The World Would Be a Better Place If . . .
Caution: You Have Now Entered The Rant Zone
The world would be a better place if . . . we did away with labels such as Democrat, Republican, Liberal, and Conservative.
Here’s why - say, I, as a self-identified Liberal, come up with a fantastic idea to solve the issues at the Mexican border once and for all. (I haven’t.) People who call themselves Republican and/or Conservative are not going to pay one bit of attention to it. The idea could be worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize and could effectively solve a problem in need of solving, but because it was proposed by a filthy Liberal, it must be opposed.
This was proven when Republicans scuttled a bipartisan bill that gave them much of what they wanted regarding immigration and border issues. They scuttled it, not because it was bad policy, but because too many sneaky, Liberal Democrats were for it, and passing it might help Joe Biden politically. So much for putting the needs of your country first.
And, to be fair, conservative ideas are often immediately shot down and dismissed by Liberals, as well.
But, what if there weren’t any labels attached to an idea? What if it was simply an idea thought up by a person and communicated to other people? And what if the people with the power to make things happen, implemented the idea and it worked? Wouldn’t that be better for our country than what we have now? We all are too concerned that our label gets the credit for what is good and that the other label gets the blame for what is bad. Question: Is this any way to run a country? Answer: No, it is not. (By the way, this is not an endorsement of the “No Labels” political movement. Calling themselves “No Labels” is still labeling. I’m simply suggesting we have no labels, lower case.)
The world would be a better place if . . . people would not take the phrase “public servant” literally.
As a former government employee, I was there to do my job as best I could, but I never considered myself anyone’s “servant”. It was especially infuriating to have some idiot justify treating us like shit by saying, “I’m a taxpayer, I pay your salary!” I always wanted to say to such a nitwit, “I’m a taxpayer, too. I pay my own goddamn salary. And I’m worth every penny. So, go fuck yourself.” Never did, though. (Yes, I often thought I was in the wrong line of work.)
The world would be a better place if . . . everyone who used a shopping cart at a store, put it in the cart corral when finished.
This should not even be a thing, but jerky people use a cart and just leave it wherever, all the time. Then the rest of us have to dodge it or park elsewhere because some entitled prick could not be bothered to put it where it belongs.
Once, while searching for a parking spot, I saw someone who outwardly seemed quite old, putting her cart in the corral, and, as she hobbled away with her cane, I concluded that if she could do it, so can everyone else. No excuses. It is terribly annoying to see shopping carts strewn all over a parking lot because others were too damn lazy to do the right thing.
The world would be a better place if . . . America valued the education of its citizens as much we value pop culture or sports.
Shouldn’t the richest, most powerful country the world has ever known, have the best education system the world has ever known? Teaching our children how to think, not what to think, ought to be a top priority.
That does not necessarily mean everyone has to go to college, although a college education should be available and affordable to anyone who wants it. There are many jobs and careers that require specific knowledge and the ability to think, reason, and make decisions, that do not require a college degree.
You know, the Department of Defense gets everything they want, plus stuff they don’t want. And, of course, defending America is of the utmost importance. But isn’t having an intelligent, informed citizenry vitally important to maintaining our dominant position in the world, too? Shouldn’t our teachers and schools, each and every one of them, have the resources and facilities they need to educate our children? Why are so many of them nickel and dimed, and deprived of the tools and staffing required to do their extremely important work?
To be sure, educating the nation’s children is not solely the responsibility of the education system. There must be a complete buy-in from the parents, as well. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. There is a significant percentage of the US population who apparently prefer to be stupid, and the truth is, there are politicians who prefer their followers to be stupid. And, that’s just sad for America.
The world would be a better place if . . . I was Commissioner of Baseball.
No - wait - I do not want to be Commissioner of Baseball. I want to be the Magnificent Supreme Emperor of Baseball. The Commissioner actually serves at the pleasure of the billionaire team owners. Essentially, he is their employee. I would not want to be beholden to the billionaire team owners. I would not want to be beholden to anyone. As Magnificent Supreme Emperor of Baseball, I would pledge to all baseball fans to do what’s best for the game. Period. (Say goodbye to the Designated Hitter, replays, extra-inning ghost runners, and indiscriminate spitting. I’m keeping the pitch clock, though.)
There will be no extorting of taxpayers to pay for the opulent palaces in which the teams play. And, those billionaire owners who have proven themselves unwilling to spend what’s necessary to even try fielding a winning organization, will be forced to sell their teams. (This means you, Bob Nutting of the Pirates, and John Fisher of the Athletics, among others.) I can’t wait to get started.
The world would be a better place if . . . there were fewer guns in America.
I know, I know, Second Amendment! Second Amendment! Second Amendment! The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is as follows:
A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
That’s it.
The Constitution was written hundreds of years ago. Obviously the world is now a different place. Good thing the Constitution is a living document, meant to be amended according to the times. That’s why it has remained so very important to Americans even in the present.
I am not suggesting the confiscation of all guns possessed by private citizens (although I would support some sort of buy back program, especially for assault weapons and the like.) What I am suggesting is the zealous, effective enforcement of any gun laws currently on the books. I also believe gun laws should be uniform across the nation. And, we must find ways to keep deadly weapons from those who should not have them. All ideas must be considered, no matter the source. What we are doing now is not working. The high rate of gun violence in this country compared to the rest of the world should be a distressing embarrassment to all Americans.
Polls show that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, approve of what are called “common sense” gun reforms, such as universal background checks, mandatory waiting periods, red flag laws, stiff penalties for those who do not secure their guns, and a ban on assault weapons. Congress lacks the will and the courage to take the necessary actions, however. And, that’s too bad.
Actually, I lost all hope that any meaningful gun reform would happen, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, when twenty children, ages 6 and 7, were murdered by someone who should never have had access to guns. It is entirely possible stricter laws may not have prevented Sandy Hook, but, if the absolute horror of that event did not cause a serious reckoning in this country over guns, then nothing ever will. Seems wrong to just give up, though.
The world would be a better place if . . . there were no reasons for me to rant about anything.
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