Now that the government shutdown has ended, it’s time to focus on what we informed citizens can do to further our government’s stellar financial standing and its excellent track record of international diplomacy.
Let’s first acknowledge our primary role in government’s impressive strides since the Vietnam War. We’ve consistently held our elected officials accountable. And why wouldn’t we? It takes a majority of our well-informed, forward-thinking population to elect statesmen, and unlike those of this country’s early days, today’s elected officials are principled, deep-thinking and slow to make rash decisions. Unlike our forefathers, the politicians of 2013 live outside the Beltway bubble and are in tune with citizens’ needs.
Now that we’ve gotten ourselves going in the right direction, let’s continue the tradition of reaching near-maximum voter turnout in midterm elections. That’s how we can reward our in-touch government.
Next, let’s do what’s right for the economy. “How do we do that?” you ask. We have to help those well-run, beloved businesses that form the backbone of our economy: mega-corporations and the federal government. If you work for a small business, now would be a good time to quit and head to Wal-Mart to get a high-paying job at a company that cares. Big businesses pay more, care more about individual employees and do more for local economies than small businesses. In fact, because small businesses tend to use overseas tax havens, they actually hurt our economy — despite what their expensive national-TV-commercial campaigns tell you. We should also add to our nation’s running surplus by paying more taxes. If mega-corps can bear the burden of high taxation, why can’t we? Middle-class folks receive the most government welfare while U.S.-based corporations are forced to trim fat and cut CEO pay just to break even. Let’s stop being lazy and do what’s best for America. Let’s go out and work two or three more jobs. It’ll make us happier. Trust me. How do you think Ivy League-educated execs running big businesses got their positions? Let’s stop asking for handouts and do what defense contractors, the auto industry and major banking institutions have done for decades: Suck it up and work through the hard times. That’s what’ll makes us great, not bailing us out every time we hit a rough patch.
This list isn’t quite exhaustive, but these simple suggestions can keep our country on the first-place podium it has held for its entire existence. Let’s go, America. We can do this!
Billy Kennedy is a neo-conservative liberal and UF journalism alumnus. This guest column ran on page 7 on 10/30/2013 under the headline "How citizens can help the nation"
