We spend $23.5bn on foreign assistance, much of which is mismanaged and corrupted, and not ending up in the hands of those to whom it's intended (i.e. the poor!). The next president needs to make a concerted effort to reform our broken foreign assistance programs. We should use PROVEN models of assistance that will provide for wealth accumulation for the poor from the bottom up -- things like development of microfinance, conditional cash transfer programs, and child development accounts.
On day one the next president should renounce empire, and to show good intention reconfigure the military budget. First year 1% of the budget will go to research and development of peaceful means of conflict resolution, to increase by another percent each year; accompanied by a major reduction in nuclear stockholds, reduced production and exportation of guns and ammo, and closing of military bases in sovereign foreign nations. Military budget reductions will go toward women's education globally
Public transit in most parts of the United States is abysmal. On Day One, the next president should start an initiative to help smaller cities get funding to build or improve public transit systems. This will help alleviate the massive traffic problems faced in so many places, reduce dependence on oil, reduce drunk driving problems, create a stronger sense of community among strangers, and help to alter the outdated patterns of development that are killing our country's natural beauty.
