Solutions Too Simple to Work?

This month I have another Summer Quick-Post on a few problems, the solutions to which seem so obvious to me that either I am a simpleton, or the ruling class makes everything far too complicated (to try to stay in power?).

Here they are:

1.There are millions of people desperately braving the worst possible conditions to get to America across our wide open and therefore dangerous southern border, mostly hoping to work for their families. And there are millions of jobs going unfilled in America, which impacts all of us every day and adds to inflation. Can’t Congress quickly use these two powerful and related forces to create a vastly expanded but verifiable Work Permit program which could solve both problems at once, and give the honest migrants a reason to enter legally? Plus recreate a real border, and give those who are now roaming our nation in the shadows a reason to register and become accountable.

2. Since fossil fuels account for over 80% of U.S. energy production and consumption—and will continue to do so for most of our lifetimes—and since energy costs impact almost every other economic input, the U.S. should first really do everything possible to increase our own fossil fuel production—both short term and long term—to impact inflation and to recharge our economy, before going hat-in-hand to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to increase their production. New drilling, refineries, pipelines, etc. Everything. Let’s bring down the cost of energy, increase production across the board, reduce poverty, help ourselves and our allies, and get the economy rolling again. Then we can afford the luxury to think about how to go from 80% to 70% to less in fossile fuel use.

3. And as we think about the threats from climate change, never forget the “Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894“.  Seriously, are we better off with the government trying to tax and subsidize with imperfect knowledge, picking winners and losers, creating a huge governmental bureaucracy, and not making a meaningful dent in any climate issue without equal cooperation from China, India and Russia; OR, instead, by opening up our U.S. economy full throttle with the least expensive and cleanest energy now, creating more jobs, opportunities, taxes and research that will lead to the equivalent of the internal combustion engine in the early 1900’s? Will it be modular nuclear plants? More efficient solar cells? A Carbon Tax? Cheaper and cleaner batteries? I of course don’t know. But neither did anyone in 1894, as the manure piled up around their doors and there was no solution in sight. Given the last several hundred years of human discovery and innovation, fueled in many areas by the freedoms enjoyed in our own country, I’d rather bet on that force than on bureaucrats to get it right.

4. The current Administration is broken, adrift, feckless and clueless, led around by Progressive idealogues who continue to tell us about the Emperor’s wonderful new clothes when everyone can see that he is clearly naked (the border, crime, inflation, Afghanistan, an EV in every garage, etc., etc.). See “Looking for Truthful Leaders.” The only way these airheads will win in 2022 or 2024 is if Donald Trump runs again for President and muddies the water with his self-absorbed personality and obsession with all the wrongs committed against him—some real, some imagined. Whatever you think of him, he should move on to Elder Statesman status, man-up like the rest of us for his past disappointments, and don’t do the one thing that will keep us under the thumb of Progressive idiots for extra years.

5. Wokeness is many things, but it is not Christian. Our faith, which is really about a personal relationship with the Savior, is always focused on an individual’s beliefs, character, choices and actions. Not on groups. We are all—all races and both genders—created in God’s image. Everyone. So we are not good or evil, or powerful or weak, because of any group identifications. God speaks to individuals, with individual gifts, weaknesses, choices and consequences. See “Racist Purgatory or Personal Redemption?“. As the Woke Mob tries to force Critical Race Theory, DEI policies, Transgender Liberation, Cancel Culture and the rest of the Woke Lies on us as members of groups, they will flaunt their mistaken theories with noisy superlatives, except don’t let them call their lies Christian. And if you have influence at a Christian school, church or university beset by the Woke elite, run them off as fast as you can. See what some parents in Atlanta are doing at Wokeminster.

6. After well-intentioned Affirmative Action impacted how Congressional Districts are drawn, the unintended consequence today is that only about 30 to 35 of our 435 House Seats are actually “competitive.” The rest have been redrawn–gerrymandered–into safe seats, where one party is almost guaranteed victory before any ballots are cast. In the old days, when districts were simply geographic, both parties had to run candidates who could appeal to broader, rather than more narrow, interests, and who learned how to compromise to get reasonably good things done for everyone. Let’s go back to geographic districts. See “Destruction By Identity.“

7. I obviously don’t want anyone to be addicted to, hurt, or killed by drugs. Or by alcohol. Both substances are capable ofaddiction, harm and death. After creating organized crime, bribes, protected territories, and wholesale violence on a scale never seen before, the nation finally ended Prohibition in 1933, and we have somehow reached a balance with alcohol between risk and personal choice which is imperfect but seems to work. With drugs, we are still pouring the fuel of huge, illegal profits onto cartels, rogue governments, gangs and petty hoodlums. Why? Whatever are the potential evils of the drugs themselves, we are only multiplying those evils exponentially with our failed war to stop them. Prohibition lasted fourteen years. The War on Drugs is in its fifty-second year. We should end the war and remove the fuel that feeds so much death and destruction. Then regulate and tax drugs like we do alcohol. See “The War on Drugs Causes Insanity.”

8. Finally, but most importantly, after living half my life as an agnostic/”reasonably good guy”/God-surely-grades-on-the-curve person, and half my life as a follower of Christ, who has redeemed me and continues to transform me, I can give the most simple advice possible: following Christ and abiding by God’s rules generally leads to inner peace and quiet joy, while doing the opposite usually leads to tumult and bad outcomes. Not always, at least on this side of eternity, but usually, at least in my experience. So surrendur control to him and then abide in him. It’s simple, but incredibly powerful. And see “Faith is Reasonable.“

If you like these relatively simple solutions to some of the real issues confronting us, please pass them on. Who knows? Then enjoy the rest of the summer. All the best.