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November 3, 2010

America Must Start Moving Forward Faster

By E.David Ferriman

The New Dream for America is equality and an ever forward vision for a better future for the coming generations. Lets stop talking about it and lets work together and make it happen.

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America seems to be suffering from a kind of "Battered Woman's Syndrome." The Democrats see the country in pain and promise us, "Baby, I'll treat you right." Then they cave into the Republicans even when they know the Republicans won't vote for progress with the changes.

When the Republicans take over and tell us, "You'll take it and you'll like it." We get mad, vote Democrats back in on the promise of things like "Hope" and "Change." Then America forgets all the bad stuff Republicans did to us (in just two years time). We forget about their war spending, their constant affairs with corporations and their middle class destroying ways. We start thinking that maybe it is our lost moral compass and move back in with them. Why? It's not because we hate homosexuals or minorities. The real problem lies in the fact that the Democrats are too weak to get anything done.

Now that they think they are back in power, the Republicans want to "play nice" and "work with Obama." They will no longer care about their promises to stop so-called "Obamacare." They won't make abortion illegal. They won't re-negotiate NAFTA to fix their illegal immigration problem (though they may get a big fence and start shooting people).

In two years, Obama will keep the White House. Why? Because the Republicans will keep driving the economy down giving help and services to the rich 1% while the middle class the voters are forgotten. We will look again to our weaker dominate party to fix things, when they can't even agree amongst themselves.

What America needs is a real middle-to-left-leaning party. The Democrats have pushed further and further right to win conservative voters and the favor of their little brother, the Republican Party. Rather than looking out for the average guy, they too court the big corporations. Sure, they talk about us. They still have union friends (though unions seem to be just as bad as the corporations at this point). They do stick up for the minorities (until they get to the White House and won't fix "don't ask, don't tell" - likely one of the least American things the U.S. military can do).

It has been said before, but we need a middle class party before the middle class is gone. Today we have the Republicans and the Democrats, our two corporate zombie parties that just won't die. We have the Libertarians, anarchists that try to use the Constitution to stop the government from existing (yes, I'm pointing at you, Ron Paul). We have the Green Party, they are liberal but too strange for most Americans. Last we have the Constitution Party, a conservative group that pretends our government was designed to be the very theocracy our founders were trying to avoid, though sadly what most real conservative pretend the Republican Party is.

None of these parties are able to represent the average American. The big 2 have proven this time and time again. The little parties are too fringe, that's why they don't catch on. Let's face it, if the Tea Party was as powerful as they like to think themselves, more Libertarians would have been elected, not more Republicans.

While there are other parties out there, they are too out there, many times as their names suggest. I really can't imagine any red blooded American voting for a Party with "Socialist," "Communist" or "Marijuana" in the name.

If America really wants progress, maybe it is time for a Progressive Party. While following the Constitution, the party could focus on education, health care, trade (jobs), green technology and other economically sound principals. It order to be truly progressive, the 10 th amendment could be followed (" The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." ) and moral issues could stop being a Federal issue. Items such as whom may marry whom and abortion could be state issues, as there is nothing about them in the Constitution.

Lets face it, our Founding Fathers were progressive, not conservative. They wanted a president, not a king. They wanted separation of Church and State, not theocratical control. They weren't about power and control - they were about freedom and economy. They didn't want to start wars or be the world police, they wanted place where they could rase their crops and their families in peace. Sure, some aspects of their vision seem conservative now, but they were very liberal for the time.

There is no reason why progressives can't dress up like the founders and demand education or health care reform, as these were things our founders would likely have stood for if they were alive today. To be fair, not all of them would. Unlike what the Tea Party would like us to think there were strong arguments between them. But over all, they would be for progress and a greater America.

True progress is both liberal and conservative. The average American is not on the "right" or "left," but somewhere in the middle. I propose 10 changes off the bat to fix our current conditions that a truly Progressive Party could follow:

  1. Fix education from the ground up

    America ranks below the top 20 countries in education. This is unacceptable. Without a proper education, the youth of today will not be able to ensure a better tomorrow. Our worst schools should still be the world's best schools. In addition, college education of vocational training should be affordable to all.

  2. Give equal power back to the three branches of government.

    Presidents should have no right to make fast track decisions. Proof of this is seen in our poorly made "free trade" deals. There were those in Congress that understood the dangers, but they were ignored.

  3. Cut government debt.

    The U.S. government has become too dependent on foreign debt due largely to our unfunded wars. We must spend what we make live frugally and expect citizens to do the same.

  4. Fix our trade imbalance through tax reform

    We have had a trade deficit for too long. While tariffs are not the answer, as other countries would place tariffs on us, other nations should pay for the privilege of selling to the largest consumer country in the world. Reducing the income tax and adding a value-added tax would do this and bring back jobs.

  5. Play by the rules through tax reform

    We are not a county unto ourselves, but a player in the global economy. As such, we should play by the rules. We currently use an income tax, which punished workers and rewards spending. Replacing this with a federal value-added tax would reward savings and exporting.

  6. Stimulate jobs through tax reform

    While programs like health care and welfare are necessary, our tax structure penalizes those who save or invest in America. This must change. Companies should not need to rely on outsourced jobs, but be self-sufficient American companies should be incentivized to hire American citizens and penalized for outsourcing.

  7. Regulations to better avoid economic disasters.

    While the bank and auto industry bailouts may have been needed to keep the country from falling even further economically, regulations are necessary to ensure permanent stability. Just as we must stimulate manufacturing, we must also regulate industry to avoid monopolies, companies "too big to fail, and multinational corporations gaining too much power over government.

  8. Re-create welfare into a help up, rather than a hand out (more tax reform)

    We have changed from an independent manufacturing society to a dependent service/servant society. This has lead to the greatest number of unemployed since the Great Depression. With those working making less and less, we are running out of funding for our welfare programs. Corporations should be held responsible for the damage they are doing to the American economy. Unemployment should be taxed to these companies until work can be found. Fix the tax system to provide for America without punishing working Americans. Education or vocational should be provided for those that cannot find work. For those that can physically/mentally work, there should be no excuse for a lack of personal progress.

  9. Make it easier for third parties to get into offices of government.

    Our present two party system has been a failure. In just eight years, one party was able to increase U.S. debt $4 trillion. In just one year, the other party was able to increase our debt by $2 trillion. When we vote the old out, they are replaced with people who are not any better.

  10. Focus on technology

    Net neutrality, green technology and space exploration should be of top priority to keep the American economy healthy and strong. We should be leaders in these fields, not followers. There is no reason we should be renting shuttles from another country to get our people into space. We put the first man on the moon this should not be an exception, it should be the rule.

    America, it is time we broke free of our vicious cycle and started fresh. Not with blood or bullets, but with real hope and real change. We need new politics for this new frontier we have found ourselves in. Not one of land, but one of science and technology one of progress.

    The New Dream for America is equality and an ever forward vision for a better future for the coming generations. Lets stop talking about it and lets work together and make it happen.



    Authors Website: http://dferriman.com

    Authors Bio:

    A graduate of Franklin University with a degree in Digital Communications, David is the co-president of the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational Latter Day Saint/Mormon movement. In the past, he was a full time political activist lobbying Congress in an effort to create a better economic future for the United States.


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