What's your pet plank for the '08 Dem platform?

[smoogatz]

I've got three:

1.Energy independence by 2025! A national drive to invent and build an oil-free, CO2-free energy infrastructure in less than twenty years, on the scale of NASA. He who owns the next generation of energy production owns the future; if America wants to retain its economic preeminence, it must be in the lead in energy production. This program will pay for itself in the long run; short run we finance it by rolling back Bushco's tax cuts for the rich.

2.Iraq: win or get out. Either we commit the necessary troops, cash and materiel to doing the job right, a la the Marshall plan in post-war Germany, or we get the fuck out. No more doing it on the cheap--that's a sure way to get a lot of Americans killed on the way to a bloody Iraqi civil war.

3.Nationalize health insurance. Not national health care--national health insurance. Doctors will be largely unaffected--health insurers will cease to exist as we know them today. Our current health care system amounts to an annual tax on individuals and employers of 4.3 trillion dollars every year--or 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. The average employer insurance policy for a family of four costs $10,000 annually. We spend 15% of our annual GDP on healthcare, compared to 9.7 percent in Canada--where everyone's covered. It's time to take the waste, fraud and profiteering out of the health insurance picture--and the only way to do that is to nationalize.

[William769]

1. Equal rights for the GLBT community.

I won't accept anyyhing less & I won't vote for any party that does not include this. I'm tired of the bullshit & lies.

[tatertop]

4. Has any candidate (other than Kucinich) ever promised that?

[terrya]

12. Al Sharpton did

[tatertop]

13. Good for Al.

[NNadir]

2. A serious commitment to addressing global climate change.

This is THE issue of our times. Everything else is small time.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

3. I would add

government-subsidized daycare to that.

Now that most women need to work in order to pay the rent, we need to help with exhorbitant day care. And this will give us an opportunity for early intervention with kids who need it. It should included breakfasts, lunches and dinners for all children.

No child in this country should be hungry. Ever.

[tatertop]

5. I think #2 should be: get out of Iraq now

And we should lay out a plan for that.
It can be done.

[ArkDem]

6. A meaty bone in every bowl!

[smoogatz]

7. kickeroo.

[bluedawg12]

8. Economy, security, human rights.

Pro-growth Initiative For A Strong and Secure Democracy.

1.) The Economy- Pride and strength for our working middle class.

Good paying jobs with a future.
Support for the American Working Middle Class.
Affordable, high quality, health care.
Vouchers for working families who chose a stay at home parent option.
Keeping good jobs here at home- American workers are our priority.
Affordable energy.

2.) National Security- Pride in a Strong America

A rational strategic plan for security here at home.
Safe and secure national borders.
A strong military.
Support for active duty troops.
Support for the families of over seas active duty troops.
Support for veterans.
A rational foreign policy based on diplomacy, as well as, military might.


3.) Human rights-

Access to voting in America is free, no poll tax or costly voter ID's- a living Democracy in action.
Support for families and the rights of "all" American families.
Fairness in work, housing, and benefits for all Americans.
Less government interference in the private lives of Americans and a smaller government.
Good stewardship of the environment for ourselves and for future generations.

.....
Check out this Pew Poll:
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=948

[OneBlueSky]

9. Protecting the health of the planet and the environment . . .

must take precedence over all human activity . . . no exceptions! . . .

sure, it will be expensive . . . but it will be a hell of a lot cheaper than what we'll end up paying if we DON'T act . . . and soon . . .

[welshTerrier2]

10. Renewing our democracy

The primary statement the Democratic Party should make is that we believe that American citizens do not have equal access to their own government ... changes, whatever changes they may be, need to be made to enable each and every citizen to participate in influencing the direction of their government ...

Democracy cannot exist when big money and powerful corporations are able to infest our Democratic institutions ... Democracy cannot exist when access to information is controlled by only six corporations that control more than 90% of America's radio, TV and newspaper outlets ... Democracy cannot exist when we allow candidates to campaign on aircraft carriers with marching bands instead of speaking the plain truth to the country ... Democracy cannot exist when political parties do not have processes that allow each and every voice to be heard in the shaping of their platforms ... and democracy cannot exist when a diversity of ideas is stifled by our political processes ...

Calling for a renewal of our democracy to return America to the ideals of our Founding Fathers is not a policy; it's a theme or a concept ... it is intentionally general to espouse the essential truth that America "can do better" in fulfilling the promise of the American ideal ...

All other "laundry lists" will not be possible without this critically essential change ...

[cassiepriam]

11. Free elections? That's for starters.

[win_in_06]

14. Finally, We The People

[Dr Fate]

15. Large tax cuts for the middle class. n/t

n/t

[RethugAssKicker]

16. No more doing it on the cheap ?????

Don't you think 300 billion is enough!!!.. Cheap????

We need to get the fuck out of Iraq .. not sacrifice more lives and money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smoogatz]

19. Well, if you look at it as a percentage of GDP

and compare it with the Marshall plan, it's actually pretty modest. But you make an excellent point.

[KnowerOfLogic]

17. Out of Iraq NOW; and i want health *care* not health insurance;

insurance is a load of crap, and nothing more than legalized robbery.

[smoogatz]

20. I don't think socialized medicine is a winner

politically speaking; it's too easy to cast doctors as potential victims. But nobody likes the insurance companies.

[eridani]

29. Doctors win big with socialized insurance--

--in Canada, their incomes went up by a third after single payer was fully implemented. It's what comes of spending money for actual care instead of paying people to tell patients that they aren't covered for that.

[Mass]

23. ³1 - (3 is a close one, but 1 is something key to both our FP and ...

healthcare issues).

We would not be in Iraq if we had adopted an alternative energy policy 30 years ago. Our environment would also be a lot cleaner and a bold development of alternative energies would have allowed both a modernization of the industry and creation of jobs that are both high-paying and non exportable jobs.

But I am happy to see that you propose nationalized health insurance, because this is what the countries that were listed as the best in the world for healthcare have (France particularly as #1) - Countries like England, that have nationalized healthcare, were a lot lower in the list. As for the US, they were even lower.

[hootinholler]

18. Mine isn't on the list...

How about a 'come clean' plank. Just tell the fucking truth for once.

I think that would be refreshing, and energizing to the, what, 50% who can't even be bothered to vote?

-Hoot

[blondeatlast]

21. #3 Above all, although I'm arguably in favor of nationalized health care.

I just don't see it happening in my lifetime barring an unmitigated crisis.

OTOH, my parents saw the WPA and GI Bill, so with courageous leadership, it could happen.

[Stinky The Clown]

22. A Minimum Standard of Living

An all-inclusive social covenant whereby the least of us has no worry about health care, nutrition, housing, or education. Complete security for our seniors at the highest standard they attained for three consecutive years while working.

Ideally, this would include a no-bullshit single payer health care system. Not insurance. Not subsidies. Health Care. Free for the lowest income, and paid at a sliding rate to the most wealthy.

It would include a national nutrition program. Again, it would be available on a sliding scale. No one in America shall ever again go hungry.

A minimum level of housing would be the right of every American.

Education, through four years of college, will also be the right of every American, but with the stipulation that they maintain a set GPA for college level study.

Our seniors will want for nothing. We the People will engage in a contract with them wehereby each retired American will maintin the best standard of living they were able to attain while working. A teacher would be entitled to live at that level, as would a bank president and a house cleaner. In essence, this means the above four points would continue to apply to them.

In the case of the bank president, he would, for example, pay for his health care in accordance with the rules. As his income stays high in retirement (due to a good pension and wise investment), he will pay at the same rate. But should his investments not pay well in retirement, he will still receive health care, but will only pay according to his means.

The same applies to the house cleaner. As his income reduces in retirement, he will continue to, for example, have the ability to eat nutritious meals by having a government subsidy in accordance with his reduced ability to pay for food.

The teacher would remain in the house he owns, even if he has a mortgage and his income reduces to the point where he can no longer make the payments. The givernment will subsidize the mortgage payments in accordance with the teacher's ability to pay part of it.

Ours remains a wealthy country. These programs would be very possible, but only with a complete and total reworking of our society. I suspect this plank would be a dream, as the change needed to accomplish it will never get done in a single president's eight year term.

But it SHOULD be the goal.

[bluedawg12]

24. in Canada people wait 6 months for a hip replacement

or come to the US and pay out of pocket.

the gov. will f8ck up medicine even more.

get the hopsitals to cut their obscene profit margins, and cut drug costs in the US, and control the insurance companies who are profiting on illness and misery big time.

[eridani]

30. So what?

Hip replacements are not matters of life and death. 18,000 people a year die here because they can't pay for the care that would have saved them. Anyone who thinks they have a right to kill someone just to get a hip replacement a couple of months sooner can fuck off and die, IMO.

The only part that the government has is providing the insurance--care would still be mostly privately delivered.

And as far as people travelling to get health care, WA State Health Care for All sends large numbers of people north to get basic care with our Helpline program.

[bluedawg12]

25. Canadian docs vote:a resolution supporting access to private insurance

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/173/8/901

CMAJ • October 11, 2005; 173 (8). doi:10.1503/cmaj.051137.
© 2005 CMA Media Inc. or its licensors

Should Canadian physicians support parallel private health care?


>Delegates at the CMA's ( Canadian Medical Association) General Council meeting in August voted by a margin of almost 2:1 in favour of a resolution supporting access to private insurance to cover medically necessary services that the public system fails to deliver in a timely way. This decision marks a significant change in policy from just a decade years ago, when delegates at the 1996 General Council meeting defeated a similar motion.1

During this debate at this year's General Council, many of the arguments for "private" medicine centred on stories from physicians about patients who suffered while they waited for care. Although these stories are important, the lack of evidence-based discussion left the most important questions unanswered: Will private medicine actually improve access to care for patients, and what will the consequences of privately insured care be for the public system? <

[loyalsister]

26. something like what we have in the U.S.?

You are guaranteed coverage if you are poor enough or can afford it. Middle class could have a hard time affording it. They are really getting squeezed here.
In both cases you DO wait to see a doctor. (I had to wait 3 weeks to see my GP last time I scheduled).

[bluedawg12]

27. Medicine today pleases neither patients or doctors

a lot of money spent and there seems to be much waste.

I can tell you that the solution will not be simple, because government does not practice medicine too well, these @ss holes can't manage on freaking FEMA disater properly.

Hopefully, policy wonks that are patient focused and not in love with tons of paper work could hammer out a sound progressive health care plan.

[eridani]

28. I'd revise #2 to read--

NO PERMANENT BASES. Agree on that, and then we can argue the specifics of timing and strategy.

[sadiesworld]

31. Environment/Democracy

I can't choose--w/o one life is impossible and w/o the other it is intolerable. EVERYTHING else is on the table. Sorry.

[election_2004]

32. Civil unions

Clearly rejecting the notion of homosexual couples having to continue remaining legal strangers to each other.

[McCamy Taylor]

33. You named all 3 smoogatz, good job.

[area51]

34. platform

Universal healthcare, not health insurance. Insurance exists to deny people's claims.

No more offshoring/inshoring of jobs.

Equal rights whether straight or gay.

End the drug war.

Get the fsck out of Iraq & Afghanistan.

The military budget must be pared so this nation can survive.

Invest in alternative energy sources.

Offer tax rebates to go off the grid.

And I'm sure I'll think of more later. :evilgrin:

[Siyahamba]

35. Get government out of the marriage business.

If marriage is a religious institution, then the churches should be best equipped to defend it. This is also a separation of church and state issue. Government should grant civil unions to couples regardless of gender, but leave marriage to religious institutions. If certain churches want to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, then so be it.