This blog is a connection to my facebook page Foundation. To access that, click on www.facebook.com/foundationandstate. Note the word "state." Here, I don't mean American states such as Colorado or Louisiana, but countries, such as Mexico or China, or any other country, for they are also referred to as "states." I'll discuss this shortly. (I could not use the single word foundation for my addresses, so I had to come up with something just as relevant).
To continue. First, the name. I took this name from a science fiction novel titled "The Foundation Trilogy," written by Isaac Asimov. It is a series of three books, set far into the future, of a galactic empire, where man has long forgotten his origins. One man, Hari Seldon, forcasts its fall, with 30,000 years of barbarism to follow. Dr. Seldon sets up two foundations to narrow the time to 1000 years before a new society takes its place. This novel, or series of novels really, is based on Edward Gibbon's "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." What I am doing is taking the Foundation novels, and applying them to the present time in the present world, especially in the United States.
This brings me to the theme. The United States is falling. That's all there is to it. The U.S. is declining! But it doesn't have to stay that way. We, as Americans have the potential to bring this country back up again.
It will not be easy, however. Other countries have already surpassed us in education, industry, science and technology, and they are working out their own relationships with other countries in many of these fields without our help. A lack of interest on our part is a major cause of it, and they are showing that they do not need us. They may need us politically and militarily, but that too can change. China, Japan, India, Germany and other countries have gone up. Whether these countries will replace us remains in question, for they have problems of their own. Perhaps nobody will. Perhaps, as in the time of Rome, after our fall, should it occur, a new Dark Age may descend upon us. The signs are there: pollution, a bad economy, depletion of natural resources, and wars. Wars over the acquisition of natural resources loom on the horizon. These will be extremely bloody wars, something of which I am entirely opposed.
This is where Foundation comes in. I do not believe that the above warnings have to occur. In fact, they can be prevented and we, not only as Americans, but humanity as a whole, can deal with our present problems, move on, and prosper. Note, this is not "pie in the sky," nor is it a plan for a Utopia. That will never happen. We will always have problems. But I feel our present problems are growing in leaps and bounds and are getting too big for us to handle. This has to change!
For all of your members from the rest of the world presently on my Facebook page, this blog and fb page is for you too! Many problems the U.S. has, the rest of the world has also, and what ever ideas I propose on this page can be applied in your countries as well.
THIS PAGE AND BLOG IS FOR EVERYBODY!
This main themes FOUNDATION covers are proposed ideas in dealing with major problems the world has, and how we can deal with them. Note: we not only point out our major problems, we provide ideas for solutions, or how to best deal with them. Most of all, how we as Americans and Humans can prosper beyond our problems. The main theme is this:
The entire U.S. needs to be overhauled from the government on down. In our present situation, we can no longer afford to do nothing. But it’s not as hard as it seems, and it does not have to be miserable for us. We do have the potential to go up again. Here’s how:
1. Senators and Congressmen must put an end to earmarks - funding their pet projects at home to please their constituents. This is NOT what federal tax money is for, it is to fund our national interests only! If these people want money for their own local projects, they can get it from their own local revenues.
2. We must greatly cut down on government waste and government red tape. This drains our resources and slows things down. This also means eliminating the federal budget deficit, which we did during the Clinton administration, but it came back under the administration of George W. Bush. We must again find another way to eliminate the deficit, and eventually, the national debt. It will take great sacrifice on all of us, but it can be done. Note: with the present economy (2012) in the state that it is, I am aware that we must still borrow money to stimulate it, but we need to spend this money wisely, and without regard to our own local interests. The bottom line, we need to completely and totally overhaul our budget. It will be long and hard, but in the end, it will be worth it. I know this is easier said than done.
3. We need to rebuild the infrastructure of the U.S. - repair roads and bridges and the like. In this area, quality must come first, not price. Too often, we “award to the lowest bidder,” but this may end up being the most expensive, not only in repairs, but in human lives if a disaster, like a bridge collapsing, occurs.
4. We need to improve our educational system - encourage more education in Math and Science. This is why other countries have gotten ahead of us in technology and industry. There are ways to do this. Read further! (Incidentally, space exploration and development is a good catalyst for doing this, for it will inspire many of our young people to get into these fields).
5. We need a health care system available to all citizens. This has been done to death, but we need to take after models like that of Canada and France, even the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. It is possible, if we look at the advantages and disadvantages of each country that has it, we can take what is best and correct the flaws that they do have. We are getting there. “Obamacare” has been passed. It may not be perfect, but if it survives, it can be improved with the test of time.
6. We need to invest in the field of scientific research, such as stem cell research, high energy physics, and other programs. Other countries are getting ahead of us in these fields and are reaping the benefits, while we are getting left behind.
7. We must be better stewards of the environment. We need to protect sensitive areas, improve the soil of farms, replant forests in denuded areas, improve the air and aid in the fight against global warming. We can even take this overseas to Africa and South America, replanting jungles. It’s hard, I know, but it can be done.
8. We need the ability to aid in disasters that occur in our own homeland, with speed and accuracy, and to rebuild what has been destroyed. This time, we must know where to rebuild and where NOT to rebuild; i.e. don’t rebuild homes in fire or flood prone areas.
9. We need to get rid of the NIH (Not Invented Here) Syndrome. If there is any country willing to help us with something that we need, or if someone else offers us a useful idea, we should take it. For example, after Hurricane Katrina broke the dikes and flooded New Orleans, the dikes needed to be repaired. We have made use of the Army Corps of Engineers but suppose we had called in the Dutch? They are experts in flood control and we can learn a thing or two.
10. With that, quality must be emphasized in all products manufactured in the U.S. This is another reason why the world is getting ahead of us economically, they are making better quality products, which people, including us, are buying. So we in the American industry face a choice - either make a better quality product, or get out of the market.
11. We need to improve our military. Listen to what they have to say and not force them to buy weapons they neither need nor want. Eliminate the waste, and trim it to only what they need. Also, train it to our needs today; train them to fight the present war on terror and not previous wars that have long ago ended. Eliminate interservice rivalry, and have a system which they can communicate, and cooperate with each other. Eliminate duplicate programs that the each branch of the military has, but is not needed in every branch. They also need to protect themselves from computer hackers. Foreign hackers are stealing our technology and using it against us, to undermine our military. More protective measures need to be taken. If this means hiring computer hackers, so be it. We could even use hackers to infiltrate other militaries. Fight fire with fire.
12. Foreign policy needs to be improved drastically. The U.S. has a bad foreign policy. We must respect each government, even if we do not agree with the way they govern. If any country, no matter who they are, is willing to extend their hand in friendship to us, we should accept. Most of all, we should accept each country for what it is and not try to mold it in our image. (This may be one of the main reasons why we have such a problem with terrorism.) Another side of the coin is to not let other countries take advantage of us, which many of them do.
13. We need an robust energy program. We need to be fully independent of oil exporting countries and completely self-sufficient in energy production. What if we spent all that money from the Iraqi War into alternate energy technology instead? How much would we have accomplished?
14. Last of all, we need an ambitious space program - for the education of our citizens, to give them a dream, a frontier, and hope for humanity to spread out beyond the Earth. This is just as important as the other steps I have just mentioned, even more so. Space is not a luxury to be pursued when all other needs are met, but the most important key to the survival of our species. As for the U.S., we cannot afford NOT to pursue this venture. Oh, there will be hardships, but they can be dealt with, and would improve our quality of life as a whole.
Obviously, other mentioned programs are equally as important, and space exploration and development should be incorporated in this list as a component to science and technology, as well as the economy and an important step to getting America moving again. If we don’t invest in this venture, other countries will and we will become a backwater country, on the outside looking in as other nations prosper, and we struggle. Note that China plans to send a man to the Moon before the U.S.
Most importantly, all these improvements must be done ALL AT THE SAME TIME, not one at a time. Each one is equally important, and we have enough people with their combined interests and expertise to work in any and all of them. We can educate them and provide job opportunities. In doing all these projects, we would have one massive effort in completely rebuilding this country. We also have the money to do so, regardless. We just have to wisely allocate our resources without wasting anything.
These steps will get the U.S. running again, restoring our prestige in the world and making them pay attention to us again. We will also be a much better country for this, and the quality of life here will greatly improve.
More can be added to this list, but these are the basics that are needed to improve our society. To put it in plain English, we need to clean up our act.
I feel that this blog and the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/foundationandstate) is a way to start, promoting new or old but good ideas in which to do so.
Again, it will not be easy, it will not always be popular, and it will cost a lot of money, much of which will have to be paid for in taxes, and hopefully, with the help of businesses, corporations, even philanthropists. But it can be done.
This page is not only for the society as a whole, but also individual people who share these interests, and that means YOU. Are you a visionary? Do you have an interest in space exploration, energy, engineering, business, and any other field that will contribute to helping society? Are you even an artist, a writer, an economist? ANY interest at all, be it art or science, no matter what, and you want to help improve society? Are you different from the crowd? Are you a young person in your teens not knowing exactly what you want to do? This page is for YOU!
I believe that all individuals have certain abilities that can be used for the good of the world, as well as making a good decent living. (One does have to eat, and have a place to live). Today, too many young people don't know what to do with themselves, resort to crime, or hang around parks and street corners doing drugs and drinking alcohol, ruining their lives. If they had the chance to find their talents and to discover what to do with them, they can contribute to society in a big way. They just have to be guided.
Do you not have the money to go to college, art or tech school, or whatever you need to go? There are scholarships available, from every entity from organizations to philanthropists. One needs to discover their talents and interests. Being on this page can help by showing you the world's problems, what needs to be done, and what you can do to help.
If you are one of these individuals that shares our interests, and want to go out and contribute to solutions, be it in energy, economics or any other discipline, perhaps we can advise you on where to go for college, what to major in depending on your interests, even how to help pay for college through scholarships should you lack the funds. If you don't know what you want to be, but have interests here, perhaps we can guide you in finding yourself. We are unable to provide money, but we can help steer you in the right direction. Of course, what will happen is mostly up to you!
The U.S. and the world has many problems that we all know about. The real question is, "What are you going to do about it?" These sites attempt to answer that question.
There you have it. Foundation is about politics, economics, science and technology, problems and possible solutions, and what individuals, organizations, and whole nations, even groups of nations, can do to help.
This Blog is supplemental to my Facebook page, both called FOUNDATION, both being one organization. This is not only a think tank, it's a call for people like you to go out and do something. This is a think and do something about it site.
Join my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/foundationandstate, and read all the posts that I put in daily. Come to this blog and post your opinions, suggestions, even complaints pertaining to all this. Post a topic of your own! Agree with me, disagree with me, come up with something better, something I never imagined. This post is for YOU. Please contribute in whatever way you can, and perhaps, we can all find a way out of this mess and move on the more prosperous times.
This is what FOUNDATION is all about!
