My Christmas wish list

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth ...” Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be on my Christmas wish, but I know my young son would appreciate some more teeth.

On my list are some much more serious items. Short of world peace and a cure for hunger, this Christmas I wish for change in our state and country. These changes should come as no surprise because I’ve been preaching about them all year.

They’re changes many of you expect and deserve to see from our leaders, and I hope this holiday season every taxpayer’s wishes come true.

I wish for real change in Afghanistan. The situation in the Middle East has become even more dangerous. Change starts not with sending more troops, but with setting up a self-sufficient Afghan government with the help of local tribal leaders and finally reforming the corrupt Karzai regime.

I wish that the final version of health care reform is fiscally responsible. The health care system needs to be fixed, but it doesn’t make sense to have a bill that doesn’t include medical malpractice reform or Medicaid reform. I’m afraid that after all these negotiations and back-room deals, we’ll end up with a bill with some sort of public option that we can’t afford and that reeks of special-interest influence, especially from the pharmaceutical industry.

I wish that President Obama would finally keep a campaign promise and reach across the aisle and ask for a Republican sponsor on one piece of legislation. There’s nothing wrong with bipartisanship, especially in an increasingly divided nation.

Most important are my Christmas wishes for our state. I might need to pay a special visit to the North Pole for these.