This is my grown-up Christmas Wish. Once upon a time I tried my hand at writing for a bi-partisan political blog, Political Voices of Women. During the run-up to the 2008 election season I suggested that voters make a list of the top 10 issues of most importance to their lives and use that list as a guide when listening to debates, campaign speeches and television interviews. While I no longer blog about politics, Id like to take a moment to make the same recommendation to you. Consider it as creating your own racing form, fantasy team draft or political brackets guide. Id also like to share a few of the issues for which that I will be watching, listening and analyzing. Before I get into the list let me say that one of the most important things that I will be looking for in a candidate is someone who has a perspective on all regions of the nation, urban and rural, rich and poor, atheists and persons of faith, White communities, those of persons of color, as well as the LGBT community. With that said, heres the list in no particular order of importance: 1. A plan to significantly invest in public education on the grade school and college undergraduate level. It seems that so often we give lip service to the idea that children are our future and that we are borrowing from our children but when fail to invest in preparing children to be the leaders of the future. We already know that the Icelandic model of education works. If America truly wants to be exceptional then we need to adopt that model. 2. A plan to protect Social Security not cut it or privatize it. Study after study has shown that Social Security not only prevents many senior citizens from sliding into poverty, it benefits the economy. 3. A plan to move this nation to a single payer health care system. Expanding Medicare to cover all citizens for at least 80% of all primary care, non-elective hospitalization, dental and vision care. Citizens will still have the option of purchasing supplemental coverage from private insurers for extended hospitalization, elective services and long term care in a nursing home facility or at home. 4. A plan to pay down the national debt by both increasing federal revenues and cutting out waste. A minimal increase on the income tax of at least the top 5%. A discontinuation of tax breaks and subsidies to corporations that outsource labor, manufacturing and capital investment offshore. New tax incentives to corporations that increase their US labor force, manufacturing and capital investment. 5. A plan for transitioning returning military personnel to peace time employment. Many of the returning service men and women were active in rebuilding infrastructure such as highways, aquifers, housing etc. while deployed. Overall I am looking for a candidate with a plan to refocus the military from the war on terror to a national defense, disaster preparedness and response and a scientific mission. 6. Hand in hand with item 5, a plan to significantly invest in the US infrastructure that includes repairing highways, bridges etc., expanding and upgrading public transportation and updating the power grid with green energy sources like wind and solar. 7. A plan to address the financial hardships of un-paid family caregivers. 8. A plan to increase the investment in research of cancer and neurological illness. 9. An overall commitment to environmental protection. A halt on off-shore, Arctic drilling and fracking. 10. The decriminalization of marijuana. 11. Increased tax incentives and protections for small farmers and ranchers involved in food production. And 12. For this I have to borrow language for a bill proposed in 2009 known as H.R. 104. A call for the creation of a bi-partisan Commission to review Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties to investigate the broad range of policies that have been undertaken over the last decade under claims of un-reviewable war powers, including detention by the United States Armed Forces and the intelligence community, the use by the United States Armed Forces or the intelligence community of enhanced interrogation techniques or interrogation techniques not authorized by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, `ghosting or other policies intended to conceal the fact that an individual has been captured or detained, extraordinary rendition, domestic warrantless electronic surveillance, and other policies that the Commission may determine to be relevant to its investigation (hereinafter in this Act referred to as `the activities). Thats my wish list. You might have noticed that I did not directly address the issue of poverty and homelessness in this political wish list. That is because I do not believe that government can address everything. I have a wish list for the Church too. i will share that later.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 20:28:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015