Four Points to Ponder on America’s 236th Birthday

by Frank Li

July 4th, 2012, marks America’s 236th birthday. As usual, we shall celebrate it with fireworks. Extraordinarily, let’s think, harder than ever, about four points as follows:

1. Who are we as a country?
2. What is our trouble, really?
3. Why are we so deeply in trouble?
4. What’s the real solution?

It’s now or never!

1. Who are we as a country?

Three readings:

1. What is America, Anyway?
2. American Democracy: What Went Wrong and When?
3. Top-10 American Misconceptions about America.

2. What is our trouble, really?

We are deeply in trouble fiscally, economically, and politically.

2.1 Fiscal trouble

Fiscally, our trouble is very obvious: our national debt has already exceeded $15T, which is more than our annual GDP. It was $9T in 2009 when President Obama took office.

2.2 Economic trouble

Economically, our trouble is also obvious:

• Although the official unemployment rate is at 8.2% today, the real number is about 15% (Unemployment rate: How many Americans are really unemployed?). The jobs being created now are not enough to even keep up with the population growth. Still wondering why 53% of all young college graduates in America are either unemployed or underemployed? Wonder not!

• The housing market has been down since 2008 and will remain down for the foreseeable future.

• The Student Loan Bubble: Only Stupid People Will Be Surprised When It Bursts.

2.3 Political trouble

Politically, our trouble is perhaps the least obvious for most Americans. So let’s have a simple reality check of the three branches of our government, one by one, as follows:

• Legislative: 87% in US disapprove of Congress.
• Judicial: Only 44% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court.
• Executive: Have you noticed that Americans no longer talk about how great their Presidents are/were, but which one is/was worse and who is/was the worst? Two examples:

George W. Bush’s favorable rating lowest of any living president, poll shows.

President Obama’s Place In U.S. History: Debt Monger.

Personally, I think George W. Bush and Barack Obama are the two worst American Presidents in [recent] history. Why? Let me repeat from an earlier publication (What Did Abraham Lincoln Mean?):

“Together the policies of these two Presidents have done more damage to America than all of America’s enemies have done, combined! The biggest threat to America is its faltering economy, which is plainly visible now!”

For more, read: An Open Letter to President Obama.

3. Why are we so deeply in trouble?

Read my diagnosis: Diagnosis for America: Cancer!

Highlight: The root cause of our problems is neither fiscal nor economic, but political! Yes, it’s the political system, stupid! Specifically,

• Democracy, as we practice it in the U.S. today, is no longer working.
• The Chinese system (America: What is China’s Political System, Anyway?), with many intrinsic problems of its own, appears to be slightly better than the American political system, which is all that is necessary for China to win its head-on competition with the U.S. Worse yet, it’s shaping up to be winner take all, just like what the U.S. had throughout the second half of the last century!

Once again, let me emphasize that our problems are big and structural! Three examples:

1. Gridlock has paralyzed our government for years.
2. When the two parties finally manage to get something done together, it’s often a wrong thing (Bipartisanship Is Behind Government’s Worst Programs)!
3. The launch of the Iraq War showed that there were neither checks nor balances within our government. Instead, it was, and still is, corrupted to its core. For more on U.S. government corruption, read: Blagojevich and Pearl Harbor: They Are Related!

4. What’s the real solution?

Read my solution: My Country Is in Trouble.

Highlight: We must fix the political system fundamentally by changing the Constitution as follows (Towards An Ideal Form of Government):

• Limiting the American Presidency to one-term (e.g. six years).
• Raising the statutory requirements for the American Presidency, such as the minimum age to 55 and only after having served a full-term as governor.
• Introducing strict term-limits for Congress, preferably one-term of six years as well.

Now, how can we have the solution implemented? Two possible ways:

1. NATO could support an Occupy Wall Street military takedown of the “massively unpopular” Obama regime in the protection of the 99%, in the same way as it did in Libya. Or, if you prefer, NATO could support a Tea Party military takedown of the “tyrannically oppressive” Obama regime in the defense of America’s Constitution and founding principles. For more, read: Brainwashing in Communism and in Democracy.
2. Elect Governor Romney as the next American President. This, obviously, is the preferred way.

Unfortunately, Governor Romney is not guaranteed to win in November, unless he heeds my advice (An Open Letter to Mitt Romney) that he promises

• To be a one-term President, dedicating himself to running the country without re-election.
• To fix the political system fundamentally by changing the Constitution as I suggested above.

With that, not only will there be President Romney, but also he will have a chance to save America, thus becoming one of the greatest American Presidents like George Washington!

But, will Governor Romney listen?