america 2.0

elected officials  are temporary servants by our constitution and they should be compensated via a public performance review with a base salary for showing up and a potential bonus payment  after their term, based on an approval vote  via the next election . if they are up for reelection their approval rating  is their vote tally as a percentage of all votes cast in their race averaged with the percentage of all registered voters in the election . if they are not up again, there is an approval question, thumbs up or down with percentages calculated as above for their outgoing approval rating . public opinion matters financially great leaders get better paychecks .

in celebration of 250 years of progress the united states of america decided that rather than building "a roman war victory monument" we instead doubled down on our very prosperous future* : one passed a law to educate our people from age 3 - 16 all children (and visitors) are guaranteed a basic education tailored to each student's specific needs but with goals set by the nation tweaked at the state level to add another higher level of scholarship . two institute a 14 week paid family or medical leave insurance program to benefit maternal health economic security gender equality . three pass a law  controlling the language  of elected officials  no blaming the other side (no mention of the radical left or right) after the election: you serve everyone so, when we speak it is with a spirit of cooperation to find our middle ground . happy birthday america . * items on this list are based on what some successful countries or individual states have already done. except for ...

agent orange was a herbicide  used by the us military  during the vietnam war  to clear forests and foliage* . it contained dioxin a highly toxic contaminant .  prior and concurrent y'all sprayed agent orange 1962 to 1971, ranch hands american apocalypse now . exposure has been linked several health conditions  such as maga rebubby cans lymphoma, bladder cancer also to spina bifida  in vietnamese kids . make america great again one ass hat at a time destroying the epa . we have one place to live our bodies on planet earth let us not poison ourselves or our planet what say you ? *first verse culled from ai, gemini 2/24/2025 the rest determined  from actual intelligence, lived from 1962-2025  and hopefully beyond

(have i already said this somewhere) ? corporate executive income  has been increasing in america in 1961 the typical ceo made 28 times what the average worker made . ceo pay in 2023 rose to 271 times and in 2024 it has risen to 285 times the average worker . this divides us this makes us weaker . in the new improved america we would have a cap on salaries such that corporations must distribute "profit" according to some formula that allows for innovation, education, impact, incentives, etc. but where the ceo (or any executive) cannot bring home more than say 50 times the average and the lowest paid workers will get boosted to up to a "living wage" . all forms of compensation would need to be distributed to all employees if they are given to any . just some ideas thoughts ? * from multiple sources, including this from cnn 07-24-2025: ceos at the largest public companies took home $18.9 million last year, or 285 times as much as the typical us worker’s paycheck of $...

imagine for a second that we worked together for the good of everyone  all the time, and the health  of the planet . then consider human needs vs human greeds . now design an ideal set of transportation  systems for goods and people that meets  our needs . test the ideas in one willing  medium size town building it from scratch with what we know now . when finished with our ferlinghetti autogeddon we the people will own so much land to utilize for living better lives . and travel will be something nice .

for many years, my past walks old fencerows in wooded hollows what was once grandfather’s  place, space, grace at pace . hanging on a fence post an old galvanized bucket  i always stop and look for the miracles of earth blooming & decaying nature composting in that bucket several inches now black humus . the stuff that produces berry pies for everyone who stops by . make america  that great please somebody  ? *passages, words, thoughts adapted from wendell berry’s book  “what are people for”, in the chapter, “the work of local culture”.

when i take my shirt off my back no longer itches i stop trying to scratch i can focus on breathing . when i take my shoes off my feet can swim in air i stop trying to stink i can focus on earth . when i take my pants off hand to chair cushion the sun can shine there i can focus on energy . when i take off the shades sunshine kaleidoscopes dance in blissful lids i may seek unfocused .