IF WE RULED THE WORLD: JWW AS DICTATORS

An old Temptations hit - / Can't Get Next to You, penned by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong - embodies notions of what each of us might do with complete power over the affairs of humankind. Suppose we could even alter the laws of  nature, as the song contemplated.

For those who don't remember the song (or are too young to have known it when it reached

number one on the pop chart in 1969), we'll recap. A smitten young man laments the fact that though he possesses amazing, magical powers ("I can make it rain whenever I want it to ... I can live forever if I so desire") he can't "get next to" the object of his affections. What would we do with such power? What if we were dictator?

                           

Given our interest in public affairs, perhaps it's not surprising that when asked to list three things each would do if we became dictator and wielded unlimited powers, we focused on the public sphere.

Henry:  Humanitarian Supreme

• I would order immediate and simultaneous destruction of all weapons and weapons delivery systems. While I might need more time for defining "weapon," I can say now I would focus on weapons of war that can massively and randomly destroy human life. We could start with weapons of mass destruction and work from there, whichleads to my second edict.

• I would establish a worldwide commission with a peace agenda. This commission would study peace initiatives and take all actions necessary for implementing them. 

• Finally, I would take every action needed for assuring food and medical supplies reach people in need of them, in both emergency and non-emergency situations. No one in the world should go hungry or suffer from illness because of a lack of medical supplies and treatment.

Woodson: Fixing the Public Square

• Prejudices - racial, ethnic, gender-based, religious, age, sexual orientation - rob our society of its vitality and divert attention and resources from pursuit of our highest aspirations. When I become dictator, prejudices are all gone.

• A lack of education arrests personal development promotes income and wealth inequality and
  
  destroys economic competiveness. As dictator, I would create an educational system that permits everyone to attain the level of education to which they aspire.

• I would focus my dictatorship on America, so I'd seek improvement in the U.S. political system. In a democracy, that means paying attention to elections.  As a dictator, I would institute a system of public
  
  financing of elections, eliminating all private money from the campaign finance system.

Rob: Ignorance, Sports, Climate

• America's racial problem lies, first and foremost, in ignorance. Too many people don't know America's racial past. Too many who do prefer forgetting it and "moving on." To undo this ignorance, I’d require that before getting a driver's license or other government-issued identification or receiving any government benefit, every person spend six weeks in a camp reading our three favorite books about  the history of our racial dysfunction: The Half Has Never Been Told, The Warmth of Other Suns, and The Color of Law.  Can't read? We'll teach you, and then you can do your six weeks.

• As a college sports fan, I abhor the "great man" culture  surrounding many top college football and basketball programs. This culture flourishes, in part, because of a lack of transparency. Coaches
  
  become god-like figures, operating behind closed doors and with hyper­ controlled media access. The coach can do no wrong and is barely accountable to anyone. This led to the Penn State sexual abuse scandal and, I believe, contributed to player injuries and deaths behind closed doors at other institutions.  Sunshine being the best disinfectant, when I become dictator, all college athletic practices, locker rooms, and other facilities will be open to the media and the public.

• Climate change represents one of our most significant public policy challenges of the next two or three decades. Despite overwhelming scientific
  
  evidence, climate change deniers still populate every level of government. When I become dictator, every elected and appointed official who will not certify a commitment to fighting climate change must spend six weeks as {a) a firefighter in the American West, {b) filling sand bags in the flooded Midwest, {c) working on construction of seawalls and barriers in Florida, or {d) monitoring glaciers melting in the Artic.

In a sense, our accounts of what we'd do as dictator represent our wish lists for America and the world. Thinking of it this way offers a different perspective and makes us ask how we could make these things happen. They are fantasies, of course, but think of what life could be like if we, as a nation, and as a world, accomplished them. There's nothing wrong with dreaming.