National Issues for Congress

competitive issues

• Cost of health car
• Impact of oil
• Global warming

There was a report in the news that florescent blubs can reduce the impact of air pollution by 10%. This sounds extreme, but given there are probably 5 bulbs per house that get predominantly, congress should offer some national rebate to get people to use these bulbs or LED bulbs. There will be huge pollution, oil, international trade and power plant capital investment implications. This one is simple.

The cost of health care in the face of an aging baby boomer demographic is huge. Several things must be done. The cost of the system must be reduced. Insurance, administration needs to be cut. The actual use of health care must be reduced and become more efficient. The delivery (huge cost in moving from dr to dr, to test, waiting for test results, referals... it is insane. the patient has not econimic value in the process. This must change. there was an article a year ago in Business Week based on a book suggesting that computer modeling and partient/family history could be modeled and greatly impact the use of and cost of health care and pharma. This is in the national interest, and must be funded.

Transportation Systems. Rail for freight and passengers in urban and suburban areas must be funded. A rail corridor from Mexico to Texas for a new deep water port is obvious, but not nationalistic. This must be made a priority if goods from China are key for the next century.

The biggest consumer of oil, and the biggest polluter in the world is the automobile. Firstly we must get big polluters off the road. Old, grandfathered cars and trucks have got to go. Allow fines, impounding, pay credits.

On the wars, protecting our way of life. We soiled our hands. Supported the Shah, then supported Saddam against the Ayatollah, then supported the Taliban and Osama, now Osama says we should stay out, and we move in, then he attacks us as a wake up call, and we move into Iraq where a tyrant supporting one side in a civil war in a country that should be divided to its pre WW2 lines exists... get out, these are 1000 yr old issues, not something we will solve. We have meddled and they have a war going on that is based in culture and family lines. Not something we can solve and provided it does not impact us, should we. Get out. Maybe assist in rewriting maps... be a friend to all. Provided they don't arm and attach us when we aren't meddling stay out of it. --On Korea, they are arming, the bozo is a head case, building a nuclear arsenal, which is their right, except they agreed not to do so. We are obligated to attack and destroy. If the leadership remains, remove it.