Surely, the Democrats, especially the current front-runner for nomination, can point out some of these contradictions and imprudent directions and at least begin to move our beloved country in wiser, safer, and more hopeful directions.
Regarding such directions here at home and your work in particular, I plead with you to support Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 2169, when it comes to the Senate floor. Regarding future legislation and the Democrats' rapidly diminishing chances of controlling both the House and the Senate after November 2008 (if they don't get their acts together immediately), I plead with you to work with your colleagues toward the following national (and not merely individual state or district) interests:
1. Check-mating the present administration's plans to bomb Iran. (I will send much more information later to you about their planning, their diplomatic ruses, and the likely consequences from a bombing campaign against that sovereign nation.)
2. Passing a national, single-payer health-care program (and thereby joining the civilized world instead of depriving over 45 million Americans what should be their birth-right in this richest of all nations, whose priorities have been so skewed by powerful special interests and extremist "free-market" ideology).
3. Offering no bail-out for sub-prime lenders and lendees. The federal government and tax-payers' dollars should not be construed as a piggy bank for unregulated lenders and unwise consumers to rely on.
4. Raising taxes on the richest Americans, who have enjoyed a very long run of tax breaks and advantages during both the Clinton and especially the Bush years. As Warren Buffett has pointed out repeatedly, it's an outright scandal and a disgusting injustice that he pays a 17.1% tax rate and the secretaries in his office pay over a 30% rate! Trickle-down economics is nonsense and the nation's real priorities--its infrastructure, education system, environment, citizens' health, etc.--are all paying for such nonsense.
5. Help save Social Security by passing a bill to remove the cap on Social Security taxes above 97,000. It's absurd that the incomes above that amount are not taxed to pay some of the nation's bills! Social Security is a covenant from one generation to the next and must not be undermined by the spenders and borrowers in Congress.
Finally, I hope the Democrats don't fall for the immigration issue, which the GOP is licking its lips to use for its xenophobic advantage in the next round of elections. My hope is that the Dems say as little as possible about the issue until after November 2008 or figure out some ways to finesse the matter until then. (Personally, I think the xenophobes are little more than bigots and opportunists. There is no way that the federal government can or should round up 11 million illegal immigrants and deport them. And even if that were done, Americans would very soon complain about the high cost of vegetables, new homes, hotel rooms, etc., etc.)
As fellow Americans we face numerous challenges--literally the undoing of benefits and securities as a result of a prevailing ideology of every-man-for-himself, the neo-cons dream until it affects them personally and then they figure out how to gain special advantages for themselves and no one else. They are the new social Darwinists and must be removed from power and influence.
Sincerely,