The four elements of political choice

First is the vision thing. What should America look like two or three generations out, a generation being 30 years. In 2050 are we to be some kind of super commune, a busy bee hive focused on ourselves, a new colonial power, about the same as today, some old world vision, some new world vision, or some other vision?

Second is the how to achieve the vision thing. The means and methods go from thought control and bullying, to taxing the rich to pay the poor (assuming the rich don’t cut and run), to subtle methods to generate the income to pay for the vision thing, to benign dictatorships, to whatever?

Third is defining our American values. Is the vision thing our political goal? How do we Americans say what is important to us? Do visionaries and idealists and sometimes anarchists express and define our values for our future generations? If they don’t, who does? Many think the voters do, and will. How compassionate is the public towards the entire society. How realistic are the expectations as to results. Is a permanent underclass part of mother nature’s way. Compared to the rest of the world, how do our poor compare? Is the public’s support of financing a Great Society inexhaustible? Does performance and results matter in future votes?

Fourth, and most practicable, is voting for people who share all the above goals and questions, those who can make things happen, and use their judgment to do so. One might call it implementing the vision, the how to achieve the vision, and the vision expressed as our American culture. One might say these leaders are practical. Even more importantly, these people who make things happen are at the local, state, and federal levels, are all important to our American future.

So is the future of America, the Country, or the culture, to be decided by visionaries, their implementers, the value masters, or the voters? Can Americans see through all those working on all four elements of political choice? On this rests the National Future.