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With Congress now narrowly in Democratic hands it is time to get the party serious on legislation and political maneuvering designed to increase Democratic power and save the nation from the clutches of the destructive right. Following are a few political proposals intended to reveal the Republican Party for what it is.But first things first.
To Democratic Party movers and shakers: Quit piddling around with "nonbinding resolutions" and start doing something meaningful. Stop ignoring patriotic Americans out here who are concerned about this nation's future and what you plan to do about it, for there are millions of us who can think for ourselves and a great many are smarter than you are. Start listening.
Some things have been done, but none have become law yet. The Democratic agenda should include:
1) Pay for George Bush's war, but do it exactly as the United States Constitution requires in Article I, Section 8, paragraph 1, with "Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises," which means no borrowing and would require repealing Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. Force Republicans to argue against funding the troops and force Bush to veto funding for the GIs he professes to love. If rich conservatives have to pay for the war they will turn against it. And if the GOP won't accept legal funding, get out of Iraq;
2) Repeal all tax loopholes that allow firms like Enron to escape taxation;
3) Raise minimum wage with no link to more tax cuts--make Bush veto it;
4) Require paper trails in all federal elections--make Bush veto that;
5) More stringent antipollution laws and huge increases in automobile mileage standards;
6) Restore the "fairness doctrine" and pass bills to break up media conglomerates;
7) Pass an antitrust bill to outlaw one corporation from owning another corporation;
8) Remove all federal restrictions on stem-cell research;
9) End "abstinence-only" sex education;
10) Undo, redo or alter seriously the Bush Medicare drug program;
11) Rebuild New Orleans;
12) Repeal all GOP laws that infringe on our constitutional rights and freedoms;
13) Propose constitutional amendment for public financing of all elections and extend libel, defamation and slander laws to political campaigning;
14) Pass bills to eliminate all pensions and medical coverage for all retired elected and appointed government officials;
15) Impeach the Supreme Court's RATS faction (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia);
16) Collect facts and evidence to turn over to the World Court for war-crimes trials of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others;
17) Propose expelling Texas from the Union (after it pays $8 trillion for all the federal property in the state to compensate for the Reagan-Bush-Bush stupidity) because of the damage Texans have done to the nation. Since Ann Richards and Molly Ivins have left us, who needs Texas anymore? If it won't pay the $8 trillion, let it stay but shut the hell up.
