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One thing that constantly bugs me is the false hypocrisy of equivalence. This idea is annoying in two ways - first that every argument has two valid sides. It isn't true. You can't prove "gravity", but we don't legislate there is an alternative theory.
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The second is to equate the current "Tea Party Republicans" to "Democratic Liberals", like both are extremists. News magazines, reporters and others do this all the time. Time Magazine and the Economists are the latest to spout this lazy-thinking blather.
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You see, heads up, the Democrats aren't "Liberal" at all. And that makes sense for politics in our country. The Democrats are a Center Party in a Center Right county. The (elected) Republicans maintain a continuum from reasonable center/right to shit ass crazy right wing. Michelle Bachman doesn't give a shit about poor people, the future of the country, climate change or anything else because she really believes that Obama is bringing the "end times". Hideous audio below if you don't believe me. This was recorded on Oct 7th, 2013 - the very day we captured an al qaeda terrorist in Libya.
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So no, there is no equivalent "Liberal" wing of the Democrat Party that is that crazy. There isn't even a conventional Liberal official. President Clinton effectively shut the crazy train down. Let me show you what an leftish manifesto REALLY would look like (and ps. this isn't "out there" crazy ideas, all of these are in place in many of our allies' countries.)
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What would a “real” Liberal Agenda look like?
We all understand what a Tea Party Agenda looks like. Little to no money for social security or
medicine (in the form of Medicare, Medicaid or Drug Care), no money for
Disaster Relief, increased Military Spending and lower taxes. No infrastructure funds (Interstate Highways
were a function of Eisenhower and Big Government), no school funding at the
Federal Level (back to states and cities), no food stamps or welfare and no Big
Government credits on food safety or Environmental Pollutants. I am not sure about Farm Supports or Ethanol
– I would assume no support, but the Tea Party has been silent on this – and
Paul Ryan, the closest thing to an honest proponent of these ideals, won’t
comment on them. Big Government would be
allowed only in the bedroom with no gay marriage, no gay sex, no access to
abortion. Adultery and divorce would
still be fine.
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But what would an actual “Liberal” Agenda look like? Not the watered down Nancy Pelosi /
Democrat-Lite type, but an actual liberal agenda? In the absence of true LIBERAL party or
spokesperson, let me take a crack at it.
Taxes
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Capital Gains taxed at the same rate Regular
Income
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Housing Deduction limited to the amount the median
income family can afford
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Example: current national median income $50,333,
therefore Mortgage Interest deduction limited to ~ $350,000
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Tax Rate for all income above $1,700,000 per
year 50%.
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(level determined at 20 times the median income
for a family)
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CEO of Public Companies.
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Calculate Median Payroll of all the company’s US
Employees.
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CEO income that is up to 10 times that of Median
Payroll – no change
o
CEO income ABOVE 10 times that of Median Payroll
taxed at 65% at the Federal Level.
o
Golden Parachute and all future gains from stock
after CEO leaves that company taxed at 75% at the Federal Level
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Reduce Corporate Tax Rate to 10% of profit, but
remove all corporate deductions and exempt buybacks (will be considered as
“profit”)
Health Care / Parental Support
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Change Medicare / Medicaid to a national single
payer system
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Provide Free Child Care / Vouchers during work
hours
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Provide parental leave (either parent) 4 months
Defense
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End war in Afghanistan immediately
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Reduce Military footprint from 900 bases in 130
foreign countries to 13 foreign countries
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Department of Defense to define
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Reduce military budget by 10% per year until it
is only 4 times the size of the budget for the next largest spender.
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Example: China’s defense budget is currently
US$90Billion, ours is US$790 Billion, assuming growth in China’s budget ours
would drop by ~50 – 60%
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Do not decrease current veteran’s benefits.
Infrastructure
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Fully fund interstate highway refurbishment /
repair
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Rebuild air traffic control system
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End flood insurance at elevations below 20 feet
of sea-level that are within 10 miles of the ocean - over a 25 year period.
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Backstop rebuilding of infrastructure for
threaten coastal communities, by insurance relief if they move inland to higher
ground (+ 25 feet in average elevation)
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Create and fund yearly a climatic disaster fund
Energy
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Provide Base Energy supports for Solar and Wind
Power (15 year commitment to purchase power at 2012 KW/Hour costs)
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End tax breaks for oil and coal exploration.
o
They can still explore and exploit, but the feds
won’t pay for it.
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Impose a Carbon Cap and Trade program to ensure
that producers help to pay for pollution, clean up and climate disaster fund
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Double Gasoline Tax (currently the lowest in the
Western World by a factor of 3) to help pay for transportation.
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Tie Gas tax going forward to a yearly Cost Of
Living Change imposed every September 15th.
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This removes the annual arguing over it all and
keeps prices stable through the summer season
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Nationalize All Fracking Operations that have
started sine 2010.
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Fracking exploits a common national resource
(underground gas deposits) and delivers results and profits to private
companies at the cost of public good.
Instead, nationalize the gas deposits.
Future profits on natural gas to be split 50% to corporation and 50% to
the federal government to be distributed to House of Representative districts
equally. (This will still flow unequally
to some small states and overfund them, but that is okay.)
Firearms
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Restore Automatic Weapons Ban
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Affirm for 25 years all current hunting zones
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Agree that all current hunting seasons and
ranges will stay operational unless there are major changes in animal levels
that threaten the animal population with extinction. In no case shall current levels be considered
“threatened”.
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Agree that new hunting seasons and ranges will open
if weather changes and habitat changes move the ranges so that animals are a
problem and hunting is not harmful in the new areas (like the new Bear hunts in
New Jersey)
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Affirm no “gun confiscation laws” will occur
without a popular vote to assure the populace no one will take their guns
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A real
liberal agenda would promise gun control, but it is not possible in the US, so
let’s realistically decide what does and what doesn’t make sense and is doable
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Allow cities with a murder rate of 2times the
national average to enact a citywide handgun laws
Trade and Economic Laws
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Increase current minimum wage to $10.00 / hr
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Set minimum wage to rise with Cost of Living
changes yearly (Jan 1st)
Devolve to State Level
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Abortion Laws
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Except in case of health of the mother, rape or
incest. In these cases there will be no
limits, no wait times, no transvaginal ultrasounds or any other outside
consulting requirements for the first 4.5 months.
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Marriage Laws
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Defined by states. Federal Laws will recognize only 2 parties in
a marriage due to current legislation (but will recognize same-sex and
opposite-sex marriages where legal under state law)
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School funding and testing
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Gun control laws (except at defined above)
<Rant off>