I viewed about 15 minutes of each of the infamous debates. I don’t take them too seriously because as we know, the way politicians get elected is not to tell us what they intend to do, but to tell us what they think we want to hear. 

     So a political campaign gives us lots of shouting and negative ads — “He’s a dictator!” “She’s a liar!” “He’s a racist!” “She’s stupid!” — but we don’t get any serious discussion about important issues.

     So we read the tea leaves of invective and negative ads, and try to figure out what they really mean to do, and place our bet in the form of a vote. But I sure do wish they’d address serious problems instead of name calling, especially the problems that affect seniors and our loved ones — things that could kill us, or seriously compromise our well-being.

     So here are some suggestions for issues the candidates should really talk about.

     Social Security will draw down its “lock box” by 2035, meaning it will only be able to pay as much as it takes in from the payroll tax — or about 80% of benefits. That probably won’t affect us. It’s younger people — our children and grandchildren — who will suffer the cuts in benefits, or pay more for them. If politicians really want the younger vote, they should come up with a plan to secure Social Security and Medicare so they can still pay full benefits 20 or 30 years from now.

     Gun Violence. There are some 30,000 shooting deaths in America per year — the number was going down for decades, went up for a couple of years around Covid, and is now trending down again. I think most senior citizens believe in law and order. But the only candidate talking about gun regulation is herself a proud gun owner. And no candidate is talking about supporting the police.

     Climate Change. Is it really a problem? It sure is if you live on a barrier island or in a West Coast fire zone — or the mountains of North Carolina. Maybe not for the rest of us. So far. Still, our kids will definitely have to worry about global warming — except, like I said, the politicians aren’t speaking to the kids.

     The National Debt. It recently surpassed $35 trillion, or over $100,000 per person. Again, not our problem. But it is for our children and grandchildren who will have to pay it off  . . . or suffer the consequences of hyperinflation, bankruptcy and political upheaval. I don’t think the Japanese and Chinese will “forgive” our debt as casually as we want to forgive college debt.

     Traffic Fatalities. The great American highway system is the Wild West where people speed and tailgate, drive drunk or distracted or on drugs. Traffic fatalities, after declining for years, began to climb again in 2015. They are now back over 46,000 a year, up from about 35,000 in 2010. The National Highway Safety Administration announced that now is the time to double down on traffic safety. Neither candidate is talking about it, but I hope they’re listening.

     Drugs. Recently, my wife and I succumbed to curiosity and bought some marijuana, in the form of a drink mix. We tried it. Didn’t do much for us. But it does do something for some people. Not to mention the pain medications that people take after surgery or to treat chronic pain. Nobody thinks it’ll happen to them. But drugs are seductive. Probably very few of the 70,000-or-so Americans who died of drug overdose last year thought it would happen to them either. Politicians should get beyond the blame game, and actually do something about it.

     Nuclear Armageddon. What if things go bad for the Russians? Could they they turn to “tactical” nuclear weapons? There are the nuclear dangers from India, Pakistan, North Korea, and now the Middle East. Any of these places could set off a nuclear chain reaction. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re exterminated in a nuclear holocaust long before global warming kills us. We’ve been living with this threat our whole lives. But just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it couldn’t.

     We don’t know what a candidate will really do once they’re in office (although perhaps there’s an inkling of a chance we can get back to the sensible compromise of Roe v Wade on abortion). But can’t we at least ask that they take things seriously and address problems like climate change and the nuclear threat, and crime and guns and dangerous drivers?

     As far as Education goes, maybe instead of trying to ban books, the government should require us to read at least one book per month. After all, it was Thomas Jefferson who reportedly said: “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”

Tom Lashnits Writer, Blogger