Reply #8: agree and don't agree

[kitp]

U.S. Troops out of Iraq starting now and completed six months later.
Basic health care for all children (under 16) within 6 months, all adults within 18 months.
Increase minimum wage to $10 per hour. ($7 per hour still leaves family of four under the poverty line).
Energy independence.
End the Cold War.

I don't have a good plan for Iraq withdrawal, there may not be one. I will let better minds than mine figure out how. But, we leave immediately and it wouldn't hurt to apologize to the world for the excesses of our previous administration.

80% of Americans want universal health care. Why this is an issue is beyond me.

I agree that energy plans need to be developed along with emission reductions. Oil and coal need to go completely. This is complex and difficult, a nice 'slogan' but a difficult plan. However, a general nationwide 'independence day' plan is good, by next Independence Day we reduce foreign oil consumption by X%, done each year over 8 years reduces energy consumption Y% making us independent of foreign oil. Our lavish and, frankly, irresponsible wasteful burning of oil has led us into all sorts of folly, backing regimes like Saddam's and then going to war with them. Military disasters that have fueled hatred against us when actually we're really nice people with no desire to blow up woman and children for oil.
If we cut the military budget by 10% we can use that money to buy solar panels for the entire country. Suddenly we have reduced our need to burn coal and oil by X% (I don't know the numbers. 10% gives us 40 billion per year for 8 years gives us 320 billion, figure a panel costs 500 when bought in quantity that gives us 640 million solar panels or about 6 per household. What I don't know is what energy savings that gives us.) Couple this with simple things like compact flourescent lights and - big one and difficult - increasing fuel efficiency X mpg every year for 8 years for all vehicles.
If we cut the military budget by 25%, which we could certainly do, that would give us 100 billion a year or 800 billion to play with over 8 years. Certainly would be useful.

End the Cold War. The CW brought us many things - an irrational fear of 'commies', the National Security State, the rule of the military-industrial complex. This led us into the folly and tragedy of Viet Nam - remember the domino theory? This led us to invade Cuba and have 40 years of idiotic irrational anti-Castro policy. This led us to fear any socialist government, which makes no sense at all. It has cost us a HUGE amount of money. It has given us the CIA and the NSA which are totally useless, worse than useless - gigantic amounts of money in childish James Bond games running around the planet bumping off dictators and completely and totally missing real dangers. When we failed to forsee and prevent 9-11 did we say the CIA has failed and should be disbanded? No, we gave them more money!
Every having to do with the CW was idiotic and against our better interests. Secret government, the fascist concept of National Security having more importance the the nation itself (that's us, the peepul). Regime changes, bad wars, irrational fear of ill-defined 'enemies' all to create what the Republican Ike warned us about - the military, intelliegence and industry (read 'corporations') taking gigantic amounts of America's wealth and putting it in their own pockets.
Declare the CW dead. We have no serious enemies in the world, the few we have we created by our bone-headed behavior, setting up tinpot dictators and stealings the natural resources of poorer countries and just bombing innocent civilians into oblivion. It's pathetic, it's tragic and it's immoral. End it.
Shut down the CIA, the NSA. Repeal the National Security Act of 1947. Pass a law that no U.S. military troops may be sent into battle with a congressional declaration of war. Change the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War and the Secretary of War.
Disband 98% of the military bases we have around the world and, in my opinion, cut the military budget by 80%!!!


Immigration is the latest neo-con 'make them scared' issue. It is a non-issue. Do not discuss it at all except to quote the Statue of Liberty "bring me your poor..." and state that we must find a way to include those who wish to come to America, either as temporary workers or residents or citizens. Our country is as large as our hearts. If we accept the neo-con definition that immigration is a policy we lose. We must aggressively make it a non-issue. Neo-cons create an enemy (either external or internal) then make people afraid of that enemy then declare themselves to be the only party strong enough to protect people (becuase Democrats are whimps when it comes to law and order and the military, not true but has been ingrained in the political discussion for a generation and will take time to overcome).
We cannot enter into this debate, we cannot allow them to frame this issue. We welcome immigrants, our country was founded by immigrants (ask the Native-Americans), our country was built by immigrants, our country was made strong by immigrants. We are immigrants. We must find a way to include these people yearning to be free into our great nation, continuing the traditions that have made us the richest most diverse culture this planet has ever seen.
Then list off a couple of dozen great Americans who were immigrants.

Just a couple of ideas.

Oh, and the joining with moderate Republicans - okay, what freakin' ever. Why haven't the moderate Republicans reached out to us to help protect America against these fascists? Why are we always called upon to appease them? I say, look at the polls, it's time for a progressive/liberal/socialist revolution and I think Americans would support it.
We have more to fear from the moderates in our own party - Lieberman supports the war, Clinton is against flag-burning, Kerry worries about immigration et freakin' cetera - that cozying up to the Republican moderates just makes us look weak. Look at the polls. This adminstration is in the toilet and is not going to recover. Moderate Republicans look like conservatives who aren't quite as reckless as the current admininstration and that's appealing to the voters. Moderate Democrats look like they're trying to be Republicans and that is pathetic to the voters. Makes us look weak, in fact, doing so does make us weak.
Look at the polls. Pull out of Iraq - majority support; universal health care - majority support; clean up corruption in elections and governing - majority support. I could go on. Why does it serve us to join with moderate Republicans? If we state clearly our liberal ideals and goals we can receive support from the public and then the moderate Republicans will want to join with us. If we weaken our claims we weaken our support.