- The war in Ukraine - it looks to me like the failure to get a negotiated agreement to avoid the war was big foreign policy failure. Putin is an evil dictator but there have already been about 15,000 deaths and many more injuries. We should have pushed the Ukrainians to offer Russia the parts of where the majority of the people prefer to be part of Russia plus neutrality and no entrance to NATO. If he refused that then we have to support the war. Further Putin though an evil dictator unlike the communists in the old USSR allows people to live fairly normal lives as long as they stay away from politics and there is hope for change from within. As the US Government learned in Afghanistan, Governing a place were the people hate you is often not beneficial in the modern world, so Ukraine may make problems for Russia if they try to dominate it.
- Drug prohibition - it seems to me that the illegality of drugs though it may reduce recreational drug use a little on net is a negative. The war on drugs has been destructive to parts of Latin America and in parts of the country here. I think we should try legalizing the sale so users can be assured of some level of constancy in the supply. Hopefully that will reduce accidental overdose. Drug OD deaths are now over 100,000 per year and they have been doubling each decade at least since 1980, and some researchers say since 1940.
- Euclidean zoning - Euclidean zoning allows people to stop building for frivolous reasons like increased traffic and neighborhood character. It is a denial of the right to build and develop and has driven housing costs up in the most desirable parts of the USA. It has contributed to homelessness particularly in west coast cities. The incentives being what they are in local politics, I think the Federal government needs to make it illegal.
- Crime - Crime is mostly a local issue but, the US murder rate is much higher than other developed countries, and we have an example of how to reduce it in New York city were crime is much lower than it used to be. There is a debate about the importance of "stop and frisk" in New York's success, was mainly due to a reduction in corruption in the police force and how much if any of the reduction was due to immigration.
- Medical insurance reform - the federal government pays for about 65% of healthcare in the US but Medicine is mostly regulated at the state and local level. That creates some undesirable incentives. So I think we should transfer more of the regulation of healthcare to the federal Government, or make the system more incentive compatible by having the Federal Government give the money that it would spent on healthcare to the states with the requirement that the cover people who are now on Medicare, the lowest income citizens (current on Medicaid) and all Federal government employees. The states can spend it in the most efficient way and if some money is left spend it on what they like. I've written about that and some other possible reforms.
- Medicare reform - if we do not do the above we should have Medicare stop paying for stuff that the UK's MHS does not provide. That is care that has not shown a positive net benefit to cost from what I've read that seems to be at least 20% of Medicare spending. I've written about other reforms that might help reduce costs.
- Social Security reform - The system should stop giving COLA raises to the higher lifetime earners until all recipients receive the same payment in retirement. The system in Australia works that way, for the Government part of pensions, every retiree gets the same amount. It is and should a program to prevent the elderly from falling into poverty.
To me the issues we focus most on like immigration are problems but not as big as the above. Inflation has been a problem for the last few years but seems to be under control now.
