Poet-Politicians

We don’t need clever businessmen to rule the country. They know how to amass fortunes but they would not be helpful for everyday people, who are not as ambitious, dexterous, or lucky as they are.

We need visionaries, poets in government, thinking-feeling leaders, who are not just about money and power, who care, not merely with words, about the working world. People need to make a living, but they and their children also need classes, which should not be cut, and besides the sciences to learn art and music. Without the arts a city would be a desert.

Government is there to balance special interests, to create better conditions also for those who, for any or no reason, cannot help themselves. That is the function of the state and taxes, to protect all its people – not only the rich, and the middle, but also the underclass. Hunger and homelessness hurt.

Years ago, when the country was in great need, innovative presidents initiated Social Security and Medicare. Maybe the rich don’t need them, but what would life be like for so many of the aged and infirm without that assistance? What purpose in wanting to change that system? For people to rely for help on relatives or neighbors, as in the good old days, as has been suggested, would be most unsatisfactory. Why would the rich protest paying some added taxes to help the country move forward? They can only eat so much, and sleep in one bed at a time. Having enormous possessions is not really necessary, especially in hard times.

Reducing military spending is an excellent way to improve the economy. There is so much hardware already to kill enemies ten times over. Why not educate people about the benefits of peace and abolishing nuclear armament, since war and the expenditure of preparing for it is too costly, and dangerous if humankind is to survive?

Over the years so many social battles have been fought and won, why would anyone want to turn back the clock on hard-won achievement? So much is yet to be done. The environment needs constant watching, protecting from greedy exploitation.

Why, in our time, would anyone want to interfere with the rights of women to determine their own needs?

Most of all, people have a right to eat safe food. If there is pesticide in it, or a GMO (genetically created organism), it should be labeled.