Let’s face it, America is indeed in a crisis that’s been hid by the current administration under a rug for far too long. I typically shun away from political rants; however it’s time that America prevents an upcoming race, social, or financial dispute that’s bound to erupt here shortly.

If anything, the situation(s) surrounding Hurricane Katrina and the lax manner that President Bush – who was on vacation, per usual, FEMA – who’s been sending conflicting reports to the Hurricane Relief Group that’s local to me, Condeleeza Rice – who was shoe shopping in NYC during this situation in New Orleans, and Dick Cheney – who’s in Wyoming… doing something.

So where to begin…

• * We have a sagging automobile economy. It’s no longer a time to offer incentives to people that can’t simply afford or need a new car. Open up trade to Cuba and see how badly a whole country needs auto parts for their aging cars. Also, see how a country that’s been US embargoed for nigh 50 years will in-turn buy the American cars that they severely want. Also, this would take away the Hugo Chavez-Fidel Castro volatile situation by injecting much needed money into a country that needs it as well as we probably need them.
• * The textile industry in the Southeast US is dead. It has been dead or dying for the last 100 years, but the death has been accelerated in the last 10 or so years. Textile mills close almost monthly in areas that depend on those mills for near everything… they’re usually the economic center of these small towns. And they’re disappearing. So this is a two-in-one way to deal with this problem. Legalize textile hemp. That’s right… textile hemp. If done right, the textile hemp could spark two sagging industries at once. It could give the Midwest US farmers something to grow and sell to make money to avoid foreclosure(s). It’ll give the textile workers something to do… but it has to be done right. That means giving the rest of the world no chance to compete in this area. Give the US a 20-year exclusive to textile hemp to be sold in the US. Do not allow imports to be sold in the US for that time to allow for ramp-up, production optimization to optimize profits and distribution, and acceptance of this product. Which leads to my next point…
• * Legalize marijuana. Over a billion US dollars just to keep people that use this drug, oft referred to as a gateway drug, off the streets. Last I checked, a dude high off marijuana isn’t about to go steal a TV out of a pawn shop window because they need their “weed fix”. You’re likely to find that dude in his mom’s basement laughing at television commercials. Tax it like liquor, disallow it for public use – much like cigarettes – and drop the jail terms… it’ll be sold at your local 7-11. Watch the money come in, Federal Government and street crime drop. No need to use the harder drugs, they’ll have access to this to ween them off. Those that are already addicted to harder drugs, set up paid-for clinics/drug rehab centers for the truly addicted.
• * Stop white-collar crime with serious punishment. Nothing like a person scared to commit crime. Steal a car, you’re likely to get 5-6 years in a prison. Embezzle a few million dollars or doctor up the books to make your company look golden when it’s actually sinking… you’re likely to get 18 months in a posh jail. If that. All of these high-ranking bank officials that are laundering drug money through the system, a few of them caught, tried, and convicted… those spineless bastards officials will most likely become as extinct as an honest lawyer. Give it a try, what’s corporate America got to lose?
• * Protect the social security benefits with a more aggressive manner commitment to disallow spending it before it’s been even spent. The US is spending more and more money ahead of schedule, by the time I retire, I’m going to either have to have hit the lottery, gotten married to some rich chick – I’m taking applications, btw – or plan better than what the US government is doing. Preventative measures can be taken, but it’ll mean that money is not going to be spent on frivolous stuff… like the war on terror.
• * Yes, I said it… the “war on terror” is about as bad as the “war on drugs”. Want to see them terrorist dudes shut up with a quickness? Step out of their country. Let NATO handle them. We pay our dues… let France and Germany send what they think is enough, and just match them. Not a penny more. Not a soldier more. Start giving out incentives for hybrids to companies to develop them, as well as expedite the hydrogen fuel cell car race to get ourselves away from Saudi and other mideast oil countries. Can’t “jihad” on a group that’s not even there… nor cares about being there. Besides, the US has oil reserves in areas that we should start drilling for anyway. And we have access to the oil fields in Alberta Canada that could keep us going for the next few decades at our present oil consumption rates. Even more if we drop it to where we just need oil for lubrication.

And astro-glide.

That’s seven 6 points to start on… I’ll post the rest in a day or so.