Tyson Bam's 2020 Vision
Today I am sad to say, I am upset with our government. We live in a Republic, the greatest Republic, and with that acknowledgement, I will own up. This is my country and I am responsible for where we are today. You are responsible. We are responsible because WE THE PEOPLE made this government. We are in this together. This is OUR country whether we agree or disagree. The time for scapegoating is over. For too long we have put off personal responsibility. We have subsidized personal responsibility with unsustainable entitlements that disguise society's problems. We have deluded ourselves into thinking responsibility is a gift that can be hidden under piles of money. The money is getting thin. The problems are getting bigger. What we do today, will define tomorrow. I am not going to tell you what you want to hear. I am going to tell you what you need to hear. We can't afford entitlement. We can't tax ourselves out of debt. We can't save the world. We can't keep governing on the “feel good policies” of the past. Just because you want it doesn't mean you get it. Our government is sagging under the weight of our own whims and wishes. John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” I don't believe that statement has ever been more true than right here, right now.
We have a system where each generation borrows a little bit more from the next generation. We are approaching fourteen trillion dollars in debt. If we keep going down that road there is no one, no one to bail us out. Wake up America. It is time for tough love. They say Social Security is the third rail in politics. We better learn to tame lightning fast. It's a problem. Everyday we wait, it gets bigger and harder to fix. Medicare...It's a problem and it's bigger everyday. We like these things. We want them. It is money coming in from a nameless, faceless entity. Look to your left. Look to your right. Look in the mirror. That is where the money is coming from. The government takes that money in. Government waters it down through bureaucracy. Then government gives it back like manna from heaven that's just a little lighter than when it came in. Does anyone here want someone else to tell you how to spend your money? I don't want anyone to tell me how to spend my money. Why do we so willingly give up control of what we worked so hard to obtain? We are deep down, a caring, sympathetic people. We don't want people to hurt. We don't want people to suffer. We don't want negative consequences. That is the problem folks. We need consequences. Consequences are what influence our decision making. By mitigating consequences we only compound the problem. If you feed your kids candy until their teeth fall out because you can't say no, you aren't doing your children a service. What happened to personal responsibility in America? Can we take care of ourselves? Since Social Security was enacted people take more vacations, buy bigger houses, live more opulent lives. Sounds good doesn't it? They save less for retirement. People put off health care and treatment until they qualify for Medicare. People have been disconnected from responsibility. People don't save, don't prioritize because someone else is picking up the tab. Our children. Our Grandchildren. We have taken our democracy and begun to vote money into our own pockets and that is not the America I know.
With that being said, I would like to announce my candidacy for President in the 2020 presidential election. This is my 2020 Vision.
We must foster economic growth and prosperity through low taxes, private sector investment, and world class innovation. Economic growth is the only real, long term solution for lowering unemployment, increasing quality of life, becoming energy independent, and succeeding as a nation.
We must get control of government spending. People often refer to lowering taxes as starving the beast. This is wishful thinking. The beast isn't starving. Government appetite hasn't shrunk or slowed. Government has funded its gluttony through massive deficits and debt left to our children and grandchildren. We feed that beast everytime we celebrate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. We feed our own debt with votes for representatives who don't have the courage to say "No." We feed our debt with our own greed. Greed isn't starting a business and making money providing a service or good people choose to buy. Greed is putting your hand out and voting money into your own pocket. You steal from friends. You steal from neighbors. You steal from the commonwealth and you harm society. We have all heard the phrase, “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.” Do we have the courage to make tough choices? Can we say “No?” The country is almost fourteen trillion dollars in debt and politicians all across the country will tell you all the amazing things they can give you. Can we really believe that? No! To control spending we need to address the size of Federal Government. The Federal Government exists to provide us with things we cannot provide for ourselves. National defense, border security, infrastructure. Government has no business in our health care, our retirement. When Federal Government spends money on goods and services the private sector can provide, when it spends money on things we can provide for ourselves, it is waste. If government can water down our money with bureaucracy and provide us these services, how much better would these services be without the government middleman. Government is never more efficient than the private sector. It is never more effective.
This leads us to the education system in America. We need extensive voucher systems and private schools. Public school is so wrapped up in red tape we are suffocating our children. Public school has stagnated innovation and is failing our kids. The private sector encourages innovation and allows teachers to teach. Schools that teach well will succeed. There will be incentive to spend money effectively and efficiently. Teachers can spend their time teaching kids. Good teachers will prosper and schools won't have their hands tied getting rid of poor teachers, lackluster administrators, and poor curriculum. Government wants to consolidate teaching and make it uniform. What better way to rid ourselves of innovation and improvements. With the private sector the best teaching practices would be adopted quickly and there would be constant pressure to improve education by driving innovation. We can't punish our kids any longer with poor public education. They are our future.
To grow our economy, educate our children, and create a better, stronger America, we must maintain a strong defense. Countless American lives, and lives around the globe have been saved by deterrence through military strength. The world is an ever changing tumultuous place. Since the last World War we have seen drastic changes. The USSR has fallen and China has become a global juggernaut. Our enemies have become allies and alliances have dissolved. Defense is a costly endeavor but the long term security is well worth the price.
Finally, we must secure our borders. This is a national security issue. We cannot put the border security off, waiting until something terrible happens. We must address the drug trafficking that damages our friends, our family, and our children. We must address illegal immigration that strains our economy and displaces jobs that Americans could use with nearly 10% unemployment. We have to enforce our laws and protect American citizens. No more excuses.
This won't be easy. This isn't about hoping and believing. This is about doing. Beware of politicians who tell you, "If you can't afford it, we'll provide it." Politicians don't have any money they didn't get from you in the first place. If you can't afford it, government can't afford it. Take responsibility for yourself. Work hard... Innovate... Learn. Prosperity is not a hand out. Success is not a gift. We need less hoping and more doing. Doing More Starts With You.
Tyson Bam 2020
