According to Wikipedia's federal budget article, the largest portions in 2010 were spent accordingly:
· $793 B (23%) - Medicare and Medicaid
· $701 B (20%) - Social Security
· $689 B (20%) - Department of Defense
These expenditure categories alone account for 63% - almost 2/3 - of all government spending.
All politics aside, the reason we budget these amounts is because these are the most important issues to society. Specifically, everybody wants to feel secure whether it is to feel safe from attacks, to feel certain they will receive medical care should they need it, and also that they will be taken care of as they age and can no longer provide for themselves in the same way they were able when they were younger.
At our core, we are all the same. We all have the same needs. We all need to eat. We need somewhere to live. We need to feel safe. We need these and more in order to become our full potential and actualize ourselves as humans.
This was proposed in 1943 by psychologist Albert Maslow and is known as Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
This was recognized in the Declaration of Independence, and was supported by the framework of the United States Constitution.
I firmly believe that whether Republican, Democrat, Independent or otherwise, we all have one thing in common: We want what's best for our country and in true American Spirit, we are willing to fight to the death to protect our way of life and make this country the ideal place for us to live. We all want that, not just for ourselves, but our families and our children.
What we disagree upon is simply how to get there.
The fact is, unfortunately, that we don't know how. No one person in this country has all the answers. This is why we separated from England.
But the beautiful thing about our country is our freedom of choice. Our ability to use our past experiences and freedom of thought and imagination to come up with possible solutions. What we need is a little bit of adventurousness, experimentation and patience.
Thomas Edison said about the light bulb, "I have not failed, I just found 10,000 ways that won't work. "
It's this kind of dedication and patience that created the light bulb and revolutionized the way of life for every American, and even the world. It is the scientific method.
It's no secret that we're facing a National Crisis of epic proportions. We are on the precipice of a new beginning, and the end to our old way of living. The awesome thing is that we have everything we need to do everything we want. Allow me to explain:
Problems our country faces
· Unemployment
· Health
· Education
· Fuel
· National Debt/Economy
Unemployment
We are working ourselves out of jobs. It's natural given the process of the technological revolution we've experienced. When the automobile became commonplace, the horse was worked out of a job.
That's what we're feeling. It's not from outsourcing, it's not from immigrants being paid lower wages. Although these issues exacerbate the problem, fixing them alone will not change the fact that people have labored for years to the end of making their job more efficient and unnecessary. It worked. Most assembly line jobs can be done by machines, and even the service industry is gradually being supplanted by mechanized and computerized means.
Health
Affordable health care seems impractical to maintain without a job which offers it as a benefit, or that can pay for it.
Education
College is expensive. Without a degree, it's nearly impossible to compete for a career in today's society. Even if you have one, you still may be waiting tables for awhile just to make ends meet until you can find a company willing to offer you an entry-level position because of the lack of experience resulting from the time devoted to earning the degree itself.
Fuel
We need energy independence. Period. Our reliance on fossil fuels has been causing us to focus on relations and compromises with other suppliers since the '70s. It's also very expensive.
National Debt/ Economy
Money isn't real. Let me say that again: Money isn't real. It's only an idea - a tool which is quickly outgrowing its usefulness.
We used to base our currency system on the Gold Standard. The first step in leaving the monetary system was already made in 1934 with the Gold Reserve Act. Now, most everything in America is paid through the banking system using accounting of numbers of which there are not enough physical dollars to represent. Almost every store takes debit and credit cards now.
Even if you collected all the money in America, it would not touch the National Debt because of an expectation of receiving more than was given. Or in other words, interest. Everything created by debt could have been created out of altruism. It is not there yet because of the fear of not being taken care of in return.
What's the solution?
What we can do is modify our thinking, and our methods of approaching these problems. We can shift our paradigm - the mechanism is already in place waiting to be activated.
Where do we start?
We need a new branch of service men and women. The military has provided an excellent beta test for the structure necessary to solve all of these problems. We need one that is non-militant. It can consolidate and shift our resources expenditure into providing jobs for the general populace in return for voluntary civil service. It can assure education, food, medical and dental, as well as housing for those that join.
What would they do?
Rebuild America. Build the national infrastructure necessary to support alternative energy sources. Clean up the country. Build our future.
This would begin to rebuild the faith of the American people in a government long divided in bickering. It would create jobs and educate people how to do them. It would provide the basic security necessary to begin the self-actualization of every American- which is what we need. We need to create our solution by creating extraordinary citizens.
If you want to change the world, you start with yourself. Then you become something other people and countries strive to be like. Then, then you can change the world.
Back to the budget
By the time we have rebuilt our country, we will have grown an army of citizens who know the value of selfless service. We will have provided a way to keep families together, and instilled a greater sense of family on the branch of service level through teamwork - much like exists in the armed forces. When this foundation spans the country, we will gradually begin to act without expectation just as you do with your own personal family. Then it will have the basis necessary to resolve itself.
It's already out there, we just need to cultivate it on a national scale. We already have everything we need - we have each other.
Let's use our brilliant minds and enslave science to work for us. We can have the world we want because we have the power and ingenuity to create it.
