Making America Great in the Twenty-First Century
Making America Great in the Twenty-First Century seeks to improve the country's democratic, financial, and socioeconomic conditions, which seem to be deteriorating. The steps needed to make America strong in the twenty-first century must concentrate on its fiscal, social, and political foundations.
Agriculture
Agriculture is needed to ensure a sufficient food supply. Making America great in the twenty-first century necessitates sustainable food production, which can only be done with sufficient federal support and financing (Friedman, Hershey H.). The government ought to fund the food, safety and inspection programs which will ensure food quality through inspection of food processing and production plants.
Healthcare
America cannot achieve its environmental, political and socio-economic growth without a healthy population. Healthcare is thus a crucial aspect of any nation's population. The focus on healthcare reforms such as the Obamacare is necessary to ensure a healthy country.
One of the best ways of increasing accessibility to healthcare includes allowing low-income earners who are above the current cutoffs the opportunity to access the Medicaid program which is one of the cheapest healthcare programs. The 21st century America can only be great when everyone can access quality healthcare efficiently regardless of their financial challenges (Friedman, Hershey H.).
Policy on tax and labor market
Climate change due to global warming is one of the environmental issues, and nations globally are focusing on reducing carbon emissions to reduce pollution. However, achieving the reduced carbon emission is a challenge as industries are depending on fossil fuels for energy.
One of the ways of maximizing on the opportunity on carbon emission would include enacting Carbon Tax, generating extra income to fund other projects such as research programs aimed at using cleaner energy hence increasing sources for revenue generation for America (Robertson, Colin). The institution of a Federal property tax on luxury homes using a lot of energy with high carbon emission would increase the amount of money efficiently thus expanding the sources of income for America.
The national government ought to create national forums and discussion debates touching on the economics of increased equalization of capital and labor taxation to create awareness on issues regarding economic development among the Americans. The outcome of such forums would enhance the justification for the preferential tax treatment the capital obtains sufficiently hence encouraging productive workforce.
Employment opportunities
A working nation is a progressive nation. Job creation is necessary to reduce the unemployment rates among the America's citizens. The Department of Commerce is responsible for job creation and promotion of economic growth.
The government must strengthen the international trade relations and propose export trade activities to create more jobs. (Robertson, Colin). Such programs would include expanding the reemployment and eligibility assessments thus saving an average of $500 for each claimant not unemployment insurance benefits costs through the reduction of low payments and encouraging a quick back to work programs for the claimants (Robertson, Colin).
The government ought to offer financial and technical support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to continue representing America's economic interest at the multi-stakeholder forums on digital commerce and internet governance. The funding would support the commercial sector in developing the next generation wireless services hence increasing e-commerce businesses. Such programs would create more jobs to the computer and engineering graduates thus reducing unemployment rates in America.
Immigration
Illegal immigrants have been one of the challenges that face the current America. The review on managing the immigration challenges will require a different approach from the traditional arrests and deportation methods (Ngo, Bic).
Instead, there is need to offer amnesty without citizenship for the unregistered immigrants while increasing the flow of the legal immigrants (Ngo, Bic). Application of city-based visas would be necessary for assisting areas within the United States facing the challenge of the decrease in population as a destination for skilled labor who would increase the productivity of the nation.
The method would focus on improving the number of high skilled immigrants, expanding the reform guest worker requirements and visas to accommodate the seasonal immigrant worker's supply and demand in various industries (Ngo, Bic).
Energy
Energy is the source of productivity, and every sector depends on power. Making America more significant in the 21st century would require efficient energy production to sustain the homes, industries and transport sectors (Hummel, Daniel).
The government needs to focus on emphasizing the use of energy technologies that will contribute to the nation's energy independence necessary for the growth of the domestic jobs in the 21st century. The exploration and use of the nuclear energy that will ensure the country in addition to wind, coal, wave and solar power has sufficient atomic energy to supplement its energy requirements in the rapidly developing economy (Robertson, Colin).
The reduced tax would allow citizens to use their surplus income in improving their lives hence making America a better country in the 21st century. The National and Federal governments ought to provide adequate financial and technical support to the Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Office, enabling the Office to carry out grid resiliency and cyber security which would help improve the critical energy grid infrastructure that the Americans and the economy depend on for growth.
Infrastructure
America currently has transport network as one of the high-cost projects which need reform through both short and long-term measures to minimize both the local and state higher expenditure than the rest of the developed countries.
The government could focus on autonomous driving while minimizing car accidents to obtain the potential productivity gains in the transport sector (Robertson, Colin). The government should choose some cities and support them through grants to change their infrastructure and adapt self-driving cars. Options for exploration and implementation include clear signals, road lines, and lights. The choice of multiple cities will provide lots of opportunities for experiments hence choosing the best and most efficient method to apply. Use of technology especially in the 21st century where technology seems to solve every problem will be most products.
Safety and security
America cannot achieve greatness when the safety and security of its citizens threatened through external invasions (Hummel, Daniel). Without safety and security, America cannot prosper in this 21st century. As such, there is need to provide for increased spending and resource allocation for the defense programs without increasing debts. Increase in funding for the enforcement on the part of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to handle the increasing insurgency rates especially along the Southern Border with Mexico.
Housing and urban development
The 21st century American needs a decent, affordable and safe housing as well as homeownership opportunities which the Housing and Urban Development Department must provide (Wyly, Elvin). The Government must, therefore, show its commitment to supporting and providing rental assistance to the low-income earners while assisting the middle and working class achieves self-sufficiency and townhouses.
Increasing affordable, safe and accessible housing to Americans would include allocation of funds such as $ 40 as per the proposed budget for the rental help programs, reduce housing costs and continue to help the over four million low-income households (Wyly, Elvin). Such initiatives would affirm governments, both local and state governments in addressing the housing needs thus contributing to the development of Americans economically since housing is one of the fundamental human basic needs that is crucial in the 21st-century era.
Education
Education is one of the pillars of a prosperous country in the 21st century, and America needs to focus on enhancing education quality. The national government needs to fund the States to increase the number of learning institutions such as campuses in areas without adequate education facilities (Ngo, Bic). Education opens up opportunities to the graduates as well as good paying jobs, which unless one gets high-quality education and skills (Ngo, Bic).
The Department of Education needs to enhance the students' success and access to studies in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. The Education Department ought to focus on improving the education quality in America, an integral part of the 21st century that each learner needs. Additionally, there is the need for the simplifying and streamlining the college funding and continuing to make accessibility to college studies cheap and easily accessible (Ngo, Bic).
Conclusion
In conclusion, America has had lots of economic challenges since the recession period. However, with proper governance, quality education, better healthcare, increased employment opportunities, increase in agriculture production, energy availability, safety, and security as well as good transport network. Indeed, effective management and policy implementation are some of the primary ways that would make America greater in the 21st century.
Work cited
Friedman, Hershey H. "How To Make America Great Again: Lessons About Selflessness From The Book Of Ruth." SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017.
Hummel, Daniel. "Revivalist Nationalism Since World War II: From "Wake Up, America!" To "Make America Great Again."" Religions, vol 7, no. 11, 2016, p. 128. MDPI AG,
Ngo, Bic. "Immigrants Education against the Backdrop of "Make America Great Again.""Educational Studies, vol 53, no. 5, 2017, pp. 429-432.
Robertson, Colin. "America First: Global Trump at Six Months." SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017, Elsevier BV
Wyly, Elvin. "Make American Housing Great Again." Housing Policy Debate, vol 27, no. 3, 2017, pp. 483-485.
