Responding to the Economic Crisis
Ideas for America 1 offers many ideas for responding
to the economic crisis, and a few are here for you in
abridged form. In total, there
are about 60-70 points regarding responses to the crisis in Ideas
for America 1, but the few points here, if
maximized, can be extremely significant.
Annual Reports
There is no better opportunity to effectively deal with
the economic crisis than high quality annual reports
from our state and federal government, sent to every
household. For this to happen, though, the people need
to encourage their legislators, and insist that they try
to give their best in this area. As it stands, many
members of political parties are forced to
regurgitate the party line, and it may be that
politicians that go out on a limb to explain policy in a
clear, common sense fashion are punished for it; "No
good deed goes unpunished etc." In short, the potential
for improving the format, number of recipients and subjects
covered in annual reports
is close to unlimited, as is the potential for
improvements in government policy that may come about as
a result.
Education The four points on
education, which are key, are discussed in depth in
Chapter 1 of the site book. They are are also below in
short form, under "Maximizing Education for the Younger
Generation."
High Quality Semi-Public
Facilities The pool and recreation model discussed in Chapter 3 are very
doable in a number of Massachusetts
communities, and could be a big boost to the
recreational options for everyone, but especially the young, rural poor have.
Health Care/Medical
Malpractice Reform The nine causes of the increases
in the cost of health care are explained in the site
book and on the blog, but one of the most important to
address may be medical malpractice reform. Four aspects
of this are discussed in the site book, but perhaps the
most important aspect is that doctors are discouraged
from disclosing information, lest it lead to a lawsuit,
which leads to a dishonest, secretive process that
drives prices through the roof. There are two big
reasons why dealing with this issue is important; not
only is medical malpractice reform necessary for getting
down the price of health care, but changing the current
culture, which encourages dishonest and deception, is a
good thing.
Manufacturing One of the
biggest challenges to American manufacturing is the
price of health care, as employers, especially in
Massachusetts, have to pay for employees. Some aspects
of bringing back manufacturing are addressed in the site
book, but if one thing should be clear in the minds of
voters it might be this; failure to address medical
malpractice reform effectively is a major aspect of the
rise in the rise of health care costs, which in turn is
a major hindrance to manufacturing.
Thirty-Five More Points: The
updated edition of Ideas for America 1 (due out
by or before June of 2010) has many points and
suggestions relevant to the crisis. These points are
largely a collection of ideas found throughout the book,
along with some new ones.
Goal
2: Produce a Citizen's
Handbook
Every person
needs to understand his or her government, and nowhere is
this more important than in a representative democracy like
the United States of America. Far too many Americans live
in ignorance of the fundamental way their country works.
But things don't have to be this way. What if we could give
everyone a user's manual for America? This is exactly what
we can and should do by providing every American with a
"Citizen's Handbook" that explains all aspects of government
spending, complete with in-depth text and detailed graphics.
We expect no less of—for example—corporate America, where
every company shareholder automatically receives detailed
reports on the company's dealings. In the same way, every
American deserves a manual that provides the information
he or she needs in order to truly understand our government
and participate effectively in civic life.
This manual
could be written by a public or private group. In fact,
the idea of a Citizen's Handbook represents a wide-open
field of opportunity that is ripe with potential. Some publishing
companies make excellent profits by producing Alumni books
for schools and colleges. In much the same way, a company
could produce handbooks for states, cities, and towns.
Every person
should own such a book that explains his or her hometown,
state, and federal government. This is especially important
in the current economic times since the flexibility
and effectiveness of monetary spending is extremely important
in dealing with unfolding crises. The first step to addressing
this situation must be to establish an effective process
of public dialogue and analysis, and this would be accomplished
directly with a Citizen's Handbook.
Goal
3: Maximizing Education for the Younger Generation
We're
interested in anything that will improve life for the
young and struggling, and some of the education points
are here.
Clearly, many students fail to see a correlation between
what they learn in school and how much success they experience
in the wider world. Any viable solution to the situation
must address multiple aspects of policy, including:
1.
Greater utilization and expansion of vocational education.
Thus far, one step in this direction has been
committing to building a "massive" regional vocational
school in Essex, on Boston's North Shore. What will be
called the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical
School district will provide students in the region what
students in every region of the state should have; an
opportunity to acquire skills that can assure
employability for life.
2.
Education for basic financial literacy, including
knowledge of mortgage loans, including a grasp of the
possibilities presented on the "multiple mortgage payer"
chart on the tools page.
3.
Expansion of Subject Assessment Tests to raise
standards and establish authentic value for a high school
diploma, while keeping such testing optional.
4.
Better learning materials and specific goals for
language classes, similar to those found in language schools,
to ensure that students graduating from school language
classes will actually be able to speak those languages,
and also to ensure that immigrants learn English more swiftly
and effectively.
The best
policies in housing and health care can also encourage young
people to stay in school and participate in America's social
and governmental system. These and many other points are
explained in depth in Ideas for America 1.
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