I agree there was a certain glamour to the hippie life back then.

@nicknotes They were not greedy and all they wanted was Peace and Love.... and they meant exacly that, no hidden agenda.

You have some great ideas. Recently I saw a video on vertical farming where the environment is controlled and the yields are fantastic while the building has a small foot print compared to a traditional farm.

I'm for more freedom as long as we protect the weak from the greed of the powerful.

@nicknotes The only real protection the "weak" need is from the government, which has grown far too large and powerful. Anyone who believes the solution is more government, or that the government is truly interested in improving their lives is fooling themselves. Letting the government nationalize healthcare is a mistake. People love to vilify business, but they always fail to acknowledge that the standard of living of nations is directly proportionate to their freedom (and the freedom of markets to conduct trade freely). Sure, there are examples of crony capitalism (a byproduct of government), but this is not the normal state of business.

I'll bet you like Trump @IAMGROOT

@nicknotes You don't know me at all.

Yes...healthcare is a big problem. We need healthcare for all at an affordable price.

@Morganfreeman There are no small changes that will do that. America always avoids the big changes or puts them off until it becomes a crisis.

Excellent ideas. I think we spend too much on defense and are involved in too many foreign wars. It seems we have troops in every country.

@jonjones81 Scandinavian countries. They are always on top of surveys conducted on the happiness of its citizens. The US doesn't crack the top 15 or 20.

@jonjones8 So you would rather have some douchebag at an insurance company. Who could care less whether you live or die, and who job it is to make sure the company sees a profit, decide what treatments you qualify for. Figure out what you spend a year on health care and what you will have to spend or borrow to send a couple of kids to college. The taxes will be less and the stress will be way less.

Oregon does not have election polls....all registered voters get a mail in ballot.

@nicknotes
I would still like a real time running total.

Some people like to just vote for the winner so they can brag they are on the right team. I rather we get the result after all the votes are counted.@Anonbene

In a perfect, ideal world this would work just fine, but not in the world we actually live in.

@jlynn37 so you think it’s not even worth trying? The question was, what should We change to make the world better? This is definitely something that is worth changing because then maybe we can have that ideal world.

I can see how passionately you believe in your ideas.

Yes. .health care is an item we can all agree on.

Yrs...I think we are being ripped off by fake charities and phony foundations.

You might remember the days when there was a Poll Tax to discourage the poor from voting. It has been suggested that voters get a reasonable extra tax cut incentive if they do vote. This would encourage voting. Of course the Republicans would never agree to this.

In Oregon all licenced drivers are enrolled and all ballots are mailed. When this was implemented, turn out rose 23% instantly.

@nicknotes I didn't deal with poll taxes directly but our current government here is now requiring a photo I.D. to vote - which hacks me off!

A Drivers License is the usual ID required. But poor people, minorities, and college students often do not have a license. This is just a plan to suppress Democratic votes. @Donna_I

@IzMark cool idea!

@nicknotes very true.

Should you give the same minimum wage to person living in Alabama as you do a person living in Boston NY or Los Angeles?

@Anonbene raise minimum wage per states cost of living. Alabama doesnt use much heating oil and doesnt have much of a winter.

A minimum wage is just that - a minimum. From there states and municipalities can go up or not accordingly.

I was all in on Bernie Sanders' $15 minimum wage. If you put money in the hands of the poor they will spend it...create demand....boost the economy.

@nicknotes exactly!

I'm glad we are on the same team. @GwenC

Education is of course a top priority. Sometimes I wonder if the powerful are conspiring to keep our children ignorant and uneducated.

@nicknotes I agree, it should be out to priority.
I have a few members in my family who are teachers. They love what they do, but get frustrated all the time from constant cutbacks.

People entrust their most precious children to the care of teachers and the politicians won't pay them a fair salary. @TristanNuvo

I agree. Put a cafeteria in every school and teach people to eat sensibly with free nutritious food.

Maybe someday the pols will start working for the average person rather than the rich and powerful. @Storybook

@nicknotes Michelle Obama made healthier lunch choices available and right wingers saw it as oppression.
"Give Me Tator-Tot Velvetta casserole or Give Me Death!"

The Republicans made Ketchup a vegetable. After all it is made with tomato. @BufftonBeotch

Great idea. Everyone should have an affordable home.

I think you are referring to what we call ""SHOPPING CARTS"" here in the USA. Poor people who don't have an automobile will often push the carts home and then discard them. I have noticed that many stores now have a solenoid in the wheel housing that locks the wheel when the cart is pushed to the outer edge of the store property.

Lots of the stores use a service that will go round them up periodically. Well, they do in this area.

@nicknotes, @BufftonBeotch Okay then, lets put the buttons on pedestrian crossings near the ground. So hedgehogs and opossums can use them.

@273kelvin I've lived in GA/SC since 1985.
I have seen thousands of dead armadillos on he road. Sometimes two or three a day. So I know they have to be very numerous.
I've seen two live ones. That is in 30+ years.
One was threatened by a dog and I have to say the speed with which that animal tunneled itself out of danger was amazing.
"A hot knife through butter," is cliche - But it was only maybe 2 seconds before that animal was out of reach of any threat.

@273kelvin I've lived in GA/SC since 1985.
I have seen thousands of dead armadillos on he road. Sometimes two or three a day. So I know they have to be very numerous.
I've seen two live ones. That is in 30+ years.
One was threatened by a dog and I have to say the speed with which that animal tunneled itself out of danger was amazing.
"A hot knife through butter," is cliche - But it was only maybe 2 seconds before that animal was out of reach of any threat.

Unfortunately greed and profit seem to be the mantra of the capitalists.

@nicknotes with a lack of care for the environment and future generations, yes, but surely people are slowly waking up from this and can see we need to change? The hippies were aware of this in the '70's and were discredited by mainstream society for their forward thinking. Many thought at the time it was farcical...but 50 years later finally the tide is changing!
I don't believe in Socialism or bloody revolutions, but I do believe in the need to incorporate ethics into Capitalism and holding companies accountable for their actions. (I mean in the (apparently dropped) Transatlantic Trade Deal they proposed they will sue Countries for potential loss of capital if their product is deemed dangerous by a government? Who should be an expert of their products safety?) We need to take back control.