With all the talk lately about the terrible job George W.Bush has done as President of the U.S.,we progressives seem to be talking more about what Bush has done wrong then what we intend to do right.I also am angry at what the Bush has done but simply saying "Bush is bad." Isn't enough we also need our own original policy ideas.So I feel not just for the good of the Democratic Party but for the good of America the Democratic party must fight for 8 major things.It will surprise you to read what I consider to be the 8 most important issues in America today,because the issues that the media brainwashes us to salvate over manytimes are not the important ones
1)The Federal Voting Rights Act which protects the voting rights of racial minorities in all 50 states is set to expire in 2007 it must be renewed immediately.We cannot and will not go back to the days of African-Americans,Latinos,or anyother group being legally denied the franchise.
2)Before 9/11 on September 10,2001 we had a C.I.A. which had the most powerful surveillance capabilibities in the world.Believe it or not our government really has spy satellites which can photograph anyone they choose from outerspace.So logically if after 9/11 we had simply passed a law allowing the C.I.A. and N.S.A. to share whatever information on terrorists they have with the F.B.I. and local law enforcement and appointed a diector of intelligence to make sure the C.I.A. shared information that would've been enough to stop another terrorist attack.
So we didn't have to also create a Department of Homeland Security.Since it's been created the Homeland Security Department has rounded up Democrats in Texas for their political beliefs and even more frightening is the fact that in 2004 former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge threatened to cancel the Presidential election if we got hit with another terrorist attack.
Not only should it be painfully obvious that if heaven forbid a 9/11 style attack had occured on election day absentee ballots could've been mailed to the surviving voters who were unable to get to the polling place.But the idea that in a country of 200 million people,if a couple thousand people are unfortunately killed in a tragedy,an unelected government bureaucrat,eventhough the constitution gives him no authority to do so, will now cancel your right to vote for President is just crazy,
So I am convinced that once we have passed a law allowing the C.I.A. and N.S.A. to share information with local law enforcement and the F.B.I.And once we have an Intelligence Diector to make sure the C.I.A. shares with the other agencies.At that point,we need to abolish the Department of Homeland Security.Since it's only existed for Five years,it's not like the Homeland Security Department is woven into our system.So once we have the C.I.A. and the other agencies sharing information we then need to abolish the Homeland Security Department.
But as frightening as Tom Ridge's threat against the American people was there are unfortunately also other ways that legally martial law can be delcared.Rex 84 which was set up back in the 1980's by former National Security Advisor Oliver North,puts in place legal mechanisms where if anti-war demonstrations become troublesome to the government they can suspend the Constitution and turn complete control of the government over to FEMA.You would have martial law with FEMA employees in charge and troops patrolling the streets.REX 84 may also allow illegal immigrants and anti-war protesters to be put in "internment camps."
Also there are numerous other Executive Orders signed by previous Presidents allowing martial law to be imposed and the Constitution suspended during emergenices and natural disasters.We must repeal REX84 and reverse any Executive Orders that would allow martial law.If we reverse REX84 overturn all the Presidential Executive Orders which would allow for martial law and eliminate the Homeland Security Department after making sure the C.I.A. and other agencies legally are required to share necessary intelligence of course,then we can protect our Democracy.Also since under REX84 Fema would enforce martial law I disagree with calls to elevate the status of FEMA.
3)If Hurricane Katrina has shown us anything it is that poverty is still a problem in America.Right now if there are 4 people in America one makes $2million,one makes $500,000,one makes $28,000 and one makes $22,000.The person who makes $2million gives 40% of his or her money away to the government in taxes and has about $1.2million left over.The person who makes $500,000 also gives 40% of his or her money away in taxes and has about $300,000 left over.The person who made $28,000 many times doesn't have to pay any taxes at all but they still have to live on $28,000.
And the person who made $22,000 doesn't have to taxes but has to live on $22,000 for the year.So the Federal Government should simply send the person who made $28,000 a $2,000 check in the mail and the person who made $22,000 an $8,000 check in the mail now everyone has at least $30,000 after taxes.
The beauty of this plan is that since government not private business is footing the bill the minimum wage will not go up one cent.If a janitor is being paid $22,000 a year by a C.E.O.Under this plan the C.E.O. still only has to pay him $22,000.But the Federal Government will send the janitor an additional $8,000 in the mail.Since we are making sure everyone has at least $30,000 but doing it without raising the minimum wage we can get support from the business community.
Stop trying to raise the minimum wage it hurts small business and doesn't work. A better solution is if someone makes less then $30,000 just have the Federal government send them a check in the mail,so everyone will end up with at least $30,000.The building that currently houses the Homeland Security Department,since we are going to abolish that Civil Liberties nightmare,will be transformed into the "Federal Office Of The Living Wage",where we send the checks to everyone who made under $30,000 for the year.
4)Applied Digital Solutions a company in Florida has manufactured a little chip the size of a grain of rice that can be implanted into a person with a simple shot from a needle.Once the chip is in you a Satellite can pick up your every move.The piece of metal that is now in your body can be tracked.Since the chips approval by the FDA not only have some companies inserted it into their employees,meaning these people can now be tracked 24 hours a day where ever they go by Spy Satellite.Of course it is a form of physical abuse towards workers to put a chip in them.
But there also is talk of forcing soldiers and government employees to have them as well.So Congress must immediately pass legislation reversing the FDA's approval of the chip under no circumstances can these tracking chips be allowed.It should be a crime for anyone to manufacture or insert a tracking chip into another person even if the person consents to it.
It also should be clear that a ban on the chip also applies to soldiers and employees of National Security agencies.Many people in our government believe they can treat soldiers in ways they wouldn't treat Civilians so Federal legislation banning the tracking chip needs to be written in a way that makes it clear that besides private citizens,government workers who serve in our National Security agencies ,soldiers,and their families also have a right not to have tracking chips inserted into their bodies.
Besides banning the chip the other threat to the most basic of Civil Liberties is the Touch Pay.Some banks have already devised a system where a customer can get finger printed,put money in their checking account,go to a store with a Touch Pay machine enter their finger print instead of a bank card and the store will take the persons finger print send it to the bank and the bank will match the finger print to the customer and then deduct the charges from the account.Your finger print takes the place of a credit card.
While it's voluntary to participate,no one has to open a touch pay account.Obviously if every bank adopts the Touch Pay system.Then the average American won't be able to open a checking or savings account anywhere without being finger printed. So since banks are all Federally regulated anyway it would be simple to ban Touch Pays.At a Grocery store near my home they have a Touch Pay finger printing machine.This is wrong.Banks should be prohibited from offering Touch Pay accounts to customers.
5)If we don't agree with people who call for an attack on Iran,then we must be willing to push for economic sanctions and other measures to prevent Iran from acquring nuclear weapons.Iran is the biggest threat to the United States today.Iran with their anti-American,anti-semetic views are a nation that is very likely if they ever got nuclear weapons to give the weapons to Al Queda.So we must push for the same type of sanctions on Iran that we put on the old apartheid regime of South Africa.
6)During the Clinton administration religious organizations,provided they didn't discriminate could receive government money.So if the goal is simply to have faith based organizations help poor people you don't need an office of faith based initiatives unless you won't government control of the nations Churches,Synagogues,and Mosques,all of which is prohibited by the Constitution so since it's only existed for about 3 years I would abolish the Office of Faith Based Initiatives.
7)We must get out of Iraq while I want Iraq to be a Democracy.The reality is that the current Iraqi government that 2,000 American troops died to put in place has announced that they support Iran's right to nuclear fuel our troops are dying to help a government that wants our enemy to have a nuclear bomb.On top of that while I would love it if Iraq was a Democracy how does America troops killing Iraqi women and other civilians spread the cause of liberty we must pull out now.
8)While it's fine for the government to raise taxes and then use the money they collect to offer free college and graduate school to any person who volunteers the government has no right to force people to volunteer which is why something has to be put in place to make sure mandatory national service is never allowed.Many member of congress in both parties are already talking about mandatory national service.And because it would force people against their will to serve the state a form of slavery a law must be passed making it illegal for the government to force anyone against their will to participate in mandatory national service