The 110th Senate just finished swearing in and Majority Leader Harry Reid is still on the floor outlining his vision for the new Congress, but insiders (including you as soon as you get through this article) already know what's on the agenda. The Democratic leadership has already announced the first ten bills to be introduced in the Senate.
Despite the fear-mongering of political opponents, the Democratic agenda offers reasonable approaches to many of the issues facing our nation. One pressing issue, however, remains notably absent: Iraq.
1. Ethics Reform
Dems owe their November victory in large part to the corruption that plagued the Republicans. Now they plan to tinker with the system that allowed the previous misdeeds ith an ethics package that will address problems like lobbyists paying for travel, gifts to lawmakers and staff, etc.
2. Minimum Wage
Congress has not approved an increase in the minimum wage since 1997. While nearly half the states in the union have taken it upon themselves to ensure bigger paychecks for the lowest-income workers, the federal government lagged behind. Democrats intend to change that and raise the minimum wage to $7.25/hour
3. Medicare Prescription Drug program reform
The Republicans tried and failed. Now the Democrats will use a market-based approach to save seniors and taxpayers money.
4. 9/11 Commission Reforms
The GOP crafted an image of being "tough on terrorists" but refused to implement many of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. Democrats vow to do so but have already backed away from a restructuring of Congressional committee oversight.
5. Stem Cell Research
President Bush declared a moritorium on new stem cells, but Democrats will invest in this field of research that some say holds the promise for profound breakthroughs in medicine.
6. Energy Reform
The Republican Congress' idea of a national energy policy was a slew of tax breaks to corporations that encouraged continued dependence on foreign oil. The Democrats' proposal will shift the investment to renewable, domestic sources of energy that will reinvigorate our economy and save our environment.
7. College Tuition
Sending their kids to school is a dream for most Americans but the financial burden has made it even more difficult over the past decade. Democrats want to increase federal grants and require banks to offer more favorable conditions on student loans.
8. Strengthen and Rebuild America's Military
Political opponents may try to paint Democrats as "weak on defense," but they support funding the military at disgusting levels.
9. Comprehensive Immigration Reform
President Bush and Congressional Republicans are split on this issue, but the President and Dems see eye-to-eye. They don't want to encourage illegal immigration but they also understand it would be devastating to families and the economy to deport everyone already here.
10. Pay-As-You-Go
Democrats want the federal government to live within its means. This proposal would require all new spending or tax cuts to be balanced.
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Comments: 13
Raising the minimum wage will stop any economic recovery this country has had. Those of you who work for small businesses, be wary.
Prescription/Medicare, needed but they won't do it right.
9/11 Reforms, good idea but I don't see how they are going to anything else.
Stem cell research has been shown to flawed, by science
Energy reform, HA.
I hope they can do something about college tuition besides raising taxes.
Strengthen the military more. How?
I disagree with Bush and the dems on this one, it has already been the cause of the biggest terror attack in the US.
I have some doubts about the dems being able to follow pay as you go. But they can always dip into Social security, again.
Ethics reform? Can anyone say "Harry Reid, John Murtha and Alcee Hastings"?
Comprehensive Immigration Reform? Can anyone say "Amnesty for 20+ million lawbreakers"?
Pay as you go? "The Democrats want the federal government to live within its means"???? I never met a Democrat who didn't love entitlement programs.
College tuitions and student loans? The Democrats answer to education shortcomings is to throw money at the problem. The U.S. already spends more, per student, for education than any other industrialized country in the world and yet our young people rank near the bottom in educational advancement. More money is not going to solve the problem. Like Bill Cosby has espoused on numerous occasions, it's the responsibility of the children and the parents of the children to ensure their children obtain an education. The means is already there. When are citizens of this country going to take responsibility for their own actions, or in the case of education, their own inaction? Just like the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink". You can send a kid to school, but you can't make him/her learn. The desire to obtain an education should be instilled by concerned parents in their children and should be highly desired and obtained by the children themselves.
I don't think that the Democrats are perfect, but they have a much better chance of changing the law to consider the middle class, unlike Mr. Bush who wants to keep those tax cuts there for the top 10% of the US...does that include you? I know it doesn't mean me!
I still think that the only hope we have of ethics reform is to boot every single incumbent out of office and to start again without them.
BTW Ms. Zibas, a more careful reading of the legislative history will reveal to you that it was that dreaded Republican House majority that forced Clinton into the spending restraints that lead to the projected budget surpluses. Slick Willy was dragged kicking and screaming into that deal. (Remember the government shut-down for the summer?)
I do agree with your statement about incumbents. I voted against every single incumbent last time.
David: The government shut-down was engineered by republicans, mainly Gringrich, who gambled and lost that Clinton would cave and let the big spending bills through. Clinton didn't and the Republicans wound up with egg on their faces for holding the Federal government hostage to their politics.
1) I love deficit. Surplus means they're taking more of my money than they need.
2) There's no law against stem cell research. But they're not allowed to use my money for it if I don't choose to. I'd rather donate to Salvation Army.
BTW: Why don't stem cell research people campaign for funds like other charities?? There's no restrictions on using private or state funds as far as I know. If they want money, ask for it. I might even give some, but I'm ethically opposed to the posible misuse of the technoloy.