Reuniting the Divided States of America

By Lady Li Andre

The Election of 2016 was a historic event in which one candidate won the electoral college and the other won the popular vote. The country is strongly divided over the issues. It is my attempt to present alternatives for the future to begin a conversation on change that meets the needs of this divided nation.
The solutions presented in this book have nothing to do with the winner or loser of the election. They are logical, fair, and based on the Constitution of the United States. Topics include the Structure of Government, Equality, Education, and a selection of Hot Topics that come up every election cycle. It is my hope that this work will begin a discussion that leads to solutions for the future.
Demonstrating only proves dissatisfaction, it does not offer a solution. The solutions I present are not the ultimate answer but a place to begin reuniting a divided population and finding common ground in an understandable and logical manner.
I do not belong to any political party and my views are balanced between the two dynamics. I have done my best to explain my perspectives in clear and logical terms. It is my hope that readers will consider what I have written with an open mind and realize that the future of America depends not only on the firm foundations created by the founding fathers but also on our ability to adapt and change within that guiding framework.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lady Li Andre
• Release date: Nov 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370405978

Lady Li Andre

Lady Li Andre lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has been a writer for more than 35 years. She is also an actor, singer, musician, photographer, and artist. You can contact her at [e-mail].

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Reuniting the Divided States of America

by Lady Li Andre

Published by Lady Li Andre at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition Copyright 2016 Lady Li Andre

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NOTICE: This is a work of opinion. Company names included are trademarked by that company. I do not claim any of these labels nor am I associated with any of the mentioned companies.

Table of Contents

Lessons Learned from a Historic Election

Recreating a Democracy

Political Parties

The Structure of Government

From Proposition to Bill to Law

Equality – for All

Education

Pre-K Childcare

Primary Level

Transitional Level

STEPS Level

Perspective Level

Explorations Level

Beyond Graduation

Hot Topics

Taxes

Economy

Homelessness

Healthcare

Justice System

Gun Control

Immigration

Foreign Affairs

Climate Change

Tough Topics of Life and Death

Abortion

Death with Dignity

The Death Penalty

Times Are A’changin’

Author’s Note

About the Author

Lessons Learned from a Historic Election

This election cycle has shaken our country on all levels and left voters strongly divided. No matter which candidate you voted for, you were probably struggling to shift through endless amounts of both positive and negative propaganda trying to convince you that one of these people is better or worse for the top political position in America. Regardless of how we feel about the winner, there is almost an equal number of individuals who feel the opposite. One candidate offered change while the other offered stability. What this very divided election proves is that we need both change and stability.

I believe this is possible if we return to the ideals of those who composed the Constitution of the United States of America. They believed in democracy – government for the people and by the people. Most citizens today have little or no knowledge of our country’s most important document. These ideals have been lost gradually over the past two centuries. This election proves that it’s time to return to those ideals.

I have broken down the topics in this book into groups related by themes. Many people complain that there are problems with each of these topics. My purpose is to present possible solutions. These are not meant to be the absolute answers but rather a place to begin a discussion about changing the issues that most agree are ‘broken.’

I base my solutions on logic, fairness, and three simple rules: Do no harm to yourself; Do no harm to others; Do the least amount of harm to the life support system known as Earth. My logic is based on the scientific method and what has been proven by this method. I consider fairness to be equal justice for all parties concerned.

* * *

Recreating a Democracy

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."

Isn’t it odd that someone who lived 200 years ago felt the same way that many Americans feel today? According to a recent Gallup Poll, 75% of Americans believe there is corruption in government. Thomas Jefferson hoped that the Constitution of the United States of America would prevent the country he helped found from falling into the corruption that he saw in the British government of his time. So what happened? Our country failed to pay attention to the warnings of those early statesmen.

The original failure may have been caused by the vast distances, geographic differences, and lack of clarification on the part of the writers of the Constitution. They left some important points rather vague, which opened up opportunities for those who wished to abuse power. The size of Colonial America, while small in comparison today, was challenging to that generation when information traveled at foot-speed. It could take weeks if not months for important information to reach all areas. Each original state also had unique geographical and climate issues that impacted the way local governments operated.

As our infant country struggled to grow and overcome these challenges, it became necessary to alter or add, and in at least one instance, delete, laws, in the form of Amendments to the Constitution. These changes and additions were made to prevent misconstruction or abuse of constitutional power. This year, a document of over 2800 pages was published that now defines the Constitution and its Amendments with correlated Supreme Court rulings to attempt to define the laws governing our country. The 2016 Annotated Constitution is available as a free e-book from the Federal Government. I doubt many average citizens have their copy yet. It definitely takes time to read.

The world has changed dramatically since America became a country. Information travels at light-speed across the World Wide Web. Instead