Letter | 18 short steps to a better country, with me as president of the United States

Due to the rapid decline of every major institution in the nation, I have decided to run for office and become the next president of the United States. My New American Party will be so popular and embraced by the average citizen we will win an overwhelming majority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

The following bills will be immediately passed and signed into law:

1) The government will be ordered to “repay” the $2.7 trillion it owes to the Social Security Program and cease taking the surplus each month for the general fund.

2) The cap on Social Security will be removed and everyone will pay a Social Security tax on every dollar of income, regardless of the amount. Currently, the cap is $117,000 dollars - 94 percent of Americans never reach that amount of income and thus pay on every dollar. It is only just that the remaining 6 percent pays on its total income, especially because it would be far less of a burden on the wealthy and super rich than those at the bottom.

3) Members of Congress will be immediately placed under the same Social Security system as all other citizens; the retirement system they created for themselves will be abolished.

4) No citizen at least 70 years old with an income less than $150,000 per-year will be required to pay any federal or state income tax. This savings will greatly benefit the elderly whose expenses increase with age.

5) Campaign contributions from individuals, corporations, banks, etc., will be strictly limited in order to prevent the nation from becoming an oligarchy and controlled by the super wealthy.

6) The system of gerrymandering will be abolished, and the method of selecting representatives returned to the past method. Currently, politicians are able to choose their constituents rather than constituents choosing their representative.

7) The Electoral College will be abolished and the president will be elected by the simple majority popular vote. This is the most democratic way. Technology has rendered the Electoral College archaic.

8) Legislation attempting to restrict voting rights will become unconstitutional, and every effort will be made for it to become easier for every registered voter to cast his/her vote. Investigations have proven there has not been a problem with illegal voting.

9) Giant banks and corporations will be broken-up in order to increase competition.

10) A massive work bill will be passed in order to repair failing infrastructure nationwide, providing millions of jobs.

11) The minimum wage will be increased to $15 per-hour.

12. Outsourcing jobs will be curtailed and corporations will be forbidden to avoid taxations by establishing foreign address and off--shore accounts.

13. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act will be expanded.

14) Interest on student loans will be lowered to 1 percent, and the loans for those entering vital occupations such as education will be forgiven after 5 years of service.

15) Daycare and school lunch programs will be expanded.

16) The military budget will be reduced by closing many of the 900 bases the United States now has around the world.

17) The law requiring the postal system to be funded for 75 years in advance will be repealed to insure its continued existence and prevent privatization.

18) A law establishing equal pay for equal work will be enacted.

My cabinet will be comprised of average, middle-class citizens dedicated to returning the nation to basic principles of democracy and the welfare of the majority, as opposed to the benefit of the present elite.

That’s just the Beginning. I look forward to being your next president.

The writer lives in Calabash, N.C..

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Letter | 18 short steps to a better country, with me as president of the United States."