by
Linda A
Listen Up!
Issues: Economy, Foreign Policy
To be completely honest, it's more than a little bit scary to live in this day and age, what with oil monopolies driving up the price of gas on an almost daily basis, the threat of nuclear war as relations with some foreign countries become even more strained, the depletion of the environment coupled with all the negative health effects we are forced to deal with, and the current recession that our economy seems to be going into. All of these things weigh on the minds of Americans constantly, and now, to add to all of that, we must try and elect someone new to deal with all of those negative things and to try and turn our nation around. The person we elect to office, you, will be in charge of erasing our country's debt, turning the economy around which also means lowering costs, reversing all of the damage we've done to the environment, and maintaining good relations with all foreign countries so we can avoid nuclear warfare, because let's face it, we can do all we want for the environment, but it will be all for nothing if we go dropping bombs everywhere! I realize four years is not nearly enough time to accomplish all of this, but now is a prime opportunity for change, and not simply because it is expected of you.
Let's face fact: our country simply cannot continue on the path that it's on. We need to find alternate routes to take when it comes to things like oil, foreign policy, and the economy. We need you, as the head of the nation, to push green technology as much as you can. The scientists need your endorsement and encouragement to find solutions to our energy crisis, other than just more drilling, which will only last for so long. Americans will feel much more comfortable with new technology when they know that the government is paying attention and helping out. They will also know that steps are being taken to ensure the health of the planet in the future, and in turn, will be more willing to help out and do their part with things such as recycling.
Our planet is not, however, the only thing in trouble. Our economy is getting closer and closer to a full fledged recession every day. On top of that, the government has racked up a record nine trillion dollars of debt, which grows rapidly each day. You have many talented people who are employed to monitor the economy. Listen to their advice and let them help you, that's what they're there for. They went to college to learn how to best influence the economy so that it stays stable. They've learned all about fiscal and monetary policies to keep our economy running smoothly, and they'll have plenty of wonderful advice for you on how to start eliminating our country's debt.
You also need to listen to your advisers when it comes to foreign policy. You need to be open and discuss any problems you think need addressing. Secrecy and conspiracy will only lead to dissension, which will lead down more bad roads. I would also suggest branching out to other countries, possibly through the United Nations, and strengthening friendships with other countries. Currently, we aren't on very good terms with some Middle Eastern countries, so if we asked the UN for help, to reach out to those countries, instead of using force to make a point, we could get along with those countries much better and avoid future wars. I think that's our main problem--we are much too willing to jump to using force to solve our problems and make our points. We need to shift gears and start using a more diplomatic approach to solving problems.
Our current war could quite possibly be solved much more quickly if we simply asked the other countries involved to sit down with us, let them share what they feel is being done wrong against them, and compromise to find a solution that both sides can agree with. As a country, though, we need to ask for help and admit that we can't solve all of the world's problems by ourselves. We may be a major power but we still need to share some of the responsibility and stop treading on the toes of other smaller nations. We need to look out for those around us, and not just by shoving our form of government upon them. That makes us no better than some communistic countries, such as we saw with Russia a few weeks ago. Russia didn't like that Georgia was a democratic nation, so they just decided to attack the smaller country to assert their dominance. We need to take a more understanding approach, and help other countries with the issues they are experiencing, by giving them suggestions as to how they can help themselves, instead of just jumping in and interfering like we have in the past. We can try to protect them as they get themselves righted and back on track, but I don't think we should just march in with our tanks like we seem to enjoy doing. Instead, we need to help them, but in a non-intrusive way, so that they are learning how to deal with the problem themselves, and in that way they will become more independent and won't have to relay on other countries as much. We also need to realize that some countries simply don't like the idea of democracy as their form of government, and I truly think everyone would be better off if we didn't force our way of thinking on them. We can try to persuasively influence them, but force is not the answer.
The United Nations was created to try and avoid conflicts between different countries. It seems to me that we have neglected to use this resource that was created to solve problems, some of which we are now experiencing. In my opinion, we need to start asking for help, and letting other countries know that Americans are humans too, and we really don't want to go to war with them. I have found, that in almost every aspect of my life, it is much easier to take the approach of talking to people to work out problems, rather than just forcing my opinions and views on them, and expecting them to see things my way. This is the approach we need to adopt as a nation, and we could seriously cut down on the number of conflicts we have with other countries.
Personally, the thought of war is terrifying to me. I have greatly enjoyed living my first eighteen years in relative peace, and I am very glad I didn't have to experience any of the great wars. It is very important to me to work hard for the goal of world peace. Even if we never attain that goal, hopefully we can at least maintain better relations with our fellow human beings around the world, and throughout the process of making friends, who knows, we might be able to solve our other problems such as global warming and the fuel crisis. The more people working on a problem, the more solutions we can create, and I've found that working together on a common goal is sometimes the most satisfying part of solving a problem.