As an American, I am willing to live with…
- Reduction of the size of the military by 50%. The cost is enormous and we would be just fine with a reduction in forces to half of what we have today. We would still be spending more on military than most other countries.
- Reduction of nuclear weapons to 20 ICBM missiles. We currently have 2,468 Active missiles. (9,600 total) I think 20 would absolutely do the trick of deterring enemies. Even 50 would be acceptable, but seriously, 2,468 is just obscene.
- Increase in the retirement age to 70. People are living so long these days. They are working well into their 60s and even 70s. Social Security is just not sustainable right now. We need to deal with entitlements. Increasing the retirement age to 70 will save Social Security.
- Increase the cost of gas to $10 a gallon. We need real renewable energy. We need electric cars. We need an upgrade to the nations energy grid. All of this obviously needs to be paid for. Tax gasoline to build this stuff.
- Wind Energy that kills some birds and is ugly. I get that the turbines kill birds and that’s not good. However, wind energy is awesome and we need to have WAY more of it. Put them in my backyard, I don’t care. I want cheap energy.
- Increased property taxes (especially in California). Fund the schools! Tax properties to do it! The California tax system is insane and its the schools that suffer.
- Increased taxes to pay for the arts. The government should fund the arts. This is the hallmark of a great civilization. Cutting funding for the arts is short-minded. The arts inspire greatness.
All of these things are politically risky. They are “third-rail, touch them and you die” issues. I am looking for a leader who can convince Americans to do ANY of these things. I am willing to live with all of them. They all have downside like higher taxes, dead birds and reduced entitlements. In this world, sometimes you need to make choices that have downside. You can’t always get everything you want.
What would you be willing to sacrifice for the good of the country?
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