It's hard to decide can I choose three:

1. Make higher education much cheaper, 2gs tops, for those majoring in fields that we have large vacancies. Why import people to do jobs that Americans can do. It creates a brain drain, and it leads to fewer opportunities for Americans.

2. Make studying two foreign languages mandatory for graduation of high school. One language would have to either Spanish or Mandarin -Chinese.Instruction would begin in kindergardin. Top students will have opportunities to study abroad. Learning a second language is no longer something we can afford to be lax on.
*waits for reasons why American children can't do this but other countries can*

3.Try to get this country out of debt. It's going to take a while because we are so in debt. I would also call on Americans to use less gas so we can keep prices down. Walk or ride a bike to the store to get a loaf of bread.

4. Find Bin Laden

Comprehensive sex education

Chic Noir, people are seldom imported nowadays. Jobs are just exported so there's no brain drain for the booming BRICs, especially India. Yay for speaking English! I'm just curious as to why such jobs aren't exported to the many other English speaking countries with much cheaper labor. Just fewer jobs for Americans.

LEGALIZE IT- TIME TO RECOGNIZE IT!

lol j/k (fa real tho)

Instant withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan grabbing as many refuges in the process.

Raising taxes on luxury goods. Yachts, very expensive jewelry, 40 million dollar homes.

Raising taxes for the very rich

Make dropping out of High school illegal

Socialized medicine taken the best from the France and UK

Modernized education system

@daria- Nurses and doctors are imported. IT people are still being imported too, at least in my company they are.

*M*-iraq would fall apart.

I introduce a law that would require that the same exact amount of money be spent on all public schools not matter their location. Compton High would get the same exact amount of money as Beverly Hills High. Also all schools would have to meet the same standard as far as the school facility itself.

@Chic Noir: I think there are doctors and nurses who come here for work, but considering the rules that I assume apply to all states, it would be pretty much impossible to recruit these health professionals who require licensing. They have to come here, get their licensing requirements met etc.

As for IT professionals, my area doesn't have a huge industry. It is FAR cheaper to outsource than to import. There are a lot of people who come here for school or in search of jobs who end up staying. In those cases, I don't consider that importing people. If they don't have visas already, it'd be easier to hire an American. I know in the mid to late 90s, it was popular to recruit people from other countries because there was a shortage. In some cases, Americans lost their jobs because some companies started hiring non-Americans exclusively because it was cheaper. It's a price cutting mechanism really. Middle management people and working moms lose their jobs all the time because someone else can do it for less, generally someone younger who will do 18 hour days and travel at the snap of a finger without complaining about work-life balance.

@Monie-Even if the schools are getting the same amount of money, if the children are not studing at home what good will it do. Parents have to be on their childrens backs about learning otherwise, in most, cases children will not do well in school.

it would be pretty much impossible to recruit these health professionals who require licensing. They have to come here, get their licensing requirements met etc.

@Daria- Correct. They have their training in their home country but come to the states and sit for the exam. Their are so many nurses from the Philippines in this country it's crazy. Some doctors in the Philippines go back to school to become nurses so they can work as nurses in the states.

Daria, rich people look for ways to cut costs so they can grow richer. Many of them fail to consider the workers whose jobs they are cutting.

*to increase profits for the stock holders.*

People should have lives and not work 16per day. How can someone be a good spouse if they don't spend time with their family???

Chic Noir, yeah, their goal is to line the pockets of their stockholders. It's your prerogative to be a good spouse and parent. The whole work-life balance thing is a crock. It basically means you will retain your current position with no possibility for advancement until you show no signs of having children though you probably will still be working as hard as everyone else, just maybe from home once a week or when the kids are sick.

Chic Noir,

Well first you have to level the playing field. The President can do that. Then the community will have to do its part.

Also if kids that go to run down schools see that their schools become equal to suburban schools they may feel more inclined to work harder.

Great topic! Hope to see something on the DNC. We have some of the 1st black bloggers at the Democratic National Convention this week. Take a look
at AAPP's site African American Political Pundit
(africanamericanpoliticalpundit.com). Spread the word and please post a question/comment if you have one.

If I were president I'd improve healthcare and make sure we build better schools for our kids.

That's really a tough question. Most stuff has been said:

1. reform education: raising standards, equal distribution of funds among public schools.
2. reform the welfare state: state sponsored health care, raise minimum wage and make access to welfare/child support easier. free kindergartens for single parents with low income.
3. reform justice: legalize marijuana, end war on drugs, lower drug related maximum sentences. end death penalty. raise driving age to 18, lower drinking age to 18. abolish the private prison sector. make predominantly black (or whatever) neighborhoods have a predominantly black police force.
4. reform foreign policy: end of american empirism. withdraw all private contractors from iraq. leave iran and north korea alone, begin dialogue with palestinians.
5. reform economy: abolish monopolies. luxury tax for anyone making more than 150k. super luxury tax for anyone making 250k+. enforce a minimum wage that is raised every other year according to inflation. harsh sentencing for people who employ illegal aliens to avoid paying minimum wage.
6. reform society: campaigns against tv, against religious superstition, against racism/sexism/homophobia. open sex ed (credit to daria), free condoms and syringes in extremely poor neighborhoods.

…just from the top of my head;)

Well, you gotta get people to use the condoms. Comprehensive sex ed won't do that. "Reform society" is awesome, but it is WAAAAY easier said than done. I don't even want it to be optional. All kids should get comprehensive sex ed. Just like I see anti-tobacco ads everywhere (ads, TV show themes, etc), I want to see the same for safer sex and abstinence.

I don't think the war on drugs is irrelevant. The investment in fighting soft drugs (=marijuana) is absurd. I want every dealer of hard drugs to be jailed but jailing addicts won't cure drug addiction.

Monie, my middle school was very run down and is even more so now. It is smack in the middle of the burbs. I have yet to see a city school that's more run down. For some reason, the elementary and high schools in my area were pretty nice but all the middle schools are awful aesthetically, both inside and out. Ugly environment for those awkward years I suppose. Achievement and ambiance aren't related. If parents don't encourage their children to do well and teachers don't do their jobs well from pre-school, kids probably won't succeed.

free kindergartens for single parents with low income.
Is this not the case now? Pre-K is free or really cheap for most here and I'm almost completely certain than Kindergarten is not only free but mandatory.

abolish monopolies.
all the near monopolies I can think of are in that state due to consumer choices, something that a democratic government can't help
luxury tax for anyone making more than 150k.
pfff. 150k is NOT a lot of money in many parts of the U.S. 150k means you can help your kids out. you'll still be shopping at Target like everyone else and MAYBE you won't have to have a staycation when the economy is bad.
super luxury tax for anyone making 250k+.
also not a lot of money. most families in my parents' area make 100-500k. no one is ballin'. the "luxury" is that they can send their kids to private school.

Raising taxes on luxury goods. Yachts, very expensive jewelry, 40 million dollar homes.
I do agree with you though I think it basically encourages people to go elsewhere. Which they already do. The Caymans and Monaco are very popular for that reason. Raising taxes to 40% from 35% for those making above $1 M a year is fine. Currently, a popular anesthesiologist making 350K/year is taxed the same as Bill Gates.

harsh sentencing for people who employ illegal aliens to avoid paying minimum wage.
unless this is coupled with completely screwing those who outsource jobs, it's not going to work.

Make dropping out of High school illegal
Co-sign, but what's the punishment?

Socialized medicine taken the best from the France and UK
oy vey. Think Massachusetts' plan, not the France or UK plan. I'm not about to waive my right to quality healthcare.

Modernized education system
I'm a big fan of Singapore's system though it has its critics.

I introduce a law that would require that the same exact amount of money be spent on all public schools not matter their location.
I question the constitutionality of this. Also, cost per pupil and success aren't the same. Perhaps the benefit in wealthier areas is that people take their kids to private schools yet schools receive money for these students anyway. That surprised me but the issue came up when discussing vouchers.

Instant withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan grabbing as many refuges in the process.
OR clean up the mess we made so that people can actually live decent lives there. Even UN High Commission on Refugee Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie doesn't make a habit of collecting refugees. Young orphans are cool with being taken but grown people just want to go home.

Make studying two foreign languages mandatory for graduation of high school.
Yeah. They should start kids on this earlier in public school. It's easier when you're younger. I think fluency in at least one foreign language should be required and in the other, one should be conversational at least.

Appointing Cabinet members having great people around you is very important. That was Bush's Problem he listened to a bunch of idiots and told they did a great job, and the good ones he didn't listen to like Powell.

@Chic Noir- Iraq has a government with a police force and an Army. Its Iraq's job to keep Iraq together.

Josh- open sex ed (credit to daria), free condoms and syringes in extremely poor neighborhoods.

That there ^^^ is real talk.

@*M*- If this country had not torn Iraq apart, I would agree. Since we destroyed the infrastructure, we owe it to the people of Iraq to make their country a safe place for them to live in.

luxury tax for anyone making more than 150k.
pfff. 150k is NOT a lot of money in many parts of the U.S. 150k means you can help your kids out. you'll still be shopping at Target like everyone else and MAYBE you won't have to have a staycation when the economy is bad.
super luxury tax for anyone making 250k+.
also not a lot of money. most families in my parents' area make 100-500k. no one is ballin'. the "luxury" is that they can send their kids to private school

__________________________

Daria I was thinking the same thing. 150k is not a lot of money. For those of us in NYC, it's peanuts.

I know, right? 150K means in NYC is probably the equivalent of 50K in Utah. That is VERY middle class and you may very well be living from paycheck to paycheck. I consider 500K upper middle class. I've never made that kind of money but I've been around those whose parents do and I know they aren't "rich."

I think I'd work on the educational system. It's broken.

Daria,there are people who make 150k in NYC living in studios.