Because they often seek to regulate all of human activity, I find most New Year’s Resolutions to be rather unsatisfying. Here’s an attempt to limit these rules to the world of travel, which—to me—is badly in need of a little moralizing at this moment in our history.
So here goes. In the year ahead:
I shall fight, as a citizen and as a voter, to preserve the right of every American, in peacetime, to travel wherever they want. Our federal government, in my view, has no greater right to prevent us from traveling to Cuba than they have to stop us from entering a library or reading a book.
As a citizen and as a voter, I will press our government to endorse those international policies designed to reduce the harmful effects of climate change upon our travels, among other things. I will urge that the U.S. enthusiastically rejoin the Paris Agreement.
As a citizen and as a voter, I will argue against weakening those consumer protections that prevent fraudsters from misleading us in the advertising of airfares and hotel rates. I will rage against the obvious current efforts to weaken consumer advocates.
As a citizen and as a voter, I will protest against the continued monopolization of the airline and hotel industries by regulatory officials who have forgotten the antitrust policies they are supposed to enforce.
As a citizen and as a voter, I will support a humane policy of proper immigration into America—the very same policies that once permitted my parents to travel to this nation.
As a citizen and as a voter, I will encourage the adoption of strict gun controls aimed at reducing the street violence that discourages so much tourism.
Finally, as a consumer, I will favor those low-cost airlines and hotels that have done so much to keep down the costs of travel.
I hope that readers of this blog will join me in making these resolutions related to travel.
