I believe you hit all the high notes as to where we're headed.
Some additional thoughts as we 'grade' how the POTUS is doing over the next two years:
1- MIC is a run away dump truck, no doubt. Putting real teeth in a team that actually controls/manages the MIC will be incumbent in preventing more needless wars. As you said, the US Military has ONE primary responsibility; protect the USA. Not 'Corporate' interests and exploitive capitalist interests around the globe.
2- Lobbying groups (AIPAC as an example, isn't even a USA Lobbying group) have way too much influence on our branches of government, all of them. This prevents the citizenry from even being represented at all, as special interests (capitalisitic/imperialistist/corporatist) run right over every imaginable government initiative that might actually serve USA populace (fair wage, healthcare, worker protections, etc.).
3- Even things like Medicare are actually just a gigantic government cash sucking machine where special interests, cronyism, corruption, etc. run the entire system to the loss of actual benefiting health outcomes. It's become legalized theft and needs to be blown up and started over. Why do we have the 'best' healthcare (most expensive anyway) system with the worst outcomes (56% of Americans suffer from 'chronic' disease(s)) of any other first world Country?
4- Federal Government 'bloat'. Too many overlapping organizations collecting higher than average wages with minimal outcomes benefiting normal citizens (take Dept of Education as an example, a completely broken system).
5- All Government employees should be receiving the same benefits (healthcare, pension, social security, etc., including Congress and Senate and Supreme Court and Presidental corps). Once they work and live like us, they'll be more inclined to include us in their decision making processes.
6- All Government Jobs (including Congress/Senete/Supremes) need term limits. Additionally, after working in these roles, they are permanently banned from working as executive level employee/lobbyist for any businesses/corporations that they oversaw/regulated during their time in that prior role. No government members are eligible to invest in ANY stock offering companies while in office and for 5 years following.
This of course is just a start of what needs to happen to make politics work and allow the public to actually have a voice, and pick a candidate that will actually serve the needs (representation) of respective peoples/communities.
You're right. I'm living in the UK through jUne or July of next year and am able to use the BritIsh NationL Health System (at no cost!). If's actually quite good but because of years of under funding by 15 years of Conservative Party governance, it is strapped with far too few doctors and nurses so waiting times can be long. Even so care is great and the staff do a great job of triage as far as I can tell from experience. To your point, most of the members of Parliament and the British civil service use the same NHS system for their treatment as needed, which is how it should be.
Dave,
Thx for the article/posting.
I believe you hit all the high notes as to where we're headed.
Some additional thoughts as we 'grade' how the POTUS is doing over the next two years:
1- MIC is a run away dump truck, no doubt. Putting real teeth in a team that actually controls/manages the MIC will be incumbent in preventing more needless wars. As you said, the US Military has ONE primary responsibility; protect the USA. Not 'Corporate' interests and exploitive capitalist interests around the globe.
2- Lobbying groups (AIPAC as an example, isn't even a USA Lobbying group) have way too much influence on our branches of government, all of them. This prevents the citizenry from even being represented at all, as special interests (capitalisitic/imperialistist/corporatist) run right over every imaginable government initiative that might actually serve USA populace (fair wage, healthcare, worker protections, etc.).
3- Even things like Medicare are actually just a gigantic government cash sucking machine where special interests, cronyism, corruption, etc. run the entire system to the loss of actual benefiting health outcomes. It's become legalized theft and needs to be blown up and started over. Why do we have the 'best' healthcare (most expensive anyway) system with the worst outcomes (56% of Americans suffer from 'chronic' disease(s)) of any other first world Country?
4- Federal Government 'bloat'. Too many overlapping organizations collecting higher than average wages with minimal outcomes benefiting normal citizens (take Dept of Education as an example, a completely broken system).
5- All Government employees should be receiving the same benefits (healthcare, pension, social security, etc., including Congress and Senate and Supreme Court and Presidental corps). Once they work and live like us, they'll be more inclined to include us in their decision making processes.
6- All Government Jobs (including Congress/Senete/Supremes) need term limits. Additionally, after working in these roles, they are permanently banned from working as executive level employee/lobbyist for any businesses/corporations that they oversaw/regulated during their time in that prior role. No government members are eligible to invest in ANY stock offering companies while in office and for 5 years following.
This of course is just a start of what needs to happen to make politics work and allow the public to actually have a voice, and pick a candidate that will actually serve the needs (representation) of respective peoples/communities.
Best
Greg
You're right. I'm living in the UK through jUne or July of next year and am able to use the BritIsh NationL Health System (at no cost!). If's actually quite good but because of years of under funding by 15 years of Conservative Party governance, it is strapped with far too few doctors and nurses so waiting times can be long. Even so care is great and the staff do a great job of triage as far as I can tell from experience. To your point, most of the members of Parliament and the British civil service use the same NHS system for their treatment as needed, which is how it should be.