So, what should we wish for, once we get Pres. Obama, and a bigger majority in the House and Senate?
Should we be satisfied with some minor changes, a little of this, a little of that? Is the country going fundamentally the right direction and just needs a little tweak?
NO WAY!
It's time for CHANGE. Change we can believe in!
Can we re-make America? Can we be proud of our country again?
Yes, we can.
Below the fold is my wish list. Feel free to add your own wishes, in the comments
Ten issues, in no particular order
- Eliminate the Department of
Homeland Security Privacy Invasion.
- Repeal the
Patriot Stolen Freedom act
- Pass a truly inclusive ENDA
- Legalize marijuana
- Legalize gambling
- Legalize prostitution
- Support syringe exchanges
- Massive support for existing green technology
- A Manhattan project scale investment in new green technology
- A more progressive tax structure.
- End the war in Iraq.
1. Eliminate the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Invasion. This is a ludicrous department. It has a total budget for 2008 of $46 billion dollars. All to destroy our freedom. Money spent on ridiculous advisory systems. Money to block people from helping Katrina victims. Money for a dysfunctional, poorly managed bureaucracy.
2. Repeal the Patriot Stolen Freedom act If there were a truth in labeling law for acts of congress, this one would never have gotten named the Patriot Act --- well, technically, that's just its acronym: It's official the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001". I'd argue about that name, too. It doesn't unite, it doesn't strengthen, the tools it provides are not appopriate, and it's arguable, at best, that it intercepts or prevents terrorism. This is the act that lets the government listen in on phone calls, intercept mail, detain immigrants indefinitely, and so on. It's about as American as borscht.
3. Pass a truly inclusive ENDA
ENDA is the employee non-discrimination act. It was designed to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination (cross out deliberate....they left those people out. It should be more inclusive. Like this
No person shall be hired, fired, promoted, demoted, or in any way have their employment affected by any action, belief, behavior, creed, attitude etc. that is not directly and demonstrably related to job performance, and this explicitly includes all behaviors, speeches, pronouncements, publications etc made away from the job.
That seems simple, to me. Work should depend on work.
4. Legalize marijuana Ah, marijuana. Personally, I've only tried it once (and yes I did inhale). I didn't like it, so I didn't do it again. Marijuana is, of course, illegal. That's why it's so hard to buy. All those people who smoke pot are criminals doncha know? Let's be serious, folks. Pot is not going to undermine society, and putting people in jail for using or selling it is a waste of lives and money. Legalize it, tax it, and regulate it.
5. Legalize gambling Another one where the 'small government' Republicans are for interfering with what you want to do with your life. So, gambling is legal here, illegal there. You can buy lottery tickets, but not play the numbers; you can bet on a horse race, but not a race among people --- go figure. In England all gambling is legal there are bookmaker shops, and it's led to the decline of English civilization. (can you smell the snark?), Legalize it, tax it, regulate it.
6. Legalize prostitution The oldest profession. Lots of lawmakers seem to hire prostitutes, and, you know what? Lots of other people do, too. I've never done it, myself. But I gotta figure that most of the huge problems with prostitution (like violent pimps, for instance) are due to the fact that it's illegal.
7. Support syringe exchanges Syringe exchanges allow people who use intravenous drugs to turn in dirty needles and get clean ones. The government has sponsored 8 studies of syringe exchanges, and every one of them said that they help stop the spread of AIDS and other viruses, and that they don't spread intravenous drug use. In one study that I worked on, we asked several hundred young people in Bushwick (a lwo income neighborhood in NYC) if there was an exchange in their neighborhood (there are two). Only two people knew of the programs.
8. Massive support for existing green technology There are many existing green technologies. One of the oldest (and greenest) is the bicycle. So, what if we gave away bicycles? One to a customer, and they'd be cheap ones.... What if every interstate highway had a bicycle lane? I want to ride my bicycle!
Another green technology is the train. It's great to travel by train, but with the current system, it's hard. A lot of diarists have written about rail
9. A Manhattan project scale investment in new green technology There are a lot of smart people in the world. Let's get the ones who know a lot about energy together, feed them, pay them, and give them everything they need to come up with brand new ideas, and to improve existing ones.
10. A more progressive tax structure. Duh.
11. End the war in Iraq. Another duh.
These 10 things would, I think, make for a fairer, better world. A more sustainable world. And, they'd also go a long way to eliminating the deficit.