Every once in a while I have a thought that won't go away. One of these is the idea that families need security as much or more than our "homeland." To express this idea, I wrote a message to Mr. Obama putting forth my idea as a new issue for his campaign in my state of Pennsylvania. I hardly expect that this will reach his campaign people, let alone reach him. But here it is in any event.
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Dear Mr. Obama,
In this period before the Pennsylvania primary, it might be a good idea for you to take on a new “hot button” issue. Naturally, it can't be too controversial. In fact, it needs to be completely non-controversial and it needs to attract the so-called “soccer moms” who might otherwise lean towards your opponent.
Here I would like to suggest just such an issue.
Practically all families today, from the poorest to the wealthiest, depend on their children's cell phones to coordinate family life.
However, in an emergency, and even on simply “busy” days, the cell phone networks reach their capacity and it becomes difficult to communicate with the children.
Therefore, if you choose to embrace it, you could make a policy promise to pay serious attention to “family security” in addition to the focus on “homeland security.” Family security is the concern of every mother and father in the nation. And certainly Pennsylvania is no different.
By focusing on family security, you would be able to get a jump on an issue dear to hearts of all mothers. They all want to know that in a time of stress, they can find and communicate with their children and other family members. You could win a lot of votes from mothers by offering them a plan for the improvement of this type of communication.
The cell phone industry could be prompted to increase the reliability of their networks in a number of ways which may not cost tax payers very much at all. The idea is to get them to add redundancy to their networks and additional capacity. They need to harden their installations against wind, storms and other hazards. Redundancy is a well-known key factor in improving the chances that a network will fulfill its function when stressed. The problem with building studier installations and additional installations (more and stronger cell towers and secure ways for the towers to be interconnected) is that it costs money.
In order to convince the cell phone industry that this expense is in their interest, you, as President, could institute a set of “Family Security” evaluations of the services provided by the cell phone industry. In much the same way that automobile safety and mileage standards are studied by the government, the government could issue ratings of the stability and dependability and overall capacity of each cell phone network in the various areas of the country. Such scrutiny would focus the marketing people at each company on the value inherent in being part of the “Family Security” strategy of each family they serve.
Naturally your opponent would have to immediately jump on this bandwagon. But you, should you choose to take this approach, would gain the upper hand by coming out for family security first.
Good luck in your run for the White House,
Stanley R. Pokras