We have poverty, nuclear weapons, global warming along with asteroids, sunbursts and winter caused by volcanic eruptions.
When George W Bush was president, I learned to make your demands and keep them simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker. Ask for the Sun, the Moon, the stars and half the planet. Act as if FDR, JFK, AOC, Al Gore or Bernie Sanders were our president.
We have the greatest wealth inequality in human history. I ask every nation to generate a new Income Tax Code to make rich individuals and major corporations pay taxes like they did when Ike was president. There is much money available for all that I advocate here. In the US, three men have as much wealth as 170 million. In the world, 58 men have as much wealth as 3.3 billion. That is billion with a ‘’b’’.
The US has 5,200 nuclear weapons. Since a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan is more than enough to induce nuclear winter, keep 1,000 and decommission the rest.
The US has 750 military bases overseas. Since the Soviet Union closed its doors on December 26, 1991, keep 100 and shut down the rest.
Change international law. The army that kills or injures non-combatants is responsible for providing medical care and compensation. The army that destroys or damages non-combatant property is responsible for restoration. When your army destroys, it must do more than just rebuild, it must improve.
There are floods, droughts, hurricanes, wars and other tragedies causing property and human loss. I propose a type of insurance coverage for every man, woman and child. This is a (FEMA) Federal Emergency Management Agency for the whole world. The United Nations would have the funds, equipment and manpower to respond to natural disasters and wars everywhere. The rich countries would have warehouses with food, water, clothes, medicine and tents ready to move to afflicted areas in rich or poor countries. They would also have resources to rebuild homes and infrastructure. The world’s armed forces would be trained to provide logistics and security. Soldiers would attend foreign language classes to learn the language, culture and history of other countries. The same soldiers would be logistics specialists.
An insurance fund would exist to cover losses where insurance companies no longer issue policies. People would pay premiums to have their home restored rather than only receive minimum shelter.
President George W Bush had a good idea with Leave No Child Behind. Leave No Human Being Behind is even better.
Ensure that every human being everywhere has food, water, shelter, medical care, education, a safe neighborhood and Internet access. In some countries, the government pays poor families to keep their kids in school. May every country take this step.
Start a world-wide anti-poverty program, a Second Marshall Plan, a Green New Deal. Do you want to solve the border crisis forever? Who would want to cross the Mediterranean in leaky boats or pass through Mexico’s norther deserts when they have good jobs at home? Nobody I know. Where will terrorists recruit warriors and raise money when the world is filled with happy people?
Fund NASA to divert asteroids.
Protect our power plants and lines from a Carrington –type 1859 event when a sunburst fried telegraph stations and all things electrical.
In 1815, a volcano on Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies erupted spreading ashes over the whole world. 1816 was the year without a summer. Figure out how to capture enough ashes to prevent starvation.
Politicians, philosophers, theologians and everybody else wonders why wars still exist. The easy answer is that war is good business. The illegal drug business brings higher profits but a fellow could get murdered or spend time in prison.
Spring, 1942 was the hardest time in the war for the Allies. Axis Powers were advancing on every front. The Allies did not lose heart. They started achieving significant military victories at Midway, El Alamein, Stalingrad and Guadalcanal. In February, 1943, the Axis Powers would go no further. It was a long way from Stalingrad to Berlin and from Guadalcanal to Tokyo but they had to start from somewhere.
The Big Three transformed their economies to generate aircraft carriers, landing craft, tanks, artillery and fighter aircraft to bring military victory over the Axis Powers. For civilization to survive, humans must start and complete the political, social and economic transformation described here. Previously do-gooders like me appealed to religious and humanitarian feelings. Now it is also realpolitik. All that I advocated here is necessary for survival.
Every individual and family will face adversity in life. Working together humans can make sure that they will not suffer war and misery. Together we can sing Crystal Blue Persuasion with Tommy James and the Shondells.
Maybe tomorrow
When he looks down
On every green field
And every town
All of his children
And every nation
There’ll be peace and good brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion