Monday, November 17, 2008

A Decisive Election - A new National Course

In case no one has noticed the election was for change. The voters swept out the Neocons and elected a more liberal government. Most voters rejected the politics of “Swiftboaters”. This election was about issues like the war, the economy and healthcare. The election results were 365 electoral votes to 173 electoral votes, 66.7 million votes to 58.2 million votes, or 53% voted for Obama to 46% for McCain. The score says that voters were fed up and voted for change. Why? Consider the following.
The following is what we have to repair just to get back to where we were January 2001:
The elimination of the ABM treaty; it is gone (kept us from nuclear war since Eisenhower) The Kyoto treaty is unworkable because of the aversion to honest science; the resulting effects of global climate change are punishing our nation and the world. The entire Mideast and their moderate populations no longer trust us. We have grated against all of our European allies. Habeas Corpus is gone, rolling back our rights 700 years to the Magna Carta. The budget surplus is gone, even bigger deficits are back and what do we have to show for it? We torture people like the bad guys do; not torturing people made us better than the bad guys. The CIA/ Plame episode deliberately and publically exposed one of our own agents to divert attention from the Niger yellow cake lie! A pre-emptive war at a cost of 12 billion dollars a month has resulted in over 4000 US military dead, 1,000,000 Iraqis dead, 40,000 US military seriously wounded, and 9 million Iraqis seriously wounded. National security (ports, chemical factories) is a myth, our military has been pushed to the breaking point, and they struggle to get medical help. Support the troops means what? The jobs recovery is nonexistent, trickle-down never worked after trillions in tax cuts. The US is in debt and in the midst of a nasty rescission. All of that and 46% of the contry thought that this was the way our government should work?
The majority of the voters want to change the way the country works and the voters want the country repaired.
To begin with, how about thinking of ourselves as Americans? Why is it more important to be identified with one party or the other. We are all Americans, we are all patriots. We have to set a new course with new priorities. Has anyone spent 5 minutes thinking about what they want the government to do? Where do you want your dollars spent? What are your priorities? By talking about priorities we may come to realize how much we have in common rather than how different we are...

Here is my list in order of priority: Where is yours?

Essential Services at Home (USA)
Safety (police and fire)
Public education (tied with safety)
Single payer health insurance (for everyone)
Social Security
Clean air, clean water
Research for alternative energy sources
Protect the (environment) i.e., natural barriers (Like the wetlands off New Orleans)
Fund pure research projects in the Nations Universities
Expand public transportation systems
Bring back the draft for military or national service

Essential Foreign Spending (Contribute our share)
Fund the program to collect every loose nuke in the former Soviet Union
Fund the programs in the UN to provide health, food and education services to the world’s poor
Fund programs in the UN for peace-keeping missions supported by the UN

Non Essential Spending (eliminate)
Corporate subsidies

Now, get busy talking about things that really matter; make your voice heard and insist on your priorities. Let’s get a discussion going on spending priorities.

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