I can't believe this clip is not all over ever Sunday show and not getting more attention. It sums up what is wrong with Speaker Ryan specifically and current Republicans in general: old ideas, archaic solutions.
Take the real issue of aging Boomers- facts are facts- but we don't need more babies in the world or in the U.S. to solve this issue. The last thing a world of 7.5 billion needs is more people adding to an already exploding, unsustainable population. Instead we need healthier citizens, collaborative technology, and less wasted resources.
Here are some solutions we should try instead of becoming breeders for Boomers:
- More Peace
- Hire Diplomats: The State Department has cut the budget for diplomats under Rex Tillerson. We need more diplomatic efforts and deals cut in the world vs saving pennies and spending billions on another war or defending escalating aggression on foreign soil.
- Military Contracts: War is profitable for many. The Military-Industrial Complex is incentivized to keep us on war-footing in order to secure their lucrative contracts. Want to save money: war less.
- More Wellness
- Healthier Citizens: Everything from the food and water supply, environmental pollution, and healthcare options need to be our focus if we want to keep the aging and current population as well and active as possible. When we over-work, over-stress, and under care for folks it costs us far more than a wellness based approach would.
- Better Research: Alzheimers alone can take down the U.S. healthcare system if we don't get a handle on it. Not only is it a devastating disease for the patient but the family is often stuck between raising their children, working, and caring for parents. It's depleting their work, community involvement, and quality of life. We need to fund research and have better programs to care for those affected.
- More Equity
- Fair Taxes: Wealthy Americans need people to buy their goods and services, educate their kids, clean their homes, wax their boats, and keep their lifestyle going. If they hoard their wealth the middle class will dwindle and not only will it be un-Christian and bad for business, it is bad for the general welfare of the country that allowed them to prosper.
- More Freedom
- Healthcare Rights: Restricting birthcontrol, abortion, and a safety-net for women to choose what works for their families cost our country. To be clear: more babies aren't free.
- Death with Dignity: Put the fact that most costs are incurred in the last few months of life aside and just allow folks to decide what works for them and their family. Have restrictions in place so that abuse is minimized but not only would it save billions but what speaks more to our freedom then let us decide when and how we want to die.
- More Smarts
- Better Education: Education investments have priceless ROI: keeps kids safe, advances prospects for a better society, makes kids more employable for future, and could spark the next technology wave.
- Better Infrastructure: High speed transportation is a key to everything from jobs and the environment to how to provide a better quality of life for our citizens.
I could go on and on... immigration reform, prison reform, election reform. There are endless issues that can be solved if we came together as a country. The Republican taxcuts are about to give corporations and the 1% billions of dollars... or we could make all of the above investments and not only help The Boomers but invest in our entire society.
We don't need more babies, we need more adults who are willing to lead our country forward with smart solutions.
