|
 Political
Priorities for the New Year
Put America before politics…
[J. F. Kelly, Jr.] 12/30/05
Ordinary
people are said to have difficulty in keeping New Year’s
resolutions. Members of the political class must have an even
harder time of it, given the shifts in the preferences and
priorities of the public it primarily tries to please.
Politicians
probably (Why am I using so many words beginning with “p”?)
don’t have sufficient time to spend on formulating New
Year’s resolutions. They are, perhaps, still working
on keeping campaign promises or maybe they are just too preoccupied
with opinion polls and worrying about reelection strategies.
So, purely in the spirit of helpfulness, I again offer busy
politicians ten suggested resolutions and priorities.
Contributor
J.F. Kelly, Jr.
J.F.
Kelly, Jr. is a retired Navy Captain and bank executive
who writes on current events and military subjects.
He is a resident of Coronado, California. [go to Kelly index] |
Members of
the loyal opposition should, when in doubt, try agreeing with
the president
now and then, especially on matters of national
security. It isn’t required that you oppose everything
the president says or does. In wartime, it has been the custom
of this country to support the commander-in-chief and to rally
around the troops, at least for the duration. It’s been
our tradition to support their mission and to refrain from public
utterances that make that mission more difficult by encouraging
the enemy. There will be plenty of time for constructive criticism
once the troops have accomplished that mission and are safely
out of harm’s way.
Put the security of all Americans ahead of the individual rights
of a relative few. No people anywhere enjoy more freedoms than
do Americans. But when the safety of many is threatened by fanatics
who would do anything to destroy us, the greater good requires
that public safety trump individual rights, at least temporarily.
The number one priority of the federal government is the safety
of its citizens. Death, after all, is the ultimate depriver of
civil rights.
Recognize the dangers in the increasing polarization of Americans.
Little can be accomplished without compromise. Public officials
need to acknowledge that intelligent persons are permitted to
hold views at variance with their own or those prescribed by
their religions. Religions and their followers must accept that
they cannot impose their views on others or intimidate politicians
to that purpose. Public and elected officials must be tolerant
of the views and beliefs of their constituents on both sides
of moral issues like abortion, capital punishment and stem cell
research regardless of their own personal beliefs and views.
Restore integrity to politics. A recent poll indicated that
approximately 80% of Americans do not believe that Congress is
doing a good job. Much of this is undoubtedly a result of recent
revelations of misconduct in office. Politicians and others in
public service need to understand that they simply cannot use
public office to enrich themselves in any way. They must accept
the fact that they are held to higher, more stringent standards
of behavior and that their moral failures seriously erode public
confidence in government.
Take immediate action to restore respect for our borders and
immigration laws. This should not be viewed as a social issue,
but rather a matter of security and respect for sovereignty.
Americans have clearly indicated that they are fed up with inaction
and political cowardice on this matter and that they want action
now at every level, including state and local, to enforce our
immigration laws and to stop illegal immigration. After this
is accomplished, and only then, we can consider immigration reform.
Restore fiscal sanity to the federal government. Our federal
debt is mind-boggling and the Chinese own much of it. The notion
that an expanding economy will forever permit us to carry an
unlimited amount of debt is dangerous. We are placing a huge
burden upon our children and grandchildren and they will not
thank us for it.
Help stamp out political correctness. We have gone way too far
in what was originally a well-meaning effort to eliminate subtle
discrimination and promote inclusion. In the process, we have
unnecessarily trashed tradition, distorted our culture and invited
ridicule and backlash.
Seek to strengthen the integrity of the family. The decline
of the traditional family has been accompanied by social disintegration.
About 40% of American children live in households without a resident
father or close adult male role model. Those who create a child
should not be permitted to so easily walk away from their parental
responsibilities.
Work to improve the
real quality of education, not by just throwing money at the
problems, but by finding effective ways to get parents
involved in the education process at home, increasing competition
among schools, stressing academics over sports and “feel
good” classes, and curbing the high school grade inflation
that is resulting in excessive first year college attrition.
Finally, promote old-fashioned patriotism. We live in the greatest
country on earth. There is nothing wrong with being proud of
it. Happy New Year. -one-
copyright
2005 J. F. Kelly, Jr.
§
|
