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Distant Quasar

Distant Quasar's Journal
Distant Quasar's Journal
August 18, 2014

Small government Democrats?

I'm not sure whom to support in the Democratic Party these days. Many centrists and National Security State liberals seem perfectly happy with the worst aspects of so-called big government: foreign wars, intelligence overreach, the war on drugs, corporate welfare, etc. Progressive Dems fortunately oppose this nonsense, but mainly seem committed to an ambitious platform of higher domestic spending, higher taxes, more regulations; I used to be in this camp, but I'm less and less sure that's what the country needs at this point in time.

Are there any Democratic candidates who are focused on more of what you could call a "progressive smaller government" agenda? I am thinking of someone who fuses a socially liberal, pro-civil liberties, anti-war approach with policies like:

- Slashing military spending and using the savings to balance the budget and/or cut working/middle-class income taxes.

- Eliminating corporate welfare and ending bank bailouts once and for all.

- Funding payroll tax cuts for lower-income workers with a revenue-neutral carbon tax.

- Repealing legal restrictions on workers' rights to organize and strike.

- Ending all spending programs that support police militarization or the War on Drugs.

- Cutting unnecessary regulations and subsidies that impede competition and drive up prices in, say, healthcare.

- Restoring control of public education to states and local communities.

- Rolling back excessive patent and copyright laws.

- Reining in federal infrastructure projects that subsidize carbon-intensive transport and encourage sprawl.

- Balancing the budget and preserving the social programs we already have - but generally refraining from expensive new projects like single payer or universal preschool.

I'd personally like to support candidates who think generally along these lines - people who are interested in selectively reducing or limiting the footprint of government, in ways that benefit ordinary people and the environment, rather than big corporations. Are there any who fit the bill out there?

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Member since: Sun Jan 26, 2014, 02:55 PM
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