Friday Staff Survey: Give 'Em Enough Hope...

Two notable things happened this week: America got a new president and I replaced my old sneakers. See 'em up there? No matter how sparklingly pristine the new one looks, 15 more months of wear and tear and its going to look just as dingy as the old rag on top. Right now I feel like America just bought a new pair of shoes. Though everything gold loses some luster, I really do hope that President Obama can fulfill his massive promise and come out of office as bright and inspiring as when he left it. That brings to me to this week's staff survey question:

What issue do you think should be Obama's first priority in fixing our tattered country?

All answers below the fold. (Plus, if anyone is looking to buy a really old pair of Rod Lavers they should let me know.)


1. Zack, Co-founder and primary contributor:

There are so many things that need to be righted in this country, but I think they all add up to a big intangible: fixing America. It's not easy charge, and it won't be a quick one, but I think our new president can do a lot to make our citizens proud to be Americans again, to garner us respect in the worldwide stage and to generally let people know that change will come with patience and hard work.

2. Michael, Co-founder and primary contributor:

Obama should raise the gas tax by $0.10 per year over the next 4 years and use the influx of cash to fix our crumbling transportation infrastructure and fund research into alternative fuels, thus stimulating the economy. Period.

3. Ben, Co-founder and primary contributor:

Completely rethink food policy. The Agriculture Department — and the agriculture committees in Congress — have traditionally been handed over to industrial farming interests by Democrats and Republicans alike. Our entire food system is based on cheap energy (which won't last much longer) and the self-interest of politicians. It's unsustainable, and it's making us very unhealthy.

4. Allison, Staff Contributor:

I think Obama should address that this county has not only institutionalized racism, but also corruption in business. Acknowledging that we must change power structures not only in government but in big business corporations is extremely important.

5. Matt, Staff Contributor:

Institute an "Independence Tax" on gasoline, with permanent annual increases. All revenues go to reducing our dependence on oil (foreign and domestic) through transit expansion, walkable communities, alternative fuels, and the like. Additionally, he should do a way with the funding silos that keep transportation funding limited to certain modes. Instead of giving (for example) DC $10 for roads, $3 for transit, and $2 for bike/ped, the Federal Government should give DC $15 for transportation, to be spent on modes as they choose.

6. Philip, Staff Historian:

First non-economy issue: Begin to revivify respect for the United States: end Guantanamo Bay and set a tone that makes it clear that torture is not U.S. policy.

First gay issue: ENDA. This is the major issue for the gay community and has been since the nation's sodomy laws were struck down. The marriage debate has been a distraction away from what I see as more immediate concerns.

7. Rocky, Music Editor:

SHUT GITMO DOWN. NOW!

8. Maggie, Staff Cartoonist:

Obama's top priority needs to be putting a stop to the erosion of reproductive rights. In 1984 Ronald Reagan put into place the "Mexico City Policy," which forbids the flow of federal money to international family planning organizations that provide abortions and related services & counseling. Early in his term, Bill Clinton reversed this policy. On the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, George W. Bush reinstated the policy. Yesterday marked the 36th anniversary of Roe, and Obama should have followed Clinton's lead, reversing the Mexico City Policy yet again. Impoverished women are more likely to have unwanted pregnancies, and during the current economic crisis, Planned Parenthood has reported an 11% increase in abortions. As Cristina Page states in her book How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics, and the War on Sex, "[i]t's the pro-choice movement that has helped construct and that now defends our dearest values, those that Americans largely identify as their own. We value control over our destinies, independence, [and] equality."

9. Corey, Managing Editor and Staff Contributor:

Obama should send a message to the world that America is ready to lead. He should immediately reverse Bush's executive order limiting foreign aid to groups that do not provide family planning services; order the military to stop using waterboarding and other forms of torture, and create a special commission to investigate military practices on the imprisoned; and announce plans to begin a withdrawl from occupied Iraq.

Also if he could head back to Hawaii and take off his shirt again, that'd be great...

Editorial Staff:

10. Margaret, Editorial Assistant and Business Developer:

President Obama should go about restoring the government's commitment to the "rule of law and the rights of man," as he said in his address. Having this as a priority will improve our standing in the world, which expects us to be responsible, and in doing so, his policies would be headed in the right direction.