A Strategic Plan for the U.S. to Succeed in this 21st
Century 'Information Age'
In this final blog of mine on the 'Open Revolution',
my focus has shifted to 'solutions.'
What can we do in the U.S. to restore the American Dream and guide our
country through this transition from the 'Industrial Age' of the 1900's into
the 21st century 'Information Age' .
The first and most important task is to reach consensus on a national plan
for the future, not a partisan political party platform.
What we need is a clearly articulated vision of the
future we want for the U.S., coupled with a strategy, goals, and the major
objectives the country needs to be focused on for the next several decades. One way to craft such a plan and gain
consensus, not total agreement, is to
collaborate and put together a draft and start the 'open' debate using social
media tools and the Internet. This will ensure that the voice of the people
will be heard – not just the voices of major corporations, the wealthy, or
other special interest groups.
Once consensus starts to emerge around a plan that has
been 'openly' debated, then our President and Congressional leaders can
hopefully pull a final version together. That plan would lay out what we want to do as a country, then
the political parties can put together their platforms on how they would propose go about making the plan a reality. Then the
people can vote on which party they want in office and trust to implement the
plan.
Political Party Platform - An official
statement of the beliefs, values, policy positions, and specific actions that
a political party supports and proclaims in its attempt to appeal to the
general public for the purpose of having its candidates voted into office. See Party
Platforms - 2012
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So excuse the audacity, but here's a first rough draft
of such a plan from one citizen to help start the debate and get people
thinking, collaborating, talking openly about where we want to go as a country,
and finding new, innovative ways of getting there.
The Vision
Our country must be committed to the long term,
helping to create a better world to the next generation of Americans. We need
to continually revitalize and redefine what we mean by the 'American Dream'. We
must make sure the primary focus of our government is on our citizens and their
interests and needs – not the interests of the rich, the powerful, or special
interest groups. We must keep our country strong and strive to always try to do
what is right – not what is expedient for the moment. Finally, we want the U.S.
to be the place that people around the world want to move to in order to
realize their dreams.
Principles
& Values
We need to be committed to universal values like truth, integrity, liberty, and justice. We need to emphasize values like a love of
country, sense of duty, and a shared national purpose. We ought to be committed
to the long term and the next generation of Americans – not increasing short
term corporate profits in the next quarter. Finally, we need to reinforce our
ongoing commitment to the Constitution and our Bill of Rights, i.e. freedom of
speech, religion, press, assembly.
Major Goals
·
Fiscal soundness
- Reduce debt; cut outdated or unnecessary programs; ensure our taxes are
sufficient to pay for all approved programs; balance the budget.
·
National Security
– Protect against Internal and/or External threats to our country.
·
Energy
Independence – Free of dependence on oil from other countries; expand support
for alternative energy sources, e.g. wind, water, solar, nuclear, clean coal,
gas, oil.
·
Commerce &
Jobs – Put in place and implement policies to strengthen commerce, job
creation, and oversight of key industries to protect our people and the economy.
·
Strive to retain
our position as a respected global leader on the world stage.
"The goal for America is to remain a great country.
This means that while reducing our deficits, we must also invest in
education, infrastructure, research & development, as well as open our
society more widely to talented immigrants and fix the regulations that
govern our economy." - Friedman & Mandelbaum, "That
Used to Be Us"
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There are many other high priority goals and
objectives that must also be addressed such as reducing the influence of
corporations and their lobbyists on our political process, i.e. overturn the 'Citizens
United' decision. We must continually
strive to improve our education system, healthcare, and our infrastructure,
e.g. highways, broadband networks, bridges. Immigration reform is a key issue that
must be addressed. Global warming and environmental stewardship is a must. What
else? Let's decide as a nation and set clear cut goals. Then we can elect the
political party that we believe will be most effective in accomplishing these
goals.
Conclusion
For centuries, our future has been left in the hands
of political and business leaders, the rich and powerful, and special interest
groups. The missing chair at the table where these decisions have been made has
been "We the People." Changes
need to be made in this process as we move deeper into this 21st century "Information Age".
Technology advancements and new tools (e.g. Internet, Social Media) are now
available that can and should be used to ensure the government and our leaders
are more responsive to the needs of our citizens and the nation as a whole. We
must see more collaboration, cooperation, and compromise if we are to succeed
and maintain a leadership position on the global stage.
Collaboration, information technology (IT), continuous
innovation, and the growing 'Open' Movement
(e.g. open standards, open data, open access, open source) are all key to successfully adapting and competing in the emerging 21st
century 'Information Age' and global economy.
Collaboration + Open Solutions = Innovation
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In the end, the American Dream is not about meeting
the needs of corporations, the wealthy, the powerful, or special interests… it ought to be about "We the People."
Do you think we ought to have a Strategic Plan for the
U.S.? Or do we just simply continue to wing it?
What would you add to this draft Strategic Plan so
that we can keep the 'American Dream' alive
and ensure the U.S. retains its position as a global leader well into the 21st
century?
How do we ensure that "We the People" have a
seat at the table so that our voices are heard as the national plan is
crafted? Nor just those of the rich, powerful, & special interest groups?
* For more information, visit America's Future: 2020 - 2050
