The United States of America is, in my opinion, the greatest nation in the world.
That's not a competitive statement, as in my country can beat up your country, or we're more moral than you, or God is on our side and not yours, or we're richer than you, or that there's less injustice here than there. Such argumentative comparisons only come from those weak-minded souls who tend to think a prayer before a football game will help them win.
What makes the U.S. so great is that we've built a nation founded on democracy, but tempered with individual liberties. Democracy alone is insufficient as it leads to tyranny of the masses. Considering the record low voter turnout, majority rule doesn't even mean the majority of Americans, just the majority of those who haven't given up on voting, or the largest percentage when there are more than two positions on which to vote.
Many Americans cannot name the people who run the executive branch. The average American cannot name the two senators that supposedly represent their state, or even the representatives for their district (do you even know what district you live in?). Few know their mayor or state representatives. Does anybody really believe these politicians represent us? We've never talked to them, don't know who they are, don't understand their policies, typically live far different lives and are generally not as rich. Politicians do lots of stuff behind closed doors or within omnibus bills that nobody reads and few can understand.
The requirements to vote include living for 18 years and not being convicted of a felony (you can commit them, and sometimes even be caught so long as you're not convicted). You don't have to prove you're smart enough or even have a high school diploma. You don't have to prove you've accumulated any wealth to indicate financial success or an interest in the economy whatsoever. You can beat your wife, ignore your children, hate God, Jews, Christians, Muslims or Atheists; or hate Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs and/or Asians. You can even hate this country. Is it any wonder voting doesn't result in the good decisions very often? With such a wide variety of opinions, is it surprising that we'd end up with so many laws forbidding the behavior of others?
The government can keep secrets from us, the people. You remember, we're the "of the, by the, for the" people who don't have a right to know what is done in our name and paid for by our tax dollars by people that we've elected. Apparently, we can't be trusted. Apparently, we're too immature to handle a dose of reality. Apparently, we're not smart enough to understand the issues. Apparently, we are too stupid to demand our government be fully accountable to us.
Democracy by itself is unworkable and only results in a big mess. As Robert J. Samuelson of Newsweek points out, democracy is what created our tax mess. It's created most of our messes.
But it's also the best mechanism to allow us to correct a government that has run amok. It's the best mechanism to adapt to changing needs. That is, unless politicians have tampered with the system so much that citizens tend not to vote, that citizens ignore their responsibilities to remain informed on the issues and participate in government activities. That is, unless running for public office carries such a huge price tag that only rich, professional politicians can play by the rules set by big contributors (aka "bribery") and who can withstand the media onslaught into their private lives rather than focusing on issues that matter to the country.
Is this America the Beautiful?
No, it's an ugly mess.
Why?
Because America has lost its discipline and memory that democracy must be tempered by individual liberties. That's why we have a Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
America the Beautiful would have the following traits, as it once did, so it can regain its true competitive advantages.
American the Beautiful would operate its government in the open, without secrets. Secrets may exist to protect the privacy of individuals who also want their privacy respected, and in which their privacy wouldn't cause harm to others. Secrets may exist in criminal and military activities only for as long as necessary to complete the tasks at hand in order to protect our police and soldiers. Otherwise, information should be free.
America the Beautiful needs lawmakers who would allow only a single goal to be pursued in any given bill. Every bill would be simple and easy to read and understand by its citizens since it will impact those very people. How can lawmakers represent us if neither they nor we can read and understand what will take place in our name?
These omnibus bills have corrupted our nation and need to be replaced by focused bills, in which the laws and mandates expressed all are present to achieve a single benefit. This is not to say a law cannot have many aspects since often a solution requires that several different steps be taken in order to achieve the desired result.
Pork barrel politics exist because untenable positions are slipped into massive bills, and nobody (including most of the elected leaders) reads or understands the myriad details when they vote. This is why a politician can vote for and against the same position depending on which bill a given item may fall in. You may be in favor of building a bridge, but when it's tacked on a bill regarding abortion, you may change your vote if you disagree with the abortion provision. Abortion and bridges are unrelated, and therefore they should not be in the same bill in the first place.
America the Beautiful would have simple, fair tax laws that everyone who must pay taxes can understand. It is unconscionable that we are forced by law to pay taxes using rules that the average taxpayer cannot understand. Note that I didn't say, "doesn't understand," as in we don't understand because we haven't applied ourselves to learn it. It's simply impossible for a person to understand the incredible complexity, the legalese and the contradictions. Even the IRS and CPAs disagree about what they mean. That's bad and unfair tax law.
When tax law is complicated, it pits citizens against one another and it improperly changes the natural market forces and tastes of Americans. It's hugely wasteful at a time when we should spend our taxes wisely. So much common good can be done with tax dollars. So much private good can be done by letting individuals spend and donate their own dollars.
America the Beautiful would remove all laws that affect adults who take part in actions that do not harm others without their consent. And I'm not talking about potential harm, I'm saying that if you can't point to the victim who was either killed or will stand up and explain how they've been harmed, then it shouldn't be illegal. This includes gambling, drug laws and smoking bans, sex laws, burdensome rules and regulations, and treating others in a more Christian way.
It is fine and admirable for America to educate its people why certain choices may be bad for them or others, such as smoking, drinking or getting too fat, but it's up to adults to decide for themselves if they will follow that advice. Such advice even changes over time as we learn more and adapt foreign customs. It really isn't hard to mind our own business and acknowledge different strokes for different folks.
America the Beautiful would have a strong military, ready to defend itself against enemies who attack us. But it wouldn't use that power to be brutal or to enforce its ideals on other nations.
America the Beautiful would have a strong and vibrant economy based on the hard work, initiative and innovation of its citizens. It's economy doesn't grow because of the government.
American the Beautiful wouldn't use its economy to harm other nations just because they have different political tastes or institutions, though it certainly would allow the players in the marketplace to freely choose not to do business with nations or people who hold incompatible positions on issues that matter to them. If some people really hate a given regime, they can choose not to do business with them. But others who may be fine doing business with them. Other nations have a right to their own independence and to function differently than we do here.
America the Beautiful would be a shining example of equality, liberty, wealth, justice and power. Other nations would likely follow suit in order to have the same things, and those that did not would be free to follow a different path. After all, no single path is right for everyone or every nation. If you don't like to see blood, you probably wouldn't want to be surgeon, but that doesn't make being a surgeon awful.
America the Beautiful wouldn't use the force of law to say who we can and cannot associate with, live with, do business with, or love and marry.
America the Beautiful would allow people to practice their religions freely and openly or not at all. While the state shouldn't promote atheism or a given religion or group of religions, it shouldn't tell Americans when and where they can practice it. Religious expression is more than going to mass or personal prayer. Religion affects the way we live our daily, secular lives, too. Expressing faith shouldn't be diminished just because a person is in a public place. Of course, you shouldn't get mad if another person doesn't want to do business with you because of your religious expression. That's what freedom of association is all about.
America the Beautiful would allow free enterprise to replace government-run services, giving Americans vouchers to chose among those services it wants and needs when such services are so basic that all Americans should have them regardless of their ability to pay. This likely means the government would run the military, the executive, judicial and legislative branches and that's about it. These branches would ensure our tax dollars are collected fairly, redistributed to Americans in order for them to choose and acquire basic services, and to protect our nation against external threats.
There is no "one size fits all" service, and a government monopoly is nearly always worse than a private monopoly. School prayer (the separation of church and state) is only an issue because Americans are not allowed to send their children to religious schools using the very tax dollars collected to educate their children. It's only because tax policies force children of parents of differing tastes and needs to use the same public schools that few would say are exceptional.
America the Beautiful would protect children from adults who are abusive or neglect to care for them. It would protect the environment that the entire world needs to share and supports life. It would allow free markets to find and exploit alternative energy sources. It would set goals and let those markets and its people achieve them. It would protect adults from being victimized by other adults, including physical attacks and lies.
America the Beautiful still exists. It's just hidden under layers of unhealthy fat accumulated over the past 100 years. It's time to exercise our great nation's economic and political muscles again so we can lose the suffocating fat and return American to a path of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.