independent judicial procedures for investigating alleged presidential crimes, protecting legitimate presidential duties, while allowing for impeachment or public Congressional hearings for criminal conduct, where constitutionally permissible. 2) Congress can require a president to identify the specific statutory authority supporting an emergency declaration, disclose its factual basis to Congress, and obtain congressional approval within a defined period to continue extraordinary powers. Including automatic expiration dates and prohibit using emergency declarations to circumvent laws 3) Congress should also strengthen oversight of presidential tariffs, domestic deployments of federal forces, and emergency spending, while preserving the ability to respond rapidly to genuine crises. 4) Congress should require timely compliance with lawful congressional subpoenas, strengthen protections for inspectors general and whistleblowers, and provide a faster court process when the executive branch refuses to supply information. 5) Congress’s constitutional control over federal appropriations is one of its strongest existing checks on presidential power. It should use that power consistently rather than
Item #10) Term Limits: The Supreme Court Justices and all Federal judges should be elected by the public for a term of six years, with a limit of two terms. I also suggest term. limits for our Senators, and Congressmen. I suggest: House members will serve a two year term, with a three term limit. Senators will be elected every six years, with a two term limit
Item #11) Supreme Court Powers must be limited. As with Presidential powers, Congress should endeavor to restore the constitutional balance, which prevents any one branch from becoming dominant. In addition to Supreme Court Justices being elected and setting term limits, I suggest the following: 1) Congress should establish enforceable ethics requirements, financial disclosure rules, clear recusal standards and an independent process for reviewing credible ethics complaints. 2) Congress should also require greater explanation when the Court issues emergency orders that substantially change government policy, establish clearer procedures for emergency applications, and improve disclosure of relevant conflicts of interest. Congress can legislate on appropriate court procedures, subject to constitutional limits. 3) An important distinction: Congress can amend an ordinary law that the Court has interpreted, change the policy underlying a case, or enact a new law within its constitutional authority. However, when the Court has ruled that the Constitution itself forbids an action, Congress generally cannot reverse that holding with an ordinary statute. A constitutional amendment may be necessary.
Item #12) It is time we intact The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA has been pending passage for a long time and we think now is the time for the amendment to be ratified by the states. The proposed amendment to the United States Constitution is designed to guarantee equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex or race. Yes, we just added race to the amendment. Why not? America is a true melting pot of all races.
Item #13 Let’s end Big!). We suggest starting a negotiation process through the United Nations to end the holding of all nuclear weapons in five years. How are we going to do that?’ We begin by addressing the issue. Gorbachev and Regan started this process years ago. Why did we stop negotiations? The current administration has a policy of ‘America First.’ Well, that process has ended up with the United States being ‘America Alone.’ There are some problems that need worldwide cooperation. We have got to start working in cooperation with other nation to end ‘Global Warning’ and nuclear proliferation.
That’s it. That’s my ‘Thirteen Demands for Change.’ Discussion? Comments? Respond Carkbis@aol.com
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