How to save America

Unreported Truths readers have ideas large and small! Here are some of the best

At the end of yesterday’s piece on the fall of Rome and its parallels with contemporary America, I asked Unreported Truths readers to throw out ideas to help “our politics and culture — the smaller and more realistic the better.”

As usual, you delivered. Here are eight of the most interesting comments or emails I received. They’re generally personal suggestions, or bigger ideas that have some chance of coming true. (Several of you mentioned term limits, for example, but I didn’t include those as they require a Constitutional amendment and are all-but-impossible.)

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NOTE: My comments are in parentheses, with the ideas in italics. They are unedited, except for length.

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(I am not alone in liking this thought — it was the most popular comment on yesterday’s piece.)

Everything starts at home. Try raising a handful of little humans that don’t hate everyone, can hold down a job, and know what it means to work honestly. Everything else flows from there. Or if you don’t have kids, cultivate that mindset around the people you do have in your life.

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(A more negative version of the same thought)

If politics is at the center of your life, you do not have a life. So “de-center” politics at a personal level.

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(Yes, try this at home)

To the extent that you are able, grow some of your own food. a tomato plant on a sunny window ledge or a small pot of herbs is enough. it will instill in you a frontier spirit and you will grow obsessed with breaking the chains that bind you to the industrial food system.

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(I say tomato, you say delicious!)

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(Turning to schools, several of you suggested returning to basic civics lessons — and encouraging children to think about American achievements rather than simply viewing our history negatively.):

A thought for a practical way to improve our politics and culture. Our politics and culture are improved with a focus of patriotism (and frankly even a slant of nationalism by celebrating the theme of critical thinking!) within our schools.

I do believe we need to prioritize *proudly* educating our children about the founding of our country, the work ethic of its people, the critical thinking and debate that has carried us, and the innovation (celebrate capitalism) over time.

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(A more acid take on the same topic)

Improving our culture; that’s a tricky one. I have a sister that bemoans schools not having civics classes anymore. She may have a point. I suppose one could blame the teachers unions for that. They seem to be engaged in their own social engineering project, the one that calls parents “terrorists”.

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(And a couple of more explicitly political thoughts. As someone who makes quarterly estimated payments, I feel this one!)

I am convinced that spending would screech to a halt if we banned income tax withholding and made people cut a physical check every month for estimated taxes.

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(I think this would be incredibly helpful. Sadly, both parties have recently gone the other way, moving towards hyper-partisan redistricting that makes most districts uncompetitive and encourages Democrats to go further left and Republicans right.)

Politics can be cleaned up significantly by drawing Congressional districts (state House and Senate also) as competitively as possible in stead of as “pure” R or D like several states are doing right now.

Those districts elect an ultra conservative R or very liberal progressive D in the primary; these people then win the general election because the district is so one sided. These are people who have never really listened to someone at the other end of the political spectrum and, frankly, don’t want ever talk to them.

Think districts which aim at being 40 R, 40 D and 20 I. Sure in some areas there will still be some strong R or D districts, but with an overwhelming number of competitive districts you create a legislative body who can actually govern while still representing the values of individual districts.

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(Representing the truth! With your help)

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(Finally, this comment. No, it doesn’t qualify as realistic — but I wish it did. I remember reading parts of the Federalist Papers in college and being struck by how alive they still were.)

What we need is a third party that adheres strictly to the Constitution. It has been bastardized by our politicians and because civics is no longer taught is schools the general public has no idea about what it really says.

The Federalist Papers should also be required reading, as the debate that was had by dissenting voices before the Constitution was written showed what each side was worried about and how compromise worked to get the Bill of Rights incorporated with the Constitution.

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Feel free to add your own ideas. The country you save may be your own!