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TO: Democratic Leaders of America
FROM: A Registered Voter
SUBJECT: Your party platform
Hello, Democratic Leaders I realize that you don't know me, but that's okay because I am what is called a registered voter. I am one of many people who form the basis of the American electoral system, and incase you've forgotten... I'm your boss. In fact, I'm one of your many bosses because your job, your duty in congress and in elected positions all across the country is to serve me. It is to make me happy, and when you fail to do that, you lose your job. This, in its simplest form is how our electoral system works, and incase you've failed to notice many of your colleagues have lost their jobs recently. This memo is to inform you that you may be next.
I am unhappy to put it mildly. I do not expect much of a fight from you on Alito, I never did. In fact, Alito is small beans compared to the bigger problems facing this country. I am unhappy because you seem to have lost your sense of vision and have turned into a bureaucratic sloth that just wants my money without producing any results. Well, I'm effectively cutting you off. You won't get another penny from me until I start seeing some results.
Oh, don't panic. I haven't turned my back on you, I am allowing you one final chance to prove yourself to me. Yes, that is correct one last chance before I decide to pull a Donald Trump and say, "You're Fired!" I'm being generous, perhaps overly so.
Don't worry, though because I am going to spell out what exactly I want from you. First and foremost I want you to remake your image. Forget about the party of old. Let's think something new, you need a image make over - you need to reinvent yourself. You need to talk about issues that American people care about and strive to make sincere change. Here are the issues that I expect you to take up for the 2006 elections:
* Election Reform
* Environmental Issues
* Health Care
* Foreign Policy
* Gay Rights
* Energy Alternatives
* Public Education
* Pentagon Budget Cuts
I am going to go into each one of those things in more detail, but the order listed does not indicate order of importance each of them are equally important and each of them needs to be a high priority. I want each of these things written into the party platform and I want every candidate running for Congress in 2006 to hit on every one of these issues, and once they win I want them to follow through with their commitments.
* Election Reform
This issue is extremely important and with the Abramoff fiasco surrounding Washington this should be easy to talk about. On this issue I want you to do the following: eliminate corruption in Washington by creating public funded campaigns. Allow no private donations to be placed into campaigns of people running for public office. Anyone, with the exception of those running for President (the exception being that the person must poll with a support of at least 2%), who wants to run for office receives a set amount of money to run their campaign. The media (radio and TV) must also offer a respectable number of hours to each candidate running, and each candidate must have equal time. The airwaves belong to the American people, not to private corporations who are simply "renting" them from us. A persons personal wealth also should count as private money and not be allowed to enter into a campaign. A political party may raise money as they always have, but the donations sent to the political party must be capped at $2,000 dollars per person. PAC's may function as they always have, with the exception that the contributions made to them must be capped at $1,000 dollars per person.
In addition to the spending changes there also needs to be a very through look at voting machines across the country. Each machine must be inspected carefully and deliver a paper trail of some sort that can be clearly followed. Voting should also be made easier, allowing voting by phone and by the internet, provided that it can be made secure and can also provide some type of paper trail. Voting should also take place around the same time for everyone and be made a holiday so that everyone who wants to vote gets the opportunity to do so, and everyone who needs or wants to make up their mind about their candidate has time to do it.
There also needs to be a National Get Out The Vote effort for each election, using public transportation to ensure that anyone who wants to get out there to vote gets the chance.
* Environmental Issues
There needs to be a serious discussion on what the United States is going to do as Global Warming approaches. The future looks bleak and we need to be prepared. To the best of my knowledge Global Warming is now at a point of no return, it's going to happen and there is no preventing it now. There needs to be a program in place, not only in the United States for the entire world, to prepare for the biggest Natural Disaster that we will ever know. Aside from the likelihood of widespread famine we also face the total devastation of everything near our coastlines. We need to have people prepared to deal with that and programs in place to help people settle elsewhere once that happens.
* Health Care
The majority of people in this country support it, so there is no reason why the Democratic Party shouldn't deliver it: national government health care. If you want to win big with seniors, this is your issue: ensuring that everyone in the United States - every single person - has healthcare and can afford prescription drugs.
* Foreign Policy
The Iraq War falls under this, but it's a much bigger issue than Iraq. First, you need to come up with some plan of dealing with Iraq, either pull out completely or offer a plan that will work in helping us stabilize the country before we leave. Preferably, you should put pressure on the Bush Administration to pull out BEFORE 2008 so that when you take the White House you won't have to do it. After all, you know as well as I do the moment we pull out Republicans will blame every bad thing that happened in Iraq on us. That is why it needs to be painted as a Republican War, not a Democratic War - you need to make sure that the American public can easily differentiate between the two. This is made easier if the war begins and ends under the same Republican President who started it.
On other issues of Foreign Policy we need to take a serious look at China and take steps to ensure that they do not become a superpower, and if it is impossible to prevent then we need to take steps to secure ourselves against them. We can start by paying off all our debts to them and refusing to take anymore money from them. We can follow that by playing hardball with trade agreements unless they are willing to allow their country more democratic freedom as well as making appropriate changes to their economy so that we are on a more level playing field.
It may also be a good idea to place taxes on all goods brought in from China, and lower or remove taxes of all products manufactured in America. This should, at least in the short term, help out somewhat.
* Gay Rights
I realize that you lack the balls for going out in support for gay marriage. It's okay, if you can grasp the other things that I've listed - I have hope for you. However, Civil Unions is a must at least in the interim. Most people do not oppose Civil Unions so you shouldn't be on shaky ground. Those who do aren't going to vote for you anyway, even if you were a homophobic fundamentalist.
The fact of the matter is, gay rights is not a toxic issue that it is made out to be. Most people, simply put, do not care. Those that are anti-gay rights aren't going to vote Democratic anyway, and those that are pro-gay rights *ARE* Democratic Voters. Sure, you may lose a few swing votes that were on shaky ground anyway, but you will also gain votes by mobilizing people who may not have voted at all. In the end, at worst, it'll be a net loss of zero. At best it will be a net gain.
Look at the success of Paul Hackett’s campaign. He was clearly pro-gay marriage in a HIGHLY conservative district and he almost won. If you are in an extremely liberal area and are not pro-gay marriage then, to be blunt, you're a pussy and a half. You'll hear the screams and shouts of the radical right - people who wouldn't vote for you if their life depended on it - but as they always do, they always alienate the majority of Americans. Remember Terri Schiavo?
So, to recap: Support Civil Unions, as well as adding sexual orientation into discrimination laws to ensure protection in employment and in housing.
* Energy Alternatives
Energy is going to be a big issue facing America in the years to come and we need to prepare for it now. We need to find innovative ways of dealing with our energy issues so that we can continue to not only sustain our current usage, but to continue to grow as well. America, for the most part, is a country full of innovative people with brains. Money spent in this area will allow us to diminish if not completely eliminate our dependence on the Middle East as well as possibly giving us something to export to other countries. Someone needs to think outside of the box and the Government needs to ensure that they are well funded enough to do it.
* Public Education
There is a crisis of ignorance in America and the root of it is our education system. This is a system in serious need of reform and I highly suggest looking at successful models in other countries and copying those models as well as adding our own innovations to them. Most importantly, we need to make sure they are properly funded. Do some research, build a plan, and then come back and let us know what you've come up with.
* Pentagon Budget Cuts
Finally, Pentagon Budget Cuts. Well, a lot of what I listed above needs funding and the Pentagon is a money hungry beast. I think it's far time that we begin starving that beast of some of its funding and putting it into other areas of importance.
First, I would suggest a complete and total audit of the Pentagon budget. Find out where every penny is going to, and once you've figured out where all the money is going tell them to cut the pork and fat, then make the cuts. Funnel that money into other areas that need it bad, namely Public Education and Health Care.
Well Democratic Leaders, this is what I expect from you in 2006, and moving forward into 2008 and beyond. If you live up to my lofty expectations then you will remain in employment. If not, then you've lost at least one vote for good. No, I do not want to hear, "Hey, baby I've changed my ways this time, honest." I'm not some battered spouse. I'm an intelligent person and I demand to be treated as such, do not insult my intelligence by pandering to me for my vote. If you want to make me angry, then that is the fastest way to do it.
Take this Memo as a warning. If you fail to comply with what I have asked, then I will shop elsewhere for a candidate, even if I have to write my own name in every time I vote. No, trying to intimidate me into voting for you or "else the Republicans will win" won't work either, because at the end of the day if you cannot stand for the issues that I've listed then in my mind you are, at best Republican-lite and at worst are no different at all.
I hope you take all that I've said into serious consideration. Time is ticking and, as I said, this is your final chance. I hope for your sake and for the sake of this Nation that you follow my demands to the letter.
Signed: A Registered Voter
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