Making America Great by Building it Better

By Melody Young

Make America Great Again? or Build it back Better?

 

Well it certainly has the potential to be great and better, always has been, but with gun violence, skyrocketing inflation, supply shortages and a deeply divided nation at least in the world of politics, we still have a lot of work to do.

 

The thoughts and opinions in this book are those of an average American, woman, wife, mother, gig worker, and entrepreneur that will touch on hot button issues such as gun control legislation, free education, affordable healthcare and immigration just to name a few. The suggestions aren't far right or far left but exactly what this country needs to be great by being better.

 

The goal, is to work together to improve our communities, cities, states and thereby country and to elect politicians who want the same, not just to be in power.

 

This book is not a left wing socialist ideology or a right wing, conspiracy theory driven guide. It is a "we the people" list of ideas of ways to help this country live up to its fullest potential and ways to make that happen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melody Young
• Release date: Sep 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201545413

Melody Young

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Melody is a married, mother of three children. She joined the Army like many others shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.  She would serve with a medical instructor unit and then a combat engineer unit. After returning from her deployment to Afghanistan she decided to discharge to be home with her young daughter. Currently, she is the owner of an event management company and a mobile food truck business based in Augusta, Georgia. This guide is a compilation of some of the experiences she has had and the many lessons learned that she hopes will help others in their transition from servicemember to civilian.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1 - EDUCATION

Higher Education

After high school parents look forward to sending their children off to college. Unfortunately this is a goal that is out of reach for many families as the cost of tuition, books, food and housing has skyrocketed in recent years. This forces most people to take out loans if they want to continue their education.

These loans tend to follow people their whole lives because with interest they are almost impossible to pay off within a few years after graduation. It seems no matter the career field chosen, student loans seem to be predatory loans that hover over graduates for a lifetime. Two things need to be addressed, the cost of higher education and student debt. I will give my opinion on the latter.

There should be free Community College for the first two years or Technical College up to an associate’s degree or trade school up to completion of a certified trade such as that of a plumber, mechanic or electrician,

Student Debt Relief

Student debt up to $15K should be forgiven for all individuals earning less than $75K annually. This will be a one-time forgiveness and include interest. Income can be verified by IRS tax information, so in order to be eligible, taxes must be filed. Recently President Joe Biden authorized student loan debt relief up to $10k for individuals earning under $125K and married couples earning under $250K. The amount goes up to $20K for those who received a Pell Grant.

It has been interesting hearing the complaints that either this debt relief isn’t enough or is unfair to those who’ve either paid off their debt or never went to college. For those who say it's not enough, I say something is better than nothing. With inflation being high which is affecting everything we purchase, I am grateful for any assistance those struggling with this debt can get. For those that complain it’s unfair, I wonder where this outrage was when big corporations and individuals who have billion dollar incomes got extra tax relief skyrocketing the nation's debt.

Why is it socialism when poor people get assistance, but when the super wealthy get bailouts and exploit tax loopholes allowing them to not pay any taxes at all, nothing is said. I believe $15K debt forgiveness for those individuals earning under $75K and couples earning under $150K is both fair and reasonable.

How to Pay for it

●  Federal lottery with drawings in every state every month with winnings up to $35K. Proceeds would go toward teachers and support staff administration salaries, school maintenance, construction projects, upgrades, and supplies. There should be a second federal lottery with quarterly drawings with one prize of $500K. These funds would be used primarily for the free tuition for trade schools and community colleges. Both lotteries would be run by the Department of Education with 75% of proceeds going toward state and local education departments, including higher education and facilities, and 25% going toward administration costs and winner payouts.

●  Allow tax write-offs for donations over $1K toward any higher learning program.

●  Students that received free tuition will serve two years in some form of public service anywhere in the country or one year in their school or home community with 5% of their monthly earnings going toward the state or local higher education fund.

●  Individuals who received student debt forgiveness must also show or commit to two years of community, city, state, or federal public service. This requirement excludes combat or disabled veterans as they have already done their public service.

Teachers

There is a severe teacher shortage in this country, one that has gone without a meaningful solution. However, the solution is one that teachers have been fighting for, for  decades. Better pay. The majority of teachers earn under 40K a year, which in today's economy puts them in the lower middle class. Few young people want to go into this profession because they know even if they have a heart for teaching, if they can’t support their family, the teaching profession may not be a viable