Solutions for the 21st Century

On an Internet news message board a poster named Morpheus stated that "There are no solutions for the major dilemmas confronting humans in the twenty-first century. You clearly disagree with that statement, so prove me wrong" Along with this statement he included a list of problems. In this column I have tried to address those problems.

What are your solutions for poverty?
First off I'd suggest that the person get a job. I know that sounds cold hearted but I would be willing to supply State Run daycare to give these people the chance to go to work. We need to reform the Welfare and food stamp programs in this country. Too many people become dependent on these programs and are not encouraged to get out on their own. We need to reform all of the public welfare systems so that they become the temporary assistance programs that they were intended to be in the first place.

What are your solutions for homelessness?
Again getting these people to work through better administration of welfare programs and welfare reform. Also society has to work to improve our mental care system and put the many mental patients back into the system where they belong. Many years ago borderline mental patients were released into society and this caused a great influx in the number of homeless. What we need to do is determine which one's are mentally handicapped and need special care. Then we need to help those that have a dependency problem with either drugs or alcohol and try to get them help in one of the reformed programs mentioned above. Of course there is a percentage of homeless that will always stay homeless. We need to give them one chance to try and get a job. After that they are own their own. The end result would be that basic figure that will always be homeless. The only attainable goal is to determine that number and try to keep it at that level.

What are your solutions for war?
The obvious answer is to avoid them and another is to follow the theories established by President George Washington in his Farewell Address, for instance, "No entangling alliances". In other words, don't get involved with any country unless they are directly effecting us.

What are your solutions for pollution?
I believe that between the environmentalists and the capitalists we are working to create a balance between industrialization and conservation. We have to keep an eye on the greedy capitalists to make sure they don't destroy nature just to make a buck. At the same time we need to keep an eye on the Environmentalists to make sure that they don't hijack federal money just to save some lizard darter that is due to go extinct anyway. Species go extinct all the time. It's called devolution. At the same time new species are discovered all over the world. That is called evolution.

What are your solutions for sadness and loneliness?
The doctors and the medical care industry has to stop hitting the drug cabinet every time someone is depressed or lonely. These drugs are usually and I say usually only a temporary fix. They cover the symptoms but don't get to the core of the problem. Some medical corporations want to make a buck on the medications and then call the next patient. There are community service programs and volunteer programs that can help. We should work to improve programs to help the sad and lonely and work to get them into volunteering themselves. Getting involved with helping others often helps to improve one's own self worth. The biggest realization that we need to accept is that we can only help those that want to be helped.

What are your solutions for teenage pregnancy?
Society needs to educate children on the responsibilities involved in becoming intimate with someone. We need to emphasize communication between parents and children. Society has been working to lower these numbers, and it has been working somewhat. Also with this problem there is a base number of teen pregnancies that will always occur. A certain percentage of teens are going to make mistakes even with birth control methods. We need programs to teach children about safe sex and yes abstinence. Parents need to be involved with their children. Parental Education and Communication between parent and child must be encouraged in every way possible.

What are your solutions for drug abuse, legal and otherwise?
Stop putting those convicted of "Victimless" crimes in jail. Some drugs should be legalized, at the very least decriminalized. What a person does to their own body that doesn't effect anyone but themselves, should be between them and their maker. We need to continue to offer assistance to those that want help. Of course again, the biggest thing is that the person must want the help, otherwise we are wasting our time and money. Also we need to work to reform the programs that we have. The biggest problem with social programs today is the amount of money that actually trickles down to the heart of the problem.

In my next column I will address more dilemmas of the 21st century and offer some more solutions. I will also discuss the possibility of success for these solutions. Of course this is all just going to be My Side of the Story.

In my last column I had been addressing issues of the 21st century that had been brought up in a political discussion that I had on an Internet News message board. A poster named Morpheus had said "There are no solutions for the major dilemmas confronting humans in the twenty-first century. You clearly disagree with that statement, so prove me wrong" Along with this statement he included a list of problems. Here are the rest of my solutions for these dilemmas.

What are your solutions for corrupt politicians?
As a society we need to redefine the political laws in this country. For one thing campaign finance reform is a good start, but it needs to be directed at the politicians and not the political action groups that support them. We should limit or eliminate PAC money and the amounts of money that lobbyists can donate to political campaigns.

What are your solutions for people who don't know how to love and don't care to learn?
The heart of this question is "and don't care to learn?" We can only help those that want help. Trying to force help onto someone is only a waste of time and money. Anyone who doesn't care to grow and learn is doomed. There is nothing we can do for them.

What are your solutions for the safe disposal of nuclear waste?
There is no safe way to dispose of nuclear waste. All we can do is work to find alternative energy sources. Again we need reform. Too many corporations are making money in their ventures and don't want alternatives. We need to work somehow to get nuclear companies involved in the quest for alternative energies and again work to reform how we get and use our energy today. For now we have no answers, all we can do is continue the research. As long as we want our lights, computers, and microwaves, we have to deal with nuclear energy and the waste it creates.

What are your solutions for AIDS and other horrible diseases?
We are making strides towards answers in many of these medical problems, but again as with all Government programs, we need reform. Too much money is being spent on administration and not enough is getting to the core of the problems. Many corporations involved in this field are also locked into their capitalist ways. They have gotten used to the money coming in for their research and don't want to give it up. We need to monitor the research going on and try to set up funds so that when one problem is solved, these groups can continue on to the next problem. This way these groups won't be in fear of loosing their grants when a solution is found.

What are your solutions for intolerance and hatred and bigotry?
Again education. Education of our children, education of parents, and education of society in general. We will never get rid of intolerance, hatred, and bigotry completely and at times we are driven to it as in the attacks of September 11th of last year. Hatred and bigotry are non-productive emotions, but intolerance is an emotion that we will have to deal with from time to time. Intolerance needs to be directed properly against those that deserve it. As in 9/11, Muslims as a whole do not deserve to be treated unfairly. The majority of Muslims are decent people, as is the case with any group, but the one's responsible for acts like this deserve no tolerance what so ever.

What are your solutions for the decimation of the rain forests?
Again Capitalism and Conservation need to work together. No ecosystem should be decimated completely. As with everything in nature, there must be a balance. Unless we are willing to return to the dark ages, we have to be willing to use the resources available to us. If that means drilling for oil in the Arctic to relieve our dependence on Mid East oil then so be it. Now I am not saying going in full throttle and destroying the ecosystem, but a sustainable use of the resource with as little effect on the ecosystem as possible.

What are your solutions for greed?
We have laws governing business and profits, for those that are legally greedy, that's called capitalism. For those that break the laws to satisfy their greed, that's called a crime.

What are your solutions for the fact that many of our children can't read or write but watch four or five hours of television every day?
Besides educating our children we need to educate parents as well. When a parent complains that the school did not teach their child, it just makes me wonder where was the parent? A child's education is more of a parental responsibility then it is the schools. Of course we do need Education Reform and schools that actually require students to be able to read before they pass them along. As always, society needs to pay attention to their school funds and make sure that schools are spending our tax dollars wisely.

Now do I really think that these solutions could work? Yes I do, but the real question is would they work? Well with legislators worrying about votes and playing politics on both sides, tough solutions like these don't stand a chance. Too many people will say that these ideas are "Cold Hearted". These people are the one's always willing to give to the needy and just keep giving. I believe that there should be more of a give and take. Will we still need welfare programs? Yes, absolutely, but work with companies to offer entry-level jobs and training to needy people and offer those companies tax breaks or other benefits for offering these jobs. For those families having problems, I would be in favor of a State supported day care system. Anything we can do to get people back on their feet. There is an old saying that I believe holds true and that saying is "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime".

The person that started this by saying, "There are no solutions" goes by the handle of "Morpheus". Morpheus in Greek Mythology is the God of Dreams. It amazes me that the God of Dreams can not even dream of any solutions. It seems that I am more of a dreamer than he is and that is My Side of the Story.

The solutions to all these are the same: Die.

So long as we are a alive in this finite existence, there is no such thing as perfection. Only a completely homogeneous, unchanging universe could become and maintain perfection. I.e., one that was dead.

There is also another solution to these "problems": Live with it. And be grateful and accepting of this life as it is, with all it's imperfections and drama and happiness and suffering and joy and sorrow. These are what make life possible, and why the angels may envy: we have a story.

Or, you could always just die.

The solutions to all these are the same: Die.
There is also another solution to these "problems": Live with it

There are other options also, live with it but always dream for a better world!

In the words of a great man,

"I HAVE A DREAM"

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