Today's NY Times provides space for non-politicians to tell us what they would do in our 'leader's' spot. These 'non-politicians include professors, writers, an astrophysicist, an artist, an inventor and a prioress. I thought only two made much sense to me. An author, Jennifer Egan, had the best advice, given the state of our politics: "I'd decide (privately) from the outset that mine would be a one-term presidency". The one I thought most useful came from Sister Mary David Walgenbach, the Prioress of Holy Wisdom Monastery of Middleton, WI. Here are her comments:
I would invest half of our defense budget in children, young people and in energy conservation.
I would expand the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps and grow both for the next 10 years. A benefit would be two years of free college for two years of service. I’d ask corporations to fund two years of college or a trade school for young women and men from homes stricken with poverty.
I would fund energy-saving improvements — insulation of houses, solar panels and replacement of inefficient furnaces for households making less than $30,000 a year and develop a sliding scale for those earning more than $30,000 a year. I would help small businesses retrofit their buildings.
I would require members of Congress to participate in a week-long workshop on dialogue, negotiation and compromise before the next session. All sessions would begin with 10 minutes of silence.
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