5 Ideas That Would Transform America

I don’t often write essays about public policy or the governmental mechanics of a representative republic. However, I’m always fascinated to explore Third Way ideas - especially related to replacing entrenched and institutionalized systems. In that spirit, I have been pondering ideas that would help solve our country’s problems.

One of those problems is that our two ruling parties rarely agree on problems. This is especially true now that “Republican extremist” is often a redundant statement. As someone who identifies with neither party nor fixed political ideology, it is my observation that Democrats tend to try to solve real problems but with ineffective solutions. The modern GOP tends to solve made-up problems with made-up solutions. The first is disagreement. The second is insanity.

The five ideas that I’m about to share come with some qualifiers …

• None of them would require a constitutional amendment

• Most of them have never been tried before

• All of them would require courageous leadership and the political will to make real change - both of which are sorely lacking in our current elected officials.

It is also important to note that none of these ideas could merely be implemented by businesses in order to drive public policy. We created Massive to support business leaders who want to create positive systemic change but these are ideas that would require federal legislation.

Here we go …

1. Remove tax exemption for most religious institutions
   By the current federal tax code, pretty much any significant religious organization automatically qualifies as a 501(c)(3). I propose removing this tax exemption from most religious organizations.
   
   One of the most significant influences on public policy is religious groups. Most of the political power comes primarily from conservative Christians; typically white evangelicals (example: Southern Baptist Convention) and non-denominational megachurches. When combined with Christian nationalism, these groups are highly organized and well-funded. They are the primary force behind book bans, anti-LGQBT+ legislation, restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, and education curriculum (especially related to Critical Race Theory).
   
   These larger religious groups are given non-profit tax status but rarely operate like a non-profit. In fact, most could be considered for-profit businesses. In addition to tithing and donations, many of the larger groups own large amounts of real estate and many generate millions in revenue from publishing and licensing. As an example, in 2021 the SBC generated over $11 billion in donations while generating $214 million in publishing revenue.
   
   Money is power. At a minimum, these large religious organizations should be re-classified as PACs. This would result in much more mandated transparency and more stringent compliance rules.

2. Eliminate party-based primaries.
   The Constitution and a number of its amendments were crafted before the massive influence of the major political parties. Since the end of the Civil War, the country has been run primarily by members of either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party (GOP). The primary model is an adaption of election policy to this reality but primaries are not required by the Constitution.
   
   My main beef with the primary model is that the two major political parties are determining the general election candidates - yet 49% of voters are registered as independents. This makes independent voters by far the largest under-represented group in the country. My friend, Don Reiman, refers to this group as the “Rational Majority” yet they have little to no voice in determining candidates.
   
   Because primaries are not in the Constitution, a federal law could be passed that requires every state to use open primary or rank voting to determine federal candidates. Each state would then have a run-off between the top two or three candidates, regardless of party affiliation.

3. Judicial Review of Supreme Court Justices
   Because of the Constitution, requiring term limits for Supreme Court Justices would likely not pass muster. Further, there is a clause that allows for the impeachment of Justices, but it has only happened one time in US history (and that one ended in acquittal). However, a federal law could be enacted that would require the Senate Judicial Committee to conduct a review of each Justice every 10 - 12 years. As part of this review, the Senate would then vote to affirm or remove a Justice from office.
   
   We don’t know if the recent revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas’ receiving millions of dollars in perks and benefits are part of a larger, ongoing issue. However, I do know that insular groups become corrupt - and the Supreme Court is definitely a closed and secretive society. In addition to corruption, there needs to be accountability for the decision-making of Justices. Because of two-party gridlock, the Supreme Court holds tremendous power over the daily lives of citizens.

4. Remove the civil lawsuit exemption for gun manufacturers
   Civil lawsuits (especially class action ones) are a common method for holding harmful companies accountable for their actions and products. It was a class action suit that took down Big Tobacco. It was a class action suit that put the largest legal manufacturer of fentanyl out of business.
   
   The same law should apply to gun manufacturers. But it doesn’t. They are exempt due to a law passed in 2005. This is such power-based bullshit. There is no reason that gun manufacturers should be exempt from civil lawsuits - especially considering that gun violence is tragically the leading cause of death for children under the age of 18. This includes a horrific 50% increase from 2019 to 2021.
   
   The prospect of banning all guns is a progressive’s wet dream. It’s not going to happen. Yes, the NRA has way too much influence, but gun ownership is a protected right. As such, it would take an amendment to the Constitution to severely restrict gun ownership - which is what California governor Gavin Newsome is promoting.
   
   I’m a gun owner. But like most gun owners, I believe in sensible gun regulations. Even if we return to reasonable restrictions on assault-style weapons, the biggest change would come from overturning the liability exemptions.

5. Get the federal government out of the delivery of services
   The government is good (sometimes too good) at regulation. Everything from banking laws to consumer protections to human rights has been a result of government regulation. However, the federal government sucks at the delivery of services.
   
   I would propose a federal law that would turn over the delivery of services to non-profits. Non-profits have the expertise and infrastructure to actually solve the problems the government agencies are trying to solve. These non-profits would be selected similarly to how state governments partner with non-profits - a strict application and review process. Even if just applied to the VA or HUD, it would save billions of dollars and dramatically increase the quality of the services being delivered. As part of this legislation, I would make it so that no delivery of services could be carried out by a for-profit company. This would include removing privately-run prisons and replacing them with non-profits.

I actually have a list of 50 of these ideas! Some that almost made the cut …

• Shift petty drug-related crime from a punitive model to a treatment model (with mandatory treatment delivered by non-profits).

• Replacing the Affordable Health Care Act with expanded Medicare. I respect the intention of Obamacare but it has significantly driven up the cost of health care coverage.

• Requiring two years of mandatory military or public service in trade for free college tuition.

• Exempt owners of self-funded start-ups from paying federal income taxes for their first 3 years.

I would love to hear your response to these ideas - and your ideas as well! If you have an extra juicy one, I would consider inviting you to my podcast to talk about it.