Issues I Wish Politicians Campaigned On **UPDATE**

**UPDATE**

I am updating this post with some information from other sources. See each category for the current updates. I will try to continue adding updates (but no promises!).  The update headings will be in boldface red font.

Every election cycle, the politicians focus on the same things: the economy, taxes, abortion, and crime. Those are all worth talking about but I wish someone would start talking about other things that matter to the "regular" men and women.

Here is my list of things I'd like to see become big campaign issues:

Food:

• Why are we still allowing problematic ingredients into our food products? 
• Why is high fructose corn syrup in almost everything on store shelves?
• Why isn't it standard to more clearly label ingredients for what they are? Any salt or sugar under their many names should be noted as salt and sugar. As a matter of fact, every ingredient should be noted for what it really is - additive, preservative, dye, hormone (or hormone-related), etc. Labels should not be able to conceal the true nature or identity of ingredients.
• If obesity and food-related illnesses are as bad as alcohol and tobacco, why aren't there warning labels on food products? We shouldn't need a degree in chemistry (or whatever) to know that we are eating or drinking something that can cause cancer, stunt growth, or otherwise affect our health. 
• We need to raise our standards for school lunches to those of places like Japan and France - anywhere that is healthier than ours.

UPDATES (8/25/24)

• This is Newsweek's list of articles regarding food recalls.
• These are the (current as I write this)  active "Recalls & Public Safety Alerts" from FSIS (use the filters to look at past alerts).

Consumerism:

• Why don't we better support and promote items "Made in the USA"? Why don't we make it a standard that the country of origin of items is very clearly noted on products? More than half the stuff in stores (and on Amazon, Walmart, etc) are made in China. Even long-standing brands that consumers think are American-made are no longer made anywhere near the U.S. 
• In line with the above, why isn't the government encouraging the creation of items Made in the USA? There has to be a reason (not always greed) that manufacturing is being moved to cheaper countries. If we can spend  waste so much money on unnecessary things, can we start moving some of that money to things that really matter? Why aren't we supporting manufacturers of clothing, cars, food products, etc. to do their manufacturing right here in the U.S.? Wouldn't that create more jobs and stimulate local economies? Talk about "Making America Great Again", let's actually do that instead of fighting amongst each other about one political party or the other. 
• Why aren't we spending money on programs to educate families on spending, budgeting, and other basic financial issues?
• In line with the above, why don't we sponsor some community programs for people of all ages - but especially the young - to learn about financial issues? 

UPDATES (8/25/24)

• FTC laws regarding "Made in the USA"
• Some older information regarding Chinese imports (vs American exports to China).

Note this piece from that report: "U.S. goods and services trade with China totaled an estimated $758.4 billion in 2022. Exports were $195.5 billion; imports were $562.9 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with China was $367.4 billion in 2022."

Crime and Community:

• We spend so much money on policing and jailing while crime rates keep getting worse. Why aren't we allocating some money to programs to avoid the need for more police and jails? How about spending some money to find out why communities have a problem with gang or drug violence. Instead of criminals coming out of jail with poor employment prospects, we hire them to help solve problems with crime. (I remember hearing about criminals with computer skills being used to teach authorities how to avoid certain crimes.)
• Why aren't we giving more recognition and rewards to people who aren't committing crimes or who are working to prevent crimes in their communities? If we recognize and reward people for their positive impact, maybe more people would work toward that. Right now, criminals get all the attention. (The idea years ago of not glorifying serial killers by giving them nicknames and press attention could work here.) 
• I am almost positive that the government has its fingers in the entertainment industry. There are lots of movies and music made lauding negative things - extramarital or teen sex, drug use, and other reckless lifestyle choices. Why aren't we making entertainment that promotes faith, moral integrity, or other positive aspects?
• Citizens/residents of a community should be encouraged/incentivized to help keep that community clean and safe. 

Medical, taxes, and the usual:

I wasn't going to mention these things but... There is so much room for improvement. When I talk to my neighbors (I live in a "senior" building), we often talk about what it's like to be "senior" or elderly in America. Some of the things I hear:

• Why aren't glasses, hearing aids, and therapy included in medical plans? I have a Medicare Advantage plan that includes free local gym membership. That's nice but I'd rather have free eyeglasses. Vision and hearing are things that tend to diminish with age. 
• Why are benefits for the elderly and disabled so complicated? Some of my neighbors who are disabled (and receive benefits) would like to work from home or earn extra income some other way (selling handmade items or their skilled services) but are afraid of losing some or all of their benefits. 
• When is the government going to actually start taxing the rich more than they do the poor? We talk about it all the time but the rich have the money to find and pay for loopholes. The poor end up using tax services set up in booths at Walmart...

Americans First:

• Any elder assistance, citizens' aid, or other perks should go to American-born citizens first. I'm no expert but I think this is what other 1st-world countries do.
• Jobs should go first to American-born citizens. This should include job preparation or training.
• Businesses owned by American-born citizens should be shown preference for benefits, tax cuts, and other perks.
• Businesses owned by non-American-born people should be required to hire a certain percentage of American-born employees. 
• Businesses owned by non-American-born people should be required to keep the majority of income in the U.S. economy.
• In place of the above 3 items, the U.S. should implement a "match" system with other countries. Whatever they require of American-born citizens in their country, we require the same for any of their citizens living in our country. 
• If American-based corporations/businesses send money, jobs, or other things out of the U.S., they should be taxed at a higher rate.

The 99% vs the 1%:

• No corporate officer of businesses/companies should make more than a certain grouped percentage of employees. This would include the well-known "golden parachutes" and other perks that reward people unfairly.
• No individual household should pay more in taxes (by percentile) than major corporate officers and/or large business owners. 
• Large corporations/businesses should be required to contribute a certain amount to the communities they operate in. These contributions (outside of employment) could be in funding hospitals, safety services (police, fire & rescue), neighborhood cleanup, and any other beneficial services. Contributions could also be in the form of funding for local educators and educational facilities.
• The same as above should go for any corporations and/or large businesses using the resources of a community or having other impacts on a community.
• The 99% should not be unduly burdened by the pursuits and/or profits of the 1%. 

And my biggest gripe:

Lobbyists. These special advocates have too much freedom and power. Their influence is totally out of sync with that of the average citizen. It's because of them that we have many of the problems mentioned in this post. They have, in effect, a monopoly on power in Washinton that affects too many aspects of the daily life of regular people like myself. 

How do we change the way healthcare is run when politicians are afraid of the lobbying power (and money) or the healthcare industry? The same goes for making changes in the food (and food labeling) industry, banking, housing, and so on. For every aspect of the life of an average citizen, there is a lobbyist for an industry or organization that has more power. 

For everything I've talked about, there can be no improvement as long as there are lobbyists. Or - and this is the biggest - anyone with the money to influence a once well-meaning politician. Someone might start out all fired up to make changes but, once they take their seat at the table (of power), they come in reach of money. Big money. And money influences everything.

I know that I sound like a dreamer. I know that there are no easy answers to a lot of the things that bother the average citizen but we have to start somewhere. 

Whenever I see a documentary about how some other country deals with crime or education or working parents, I wonder why we couldn't do better right here at home in America.

If you have some time, just go and do a search on things like "wasteful government spending"; "American school lunches compared to other Westernized countries"; and "European food labeling vs American food labeling". A real eye-opener is when you start looking at "American ingredients not allowed in European countries."

Some readers might think I am promoting a form of communism. I'm not. I am suggesting we begin normalizing a form of empowerment for all citizens, regardless of finances, power, or social visibility. We should encourage capitalization and reward hard work. We should not penalize anyone whose hard work does not give them greater financial rewards.

Peace

--Free