WE NEED A RENAISSANCE! Our economy allocates scarce dollars to maximize the utility of the consumer. Translating from economics to English, I just said money is scarce & we should be smart in its use. In my travels in the USA I too often hear claims that a municipality must have tax money for a new sports facility or lose their team. The one we built a ‘few’ years back is no longer good enough…. so they say. This is an anemic argument that the public takes like a marlin on live bait. I am not sure where to start but let’s try at the governors level with key states (both blue & red) passing legislation that there will be no more tax subsidies for professional sports. If this will not work then at the federal level with Washington, DC saying that there will be no more federal money to states that allocate tax dollars, etc to the subsidization of professional sports facilities. This would be in the same vein as many years ago when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. Many states said they would not increase the drinking age. The fed simply said that there would be no more federal highway money for states not complying. All states are now 21 to drink. I want to stay out of the argument about the drinking age. Point is that we are the USA & we can get this done. This is simply a question of our priorities. I want to keep you with me so I will show the light we must follow. About one in six dollars now goes for health care; 33% of the USA’s public schools had classrooms in portable buildings in 2005 & as far as far as energy we simply must conserve. A good start with energy would be passing a law that no car will be built or imported to the USA after…say 2010 that gets less than 50 MPG. Our country must look inside her boarders and fix the public school system. Making an argument for building more schools & raising teachers salaries should be the politicians delight. Not skyboxes & domes! In short, we demand a population that has access to quality safe & free education. Since we are at the trough, we also want our entire population to have access to efficient health care. Our Lady USA will become as she was many years ago when we have a widely dispersed healthy & educated population. People we need a renaissance. Stop government giveaways throughout the USA & there will still be professional sports. One result of my call to action will be that municipalities will have more money for education while the salaries of professional athletes will fall. The system as it is now is a transfer of tax money to wealthy team owners & athletes. I say again…end this and the ball games will continue. Do not change and our country will continue to crumble. The forecasts of Kennedy in ‘Rise & Fall of the Great Powers’ are now in our face. The path I have given is simple. The result will be a population that cares more about the environment and less about celebrity tabloid gossip. What our population is not getting from the educational & medical systems they are getting from the tabloid world. Once again we need a renaissance and to continue the giveaways will be to give away the great country we have built in 232 years. The candidates are now jockeying for The White House. Where is the candidate that can deliver my call to action?