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Right
wingers repeatedly say liberals focus on the past and only attack
republicans. Rush Limbaugh says that Liberals live and function in the
past, just reacting to republicans, that we liberals have no vision for
the future, how to make the world better, no plans, while he and
George Bush are the ones who envision the future. Now that's a frightening
thought, only mollilfied by the reality that it is highly likely that
Bush's Brain handles more than the next fumbling words out of his mouth.
We
on the left certainly have positive visions and plans. But it is true that
these are not always articulated in any clear organized way. One reason is
that the left does not have the equivalent of the conservative right's
powerful, heavily funded policy promotion organizations, usually
misleadingly labelled as thing tanks (like the Project for the New
American Century, Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute,
Judicial Watch and others.) And the DNC has failed to put forward such a
positive vision. Their emails are routinely proof of the Republican
accusations-- reactions to Bush and republican "transgressions."
And this writer and the opednews.com website is also often guilty of
putting a lot of energy into attacking the right, and Bush. So this OpEd
is an effort to pull together a lot of positive visions into one somewhat
coherent collection of positions. It's just mine. It's surely susceptible
to lots of criticism, especially since it's a first draft. And it
definitely includes some personal positions that may not, almost
definitely will not fly among the vast majority of democrats. But it's a
statement, a list that covers a lot of bases and it proves that we on the
left do have positive visions. I'd like to see a lot of these lists-- blog
after blog and maybe even candidate after candidate with positive vision
lists of the future of America and of the world. Surely, it is reasonable
to expect this from every candidate for president. As a person who works
in the world of positive psychology, I believe that any leader who offers
the hope of a positive future must first envision that future.
My
experience of the political left is that it is full of visionaries
who are creative, who not only see positive futures but they are actively
engaged in creating them. The liberals and progressives are the people in
this world who are envisioning the positive stories of America's and the
world's future. It is the conservative right that is mired in the past, in
maintaining the status quo, in building further walls on the castles to
protect the wealthy and the aristocracy.
So
I decided to start jotting down some positive visions. It's just a first
pass, and it represents some of my personal biases, but it is a positive
vision and it is about the future. I'd love to hear from people who have
additional suggestions, who disagree and why. Here's the list.
- Health-care for all, Preventively oriented, Make the
economics of health care reward those who take personal
responsibility, and encourage health care providers to empower
patients to be personally responsible rather than dependent on the
doctor and the system. This can be done with higher prices to people
who do not take responsibility for their health with regular checkups,
exercise, healthy diets (tax unhealthy fast foods, snacks and give
coupons when people buy healthy meals-- coupons that can be applied
towards taxes.) The medical business-- insurers, clinics and
pharmaceutical companies-- have encouraged "patients" to be
passive recipients of health care. They should be clients, not
patients, and they should be empowered to take as much responsibility
as possible for their own health. This will require a bigger budget
for education, coaching and training.
- Health policies will be re-evaluated to save more lives, not
just the lives of the richest who can pay for weeks or months in
intensive care. Our current system chooses to allow many to die so a
few wealthy lives can be prolonged a few months.
- Drugs shorter patents and tougher requirements to have
patents awarded. Support of lots of competition. Kicking some sense
into the FDA so it encourages import of drugs that will compete at
better prices. Laws that make drugs more accessible and affordable,
and that prevent pharmaceutical companies from profiteering in the war
on disease.
- Workers:
treated well, with respect and fairness. Protect them from job
health hazards.
- Jobs
protected because NAFTA and the World Trade Organization (WTO) are
abolished and replaced by global trade agreements that encourage free
trade, protect laws that are enacted democratically and that prevent
international corporations from seeking lowest wages and worst
treatment of people and ecology.
- Big
Corporations that are out of control will lose personhood rights
and be treated as the inhuman, soulless, potential dangerous things
that they are. They will be taxed and regulated to protect
and favor humans.
- privatized
industries and resources will be evaluated and many will be
de-privatized and reinstated as government owned-- owned by the
people, not a handful of wealthy individuals, or worse, soul-less
corporate holding companies.
- The
Wealthy will pay taxes for the privilege of becoming or remaining
wealthy in the US. They don't do it themselves. They do it
because of the US's economy, resources, laws and government.
- Inheritance
Taxes big-time increases on the wealthiest families only-- over X
million dollars-- so most . The idea of "death taxes" is a
lie. Birth is not a privilege. If your parents are rich, you'll
benefit as a child. After they die, estates that are greater than 98%
of other people's estates should be taxed at a very high rate. That
will still leave descendants as millionaires, but not so powerful that
they can corrupt democracy.
- Farming:
Small farmers will be helped, with cooperation encouraged. Big
farm combines and corporations will be at a tax disadvantage. Small
businesses are the future. Big businesses are a danger to democracy,
to humanity. They must be restrained and phased out, to be replaced by
tamed versions-- small businesses that join together as cooperatives.
If human cloning is a potential threat to humanity, massive businesses
are real, living threats already causing massive damage to humans and
the earth.
- Ecology
we will take a long term vision, focusing on life, and people, not
companies. Like the space program, an ecoeconomy program will be
developed that actually saves money and builds a new technology arena
that creates jobs and contributes to the economy. Taxes will
created that tax ecology abusers and reward ecology benefactors. This
will be done in tandem with a renewable energy initiative.
- Energy
Creation of an Apollo project (like the moon landing program
Kennedy started) to develop a range of technologies for establishing
reliable, robust sources of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.
This will create new industries, new jobs and enable the US to lead
the world as the source of the technologies that provide energy for
the future. The US will replace OPEC as the world's provider of energy
by using our people's brains and creativity rather than weapons and
the lives of our young. This will be paid for by taxing
purchases of gasoline over 5 gallons. People who can't afford the
taxes will fill up often and get high mileage cars. People in a hurry
and with gas guzzlers will pay taxes on each gallon over five on every
fill-up.
- Technology
Small business funding encouraged-- more funding for Small
business innovative research (SBIR) grants. Big companies rewarded for
investing in small. Acquisition and consolidation discouraged,
Cooperation encouraged. Establishment of and increased funding support
for more business and technology incubators.
- Education
encourage competition that leads to creating excellence, not the
cheapest cost per student. Allow use of vouchers but require those who
accept them to accept all students, not just the cream, as most
religious and private schools now do. Re-evaluate the educational
model. We no longer want rigid schools that produce obedient,
unthinking factory workers and soldiers. We want schools that unleash
the potential of all the students.
- Media:
Diversity and balance are the first rules. News programs must
actually do the news, not just celebrity, tabloid entertainment and
partisan opinion. No company should own as many stations as Clear
Channel.
- Religion
support religious freedom and respect spiritual differences, but
protect the state by enforcing laws of separation of church and state.
- Military
establish oversight managers to make military more accountable,
obedient and multi-purpose.
- Violence
establish a national institute of peace and non-violence, as described
by Dennis Kucinich to promote peace, to prevent violence in families,
in crime in countries.
- Crime
America has more prisoners than any other country and imprisons a huge
percentage of African American men. We need to de-criminalize
use of drugs and other acts that do not harm others. By eliminating
the expenditure of billions of dollars on drug arrests,
investigations, etc. Some of that money can be spent on programs that
treat and prevent drug and alcohol abuse. Use drugs and surgery to
treat crimes of violence, rape and sexual assault and abuse.
At
the same time, beef up laws against corporate and white collar
crimes so more corporate criminals are caught, tried and convicted (I.I.I.=
Investigate, Indict and Incarcerate, starting with Bush and Cheney.)
Establish corporate execution laws so repeat offenders lose their
right to exist.
- Taxes
Make them fair and make them lean more heavily on the people who
benefit the most from living, working and doing business in the
US-- the wealthy and big business. Tax the things that people buy that
end up costing other people money-- cars, roads, high risk health
endangering personal sports like skiing, rock climbing, scuba diving,
substances that increase health risks, like cigarettes, alcohol,
recreational (decriminalized drugs,) fast foods and junk foods.
- Guns
start enforcing existing laws. Strengthen laws that guarantee the
right of all non-criminals to possess and use guns for protection and
hunting. Ban ownership of dangerous military weapons like automatic
and semi-automatics. Start developing technology that personalizes gun
use so only the person the gun is issued to can use it. Then eliminate
other guns.
- Foreign
Policy Envision the USA as a strong, maternal leader-- in charge,
nurturing, punishing when necessary, protecting our friends and
democracy, freedom and fairness. Rebuild damaged friendships.
Establish new friendships with economic ties and partnerships. End US
association with organizations and regimes that rape and pillage poor
countries resources, economies and that impose dictatorial or
totalitarian rule. Establish rules for doing business that prevent US
corporations from interacting with these entities.
- Nuclear
Proliferation Economically starve it with multinational alliances.
Polilce rogue states agressively, using economic means to cut them off
and if necessary, block their shipping and highways.
- Terrorism
is criminal. Kill it. Terrorism's spawning ground is hate, fed by
injustice, tyranny, monarchy, corruption and ignorance, with the few
getting wealthy at the expense of the downtrodden. But terrorism
is also perpetrated by wealthy or comfortable people who are outraged
by some perceived injustice or who are seeking revenge for personal
losses. The killing of innocent civilians must come to be seen as
despicable as child molestation. Meanwhile, the USA must protect
itself and its allies and support allies efforts to defend against
terrorism. The following position may lose some liberals, but it faces
the hard truth of the most horrific form of terrorism. Since suicide
bombing is a form of terrorism that starts in the home, that is,
generally supported and applauded by the family, the homes of suicide
bombers should be evacuated and destroyed. Those who hide or protect
terrorists should be treated as terrorists. It is also essential to
differentiate between people fighting for freedom and terrorists. One
way is to define any act that kills or hurts innocent bystanders as
terrorist in nature.
- Travel
revise tax structure to reward travel that is energy efficient, that
uses safer vehicles. Tax more roads. Use EASYPASS technology to charge
for use.
- Real
Estate Taxes Once you buy a property, your taxes should go up as
little as possible. Taxes should go up as new owners buy
properties, including heirs, but heirs get some break over new
buyers. When property is sold, the profits should be taxed, after a
certain allowance that is tax free. This was a republican giveaway
that discourages investment in other areas of the economy that can
build more jobs.
- Investing:
discourage gambling, playing the market, Encourage support of ethical,
good companies and companies that show promise of contributing jobs,
technology, health and to growing the economy.
- Security
against terrorists: Research systems, physical gaps and loopholes,
tighten entrances, ability to function in the US, to transfer money.
Develop response systems that can react quickly to threats (so we
never again have hijacked planes flying for 45 minutes without a
response from the military.)
- Privacy
Protect privacy with strong laws for privacy violations by both
businesses, particularly health care industry, insurers, bankers and
lenders and government. Make penalties for violations severe.
- Voting
Make it computerized and accessible for the handicapped, but also
make sure that the government either owns the software or that it is
totally open and available, with each vote re-countable using paper
ballots that are verifiable and traceable. Make vote fraud and
corruption equivalent to a murder offense, in terms of penalties.
- Election
Finance corporations are banned from contributing to elections.
Further regulation of election finance will fine-tune the regulations
so the loop-holes are closed and the wealthy cannot exert excessive
influence.
- Privatization:
Reverse it. The country shares its assets while corporations exploit
them. Nationalize or "governmentalize" assets
that corporations are failing to husband responsibly, starting with
energy and power generation. Revise
laws to reward corporations that share assets, protect land, are kind
and good to people. Take back lands given to the railroads over 100
years ago if the railroads have not improved them. Take back lands
that have been corruptly given to corporations and prosecute the
people who enabled the corruption. Consider "hybrid
privatization" in which government provides oversight of private
vendors that compete to participate in projects. Establish laws that
prevent or through taxes, discourage corporations from outsourcing
labor done on computers to other countries. (this is off the top of
the head but i don't think Americans want their personal data
processed in India or Costa Rica. And businesses operating in the US
should use US employees.)
- Deregulation:
This idea has failed. It does not produce the promised results. The
real purpose of deregulation is a handout to big corporations. Add
regulations until corporations are better behaved-- and until policing
agencies created and empowered to keep corporations in line are up and
running.
- The
Arts: Support them, bring them to the people and make them more
accessible. Explore ways to meet the needs of more diverse elements of
the population. Experiencing the arts expands and improves brain
functioning and health. The arts are to be valued and treated as
important as dietary nutrients. Malnutrition leads to disease and
decay of the heart and soul.
- Diversity:
Life and humanity function best with greater diversity. Literally,
genetic health is optimal with diversity. We need to support the
nurturing of and respect for Diversity in race, culture, spirit,
ecology, biology and life.
- Capitalism:
It's the best system we know of. But so were railroads until air
transportation was developed. We have to take capitalism and improve
on it-- take it to the next level, where mega-corporations are tamed
and world trade is supported without wiping out local industries and
jobs. We need to apply the same smarts that are applied to NASA and
biomedical sciences to taking the leap to the next democratic economic
model that is better than capitalism. (Not communism, not socialism)
Rob Kall rob@opednews.com is
editor of OpEdNews.com You can see other Other
writings of Rob Kall here This
article is copyright by Rob Kall, but permission is granted for reprint in
print, email, blog, or web media so long as this entire credit paragraph
is attached.
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