Wow, Do We Have a Lot to Be Thankful for This Year. Now , About 2007....

We could have faced a dark thanksgiving where the elections were totally stolen instead of just partially stolen. WE could have faced a dark thanksgiving where right wing extremists had consolidated their power, probably permanently, taking the US inevitably down the path to fascism. We could have faced a dark thanksgiving where corporatists had finally broken the will of the American voter. But instead, we now face a hopeful future, not a sure one, not one that we can be certain is rosy for the USA and its great masses of regular people. But we have a chance. The congress has a chance. We can't be sure about the congress. They will surely be subjected to temptations by the K street lobbyists. Maybe today is a good day to pray for them, however you connect to the universe, to put some thought forms and energy into the idea that our new majority of legislators, and the Republicans who survived, with and without the help of election e-vote rigging, will all find, in their hearts and spirits the vision and integrity to do what's right for We The People, instead of what's good for big corporations and millionaires. Call them prayers, hopes, wishes, even ultimatums... here are some ways the incoming congress could give us reason for thanks in 2007. -Investigate, investigate, investigate and follow up with whatever legal mandates the investigations lead to, including impeachment. -Pass a lot of legislation. Show that a congress can get things done, not just posture on wedge issues like gay marriage and flag burning. -Revoke the war-making authority the congress gave to Bush/CHeney. Make it clear that the legislation passed after 9/11 is no longer alive. The revocation should make it clear that the original war authorization was based on a massive collection of lies. Make sure Cheney or any of the other misguided Neocon fools are not able to drag us into Iran. This should be the first step the new congress takes. -Raise the minimum Wage to a living wage -Clean up the Vote. Abolish HAVA, re-write Rush Holt's HR 550 and create a set of airtight laws that insure safe votes in all elections-- all federal elections, all state elections-- all local elections. Every vote is like a single cell in the body of democracy. If it isn't done in an honest, 100% trustworthy, rigging-impregnable way, then it is a threat to the whole body of democracy. And include tough punishments, so people who commit crimes against the vote are treated as murderers of democracy, with severe sentences, including the death penalty (think Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell.) -Provide Health Care for Every American take the VA health system, medicare and medicaid and create a hybrid that uses the best of these already existing national health care systems and bring the USA into the first world, like the rest of the wealthy nations on this planet, who care for all of their citizens. While we're at it, we'll be giving a real boost to the remaining industries surviving in the US, that have had to compete against companies in other countries, where health care provision was not a cost of doing business. -Dump our Current Model of Economic Globalism it is designed for the few hundred largest corporations-- not for the people of the world. It is destroying industries in first world nations and enslaving and exploiting workers in third world nations, while privatizing what should be owned by the people, like oil, natural resources, water, land... We need a new, organic model of globalism, that recognizes that nations, like living organisms, must have "skins" to protect them, otherwise, they die. The US should either withdraw from WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, etc., or insist on major changes. -End Corporate Personhood corporations currently claim to have the same rights as people-- to privacy, to influence elections. This was not always the case. One fast way to clean up a lot of the probelms we currently face in this country is to pass a law making it clear that corporations do not have the right of corporate personhood. Make it clear they can not influence elections, have no right to privacy, and are subject to termination for illegal and unacceptable behaviors and actions. -Take Back Control of the US Economy from Global Forces Business week reports,in an article, Can Anyone Steer This Economy? "Global forces have taken control of the economy. And government, regardless of party, will have less influence than ever." If the FEd raises interest rates, global lenders can come in and loan money at lower rates, minimizing the effects of interest rate rises. Even cutting taxes has been shown to have a minimal effect on the economy. We need to insulate the US or it will be at the mercy of outside influences. The number one contributor to Republican campaigns was the banking and finance industry. Look to the money for the solution. Start putting tariffs on money that comes into this country seeking interest. -Get Tough With Corporations That Offshore too many US corporations have played the shell game, setting up offshore headquarters to avoid taxes. Or they've been acquired by international conglomerates. If we don't play hardball with both groups, they will become more powerful than the US, if they haven't already done so. -Make college Education free for US Citizens We're falling far behind in competitiveness. An educated middle class is essential to a democracy. Even though college grads tend to vote republican, do it. That statistic is probably because currently, the wealthy "haves" are the ones who get access to college. -Develop Strategies to Continue the Purge of Right Wing extremists from Washington Plan to take another 9 additional senate seats, another 50 congressional seats and the presidency. Make it a bigger route than the 2006 tsunami. Develop and Implement Strategies to take back the media When Bush took office, the mainstream media received a message. "Cover us in a conservative friendly way, or lose access." The Dems need to do the same, and reward friendly media. Fox shouldn't get access to Dem leaders without hiring non-conservative anchors. -Research, identify and revoke the bad laws the Right wing extremist congress passed. Assemble a congressional team to study all the legislation signed into law since Bush was inaugurated. Make a big list of the abuses of power. Make sure it is well publicized. Then reverse them. -Research, identify and re-instate the good laws and regulations Bush and his right wing cronies revoked that protected we the people, workers, the environment, the constitution... Start with Habeus corpus and the Military Commissions ACt. Then move on to phone tapping and the other abuses of the Patriot Act. -Reject Bush's signing statements. make it clear they are illegal and unacceptable. Investigate how he has perverted and criminally abused legislation. -Take Control of US Energy Needs Take a stand for energy independence. Fund research, to be owned by the US and licensed to US companies, not transnational parasites and corporate thieves, like we have with medical and pharmaceutical research, and invest what it takes to preserve our petroleum resources for what they should be used for-- high tech organic compounds, plastics, etc. Let the rest of the world (except Brazil, which has already wised up) burn up their hydrocarbons as fuel and then come to us to license our renewal and alternative energy options, at a price that aggressively reverses the balance of trade. -Start Balancing the Budget-- by reinstating Taxes of the wealthy and investors do it retroactively. -b>Drain the swamp; incompetents of all the incompetents Bush has installed in position of power, where they are dangerous to the safety of Americans. -Drain the swamp; corruption investigations will identify hordes of criminals. Start things off by offering reduced sentences and clemency for early whistleblowers-- in all branches of government. And clean up the justice department. Can the GOnzalez be impeached or removed? -Get Serious about Protecting America enact all the recommendations of the 9/11 commissions and stop giving pork to states that are very low risk for terrorism. -Get Serious about the roots of terrorism start outreach programs to counter the hate teachings of the tens of thousands of madrassas the Saudis and others fund. Provide education, food, healthcare to people who are being taught we are evil. Prove with our actions that we are worthy of love, not hate. And stop the offensive, insulting evangelistic efforts in places where they are so unwanted. -Get Serious about peace Start the Department of Peace that Kucinich has called for. Fund it with one tenth what the military receives. Charge the department with finding ways to bring America together, as well as ways to prevent or end war. -Reform the media Use legislation and the power of the majority to force the media to become more balanced, to stop trying to influence elections. Require that all qualified candidates get FREE air time for ads on appropriate media. That will take the biggest expense out of elections. Radio and TV stations get free licenses for the airwaves. Charge them by requiring free ads for candidates, which is what the majority of voters want. -Reform elections. Get the money out of them. The majority of voters want this. -Change tax laws to favor small businesses over large businesses. Small businesses employ locally. They support the local economy. They innovate. It takes a robust government infrastructure to enable aggressive investment and support of small business. Taxes should be re-structured so even megacorporations are given incentives to spin off small businesses that have relationships with the big corporations, but operate locally, as smaller businesses. -End the Iraq Occupation bring in all the countries that will be touched by the USA's exit. Set some rules-- no stealing, no war, and let them get involved in dealing with our exit. Then leave.