(Long Island, NY) As if the appearance of impropriety wasn’t bad enough, the Associated Press reports that President Bush was “unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates” according to the AP article, “until the deal already had been approved by his administration.”
The propriety question now moot, a new issue arises to take its place; why was the President of the United States, who gets regular updates on situations critical to national security, unaware of a major deal affecting U.S. ports? The President’s ardent defense of the agreement to allow a state-controlled business run by the United Arab Emirates now sounds like a last-minute salvage attempt rather than a carefully measured response to public criticism.
Bush has a bad track record when it comes to being informed. He mishandled intel regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, allowed the Department of Defense to launch a major campaign in both Afghanistan and Iraq without a realistic exit strategy, and now admits that he was informed only at the last moment about the UAE port deal.
All of this comes at the same time Bush expects the American people to swallow cuts in Medicare while maintaining tax cuts that amount to roughly three hundred dollars for middle class citizens after filing their taxes. If there is logic at work here, the White House Spokesperson ought to introduce us to a commentator who can illustrate it.
The port deal controversy has a very familiar ring to it. It is symptomatic of a larger problem, one that destroyed the Roman Empire. An overtaxed infrastructure, a lack of decisive leadership, terrorist-style attacks on military troops stationed at far-off outposts and the emergence of a strong right-wing political movement all factored in to the end of the thousand year empire. America has taken a far shorter amount of time to approach the problems that plagued the Romans, but the results could be the same.
What is needed to stave off the same consequences? For starters, much more attention to domestic problems; poverty, education and national defense. The tax code should be revised to include a far more proportional system based on revenue, income and actual net worth. A family of four may have a far greater potential for income than it truly produces. That family should be evaluated on the actual amount of money earned for the year. This should also apply to small business, corporations and religious institutions. “Tax Exempt” is a phrase that should be made obsolete, with the major exceptions of hospitals, local charities and schools. All other revenue-generating organizations which operate on a regional or national level should be taxed accordingly regardless of creed, faith or lack thereof.
The military should be reorganized to deal chiefly with immediate threats to national security and national interests. It should not be used as an instrument of foreign policy, but instead be redefined as a tool to protect America’s borders, its airspace and its territories. The era of the global policeman must come to an end. The United States has proven itself to be no better and no worse than the United Nations in this respect—a serious indictment of White House administrations over the last thirty years.
A federal commission should be created to examine the U.S. tariff system, foreign trade and related subject to see where these systems can be brought up to date in the manner most advantageous to the nation. Separate commissions should study alternative fuels, national healthcare and other issues vital to the continued survival of the country well past the terms of the current administration and those to come in the next ten years.
These fixes are not short-term, nor are they easy to achieve. The current mindset in American politics includes some lip service to these issues, and perhaps some budgetary consideration, but no serious debate or study of the problems, causes and solutions to the issues which affect day-to-day America. Instead, we get yet another four hundred billion dollar defense budget with little or no accountability to We The People as to how it’s being utilized.
These suggestions are, of course, the most basic. None of these suggestions will ever happen, thanks in part to the nature of our government, but also due to basic human nature. The American system works after a fashion, but it needs a long-term commitment to a serious overhaul in many departments. Our President being uninformed about a major business deal that has the potential to affect the safety, security and financial future of America’s interests is inexcusable. It is also a major red flag in terms of how our country is governed. Until the conditions that permit this sort of mismanagement of national affairs are changed, we can expect to see serious blunders such as the White House’s handling of the UAE port deal for the foreseeable future.
