Constructive gadfly
stevendedalus's Articles In Politics » Page 9
March 2, 2004 by stevendedalus
27) Subsidize airplane manufacturers that build passenger crafts without cargo areas other than for passenger luggage with secondary detectors built-in, and in the manufacturing of new crafts strictly for commercial cargo. In the meantime, strict federal inspection of commercial cargo is required. 28) Float an EPA bond for a massive assault against pollution of all kinds and for the development of alternative fuels. 29) Release non-violent offenders from prison and place them i...
March 2, 2004 by stevendedalus
16) Raise the minimum wage rate one dollar each year for the next three years and legislate cost of living index thereafter. 17) Fund a public education overseas TV channel in foreign languages giving an objective account of democracy at work. 18) Develop a peace project for the western hemisphere stressing the need to replace dictatorships and oppression with democratic objectives. 19) Assist in more funding for UN peace-keeping and in developing an international enforceme...
March 2, 2004 by stevendedalus
23) A Marshall Plan should be initiated in pockets of poverty and unemployment here in the US, and infrastructure 20 year bonds issued in small denominations for common citizens to purchase. 24) NCLB should be scrapped and federal assistance to states increased for the purpose of restructuring curricula to meet the unique needs of each of the local districts that most require enterprising approaches. 25) Levy a luxury tax on automobiles that do not adhere to an average MPG of 25...
March 2, 2004 by stevendedalus
8) Changes to the current tax structure incrementally by increasing the marginal rate each year for nine years at 1% for those with income of 500K and more; and ½ % for income of 200K and ¾ % for 300- 499K. Elaborate 8: For twenty years the wealthy in the nation have experienced the most sustained windfall of huge tax give-away and “trickle down” nonsense not seen since the end of the Hoover era. It is time for these people to begin to pay back the billions pocketed to forge unh...
March 2, 2004 by stevendedalus
12)Details on a time table for withdrawal from Iraq. 13)Details on what still has to be done in Afghanistan, 14)Proposal for a prestigious figure, such as Carter or the first Bush, as ambassador to the UN to emphasize a new aggressive diplomacy world-wide. 15)Stiff penalties on businesses that out source and awards for corporations that don’t. Elaborate 12: Unlike the Kucinich approach, the US cannot simply cut and run once the UN takes control of peace-keepi...
March 1, 2004 by stevendedalus
Lest I be accused of issuing dogma, I should like to elaborate on each of the thirty points put forth on my blogs related to Election issues: 1) A voluntary civilian defense corps made up of primarily school drop-outs, and high school students not college-bound and senior citizens for nominal stipend; this corps would be organized and supervised by local enforcement agencies and paid for by Homeland Security. School dropouts as rule are in a blind alley with literally few chance...
March 1, 2004 by stevendedalus
Elaborate 5: 5) Immediate free and total health care, including at home, for patients who have been victimized by malpractice adjudicated by a panel of legal, medical, and consumer experts. Clear and egregious offenders, physicians and hospitals, shall be suspended from practice, pending corrective investigation and measures. If death is a result of malpractice, survivors are entitled to compensation, though less, similar to the families of the 9/11 tragedy. Malpractice lawsuits shall be t...
March 1, 2004 by stevendedalus
Some crucial items on the political campaign agenda should cover: 16) Raise the minimum wage rate one dollar each year for the next three years and legislate cost of living index thereafter. 17) Fund a public education overseas TV channel in foreign languages giving an objective account of democracy at work. 18) Develop a peace project for the western hemisphere stressing the need to replace dictatorships and oppression with democratic objectives. 19) Assist in mor...
February 29, 2004 by stevendedalus
Some crucial items on the political campaign agenda should cover: 1) A voluntary civilian defense corps made up of primarily school drop-outs, and high school students not college-bound and senior citizens for nominal stipend; this corps would be organized and supervised by local enforcement agencies and paid for by Homeland Security. 2) Incentives should target the national guard to recruit more for the express purpose of border patrol. 3) Appropriations should be increa...
February 28, 2004 by stevendedalus
  “Since 1932" [Hoover’s last year] “we have not had a president who has been more closely allied with business and more sympathetic to large and powerful corprporations.” says historian Alan Brinkley, specializing in the American Presidency. Edsall of the “Washington Post” highlights Bush’s immigration proposal as enlarging the pool of workers to perform the “dirtiest and most dangerous tasks for low pay.” This initiative, not surprisingly is backed by what is called The Essential W...
February 28, 2004 by stevendedalus
During these primaries the exchange has been more about the economy than the war. The bleak picture the Democratic candidates paint is echoed by many of the Democratic faithful who feel for those affected by job loss and outsourcing. To the Republican faithful, however, this scenario flies in the face of a stock market rebounding that is attributed to the tax cuts. Most Republicans voters are of the unscathed middle class and higher and don’t care about factory-shut downs or the exodus of job...
February 22, 2004 by stevendedalus
The old cry that communism equally degrades everyone to little above serfdom could conceivably be apropos to the current economic strategy of corporations in search of minimal labor costs abroad. Conservatives and Clinton Democrats as well argue that it is logical to continue relentlessly free trade since they claim it creates jobs here, too. What they don’t tell you is what kind of jobs are created here. Free trade generates flea markets, dollar store, auto foreign parts outlets, Wal-Marts an...
February 21, 2004 by stevendedalus
In the nation’s quest to leave no child behind, the politicians are admitting that indeed there are children left behind. In the spirit of the land of opportunity, the nation is ostensibly bent on bringing up to par the nation’s children by impossible tests that have nothing to do with the reality — a term more than ever blurred by “reality” TV — which everyone knows has to do with the child’s home environment, the child’s DNA, the schooling of the parents, the disrepair of the school attended, ...
February 20, 2004 by stevendedalus
“We follow too easily, question authority too little. We cannot allow ourselves to go abroad again with guns. I do not trust our society enough to hold back.” No, this is not a protester of the war, or Howard Dean. Still, it would serve us well to heed these words in light of the cacophony of disinformation filling the foul atmosphere of our foreign policy, regardless of its quasi-humanitarian efforts to sanitize parts of the world of their totalitarian leanings. We have the UN to do th...
February 20, 2004 by stevendedalus
Until I learned otherwise from Paul Farbi of the “Washington Post”, I was sympathetic toward Joe Trippi when Howard Dean replaced him as campaign manager in favor of Gore’s boy. After all, thought I, Joe had successfully made Howard a household name, even though his strategy led to Dean’s peaking much too early. However, it appears that Joe Trippi indiscriminately ran Dean TV ads to the tune of $300,000 as early as last June, seven months before a ballot was cast in Iowa’s caucus. In Au...