The start of something big; what I would do if I were President

With the Presidential election coming up, there's a lot to think about. The United States was once a highly respected and well-liked country, and we can be that again. The next President, whether it is John McCain or Barack Obama, has the chance to undo some of the damage the Bush administration has done to our reputation. More than just a chance, an obligation. I'd like to help myself, in my own small way. Since I can never be elected, I'll have to post my ideas about what I would do as President here.

There's so many things to repair, replace, or understand it's difficult to know where to begin. Therefore the first thing I would do as President is to find someone I can trust as an advisor. This person (or persons) would have to be a thinker, someone who knows government, and someone who knows how the US government works. Their knowledge base would have to be broad, because while the basic US government is arguably the best in the world (see the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights), we have managed to drift very far away from the path the Founding Fathers felt we should take.

This person would also need to be flexible, as there are things the Consitution does not take into account. Some situations, concepts, or technologies did not exist at the time the document was written. One obvious example is communication; in the late 18th century, the only method of long-distance communication was the written letter. Today we have the telephone, video, email and so much else. Therefore, strict constructionists need not apply; I want someone who can understand the general intent of Jefferson et al. and be able to apply that to the modern world with an open mind. This is tricky; how can one directly apply a document written in the 18th century to the 21st?

I list that requirement because this person or group of people would be the ones who recommend others to the Presidential Cabinet. One cannot start to change without the support of the various members of the Cabinet, who are meant to be the experts on aspects of running the country in which I have little or no expertise. I would like you to note two things.

First, I have not said whether people I consider would be of any particular party. Frankly, I don't care about the person's party affiliation as long as that person can do the job in a quality manner. Just to name two, I have considerable respect for Senator John McCain and State Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut. Therefore, all other things being equal, I would choose a Republican over a Democrat if the person is right for the job.

Second, I do not believe any member of the current Bush administration would be properly qualified. I say this because Messrs Bush, Cheney, and (until recently) Rove have made every effort to eliminate anyone who disagrees with their policies. Thus the current positions of importance are filled, or at least appear to be filled, with "yes-men." I do not think I could trust anyone who would not criticize me if I made a mistake. In fact, I welcome such criticism. I am not perfect; there are things (many, many things!) I know little or nothing about yet would have to make some sort of decision on them. How can I possibly ensure I've made the correct decision if everyone just says "Yes" without some sort of "Well, have you thought about..." comment.

A few random thoughts on the Cabinet, and then I'll end this post. Secretary of the Interior: Al Gore (if he'll take it). Colin Powell would have a position in my cabinet, whether Secretary of State or Veterans Affairs. The Secretary of Transportation would have to be someone who is strongly in favor of public transportation. For the Department of Energy, I would want someone who understands we must get away from burning things for energy (or at least reduce it drastically) in favor of more environmentally-friendly measures (fusion, wind, hydro, geothermal, asnd others). The Secretary of Labor would have to understand it is not possible to make a living at the current minimum wage, and that we have drifted too far into an extreme form of capitalism (I have a number of labor reforms to discuss). And last (for this column), the Department of Justice needs someone who will redirect our efforts from "blame the victim" punishments and more toward preventing crime in the first place.

I expect this will get some comments; see you next time!