Finish this sentence: If I were president…
Oh come on. You HAD to see this prompt coming, right??
I follow politics, for those that don’t know (or are in denial. ha!)
But I’ll spare you specific rants and just go for the jugular, er, generic tasks, goals, beliefs, whatever you want to call them.
If I were president … wow. How do I even answer this.
Let’s start with … I’d do everything exactly opposite of what our president is doing now.
Are you still reading?
First of all, I’d LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. What do the majority want? Not just one party, but the majority of ALL people.
Everything would be transparent. And everything WOULD be transparent. No saying it will be and then making sure bills were passed behind closed doors and without the opposing party present. What’s the big secret? If you’re not ashamed of your decision, then put it out there.
I would never apologize for our country. America is awesome. America is (or was) strong. America is generous. America is home.
Though I wouldn’t want to jump to everyone’s defense (shouldn’t some of these countries fight it out amongst themselves? Why does America have to be on the Global police force?), I would definitely make sure Americans were protected from the people who want us dead.
Yes ya’ll. They exist. They aren’t going anywhere – ever. It’s called evil and it not only exists, it exists in our very own backyard. We don’t have to obsess about it, but we definitely can’t afford to let our defenses down, either.
And the biggie? Balance the budget. Cut out wasteful spending. Get rid of earmarks. Nothing goes into the bill that doesn’t directly affect the conditions of the bill. No sneaking stuff in while no one is paying attention. And when I say cut, I mean CUT. If it’s not absolutely necessary to the running of this country, then get rid of it. Until we get this deficit under control, then no frills, no extras. When we have it under control, then we’ll look at adding some of the programs back.
That’s what normal Joes and Janes do when times get tough – I don’t understand why the government can’t do the same. It would take some guts. And there would be a lot of angry people, but the president needs to dish out some tough love if he/she is serious about getting things done.
It’s called governing. It’s not a popularity contest.
I’m not afraid of being the bad guy – I’m a parent. I’m used to being hated on a daily basis. Too many politicians get into office with one thing on their minds, staying in office. It’s a game of survival. Who can wiggle their way out of as many decisions and conflicts as possible.
I really think it’s going to take someone with a lot of courage and little political aspirations to actually get anything done. Definitely not a career politician.
Until that person comes along? It’s politics as usual, I’m afraid.
Write From Karen 