How to save America

  For over 230 years the United States of America has stood for many things, has embodied many ideals and has given shelter to many creeds.
   The symbol of revolution, the defender of the status quo, the beacon of liberty, the safe haven of slavery — America, more than anything, embodies the reality of plurality, the possibility of coexistence, the hope for a better tomorrow.
   While it is impossible to shrug off the greatness of America, it would be foolish to ignore the wrongs which it has perpetrated.  
   In a place where law is king, it is crucial that we allow the unbiased truth to shine even when it exposes the ugliness within us, and what is truth without action?
   Following the election of President Obama, America has been swept with cries of “change,” but where is the change which was promised? A year into his presidency, it is high time that we examine our America and look at the areas which need to be changed. What steps can we take to ensure that America continues to embody the good, shake off the bad, and move forward stronger than ever? What steps can we take to save America from the economic, social and physical threats which press on her from every side? After observing today’s America, this is my synopsis of the major areas where America’s policies, politics and people needs to change. America can save herself, she just needs to do it. Over the next several weeks I will be exploring some ideas which I believe would send America in the direction of change, reconciliation and future stability.

Benjamin Franklin said that a “nation which would trade its freedom for security, deserves neither.” In an age of global terrorism, economic competition on a massive level and military might of a scale never before imagined, it is easy to feel afraid. Measures like the Patriot Act are justified on the grounds of security though they restrict our liberty, and yet, is that so bad? Is it wrong to be willing to trade some of your freedom for safety? No. The very nature of living in a state is to give some of our liberty up in order to receive a measure of security. I would offer, however, that there is a clear line which we should not cross: when giving up more freedom will not make us correspondingly safer.
   Should there be street lights and speed limits? Yes. Wire taps and the suspension of habeas corpus? The line here is far harder to determine, but it is clear that no matter the level of surveillance, terrorism is still a possibility. For instance, the would-be Christmas bomber was able to infiltrate our transportation system in spite of the safe guards we had in place. While we strive to keep America safe, we should likewise strive to keep America, well, America! The likelihood of terrorism dogging our steps for years to come is incredibly likely, but whether or not Americans will continue to run scared into the bondage of a police state is yet to be determined. We should be telling Obama that we will not waive our rights with our flags. As the President of Change, we should ensure that he repeals the policies of Bush II, like the Patriot Act. Freedom is the defining feature of America, we must ensure it stays that way.
The greatest thing that President George Washington did was resign from public office after two presidential terms. It was the defining moment in American democracy, setting up the precedent that serving in politics is just that, a public service not a career.
   In an age where Congressmen and women are often serving for years on end in what people have called “political careers,” we should learn from the first leader of our nation. Washington understood that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that any power is capable of tainting even the most pure. Either congressional term limits, or a concentrated effort on the part of the American public to ensure that incumbents are not re-elected should be undertaken in order to ensure that American politics is always in touch with the American people, and to limit the corruption that comes with long term contact with power.
   Thomas Paine said that society is the sum of everything good about humanity while government is the necessary evil which contains our vices. Government is necessary, but what we need are public servants, not job hunters. Job hunters do what is necessary to be hired, whereas a public servant will do what is right.
   We need representatives who represent us. Democracy is only as good as we make it.