You have your philosopher. Think.
A Red Indian stood with one foot in the river as he looked at the steep majestic walls of the Grand Canyon. His other foot remained firmly planted on the bank keeping him well balanced. He thought to himself 'this land is mine' and I will learn to preserve it for it is all I have. He swam for a while in the Colorado river and flowed downstream but always within reach of the bank so he wouldn't be carried away. He kept in touch with the flow of life this way and always went back to his tribe to help plant the next maize crop. Yes, life was good and he had heard about the Anastasie who painted their pots with small triangular patterns and wanted to trade with them some of this corn he was growing. Life was good but not without its battles. Tribal territory was jealously guarded and he had seen death, but never so much death as his son would see when the white man stole his beloved land. Geronimo was his son and he fought for freedom. He has gone down in history as a hero to the Indians. No doubt in his soul searching as to why life had turned out the way it had for his people, he became a philosopher too. I would like to nominate him and his people as the first American philosophers.Maybe if they need one now, go and talk on the reserves they have been placed on. See if some wisdom doesn't come out of the conversations to balance the imbalance of American internal and overseas policy. This has not been based on much philosophical thought, but rather centering around the dollar. Do not take offense Americans if you are reading this, for in Australia we have done the same thing to our aborigines, so we all need to learn.
America needs a philosopher who can bring things 'down to earth', for what goes along with being the most powerful nation in a military sense is ego. There is no denying this and it leads to unrealistic expectations out of ordinary people. Many were against the American involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, but in many ways it was the Bush administration's ego that pushed them to consolidate their position in world affairs after this attack on their homeland. The first action towards a respect for all life that a would be American philosopher leader should bring about would be total disarmament and ridding the country of nuclear weapons, only held in case of outside threat. Look how America seems to panic over North Korea and Iran all the time, yet they invented the nuclear weapons program. Next on the list would be a change of attitude towards money, following the economic disaster coming out of Wall Street. 'Money can't buy you love' the Beatles sang, yet John Lennon was killed in N.Y.C.. Violence would be next on the agenda, as philosophers abhor this and there would be a massive program of education and eradication of these crimes.
Yes, America and Australia both need philosophers and the best place they could be found would be amongst the first peoples of both lands, for they know these lands best before the advent of colonization and a money orientated society. I will leave you with a word from your greatest President in memory, John F Kennedy who said, 'Don't ask what your country can do for, ask what you can do for your country'. You now have the next best thing in Barak Obama, maybe he will be your philosopher/leader if you let him Republicans? He is the right color to have a sympathetic ear for the descendants of that Red Indian in the Grand Canyon. Maybe America will become the grand design with a philosopher president. What do you think? Maybe, just maybe, this will be the answer; that we all take note of the phiosophical notions of Jesus when he says,' Love thy neighbour as thyself ' and 'Do unto others as you would have done to you'. Just by reading many Helium articles, it seems this Man and his Father, God, hold a position of great respect in America. How about Jesus for the next American philospher leader?