If common sense prevailed...

Elected officials would work with one another for the benefit of their constituents, the citizens of the United States of America.

Congress would focus on tracking down and eliminating the billions of dollars worth of annual government waste and fraud to restore our trust in the government officials' ability to handle our tax money responsibly before scheming to fleece taxpayers so they can spend more.

The House would propose balanced budgets and govern "within our means" and not saddle us with astronomical debt by squandering our money on programs that are not self-sustaining and stop supporting pointless "research" projects.  (See Sen. Rand Paul's Annual Festivus Report for examples.)  Our actual needs would be taken care of before giving money to other countries — e.g., funds would be allocated to upgrade and repair our roads, bridges, power plants, airports, etc. before even considering spending $10M for proposed projects such as the Pakistani Gender Programs.

Mentally ill people who are a danger to themselves or to others would be institutionalized, stabilized, and released if possible, and if not, kept in safe conditions and not left to deteriorate on the streets.  ( Personally, I think the brain is the last frontier, and allocating funds to study it relative to mental illness would be a good use of our taxpayer dollars versus spending on projects such as $36M on research about how stress makes hair turn gray.)

Our homeless and food-insecure would be given priority over illegal aliens.  No more using our tax dollars for newly arriving illegal aliens to stay in hotels and have meals delivered while over a half-million of our brethren who most need our help languish as if discarded by the side of the road.  Illegal aliens who were separated from their children for safekeeping would be reunited with them and sent home, not given exorbitant amounts of our tax money.

Parents would have only the number of children they can afford to feed, house, and educate and not automatically look to our tax dollars to provide free delivery, housing, food, etc.  Generational dependence on the government (our tax dollars) is not a nice thing to do.

Teachers would teach, and parents would parent.  Most folks don't have children to be brought up and indoctrinated by strangers.  Education would be embraced by all cultures, and parents would support a learning environment in their homes.

Elections would be carried out fairly and with transparency so we can trust the results, even if we don't like the outcome.  People who cheat would lose their voting rights for ten years, and non-citizens who vote would be immediately deported.

Congress would ensure that the borders are secure and support the Border Patrol so they can prevent illegal entry as well as people- and drug trafficking.  The whole world can't live here, and the illegal drugs coming into the country are killing tens of thousands of people annually.

Congress members would realize that it is foolish to consider granting amnesty without knowing the actual number of illegal aliens in the country.

Non-English-speaking immigrants would learn English to integrate and participate in our society.  Public TV could provide an adult version of their learning programs to facilitate this important process of helping people thrive in our environment.  Many immigrants are either illiterate or not fluent in their own languages.

To become a citizen, applicants must show proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English, obviating the need for expensive multi-lingual ballot information.

The ACLU would perform a serious gap analysis of their altruistic purpose stated on their website versus how they actually utilize their donations.  Then they'd mend their ways and stay out of politics.

Our judges would realize that committing crimes is not considered normal or excusable behavior by the majority of our citizens.  People would be held responsible for their behavior, and if they don't want to go back to jail, they would choose to stop committing crimes.  If a jurisdiction wanted to free someone from jail without bail, make it a one-time-only option.  The longer the rap sheet, the higher the bail.

Whether or not one believes in climate change, it makes sense to use our resources wisely and leave a small footprint.  As Ashleigh Brilliant said, "take care of the earth.  A good planet is hard to find."

People would realize that things only mean what they want them to mean.  Giving power to others or inanimate objects hurts only themselves.  If someone has to make another feel bad in order to feel good about himself, his success will be fleeting.  The universe works in mysterious ways, and what you wish for others is what the universe interprets as what you want for yourself.

Image via Pickpik.

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