The GOP launched their Pledge To America (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/GOP_pledge_09222010.pdf) in an attempt to win back Congress. Take a moment and read it for yourself to determine if the message that is being sent is what is being portrayed in the media. Based on my understanding of the "Pledge" here is what I took away from it.
A plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive
- Permanently stop job-killing tax hikes
- Small business that create jobs will get a 20 percent tax deduction
- Require Congressional approval of any new federal regulation
- Repeal small business mandates passed via the health care law
A plan to stop out-of-control spending and reduce the size of government
- Roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels – estimated savings $100 billion in year one
- Cut Congress' budgets, establish strict budget caps, net hiring freeze, review government programs for redundancy and duplication
- Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- Safe guard entitlement programs for seniors and future generations
A plan to repeal and replace the government takeover of health care
- Allow Inter-state purchasing of health care coverage
- Enact real medical liability reform
- Give small business greater purchasing power
- Create new incentives to save for future health requirements
- Codify the Hyde Amendment
- Ensure people with pre-existing conditions can get coverage
- End taxpayer funding of abortion
A plan to reform Congress and restore trust
- Require every bill to contain Constitutional citation
- Allow all Americans to read the bill for at least three days prior to vote
- Cut out unnecessary spending
A plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad
- Fully fund a missile defense
- Enforce sanctions on Iran
- Keep terrorist combatants at Guantanamo Bay
- Ensure federal government fulfills its constitutional duty to protect citizens through enforce of border security
After the Pledge to America was unveiled I received the following retort from the Democrat Party.
Chris --
Yesterday morning, Republicans unveiled their plan for governing -- their Pledge to America.
They're pledging to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.
They're pledging to roll back regulations on big oil and Wall Street.
They're pledging to strike down rules reining in the credit card lenders and the insurance companies.
They're pledging to increase the deficit by trillions of dollars.
Their agenda is a windfall for the folks spending millions to put them back in power -- the lobbyists, the big corporations, and the special interests.
We're not sitting by watching this scheme become a reality. Our plan to win this fall is as different from that of the GOP as our agenda for the country.
We've got organizers on the ground in every state, working with campaigns and volunteers to coordinate an unprecedented voter-turnout operation.
We're knocking on thousands of doors and making millions of calls to get our voters out to the polls.
We pay for this work with our By the People Fund -- and we're trying to reach 3 million grassroots donations through the course of this campaign.
To stay on pace, we need 5,241 donations by the end of the week.
Can you chip in $5 or more to help us meet our goal?
This Republican Pledge to America is nothing new. Even John Boehner said, "We are not going to be any different than we've been."
They're offering up the very same agenda that put us on a path to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
That means they're not prepared to discuss protecting Social Security and Medicare.
They have no plan for education or teachers.
They offer up no solutions to the outsourcing of American jobs.
They lay out no plans to invest in key industries like clean energy and manufacturing.
They don't talk about rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and railways.
With your help, we can send the Republicans back to the drawing board.
Together, we'll make sure the country never returns to the failed policies of the past. But that means moving forward with our plan to win the 2010 elections.
Please support the By the People Fund today:
http://my.democrats.org/BTPDeadline
Thanks,
Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman
Regardless of the results in November, one thing that will not change is both major parties got us in this mess. How can we trust either party to move the country forward? We know the current regime running record deficits with no end in sight while the other party had an opportunity to be fiscally conservative but failed us during the Bush era. What do we do as Americans? Where do we turn?
None-of-the-above. Brewster was right, that is the solution.
ReplyDeleteTruman - Can imagine the uproar a none of the above vote would do?
ReplyDeleteI sure can. I doubt it would have any impact truly, but it's nice to think it might cause the parties to listen. Today neither party listens, instead of listening to what we want they presume to tell us what they think we should want.
ReplyDeleteNeither party deserves power because that's all they care about - power. Doing the right thing isn't in the equation anymore. And nothing will change with this election cycle. The GOP will likely come away the victor and both will start preparing for 2012 and planning how to win.
And in the mean time, the populace at large is left waiting for their government to do something, anything.
It's really pathetic to be honest.
I know. I loved the political game being played with Bush Tax cuts. Why can't the Dem's just make a stance and pass what they want to and let the ones they won't to expire expire.
ReplyDelete"I loved the political game being played with Bush Tax cuts."
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, those tax cuts should ALL expire for all of us unless congress has the stones to cut spending to pay for them. How can a 10 billion dollar unemployment extension be a "deficit buster" but a 3 trillion dollar expense isn't? That's idiotic.
"Why can't the Dem's just make a stance and pass what they want to and let the ones they won't to expire expire."
What do they gain? If all you care about is "winning" and not actually "doing" then what is your incentive to "do" when no matter what you do, you'll be hoisted on one's on petard?
Like I said above, winning and the power that brings is both parties goal. Making government work for the citizens is not.
Truman - true there is no gain but they do open the door for the spin doctors and for those that are not already being sent packing may follow others.
ReplyDeleteWe need Congress to pass a flat tax, remove all tax credits, and institute a balance budget Amendment to our Constitution. For those of us younger than 50 years of age, we need to see a phase out of entitlement programs and go back to the spirit of welfare as a temporary safety net and not a program that sustains longterm benefits.
Then again no member of Congress will be willing to enact any of this because it strips away that power the Two Party system. We are all slaves to our government that was established to be "of the people for the people".