How Biden Can Unify Our Nation and Decisively Win in 2024: Educate Undereducated Voters and Make Some Mid-Course Corrections.

To win in 2024, whether against Trump or any other demagogic Republican candidate, Biden needs to successfully deal with the nation’s deep ideological and educational divides, the main causes of our fractured society. That requires proposing persuasive practical solutions which minimize or sidestep ideological considerations, and educating the very large numbers of undereducated voters who do not understand his notable economic and foreign policy accomplishments over the past two years.

Objectively, notwithstanding his much criticized advanced age, Biden has done a masterful job in domestic economic policy guiding an unexpectedly rapid recovery from the deep Covid recession with his controversially bold stimulus, and in foreign policy regarding Ukraine. No other American politician would have been capable of achieving what Biden has in rallying and expanding NATO and in helping Ukraine defend itself. The unnerving gradual pace of military assistance has been necessitated by not knowing how reliable Ukraine would be as a nation unequivocally devoted to its sovereignty, democracy and freedom from Russia, having been part of the Soviet Union for 70 years. The risk of our advanced weaponry falling into the hands of Russia had to be minimized, and trust had to be solidified. Furthermore, Ukraine winning against Russia all by itself, with only equipment help from NATO, would greatly benefit Ukraine’s self-confidence, generate real respect from Russians, and eliminate Russia’s historical arrogance, dishonesty, and bullying.

Biden’s policy successes were made possible by the knowledge and wisdom he gained through his long experience as senator and then as vice president. Intelligence is not by itself sufficient for a president to be successful: it has to be accompanied by deep knowledge and wisdom gained through many years of experience in economic, foreign, and social policy. Biden is the only American politician who has that combination, precisely because of his very long political career and, inevitably, his advanced age. He must make that point to the many American voters who have reservations about his being 80. Indeed, he is much more qualified to be president at age 80 than he was at age 70, or 60, or 50, or 40, since he still thinks straight.

Biden has not only guided the nation masterfully in economic and foreign policy, he has saved our democracy by beating Trump for the presidency, which no other Democratic candidate would have been capable of doing. It should be clear to all objective, informed citizens that Trump betrayed our democracy by instigating the January 6 insurrection and attempting to falsify electoral results, and that had he remained in power he would have turned into a veritable dictator, emulating his buddy/puppeteer Putin. Biden should repeatedly state how shocking it is that there are so many Republicans who remain for authoritarian Trump, inexplicably disregarding his deeply flawed character, his flouting the law and legal procedures in favor of violence, his predilection for dictators, and his calls to abandon Ukraine in its fight for survival against Putin, an aggressive, vicious, murderous dictator who systematically violates human rights and international law just like Hitler. That many Americans are for Trump and Putin is sad and embarrassing, due to immorality and ignorance, the result of all too many mediocre public schools with their severely deficient curriculums. No truly well educated and moral person could be for Trump (even if he’s for tax cuts), Putin, or Hitler. One wonders whether Putin has actually corrupted some Republicans, including politicians.

Unfortunately, many Americans are severely undereducated (including many with college degrees who nevertheless remain narrowly educated knowing little beyond their profession): that is the cause of most of our political, social, and economic problems. Consequently, they do not understand how the world works; they know little of history; they do not understand the real causes of inflation, the real causes of poverty, addiction, discrimination, racism, violence, crime (including white collar crime); nor do they understand the crucial importance of blocking aggressive, immoral dictators; they fall for ignorant demagogues, disinformation and misinformation; they undervalue the importance of unwaveringly upholding democracy, human rights, the rule of law and our judicial system; they fail to uncompromisingly reject dishonesty; they make claims not based on solid evidence; they do not resist the urge to take matters into their own hands, even violently and dishonestly, instead of going through legal procedures and respecting them. Disgracefully and scandalously, intellectual dishonesty has become rampant and widely tolerated among ordinary citizens, journalists, and politicians. We clearly need all our public high schools to have a well-designed course on ethics/empathy accompanied by case histories and class discussion.

It is essential that Biden understand the urgency of explaining how he was able to get the nation quickly out of the deep Covid recession. He learned from the mistakes of the Obama administration, which failed to understand the need for a decisive, massive stimulus coming out of the sub-prime crisis in 2009. As a result, the economic recovery was slow, Obama and the Democrats lost respect, leading to Trump’s election (Hillary’s baggage was also a factor). Biden has been widely blamed for an excessive Covid stimulus, but it was not excessive: it was calculated to restore pre-Covid purchasing power which had plunged due to Covid in 2020 and 2021 as unemployment soared. We were headed for a depression. His stimulus was exactly what was needed. The Covid recession was practically stopped in its tracks and powerfully reversed in no time flat, with unemployment falling to historic lows from high Covid levels.

As for accusations that his Covid stimulus was inflationary, Biden must make clear that those accusations are mistaken. Statistics prove the rise in inflation from 2021 was not due to the Biden stimulus, but to sudden worldwide Covid supply chain disruptions and then to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, causing a sharp increase in energy and grain prices globally. The statistical correlation is perfect, proving the rise in inflation starting in 2021 had nothing to do with the Biden stimulus. We have had a cost-push inflation due to Covid and the Ukraine war, not a demand-pull inflation due to an excessive Biden stimulus. Some Democratic economists, not just Republicans, were pushing for less stimulus, even though that would have meant a far slower economic recovery and much higher unemployment, a totally illogical proposal. A well-educated, well-informed citizenry would be unanimously praising Biden for his foresight and his entirely appropriate, bold economic stimulus.

Given the low average level of education in the nation, Biden must dedicate time to teaching and explaining economics. Beyond explaining the causes of the inflation increase since 2021, he must explain how the widespread Republican hysteria over our budget deficits is totally misguided, based on a fundamental misunderstanding of economics and ignoring the ten- year experiment of QE (quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve). Specifically, contrary to conventional, mainstream economic theory, budget deficits are not inherently inflationary, and do not necessarily cause interest rates to rise, as proven by statistics during the 10 years of record budget deficits from 2009 to 2020 when interest rates and inflation were at historic lows. The reason being that budget deficits do not necessarily cause excess aggregate demand (the only way they would cause inflation), and that the Federal Reserve can finance even enormous budget deficits all by itself through QE, purchasing Treasury bonds through printed money (which is what QE is). It is precisely QE which kept interest rates at historic lows for ten years while budget deficits were at record highs, preventing the sub-prime banking crisis of 2008 and the Covid crisis of 2020–21 from causing a multi-year depression.

The Republican dogma of balancing the budget and reducing public spending in all circumstances is simply nonsense, a reprise of orthodox Hoover-economics which brought on the Great Depression of the 1930’s. (Incredibly, the European Union did not learn from our 1930’s economic policy mistakes, implementing Hoover austerity –cutting government spending and raising interest rates and taxes- from 2011 until recently, causing a severe recession in many parts of the Eurozone, with budget deficits and unemployment soaring to historic levels, up to 30% youth unemployment, before letting up once the Greek economy was destroyed and the Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French economies were on the brink of disaster).

Biden should clearly state that the Republican condemnation of budget deficits under his administration is not only based on ignorance of economics and economic history, it is also incredibly hypocritical, since Republicans never condemned budget deficits under Trump, nor did they ever dare shut down the government during his administration. The Republican threat of a shutdown is extremely unpatriotic since it would inflict damage on the economy and raise unemployment. It is another example of Republicans wanting to take matters into their own hands autocratically, and not respecting democratic procedures and institutions.

Biden should also point out that it is particularly unpatriotic for Republicans to push for a shutdown when our nation and other Western democracies are in a very serious military conflict with Russia, a rogue, outlaw nation illegally invading Ukraine, a peaceful, nonthreatening sovereign nation, a member of the United Nations for over 30 years. Worse, Russia openly declares genocidal intent, while targeting civilians with their missiles.

Biden should repeatedly state he is dismayed that so many Republicans have become rogue under Trump whom they refuse to criticize, an outrageous national disgrace. They not only have not condemned the violent January 6 insurrection and their own attempts to falsify and block the electoral count, they continue to defend their flouting the law and making accusations without a shred of solid evidence. In fact, they manufacture false evidence, they are as dishonest as Trump whom they continue to defend. The face of the Republican Party now consists of Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gossart, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ron DeSantis, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Fox News, and the My Pillow Guy. Congratulations! What would Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower think of that? Maria Bartiromo, a former popular and respected CNBC host, lost her bearings, switched to Fox Business and dismayingly associated herself with the Trump Republican Party, losing much credibility and respect. Rupert Murdoch is disgraced.

As for Republican and orthodox economists’ rantings about accumulated federal debt becoming a serious burden on current and future generations, Biden must explain why nothing could be farther from the truth. Our QE experience from 2009 through 2021 proves that. American taxpayers have not had the burden of financing enormous budget deficits from 2009 through 2021, precisely because the Fed used QE (printed money) to purchase all the Treasury securities needed to finance federal spending. That QE not only saved Americans from much higher taxes, it saved the economy from plunging into a depression with much higher budget deficits, all without increasing inflation which remained at historical lows.

Furthermore, the Fed’s holdings of Treasury bonds represent only “virtual” debt, not “real” debt. There is a big difference between a private citizen holding Treasury securities, which must be repaid and therefore represent “real” federal debt, and Treasury securities held by the Federal Reserve, which need not be repaid. In fact, the Fed can indefinitely roll them over with QE or even simply cancel them, tear them up, at any time. Treasury securities held by the Fed are therefore only “virtual” debt. That is why federal debt need not necessarily be a burden on future generations, so long as the Fed embraces QE and properly calibrates its use.

Most Americans would be shocked to learn that the Fed could cancel its entire holdings of Treasury securities, about $30 trillion, and nothing bad would happen! Why? Because canceling those Treasury securities would have absolutely no effect on the money supply, there would be no increase in aggregate demand, there would be no increase in inflation. The only result would be vanished federal indebtedness. Everybody happy, and no downside whatsoever. As for warnings that canceling our accumulated federal debt would lead to a surge of new government spending and new debt, it’s not a problem so long as it is not excessive, leading to excess aggregate demand (“demand-pull” inflation). There is clearly room in the economy for more government spending, i.e., necessary investments in infrastructure, education, and helping Ukraine defeat Russia, all of which is much more important than some increase in inflation.

Misguided economists would rebut any use of QE, referring to Germany’s Weimar Republic after World War I, which printed money leading to skyrocketing inflation by multiples of a thousand. The reason for that hyperinflation was the combination of a destroyed economy which had little productive capacity left after the war, along with an amount of printed money which greatly exceeded the country’s productive capacity. In other words, that printed money resulted in enormous excess aggregate demand relative to supply. But from 2009 in the U.S. following the sub-prime crisis, there was no reduction in productive capacity. In fact there was much unused productive capacity and unemployment, ready to meet increased demand caused by government spending financed through the Fed’s QE. Consequently, no excess aggregate demand developed, just a recovering economy with low inflation and low interest rates.

Beyond defending his record in economic and foreign policy, in order to win in 2024 Biden must make some important mid-course corrections and propose some new bold initiatives. Implementing the following would lead to a Biden landslide in 2024:

First, Biden must realize it was not proper for him to join the picket lines of striking autoworkers. He should respect our free market economy and not make comments on what wages should be, while remembering that unions have caused many companies to go bankrupt by obtaining wages employers could not sustainably afford. One of the main purposes of unions is to obtain, through strikes, wages in excess of a company’s long-term capabilities, which often leads to killing the goose that lays golden eggs, as unions did repeatedly in 1970’s and 1980’s (v. steel, coal, auto, consumer electronics, garment and textile companies). By striking, workers give companies the incentive to move to non-union areas of the country, yet they complain if they lose their jobs as a result.

Biden should objectively consider and publicly comment on the following: less than 15% on the American workforce is unionized. Why should a small minority benefit from organized strikes to obtain higher wages, while negatively impacting non-union workers, the great majority? What if all American employees joined unions? The effect on the economy would be disastrous, an unending succession of strike power plays and failing companies. American workers are not slaves, they are free to leave a company they feel does not pay them a fair wage or offer acceptable working conditions. There is no justification for striking for higher wages. Biden must be objective and acknowledge that past government bailouts of auto companies have often been bailouts for auto workers, be they blue collar or white collar employees, not for the companies and their shareholders, especially when bankruptcy accompanied the bailout. And he is badly mistaken to say that the middle class built America, implicitly to the exclusion of capital, entrepreneurs, and talented management. It is not helpful to mislead many Americans into being anti-business and against individual wealth honestly obtained in a free market economy. Biden must publicly admit that a free market competitive economy cannot function properly when wages are determined not by free market forces but by strikes, and that unions eliminate competition in the labor market, which is just as essential as competition among companies. We all want American workers to earn more, but through a strong free market economy, productivity increases, and a better-educated workforce, not though an uncompetitive labor market.

Second, Biden must finally understand how to quickly solve the migrant crisis. The quick sustainable solution should be obvious: require all asylum requests to be made at U.S. consulates in the country of residence, the same as for visas, not at our borders. That would prevent the wave of migrants at our Mexican border. It is absurd to allow asylum seekers into the country pending an administrative decision which can take years. That only encourages migrants to come to our border, and results in a severe political conflict domestically. Additionally, Biden should propose a major Peace Corps effort in Central America, focusing on education and infrastructure to help the region develop socially and economically.

Third, Biden needs to acknowledge that gun violence, and violence in general, is perpetrated by mentally disturbed individuals. The problem is mental health, and the solution lies in every public high school having a four-year course in psychology accompanied by group therapy and good parenting workshops. Students spotted as having serious problems would be given individual attention during after-school hours. With such four-year high school courses, not only would all sorts of violence drop dramatically, but so would addiction, depression, alienation, suicide, and abusive behavior. The courses, led by well-trained psychology majors, would be one of the best social and economic investments we could make. It is unfathomable that we have not yet made such an investment. As for gun control, it is not a real solution, just as making addictive drugs illegal has not been a solution, given the pervasive existence of black markets.

Fourth, Biden needs to unify the nation on the divisive topic of abortion, by acknowledging that abortions are not happy events, even when they are freely chosen, and that the focus should be on minimizing the number of unwanted pregnancies, not on angry debates about the legality of abortions, particularly in the case of rape, incest, and embryo deformities. Since unwanted pregnancies mostly occur among teenagers who are not doing well in school, the sustainable solution is to avoid student failure through mandatory study hall after normal school hours for youths having academic or psychological difficulties, coupled with individual assistance. Public schools should also have well-run weekend and holiday programs in the arts, sports, and vocational training, available to all students. Keeping youths always constructively occupied and professionally counseled when necessary is essential. Biden should explain that is in the national interest, resulting in stronger economic growth and ultimately less social spending and lower taxes, therefore financing by Federal government is entirely logical.

Fifth, Biden needs to take a firm stand on the United Nations enforcing their regulations, those contained in its Charterand in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which all member nations are pledged to respect. He must insist that member nations seriously violating those regulations as a matter of public policy be severely reprimanded and even expelled if they do not quickly comply, including and especially in the case of Security Council members. Biden must demand that Russia be immediately expelled from the Security Council and lose its voting power because of its illegal invasion of Ukraine and documented war crimes, both egregious violations of the Charter, as well as for systematically violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding its own citizens. Not to do so would be passive acceptance, even validation of serious violations of U.N. regulations, delegitimizing and undermining the United Nations itself, while calling into question member nations’ commitment to a moral world.

Sixth, Biden needs to address anti-LGBTQ sentiments, which are all based on ignorance and lack of empathy. Biden should call for high school courses on empathy in addition to psychology, with case histories and class discussion.

Seventh, Biden should call for all public schools to offer high quality childcare and pre-K. Given the importance to the nation, such programs are in the national interest and should be financed by the federal government since many if not most localities cannot afford them.

Eighth, Biden should call for mandatory national service, two years in the military or three years in civilian programs such as the Peace Corps, a National Domestic Corps (for leading public high school psychology courses, and group therapy and good parenting workshops; for leading public high school weekend and holiday arts, sports, and vocational training programs; for individual tutoring of public school students having academic difficulties and overseeing after-school study hall; for leading day care in the public schools; for helping infirm seniors stay at home instead of moving to old age homes; for running animal shelter and adoption programs, which all civilized nations must have), and a National Beautification Corps (for cities, towns, roads and highways). Apart from fulfilling important national needs not currently being addressed, such programs would serve to instill a greater sense of unity and patriotism. Too expensive? We have QE to finance them if necessary, apart from the fact that these programs would pay enormous ongoing social, economic, and political dividends, amounting to much more than the cost of the programs.

Ninth, Biden should call for the elimination of the estate tax, which is clearly unconstitutional in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s “no taking clause”, a conscious fraudulent circumvention of the Constitution by the Congress which approved it. The proof? While stating that the estate tax is not a tax on property (which instead it essentially is!), the law explains that the estate tax is a tax on the “transfer of estate assets”. Then the law contradicts itself by making all references to the date of death, not to the date of estate asset transfers. The estate tax law is clearly a fraud on the American people, and clearly unconstitutional. Biden should then counter all arguments that the wealthy would get even wealthier, to the detriment of the nation. Such arguments are flawed since the wealthy are responsible for the majority of private investments, essential to economic growth. Where would we be without private investments, without venture capital, without the stock market? Furthermore, as it has been for decades, the very wealthy avoid estate taxes through trusts.

Tenth, Biden should call for the elimination of long-term capital gains taxes, especially when capital gains are reinvested. All stock market accounts should be immediately transformed into IRA’s. The more the nation invests, the more economic growth. Eliminating long-term capital gains taxes even for gains not reinvested but used for consumption is also good for the economy, since increased consumer spending benefits businesses, increases employment, and increases income and sales tax revenues. Arguments that the nation needs capital gains taxes to finance government spending and reduce budget deficits are flawed. In fact, capital gains taxes are a small percentage of federal tax revenues, and capital gains taxes of the very wealthy are commonly avoided through tax shelters, which are bad for the economy, being a misallocation of capital. And, of course, we have QE whenever needed. Capital gains taxes are also incorrectly classified as taxes on income, which they are not. They are taxes on the appreciation of property, and are therefore unconstitutional, in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s “no taking” clause. Personal income is in the form of salaries, interest income, dividend income, not appreciation of property. The sale of property (stocks, real estate, art, jewelry) could constitutionally be taxed as a normal sale, applying the normal sales tax rate, but not taxed as income.

Eleventh, Biden should call for the elimination of the death penalty as being immoral and even unconstitutional, in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments, particularly when imprisonment without parole is available.

Twelfth, Biden should call for serious prison reform, with mandatory intellectual and psychological rehabilitation programs. That is required not just for having a moral prison system, but also for greatly reducing recidivism. Prisons should be run like the best strict boarding schools. That is another investment with great social and economic returns. Federal financing should be considered, since many states and localities do not have the means, and reducing recidivism is in the national interest.

Thirteenth, Biden should publicly state that for a democracy to function properly, all its citizens (including politicians!) must have a solid educational base at a minimum and be well adjusted psychologically. Towards that end, Biden should propose that all public high schools have an enlightened, ambitious curriculum. Since poverty is the result of a very inadequate education, the solution is not soaking the rich; rather it is greatly upgrading all our public schools so that every single youth gets a truly excellent education. That requires public schools to be run as the best private schools, with strict discipline; school uniforms; lots of homework/study hall; individual attention for students having academic or psychological difficulties; and, of crucial importance, an enlightened curriculum. Eliminating poverty would lead to very low taxes, to widespread economic and social prosperity, and political harmony. There would be no class warfare. Biden should also explain why no nation can have strong, sustained investment and economic growth without many wealthy citizens and many profitable businesses. Furthermore, Biden should explain why whatever the wealthy do with their money is good for the nation. If they spend on consumption, that’s good for the economy and employment. If they invest, that’s good for economic growth, employment, and technological advances. Biden should repeat that he is not for socialism but for enlightened capitalism, which eliminates poverty through providing a truly excellent education for every single citizen, equal opportunity, and sustained economic growth, not through soaking the wealthy.

What would be an enlightened high school curriculum? One which includes four years of the following courses: 1) psychology (taught in conjunction with group therapy and good parenting workshops); 2) economics/finance/investing, putting mainstream theories to the test of statistical correlation and rigorous logic; 3) detailed, analytic 20th and 21stCentury world history; 4) history of art/architecture/design; 5) history of music; 6) the United Nations’ Charter and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 7) the world history of human rights violations (including racial, religious, gender, and sexual orientation discriminations); 8) comparative religion studied through direct, analytic readings of the holy books along with the history of the major religions; 9) logic, critical thinking, and media literacy, with case studies; 10) ethics and empathy, manners and individual responsibility, with case studies; 11) foreign languages and cultures; 12) introductory and Constitutional law; 13) Latin (grammar is essential for logic, for learning foreign languages, and for speaking correct English, which is becoming rare even among TV anchors, not just among the general population); 14) the major mistakes in economic, social, and foreign policy of the past 100 years in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and which would have been the correct policies; 15) marketing and advertising; 16) discussion of current affairs, domestic and foreign, as reported by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other prestigious newspapers. (I personally would have greatly benefited from such a high school curriculum, getting an invaluable head start in understanding the world in all its complexities.)

For uniformity of public school excellence nationwide, Biden should propose an enlightened, ambitious national public school core curriculum along with a prestigious national high school graduation exam.

Had the above public high school reform been implemented fifty years ago, today we would have hardly any poverty, addiction, violence (including gun violence), crime, social strife, political strife, racism and other violations of human rights, dishonesty, unwanted pregnancies. We would have very few mentally disturbed citizens. With educational parity at a uniformly high level, integration would have progressed naturally and not been met by the widespread resistance which occurred with government enforced integration. We would have no budget deficits or accumulated federal debt. We would have much lower tax rates. We would have widespread economic and social prosperity. There would have been no January 6. Our politicians would be much more qualified. Biden should explain why the political choice and commitment to make sure every single public school provides a truly excellent education with an enlightened curriculum is in the national interest and consequently should be federally financed, being the best investment the nation can make.

Fourteenth: Biden should publicly challenge Putin to a live televised and streamed debate (with no moderator, only stop clocks, each side having one hour speaking time). Biden should ask Putin why he considers the U.S. an enemy (in fact, thanks to the USA, Russia was saved from another century of communism, and it, as leader of the Soviet Union, was saved from Hitler with crucially important military assistance from the USA; furthermore, the USA and NATO have never threatened to attack the Soviet Union or Russia). Also ask him how he can logically justify his invasion of Ukraine, (a peaceful, nonthreatening UN member since 1992) in violation of the United Nations’ Charter and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 which Russia co-signed with the United States and Great Britain, guaranteeing Ukraine’s security against all forms of aggression. Biden should also ask Putin what he thinks of the Soviet Union and its systemic violation of human rights, and why he defended it for so long; why he became a KGB agent, the KGB’s task being to violate human rights, imprisoning and assassinating political opponents in order to enforce a communist dictatorship; and why after decades he abandoned communism in favor of capitalism. The debate would serve to expose Putin’s flaws, crimes, and hypocrisies not only to the whole world, but importantly to Russian citizens who have been brainwashed since the imposition of communism over a century ago. If Putin refuses to debate, Biden should publicly ask him why, whether Putin is afraid of debating him. If Putin still refuses to debate, Biden should go ahead with his questions during his allotted time on a debate stage, with an empty chair next to him reserved for Putin, broadcast live and streamed.

Biden should close the debate by making a peace proposal for Russia and Ukraine: total withdrawal of all Russians, military and civilian, from all the occupied Ukrainian territories including Crimea; full reparations (determined by Ukraine and backed by strong evidence) and major penalties amounting to triple the reparations for attacking Ukraine; an official solemn apology and admission of guilt for the 2014 and the 2022 invasions in writing and in a live address at the United Nations as well as from the Kremlin and the Russian parliament; an unconditional commitment to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty; acknowledgment of Ukraine’s existence as a full fledged nation and member of the United Nations for over 30 years; not opposing or even complaining about Ukraine joining the European Union and NATO; loss of Russia’s seat at the UN Security Council, accompanied by a televised admission for all to see in Russia and around the world that Russia has been systematically violating the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights; all that in exchange for a pledge by NATO not to create military bases in Ukraine, one of Putin’s major concerns, so long as Russia abides by the terms of the peace proposal.

Fifteenth: Biden needs to propose the creation of a national police academy, charged with training all police officers nationwide at a very high level, and certifying them before they can be put on duty and thereafter annually. We must have uniformly well-trained police forces in every state, city, town, and locality without exception. There must be no more cases of inadequately trained police officers, no more cases of excessive violence or abuse perpetrated by our police. This is clearly in the national interest, and financed by the federal government.

Sixteenth: Biden should propose a major welfare/homeless reform, including the creation of well-run, safe, dignified welfare campuses, with separate housing for families with children, containing excellent on site public schools with day care centers and medical clinics, while providing productive governmental jobs for those unable to find employment in the private sector, and psychological services for those in need. We cannot have a nation disgracefully and scandalously ignoring enormous numbers of homeless people desperately needing guidance, and not providing an effective, sustainable solution.

Seventeenth: Biden must repudiate the fraudulent and unconstitutional Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) “Nixon rule” of not indicting sitting presidents, instituted by Nixon back in 1972 to protect himself from being indicted as the Watergate investigation was underway. Nixon, a former lawyer, knew he could be legally indicted as a sitting president, while he did not fear being convicted by the Senate following impeachment by the House of Representatives because Republicans controlled the Senate. The fraudulent “Nixon rule” was forgotten, put away in a drawer until Trump, since Nixon resigned, removing any need to indict or impeach. That OLC rule does not have the force of law, it is no more than a Justice Department practice/regulation. Biden should unilaterally cancel it, publicly explaining its corrupt origin and its unconstitutionality. Indicting sitting presidents is no more distracting than impeachment proceedings, and it is complementary to impeachment. It is the only public defense against a criminal president when he or she is shielded from House impeachment and Senate conviction by his or her own party controlling the House or the Senate. The Constitution inserted impeachment without stating that indictment was excluded. It is therefore clear that the Constitution did not intend for a criminal president to be shielded in any way.

Eighteenth: Biden should publicly make clear that presidents cannot pardon themselves, only others where there is no conflict of interest. Furthermore each pardon must be morally justified by presidents, with a published detailed explanation. Biden should insist that Congress pass a law to clearly establish the legal parameters of presidential pardons.

Nineteenth: Biden should propose the construction of high-speed railroads from all major cities to surrounding undeveloped areas in order to have new, lower cost housing. It is unfair to impose new housing on communities which do not desire a larger population.

Twentieth: Biden must understand the truth about climate change and then educate the nation: the current cycle of global warming is not mainly due to burning fossil fuels, rather it is mainly due to natural planetary forces. Those planetary forces caused five ices ages followed by five major warmings, to the point where Greenland was once verdant with many species of animals, Antarctica had forests, and the Grand Canyon was carved by enormous water flows from melting glaciers, as scientists have proven and as reported by The New York Times. Therefore, the point of reducing the burning of fossil fuels is not to stop the current cycle of global warming, an impossibility, but to reduce pollution, a valid goal, as well as to help reduce the price of oil and gas. The corollary of believing that humans are causing the global warming of the past few decades, is believing that humans can stop and even reverse it by eliminating fossil fuels, and conversely that humans can avert the next ice age by burning fossil fuels, which is absurd. Humans must stop ignoring natural planetary forces or having delusions of being more powerful than nature, and acknowledge reality. We are probably only at the mid point of the great cyclical warming following the latest ice age. The current global warming cycle will continue for hundreds or thousands or millions more years, possibly until Greenland is verdant again, and Antarctica covered by trees again. The history of planet Earth has been of enormous climate change cycles of varying length due to planetary forces and it is illogical to think those cycles will end.

Twenty-first: Given Biden’s advanced age and the risk he becomes incapacitated, he must ensure that voters have solid confidence in his vice president. Therefore, to significantly increase his chances of winning decisively, Biden should have Gavin Newsom or Gina Raimondo as vice president, with Kamala Harris, who has difficulty projecting authority and seems to lack charisma, switching over to HEW. Due to her extensive experience in governing and her knowledge of international affairs, Commerce Secretary and former Rhode Island Governor Raimondo is very qualified to be president, as is California Governor Newsom, and they both would gain widespread voter approval, being strong, effective speakers.

Twenty-second: Finally, Biden must immediately address the United Nations and propose that all member nations solemnly renew their pledge to uphold the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and agree to be severely penalized for violating either one, including by expulsion from all UN committees and membership in the Security Council, loss of their voting power, and financial penalties adequate to redress harm done to any nations or individuals. Furthermore, Biden must insist on a clear rule that conflict of interest removes voting power from any involved member nation, including members of the Security Council.

© Edward Sonnino 2023

October 10, 2023