During my working career (I'm retired now), I used two tools to keep myself organized and productive through even the most hectic days. Those tools were a day planner and a pocket notepad. The day planner recorded all appointments, meetings, trips, deadlines, etc., and the notepad was for a list of Things To Do - things I thought needed doing that day. I spent the first part of each day updating both, adding items that moved up in priority, scratching out the completed items, and moving items not completed the previous day to the new page. This worked very well for me and I taught it to the kids as they grew up.
Anyway, I thought I'd help out Obama and make up a "Things To Do" list for him so he could go to work on Day One. See what you think and feel free to add your own items or dispute items you don't like. My hope is that it stimulates thought on what actions people would actually expect from a Democratic administration and Congress.
I am assuming a filibuster-proof Senate, and that is probably a little overoptimistic, but I suspect a Senate result in the 57-43 or better range would cause the GOPers up in 2010 to become very accommodating without BushCo in the background threatening their political lives unless they support Bush's neocon insanities.
Action Items
Defense Policy
- Withdraw all troops from Iraq within 12 months. Leave residual force at base in Qatar to contain subsequent civil war and prevent mass killings.
- Eliminate SDI(Strategic Defense Initiative), aka "Star Wars".
- Enact strict religious separation regulations for all military personnel.
- Prohibit spying or collection of info on US civilians.
- Renew Posse Comitatus prohibition on military involvement in any and all domestic conflicts or law enforcement activities.
- Prohibit "Stop-Loss" back door draft programs.
- Renew, expand, and fund the G.I. bill for vets.
- Reorganize and equip military to face modern threats, with increased emphasis on Special Operations, peacekeeping, and humanitarian intervention operations.
- Assist CIA in hunting down and eliminating terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places.
- Sign Non-Militarization Of Space Treaty with other nations having space capabilities.
- Modify military procurement system to insure integrity.
- Give military command authority over contractor operations in foreign countries.
Foreign Policy
- Apologize to the world at the UN for the US invasion of Iraq under false pretenses and allowing the kidnapping and torture of Iraqis and suspected terrorists.
- Open diplomatic talks with Iran, Venezuela, & other enemies.
- Make the CIA lead agency in finding and eliminating terrorists.
- Take active role in preventing human tragedies in conflict areas.
- Actively undermine repressive authoritation regimes.
Tax Policy
- Allow Bush tax cuts for wealthy to expire.
- Raise capital gains tax to 75% of ordinary income rate.
- Eliminate interest deductions for those making over $200,000/yr
- Eliminate special tax status of hedge funds.
- Improve enforcement powers and resources at the Fed, IRS, and SEC.
- Criminalize the use of offshore corporate tax havens.
- Eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax.
- Restructure tax tables for more brackets and higher rates on top incomes.
- Pass a 2-year, graduated 1-10% Iraq War Surtax on corporate and personal incomes above $75,000/yr to eliminate federal war debt.
- Pass a Windfall Profits tax on energy companies to fund alternatives programs.
Trade Policy
- Reopen NAFTA for negotiations to include labor and environmental protections.
- Increase and fund improved enforcement and monitoring of imported product quality and manufacturing conditions.
- Link trade to human and labor rights. Make them part of every trade agreement.
- Crack down on "knockoff" importation and smuggling of fake pharmaceuticals.
Consumer Law
- Modify the Bankruptcy Reform Act to allow easier bankruptcy.
- Pass national usury laws.
- Expand funding and powers of Consumer Protection Agency.
- Regulate collection agency tactics.
- Allow consumers to sue companies importing harmful products or those manufactured in substandard conditions.
Labor Policy
- Eliminate corporate tax deduction for outsourcing US jobs.
- Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act and liberalize union formation.
- Eliminate corporate abuse of H1B and other visa programs.
- Raise Minimum Wage to $10.00/hr or local Living Wage level, whichever is greater.
- Enact a national infrastructure renewal program that funds the construction of bridges, dams, roads, airports, and port improvements.
- Fund a high-speed, national passenger rail system under AMTRAK.
- Crack down on international human smuggling.
Election Law
- Establish detailed national standards for accuracy and integrity in election machinery and procedures.
- Criminalize "robocalling" and other intrusive campaign tactics.
- Improve FEC enforcement capability and scope. Establish a nonpartisan professional enforcement corps
- Establish legal framework for resolution of disputed elections.
- Criminalize improper voter registration "purges" and registration abuses by gathering contractors.
- Require all political and "issue" advertisers using licensed transmission facilities(radio, TV, cable) to clearly identify themselves within the ad and make it's funding sources available on an internet site.
Legal Reform
- De-politicize the Justice Dept, including the OLC and all district US Attny's offices.
- Repeal the Patriot Act. Stop FBI abuse of powers.
- Enable full access to state and federal courts for class action, consumer, and environmental suits.
- Stronger consumer and environmental protection laws.
- De-criminalize drug use, allow controlled manufacturing and access.
- Address prison overcrowding and eliminate private, for-profit prisons.
- Expand the federal courts system to deal with increased case load and improve speed. Separate criminal and civil courts. Increase use of Magistrates.
- Pass strong child protection laws to prevent abuse by churches and other organizations. Require states to meet minimum standards for children under state care.
- Stronger state-religion separation laws.
- Pass new FISA law increasing judicial and congressional control and review.
- Resolve the extent of executive privilege claims and get SCOTUS approval.
- Eliminate the death penalty.
- Eliminate the trial and sentencing of juveniles as adults.
- Implement new rules for application of Diminshed Capacity defenses.
- Request, fund, and empower(supoena power) an ICC(International Criminal Court) to investigate and report on BushCo war crimes.
- Revise corporate law to eliminate corporate "personhood" and it's associated rights.
- Legislate strict information privacy rights and criminalize the collection or use of personal information for advertising purposes. Define personal information to cover medical, financial, and criminal history.
Energy, Transportation, & Environmental Policy
- Stricter CAFE and emission standards on national level.
- Begin emergency national project to make hydrogen fuel cell or carrier(ammonia) technology viable for transportation requirements. Fund research and infrastructure construction. Fund university research and trial projects for alternative power generating techniques like solar, wind, and tidal.
- Renew and fund enforcement of the Endangered Species Act.
- Establish and actively promote a science-based worldwide carbon emission control regime. Link to trade and security treaties. Pass domestic implementation and enforcement laws.
- Criminalize mining techniques destructive to the environment. Fund increased enforcement.
- Eliminate all oil & gas tax exemptions and depletion allowances. Restrict drilling on national lands and sensitive environmental areas. Require carbon offsets.
Science, Technology, & Space Policy
- Re-prioritize NASA for more unmanned planetary exploration missions, development of improved Space Station capabilities, new LEO(Low Earth Orbit) launch techniques, and the Orion Space Shuttle replacement.
- Improve tax breaks for corporations funding university research programs(not individuals).
- Increase scholarships for science and technology students.
- Revamp entire Patent Office for effectiveness and to prevent frivolous patents and patents on designed or highly modified life forms.
- Pass net neutrality legislation.
- Restore the Fairness Doctrine for communications using licensed transmission facilities(Radio, TV, cable).
- Establish a federal technology "venture" fund to promote technologies considered vital to national long-term economic strategy.
- Redefine "fair use" and revise copyright law to reflect modern technologies and usage practices to balance intellectual property rights with consumer rights.
Health Care
- Expand Medicare program to include all children under 21, all students, and all physically and mentally impaired citizens. Expand services to include pharmaceutical drugs, mental, and essential dental care. Establish national insurance program for everyone 21-65, with financial assistance for poor and adjudicated financial penalties for non-insured.
- Require all private medical insurance programs to accept all applicants.
- Expand, fund, and empower the CDC to detect and deal with possible pandemics and other biological threats.
- Reorganize FDA to minimize industry influence and improve research staff capabilities. Increase funding.
- Establish a national hospital, specialist, and clinc system capable of delivering mandated services at nonprofit prices.
- Establish a National Health Service to fund the education of, and employ, doctors and nurses to serve in national hospitals and clinics.
- Allow Medicare to negotiate and set national drug prices with manufacturers, with no legal recourse.
- Eliminate all prescription drug advertising.
Domestic Economic Policy
- Reinstate and modernize the Glass-Steagall Act separating the consumer, merchant, and investment banking/brokerage industries.
- Increase SEC, Fed Reserve, FDIC, and FDIA powers and enforcement budgets. Regulate and restrict financial instrument creation to those with understood risks.
- Regulate insurance industry on national level. Establish standards for sales practices and financial requirements.
- Regulate the loan brokerage industry.
- Raise elgibility age to 68, eliminate FICA cap to extend Social Security solvency.
Education Policy
- Fund state-run trade school systems to train and license qualified construction, maintenance, and technical professions not requiring a college degree.
- Increase graduate school scholarships for low-income students in strategic fields.
Social Policy
- Ban assault weapons sales and ownership, restrict ownership and require registration of all handguns, require safe storage and transport.
- Re-establish national legality of abortion, fund abortions under Medicare.
- Include sexual-orientation based assaults under hate crime legislation.
Did I forget anything?