Time for Some Change! John Hallmann | Bio

Could Obama's message of change culminate in the mere change of Bill Richardson's facial hair? Obama has picked a cabinet that does little to suggest he will be pursuing an agenda of radical revision. In order to belie these fears Obama should state some big changes he's going to be making. C'mon! He's the CHANGE candidate. Here would be some major changes he could make, and why they just might be crazy enough to work.

Return of Horse Powered Transport
Americans want to get off oil. What was ever wrong with horses? Did we ever have to bail out the country's leading horse breeder? Of course not. Cars have consistently proven to be more trouble than they're worth. They kill 40,000 people a year. Horses got nothing on that.

Outlaw Fishing
Fishing stocks in our oceans are exhausted. Fishing is still taking place at non sustainable rates. Why 40 years ago you could go to a grocery store in California and get fresh caught abalone. Could you even imagine?! During World War II fishing stopped for about 6 years in the N. Atlantic. When fishing resumed, the fishing stocks were restored. The populations had recovered and it was possible to fish commercially again.

Join the EU
Sick of the fact that you can't visit Europe because of the crap exchange rate or that Europeans are now flocking here to buy their X-Mas presents on the cheap? The problem would be solved if we joined the EU. Our currency would no longer be worthless abroad! Also, the next time you want to study abroad in Denmark you wouldn't even have to get a visa!

Institute the Metric System
Scientists love the metric system. They use it for everything. It's time the rest of us saw what we're missing out on. It would standardize our measuring system with the rest of the westernized world. It would change the way we measure milk, distances, our shoe sizes, and it would probably improve our chances of getting into the EU.

Return Lands to Mexico from Mexican War
In 1846, the U.S. provoked a conflict with Mexico to expand our territory in Texas. After a brutal conquest, we annexed New Mexico, Arizona, and California for which we paid a paltry sum. It's never too late to make amends. Obama could undo a good deal of the moral degradation of America by giving these lands back to Mexico, and issuing an apology. It would probably put an end to our immigration problem.

Zoroastrian National Religion
Obama tried to play up the fact that he was a Christian to appeal to voters during the campaign. He has not visited a church since his election. Let's cut the sham and make a change. Christianity has the legacy of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the 30 Years War, and is guilty for providing the base of support for the dreaded neocons. Why not popularize Zoroastrianism? What harm have Zoroastrians ever done to harm us? I bet you couldn't name one thing. Obama should have a national drive to popularize and construct Zoroastrian temples; akin to the way Roosevelt built roads and dams.

Change the National Language
America is one of the few exceptions in the world where a huge mass of land with diverse geographic characteristics speaks only one language. You could drive for an hour in Europe and encounter five languages. Obama could give America some texture by adding regional languages which are required learning. Maybe provide tax breaks or something. It would make this country an interesting place rather than a homogeneous mess. Also it would be a good idea to choose interesting languages- why popularize languages that millions already speak? Let them speak Welsh in Florida, Basque in Nebraska, Faroese in Utah, and Etruscan in Oregon.