A Hurt Child Called America

When I was very young, I used to fall, maybe a little bit more than the average child, I am sure it had something to do with the need to grow into the size of my head or because I always wanted to go faster than I was physically capable. What ever the case, almost every time I fell my mother, or father, would reach down, rub, or kiss my bruise and I would go back to playing, running, and jumping until I fell again. Well, it appears that I am not the only one who has fallen a few times, or the only one with a head just a little bit too big for their body, nor even the only one who has ever tried to run faster than they are physically capable. Indeed, America seems to have the some of the exact same problems as I did when I was a toddler. Of course, I could rant about how America ran too fast into a war that we are now struggling to find a way out of , or I could amuse you by talking about how a country had become so big-headed that we thought it was our job to police the world, but then I am sure you know all of that, so instead I want to look at how our future president, and America's dad, should handle this fallen child.

At this moment, America is in the business of picking our next President, who ideally has to pick us up off of the ground and make it all better. Well friends, as McCain would say, it will not be that easy this time. The truth is that this time America did not just fall and scrape her knee, unfortunately, it appears her leg may be broken, don't worry I don't believe they will have to amputate, but it looks serious. So, the job of our next President is not to kiss our bruise, i.e. give us a false sense of security by telling us that everything will be okay, our next President needs to take us to the hospital and let them put an itchy, scratchy cast on for the next few months, so everything can slowly come back together and we can heal properly. America's next dad rather Daddy Obama or Papa McCain will need to be stern on America's issues and provide real solutions, not what we want to hear.

To demonstrate let's look at a few of America's issues and the difference between kissing the bruise and healing the leg;

1.) Gas Prices- Kissing: A gas tax holiday, which actually raises gas prices and reduces spending on American infrastructure, as if the country isn't falling apart already vs. Healing: Reducing America's 60+% dependence on foreign oil (While Green isn't my favorite color, it would look really good on America right now)

2.) Iraq War - Kissing: Pulling out of Iraq immediately and allowing powerful terrorist regimes to take control of the country vs. Healing: Staying in Iraq long enough for the Iraqi government to stabilize the country and eliminate the necessity for American troops to play cops, however, I must say this has to happen sooner rather than later, i.e. not 100 years from now

3. The Economy - Kissing: Giving more economic stimulus checks (I spent mine on my cell phone bill) vs. Healing: Reshaping America and American business to be competitive in the 21st century, this involves a host of reforms from better education to providing livable wages to ensuring a fair job market structure. With all that said, whoever America's next dad is, he is going to have to do the hard stuff by making us take our medicine, drink lots of fluids, and follow the doctor's orders. But don't worry America, if we follow the prescription and dear old dad takes care of us, all of the other kids will sign our casts, maybe even China, and we will be back to being strong, fast, bold America soon enough, which is just what the doctor ordered!