An Open Letter to Mr. and Mrs. America

Dear Mr and Mrs America:

You don't look so good. You're overweight, and you spend too much for your own good. Everyone likes to pig out every once in a while, but come on! You can't feel very good physically, which translates into a bad mental state, I'm sure. Also, if you stop buying everything, you'll feel better. You just look so stressed out that you have to keep stimulating yourself through food and material goods - it looks tiring to me. What a merry-go-round! You don't have any time to think - no wonder you look to the media to tell you what you should think. No wonder we have such bad leadership with confused values, morals, religion, politics, policy all intertwined. You are the most powerful people in the world - you get to vote for the leader of the free world - we need you to slow down! Do some thinking for all of our sakes!

Some suggestions:
1) Debt - don't do it. Pay down your debt, even your mortgage, and build for retirement. See Ben Stein's writings on the topic. Do you want to live well? Less is more - don't spend and you won't need, and if you don't need, you'll have more to save for later. Next time you're in the store, ask yourself if you really need anything -- you really don't need a new SUV! Just go cold turkey, you'll feel free! That will bring financial freedom, which will reduce your stress and your need to eat so much.

2) When your stress is reduced, you should eat better, meditate, and work out. You should eat fruits, nuts (esp. almonds), a variety vegetables, whole grains (esp. flaxseed), legumes, and soy. Include some complex carbohydrates such as rice and pasta. Meat, except for fish, is not necessary, and on-balance, probably not healthy or environmentally friendly. Eat fish, especially salmon, mackerel, and eel for omega 3’s and vitamin D. Use olive oil or flaxseed oil only. Yogurt smoothies are a good filler, and can be a meal substitute. Try this: only eat fruit before noon. The world wants you to think you need more than this: more protein, more dairy, more meat. You don't. It's true, check the objective scientific literature. Longevity is linked to eating less, esp. less meat.

When you slow down, eat better, and work out, that will be good for you. You'll think clearer too and get yourself into much less trouble. That will be good for the world.

Issue #2 - Economic Policy

Follows are the economic policies I believe in. These are simple, but often ignored by policy makers. It's amazing that even a so-called "conservative" administration like ours, with a supposed "mandate from the people" can't override special interests to implement these policies. But, I guess the non-Clinton democrats would be worse on this, so I can't complain too much.

1) Free trade - just do it. Everyone is better off. Please see your Economics 101 textbook. To the Bush Admin: stop being a major offender! Lead by example. Eliminate tariffs - you won the election!

2) Reform social security. Hate to admit it, but the Bushies have this one right. Democrats would be wise to stop obstructing this one and get behind it. The concerns the Dems put up on this are laughable. Read Professor Thaler's work on how to incentivize rationale and sound long term investment behavior.

3) Reduce the deficit. Ugh. The Bushies really did us in on this one. Horrible fiscal policy. I understand the need for tax relief, not to run a surplus, etc. so I know where they were coming from. But, they went a way overboard and now we (more specifically, our children and lower income class) have a real problem. Can't argue that this one was politically motivated by Bush's rich friends. That's just bourne out by the facts.

4) Flat tax. Again, hate to admit it, but the Bushies are onto something. The devil's in the details, no doubt, but the Dems could actually be constructive here and get behind it to make sure it's done fairly.

Issue #1 - Iraq War

Just to get this out of the way, my view of the Iraq War is that it is a serious mistake that has already caused irreversible damage to America's image and has betrayed this country's values and military rank-and-file. It is a failure of government at the highest levels: namely the President and Congress. Where was the Senate when the war was authorized? It was obviously a fabricated cause (even at the time it was obvious). This huge outlay of money would be well spent reducing the deficit. We should hold the administration accountable for the waste of human life and money being spent.

This is not a "liberal" viewpoint. This is common sense, backed up by data. We have spent money and lives and have, on balance, increased the amount of violence in the world. Why the conservatives are not outraged about this is a testament to their greed - they seem to give the administration a pass on this so long as they get their other agenda items addressed. Where is their integrity?

There, I said my peace and can now move on to other issues.

Below is my letter to the Economist before the War was initiated. I also sent it to my Senators to warn them that they are asleep at the switch.

Letter To Economist, Oct 2002.

First Post - First Idea

Why don't we forgo the upcoming Presidential inauguration and instead donate that money to the tsunami relief organizations ? I believe we will spend $40MM on the inauguration. That money will be better spent on helping those in need. Who needs an inauguration for a sitting President? What a wonderful message it would send to the world about America's heart.