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27 August 2002 (Tuesday): if i were a fascist dictator (or: politics, part deux)

I would see to it that top funding went to the following areas:

• the free public education system (smaller classes, attractive salaries for teachers; something good is bound to happen)
  
• mass media (broadcasting goes downhill once you're beholden to ratings, advertisers and corporate sponsors)
  
• an infrastructure for active citizenship (e.g. child care during town hall meetings, internet access for online voting)
  
• environmental research (particularly with regards to industry, farming and metropolitan areas)
  
• the military (with less focus on expensive weaponry, and more on figuring out what actually works)

Then I'd enact a bunch of campaign finance restriction laws, resign as dictator and see what happened.

Three of the five are about the dissemination of information; the remaining two address responsibilities shared by the entire group. I've got opinions on abortion, the death penalty, gun control, affirmative action, but those are issues rightfully relegated to the forum of public debate. Much as I'd like to have it all my way, I'd leave those questions up to the people to decide.

This post seems ripe for an amabelle-y survey question. Which would be your top five?

posted by enjelani @ 03:33 PM PST

Replies: 4 comments

Well, I'll certainly back you on the money for education. Of course I am a little partial to that topic being an underpaid, overworked teacher. (Okay, the day after being at school for 13 hours because of Open House may not be the best day to whine about being overworked, but...there it is).

posted by Karin @ 27 08 2002 04:36 PM PST

amen, sister. as yet another overworked, underpaid teacher, i'd give just about anything to simply have 25 kids instead of 32 in each of my classes... it doesn't matter how nice the kids are, or how qualified a teacher is. i'd also like to put a word in for quality early-childhood programs (including child care) and health care-- two other areas where a little bit more money wouldn't hurt...

posted by Lynn @ 27 08 2002 05:26 PM PST

My money would go to the following, in order:

1. education
2. media (with a decree that although the media is funded by the government, the money is somehow protected from budget cuts. I'm not sure how this would be done. But government and media have rarely worked well together, so it would need some workable system.)
3. systems theory research (this should pretty much cover the environment, an eco-friendly and profitable economic structure, and sociological issues)
4. additional scientific funding specifically for the space program, and theoretical physics and mathematics research free from the influence of the military agenda.
5. Top professional psychological counseling for Roger Waters and David Gilmour so that they could work out their differences and put Pink Floyd back together.
...I'm sorry, it's late, I'm sleepy, and I couldn't think of a No. 5. :)

posted by jim @ 28 08 2002 02:16 AM PST

I've long thought that if we are going to grossly underpay a group of public workers, they should at least get all the same benefits(?) the military boys and girls get. Why can't we offer low/no cost housing to teachers?

posted by Moonpuddle @ 29 08 2002 07:54 AM PST