Saving The World

     I first heard the story of George Washington’s Revolutionary War crossing of the Delaware River when I was just a child in elementary school. Such a bold tactical move by Washington at a point in the war where morale was at its lowest was atypical of his general strategy of conventional European style warfare. The bravery and heroism involved in the surprise attack struck straight to my young soul. Since then, the imagery created by the story coupled with Emanuel Leutze’s famous painting of the event have stood in my mind as the epitome of what it means to be American.

     Whenever I hear the Star Spangled Banner or see an American Flag, I am reminded of what it means to be an American. I am reminded of the great sacrifices the soldiers in the Revolutionary War made. I am reminded of the brilliance and foresight the Founding Fathers wielded in the drafting of the Constitution. However, I am also reminded that we have an important duty to ensure that future generations will be able to benefit, as we all have, from these great men.

     Our Revolutionary War heroes and Founding Fathers did not simply struggle to establish their freedom from a tyrannical monarchy; they fought to establish an entirely new outlook on rights, responsibilities and the role of government in our lives. They were creating a real-world working model of what the European Enlightenment thinkers had only envisioned. While what they created was not perfect, it was a shining beacon of excellence in a world where other governments were still working to repress, rather than uphold, human virtue.

     The Founding Fathers implemented a structure that would allow future generations to marginally improve the system, giving it flexibility for changing times and allowing it to remain strong as the world around it fell into chaos and anarchy.

     This remains our legacy as Americans, to remain on the vanguard of freedom, encouraging it throughout the world; sustaining and protecting it at home. Our generation needs to take a deep look at what we can do to ensure America’s glory for future generations.

     In this spirit, I propose a five-pronged concrete plan that will be outlined below and detailed in the weeks to come. Here are the main points of “The Plan to Save the World.”

1. The Culture of America
   • Immigration Reform
   • Education Reform (1)
   • Funding for the Sciences
   • Penal Reform
   • Environmental Protectionism
2. America Abroad
   • Foreign Aid
   • Dealing with Rogue States
   • The Potential for a “World State”
     1. Economic Union
     2. Military Union
     3. Political Union
3. The United States Government and Judicial System
   • Congressional Structure
   • Electoral Reform
   • Congressional Process Reform
   • Judicial Reform
   • Special Interest Groups
4. The United States Economy
   • Maintaining American Business Superiority
   • The Federal Reserve
   • Bankruptcy and Debt
   • Unions
5. The American Entitlement State
   • Negative Income Tax
   • Catastrophic Health Insurance
   • Unemployment Reform

     Our grandparents’ generation struggled with the Great Depression and fought off the cloud of fascism; our parents’ generation almost lost the fight with the counter-culture movement but ended up coming out ahead with the defeat of communism; now it is our turn to do good for the American Dream. “The Plan to Save the World,” is my answer to the trepidation many in our generation feel about the future of America. The closer we follow this plan, the brighter the future will be, not only for ourselves, but also for our children, and our children’s children.

-Raphael Hythloday