|
 Gifts
for all occasions in the Galleria!September 10, 2006 If I Had My Way By Jan A. Larson If you are like me, you probably find yourself saying, "If it were up to me, I would ..." quite often as you go about your daily business. If it were up to me, no one would ever drive (1) and talk on a cell phone, or (2) below the posted speed limit (conditions permitting) ever again. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton would never stand before a camera or speak into a microphone. Same for Howard Dean. Americans would debate only strategies and tactics in fighting the "war on terror," not whether it is or isn't an actual war or whether it needs or needs not be fought. Profiling would be implemented to deter or prevent attacks on public facilities and transportation systems. If you are 18-50, male and middle-Eastern in appearance or are acting suspiciously, expect additional scrutiny. If you are not, welcome aboard. That's just the way it is. Teachers unions would be disbanded. There would be no federal department of education and no federal involvement in education. All public funding of education would tie the funds to the student, not the school, so parents could put their children in any school of their choice. Parents of school-aged children would pay a portion of the costs of their children's education out of their own pockets. People that do not have children or no longer have children in school no longer foot an equal share of the bill. There would no longer be any program of any kind that attempts to achieve any sort of "diversity" through any kind of artificial means (which is about all of them currently). Either diversity happens in the course of events or it doesn't. Two people standing in a room is already a "diverse" group regardless of their respective race or ethnicity simply based on their differing individual characteristics. Free speech would be just that. If my speech hurts your feelings or makes you "uncomfortable," that's a shame. Quit listening to me. If I want to burn a flag, I'll do it. The government could take one's private property for a road, school or hospital. That's it. If it were up to me, the United States would withdraw from the United Nations, quit paying millions of dollars to support that corrupt organization and kick them out of New York. If I were in charge, we would bomb North Korea's missile launch site (for starters) without warning or apology. The next time they launch a missile (if they could), they get bombed again, this time with a bigger bomb. If it were up to me, the American public would know enough about economics and capitalism to know that the free market and the chance to succeed (or fail) on one's own is the only way to maximize prosperity for all. The public would also know that the "rich" who are so often demonized by those on the left, but yet comprise the group that virtually all aspire, are the "golden goose" (gooses? geese?) of capitalism. I would replace the income tax with the Fair Tax. The minimum wage would be $0. The federal government would be downsized so as to align its functions with those designated for the federal government in the Constitution. Pork would be something to eat; it wouldn't be something that consumes tax dollars. The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and coastal areas currently off-limits for oil exploration would be opened up for drilling. I would build a double wall along the Mexican border with lots of razor wire. Anyone attempting to enter the United State over, under or through that wall would be shot without warning or apology. The owners or CEOs of companies that employ illegals would go to jail. Child predators and pedophiles would go to jail forever. If I had my way, all those that think the United States is the source of the world's problems would move somewhere else. That would make both their and our lives better. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
Visitors:
|
|||||||||||||
