Issue 2013: The Political Super Bowl – A Game All Sides Win By Working Together

by Allie Pizzuto

The major political challenges facing our re-elected President, Barack Obama, are: reducing the out-of-control and rising national debt (and related fiscal cliff issues), tax reform, and gun control.  As an advisor to President Obama or to our Congressional leaders, I would strongly advocate and advise that the White House and Congress work together (well before impending deadlines ensue) and pass legislation that will benefit our whole country without regard to party affiliation or special interest groups (e.g., the wealthy, lobbyists representing corporate America, etc.).  America has been in a state of gradual decline for awhile now, and it is crucial that we get back on track as soon as possible.  All parties (Republican, Democrat, Independent) should join together in a collaborative manner (for a change) to put the American people first and reduce the national debt (not raise the debt ceiling) and cut every spending program across the board, where warranted.  Every American has a vested interest in seeing that the national debt is reduced, and each of us has a responsibility to shoulder the burden.   For example, our federal tax system should be reformed or at the very minimum federal tax legislation should be passed which taxes income in a progressive manner (a wealthier person should pay more taxes).  People who earn higher levels of income and corporations should pay more in taxes in the future to reduce the national debt.  In exchange, spending cut measures will be put in place to reduce benefits under entitlement programs.  This is a fair exchange, especially since the federal tax system will truly be progressive in nature (meaning that the higher the income, the higher the tax burden).  Regarding gun control, how many more times do we need to read about massacres occurring in our educational institutions?  Opening fire on small young children in Newtown, CT – what a disaster!  We should be ashamed of ourselves as a nation to allow this behavior to continue to persist.  Although we may have the freedom and the right to buy guns, that right and freedom is not unrestrained and should never be a protected freedom at all costs.  Although the problem is multi-faceted, the answer is not as simple as staffing our educational institutions with armed guards, as the National Rifle Association recently suggested.  On the contrary, our great nation needs reasonable gun control measures to be put in place.   President Obama recently suggested several measures to diminish the threat of continued gun violence, which includes banning certain assault weapons and subjecting everyone to background checks.  These are reasonable infringements on our right to buy guns.