‘We all covered up in it...’

Don Parkhurst

Previously, I discussed the divisions fueled by both the radical Right and extreme Left factions in America, and I also suggested that both extremes bear possibly as many similarities as they do differences, with average Americans caught in the crossfire. So, are there solutions, or even middle ground, to “Make America Whole Again?” The ideas I’m about to present are, at best, utopian and probably unrealistic under the current conditions. They may have flaws, but here they are:

• One six-year terms only for President, with no non-consecutive terms. The advantage to a six-year term is that it’s long enough to force members of Congress to work with the President, rather than wait for him to become a lame duck.
• Restrictions placed on the President’s power to issue executive orders, which shall only be issued during a state of emergency, with clear conditions for such emergencies clearly outlined.
• Corporations prohibited from contributing to political campaigns, and a cap on private campaign contributions.
• Mandatory debates for all Presidential candidates and/or nominees, with inclusion of third-party candidates and/or nominees.
• Election Day shall become a national holiday, remaining on the first Tuesday of November.
• Universal voting machines and election day protocol for all states.
• No more “Super Tuesday” primary days.
• The Electoral College shall be abolished and the President will be determined by popular vote.
• Term limits for Congress. A maximum of two terms for Senate, and no more than four terms for the House of Representatives.
• No millionaires or billionaires allowed to hold office, nor anyone with a criminal record, involvement with a hate group or terrorist organization.
• Equal representation from both or all parties on all Congressional committees and sub-committees.
• A strict and strictly-enforced code of ethics for all three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial).
• A strict code of protocol and behavior for members of Congress, with violation subject to censure.
• Tax codes overhauled to be fair to all. Millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share.
• Legislation to permanently protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare.
• A federal bill to prohibit book banning and press censorship.
• These ideas aren’t new and some have been debated for years. But little or no action has been taken to implement reforms for our broken electoral system and dysfunctional government. The losing party in every national election is quick to talk about the need for reform, until that losing party regains office. Then the endgame seems to be keeping power for the party, rather than power to the people.  The endless cycle of election and re-election for members of Congress creates a culture of Washington insiders who over time, lose touch with their constituents. Market-place democracy allows billionaires to buy elections or promise million-dollar incentives to citizens who promise to vote for the candidate of plutocratic choice. The role of the Electoral College is now the exact opposite of the role intended by our Founding Fathers. Technocrats control the flow of information and manipulate voters through disinformation via mass media. Without equal representation on important committees, the minority party is neutered and instead of a democracy, we’re left with a political oligarchy. 

Here are other considerations for reform:

• No political primaries. If the Presidential election is winner-by-popular-vote, then primaries, whose objective is to determine delegates, are no longer necessary.
• A parliamentary system of government should be considered, because it holds both the executive and legislative branches in check and is more likely to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
• Unicameral governments (one house only, rather than two) promote greater accountability and also enact legislation more rapidly rather than being subject to both the House and Senate.
• A run-off election at the national level, including the President, if neither side has won a majority of the votes. A second election day holiday would be granted in the case of a Presidential run-off.

Many people will view these proposals as extreme, even radical. Keep in mind that our Founding Fathers were considered “radical” when they launched our great American Experiment. Thomas Jefferson said that “The Tree of Liberty should be watered with the Blood of Revolution” regularly to keep the tree alive. The most idealistic and utopian proposal is to simply eliminate political parties altogether. But ultimately this would be destined to fail because it is the nature of humans to categorize and name things. And by naming things, we tend to separate them into categories of good and bad, light and dark, friend and enemy, and so on. In many ways, this has been the curse of the human condition. 

So, it comes down to the idea proposed at the outset of this writing: what will it take to end this existential crisis and make America whole again? Can it be done with all sides listening and communicating in civil terms, by tolerating ideas that seem contrary to our individual values, through compromise and finding middle ground to resolve our differences? Or will it take some traumatic and catastrophic event to slap us to our senses?

It’s not too late, but time keeps on tick, tick, ticking into the future.

Don Parkhurst is a retired Storm Lake High School English and history teacher, enjoying life in the slow lane. No, he is not smoking a cigarette in the photo.