4 Line Items in My Presidential Budget
Don't tell me you haven't played the "If I Were President" game because I won't believe you. It's similar to the "If I Won an Oscar" game; you know, the one where you stand in front of your bathroom mirror with a bottle of hair conditioner and thank the little people.
Lemme just say, while I agree with where President Obama wants to put our tax dollars (healthcare, education and jobs), I also happen to believe he's overlooking a few important things.
Like:
1. NASA - scientists who know what they're doing are saying that there could be millions of other Earth-type planets in our universe, with lots and lots of intelligent life, just like on "Star Trek"! How could we not go after them?
I say, give NASA a few trillion to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations, etc.
2. The Arts - schools and communities have cuts thousands of arts programs for kids and families all over the country and it's time to bring them back. Music and dance and writing are not luxuries - they are necessities, especially in this current economy where we need to have people think creatively. A teen studying guitar in high school may not form her own band but it might make her think in a new way when she approaches college and beyond.
Investing in arts programs is investing in people's brains and encouraging them to think in different ways.
3. Mass transit - one of the best things about NYC is its subway system. I miss it just about every day here in LA. I appreciate that we want to save jobs in the auto industry but I think we need to spend more money on carrying big groups of people from one place to another rather than individuals from home to the mini-mall.
If Obama wants to talk about responsibility - which I do love - he needs to be responsible to Mother Earth and cut back on the carbon emissions that damage her.
4. Teacher salaries - yes, put money into school programs and supplies and facilities but let's not overlook the number one thing that is important to children's (and adults') education and that's the teachers instructing them. I'm glad the President wants every child to go to college but there have to be people teaching them!
Let's pay teachers good salaries, the kind that encourage really great people to go into education rather than private business.
