Originally Posted By RoadTrip Some of the items are direct lifts from the 1994 Republican Contract with America (hey... some of the ideas were pretty good). Some of the items have been modified to reflect present situations and provide a more liberal approach to solving America's problems. Liberals DO HAVE ideas. 1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses. 2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including increased funding for after-school activities, better access to affordable child care and increased support to cities for hiring additional police to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools. 3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by providing increased funding for pre-college programs in our nations high school and increased funding for college scholarships. By showing young people they have viable options they will make decisions that constructive rather than destructive to the community and themselves. Continue to refine and enhance the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. 4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, increased funding to provide affordable child care, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society. 5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A $1,000 per child tax credit, continued repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief. 6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops used for pre-emptive invasions/wars without appropriate approval from the U.N. Security council. Restoration of the National Guard as the individual states’ first line of defense against natural disasters and civil unrest. Work for improved relations with our allies to strengthen our national defense and restore our credibility around the world. 7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years. 8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, and an increased minimum wage will work together to provide incentives for small business owners while at the same time providing all workers with a living wage. No one working 40 hours a week should have to live in poverty in America. 9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation. 10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 3 comments 1/ In number 5..also donot have it go away at approx $100K of family income -- those people are not rich. If you want to cut if off after say $300K or so, fine - but someone making $75,000 a year gets the full $1000 child credit and those making $100,000 or so lose basically all of it...spread over a few kids it's real money. 2/ Have a tax deducation of $5000 per year per college students, and have this amount include books also as a qualifying expense 3/ while trying to create jobs with a 'living wage' - do something , anything to incent the American companies to keep the decent paying jobs we have here today and not off shore another 10 million of them. While people are fighting in th streets to get a cashier at WalMart $13/hr in salary and bene's - we are watching millions of $50K- $75K jobs leave the country everymonth to be done by Indians and Brazilians and Thais, for $6K per year....meanwhile we also lose the SS and medicare contributions from those lost jobs to a system that can ill afford it. If a company is going to contineu to offshore theose positions and further weaken the SS and medicare base - then they should forfeit all other tax breaks and reductions
Originally Posted By cmpaley These aren't liberal ideas. It reads like a Republican playbook from the early 1990's. It uses some of the same language, even.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<These aren't liberal ideas. It reads like a Republican playbook from the early 1990's. It uses some of the same language, even.>> Yes. Much of it is Republican, but I couldn't see dumping it just because it was. For instance, I think balancing the budget is very important and something that has not occurred at all under the present administration. The more liberal ideas include things like after-school programs, pre-college programs, increased funding for college scholarships, access to affordable daycare, elimination of pre-emptive war without UN approval, returning the National Guard to their traditional role in the states, increase in the minimum wage, etc. I basically took the Republican contract and made the changes that I, as a moderate Democrat, would need to support it. I have no problem with many of the Republican ideas. Some I do. My hope would be that moderate Republicans would also be able to support the contract as I modified it. Frankly, until we get past Democrat ideas/Republican ideas we are never going to go anywhere in this country.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>These aren't liberal ideas. It reads like a Republican playbook from the early 1990's. It uses some of the same language, even.<< Really? Guess that's why the thread was introduced with these words: >>Some of the items are direct lifts from the 1994 Republican Contract with America...<<
Originally Posted By cmpaley Gotcha. I would make some additional changes to it. They're not all bad ideas, but some of them, frankly, are bad for the American PEOPLE but ARE good for corporations. The first job of a democratic government should be to serve the people. Here are my views on each: >>1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses. << I don't think a requirement of a balanced budget is necessarily a good thing. Not that I think government should spend money like a drunken sailor, but there are instances where deficit spending becomes necessary (natural disasters, wars, other emergencies). The line-item veto was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, so a Constitutional Amendment would be necessary to implement it. >>2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including increased funding for after-school activities, better access to affordable child care and increased support to cities for hiring additional police to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools.<< Not bad. >>3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by providing increased funding for pre-college programs in our nations high school and increased funding for college scholarships. By showing young people they have viable options they will make decisions that constructive rather than destructive to the community and themselves. Continue to refine and enhance the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.<< Not bad. I would add that full funding for and reform of the No Child Left Behind Act are necessary. >>4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, increased funding to provide affordable child care, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society. << Good. >>5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A $1,000 per child tax credit, continued repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief. << Good. >>6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops used for pre-emptive invasions/wars without appropriate approval from the U.N. Security council.<< Amen! This is absolutely necessary! Our Department of Defense should do THAT, defend our country. >>Restoration of the National Guard as the individual states’ first line of defense against natural disasters and civil unrest. Work for improved relations with our allies to strengthen our national defense and restore our credibility around the world.<< Agreed. I would add enhance border security and reform our borken immigration system to a system that WORKS. I would also add that we need to work better with our neighbors to eliminate the root causes of undocumented immigration into the United States (sucky economies in our hemisphere). >>7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years.<< Agreed. >>8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, and an increased minimum wage will work together to provide incentives for small business owners while at the same time providing all workers with a living wage. No one working 40 hours a week should have to live in poverty in America.<< I would also eliminate the tax incentives to offshore American jobs. >>9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation. << This is where I am totally off the bus. I think that tort reform has been a disaster for working people. Corporations can sue US, but we can't sue THEM if they make something that injured us during intended use. I think tort reform needs to be reformed to make it harder to sue individuals but easier to sue corporations that screw their customers and employees. >>10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.<< I disagree here as well. Term limits in California has resulted in a terribly fragmented legislature where you have hard-right extremists and hard-left extremists and two moderates.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy Newt Gingrich will be impressed you needed to rip him off. How come the democrat leaders can't come up with their own ideas besides the Terrorist Bill of Rights, cut and run, and socialism. RT, at least you are TRYING to come up with some " ideas ". Now what is this idea all about? <<6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops used for pre-emptive invasions/wars without appropriate approval from the U.N. Security council.>> This is the same lame idea that Hanoi John Kerry decided to push when he was trying to fool enough people to get elected. The UN security council are a bunch of American- Israel hating thugs and tyrants. You want to get THEIR permission to take action to protect America when we are threatened? You want to ask the FRENCH for permission to do ANYTHING? Sorry, but that " idea " was rejected two years ago by the Amerian people and is still so bad that your entire list gets nuked. <<8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, and an increased minimum wage will work together to provide incentives for small business owners while at the same time providing all workers with a living wage. No one working 40 hours a week should have to live in poverty in America.>> Increased minimum wage? Horrible idea that has never created a single job or made anyone rich. If you are trying to support a family while making minimum wage you are a loser and not some noble hero. Let a company pay what the market will accept. I do like the capital gains tax cut.
Originally Posted By mele <<If you are trying to support a family while making minimum wage you are a loser and not some noble hero.>> And yet, still they aren't as big of a loser as you.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>If you are trying to support a family while making minimum wage you are a loser and not some noble hero.<< Mmm hmmm. So, what should happen to the 'loser's' family? Natural selection? Not our problem?
Originally Posted By barboy UN approval---no way Jose! The US is sovereign and we need to isolate not invove ourselves in global affairs---unless we absolutely have to. #9 and #10 are sound
Originally Posted By DAR <<Horrible idea that has never created a single job or made anyone rich. If you are trying to support a family while making minimum wage you are a loser and not some noble hero. Let a company pay what the market will accept.>> I have a lot more respect for someone working a minimum wage job trying to do something for their family than any of these parasites who sit around pumping out babies collecting welfare checks.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>The first job of a democratic government should be to serve the people.<< The first job of any government is to protect its people. (And that said, the UN has NO business dictating anything to the US military.)
Originally Posted By DlandDug I mean, if President Hillary Clinton had clear and unequivocal evidence that North Korea was loading missiles with nuclear warheads, does anyone here think we would need to wait on the UN to clear us for military action?
Originally Posted By barboy Minimum wage increases contribute to inflation. I say no minimum wage and let employers and prospective employees argue and barter over the dollars and benefits.
Originally Posted By barboy "I have a lot more respect for someone working a minimum wage job trying to do something for their family than any of these parasites who sit around pumping out babies collecting welfare checks." you know it! cheers to that statement
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<(And that said, the UN has NO business dictating anything to the US military.)>> <<I mean, if President Hillary Clinton had clear and unequivocal evidence that North Korea was loading missiles with nuclear warheads, does anyone here think we would need to wait on the UN to clear us for military action?>> She wouldn't need to. She'd just call up Kim Jong-Il and rag his butt. That would be enough to scare anyone into backing down. ;-) I would think if things started to look bad (like right now for instance) you could go to the U.N. for prior approval that if Jong-Il starts loading nukes on missiles we can engage in a pre-emptive strike.
Originally Posted By fkurucz Tell me Beau, do you really think that God cares how much money someone makes? Will he brand you a "loser" (AKA damned) if you didn't get a 10% raise every year? I don't recall a beatitude regarding the well to do. I do recall "Blessed are the poor in spirit (the humble) for theirs is the kingdom of God". I also recall many warnings against the wealthy.
Originally Posted By barboy "I mean, if President Hillary Clinton had clear and unequivocal evidence that North Korea was loading missiles with nuclear warheads, does anyone here think we would need to wait on the UN to clear us for military action?" Exactly. That is why "US out of UN" should be the battle cry.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Minimum wage increases contribute to inflation.>> Horse feathers. The $5.15 minimum wage passed in 1996 is equal to $3.95 in today's dollars. Everyone else's wage has more or less kept pace with inflation, why shouldn’t the minimum wage be at least raised to where people are earning an amount equivalent to $5.15 in today's dollars?
Originally Posted By Beaumandy Here we go. People are offended by my minimum wage comment. Thing is. I'm right. Who would try and raise a family on minimum wage? Minimun wage jobs are set up for people who are young, for people who are going to school, for people who are retired, for people who are starting out in life. If you are going to have kids, you don't have a minimum wage job to support them. I am talking about flipping burgers making $5.00 an hour. If you are making minimum wage plus tips thats different. In that situation you can make enough to actually pay your bills and survive. ( just ask the local bartender or cocktail waitress ) If you are in this spot, making minimum wage as an adult with kids you are a loser. I mean, what is this person thinking? Why would they let themselves get into this spot? You simply don't have kids if all you can do is make minimum wage. I know, I know, how dare I ask someone to actually think about these things and be accountable for their lives. Isn't that insensitive? Or maybe it's a good guideline for people to follow. Even a normal job at Wal Mart will pay you $13 to $17 an hour which is much more than minimum wage.
