The Specific Recomendations in Clinton/DLC "American Dream" Proposal

[KoKo]

"Bloomberg News:"

Both Bayh's plan and Clinton's ``American Dream Initiative'' stand in stark contrast to the proposal of former North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards who is championing the poor and has proposed eliminating poverty in America in 30 years.

CLINTON/DLC PLAN:

Spending and Savings

The initiative offers spending plans and savings proposals including:

-- Creating ``American Dream Accounts'' that would require all companies with more than five employees to automatically enroll their workers in a retirement plan unless the worker opts out. Eligible workers could withdraw the money after age 65 or at any time for college or for the purchase of a first house.

-- Creating ``Baby Bonds'' that would give each child a $500 savings bond at birth and again at age 10.

-- Expanding the home-mortgage tax deduction to include all home owners, not just those who itemize their taxes.

-- Establishing a $3,000 refundable college tuition tax credit.

-- Allowing small businesses to pool their workforces to obtain cheaper health insurance.

-- Ensuring that every child in America has health insurance.

-- Cutting ``wasteful, outdated'' corporate subsidies.

Federal Consultants

-- Cutting 100,000 ``unnecessary'' federal consultants and contractors.

-- Requiring securities firms to report to the Internal Revenue Service not only the sales of assets but the amount of capital gains.

-- ``Shining a light'' on the pay of CEOs ``to provide greater accountability'' and to give the public ``an understanding of whether a CEO's pay is fair relative to the firm's overall performance.''

Bruce Reed, president of the DLC, said the cost of the American Dream Initiative would be about $400-$450 billion over 10 years. The cost would be offset by the $550 billion in savings the initiative would realize over that time period, he said.

more...with comments by Repugs & other Dems at...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=a05irOqDMJTM

[Sadie5]

1. I like what I see here

but other things need to be changed too. The CC companies need to lower the interest rates that have hurt so many trying to pay their bills. The bankruptcy laws need to be changed. Jobs need to stay in this country. Good paying jobs, not burger flippers at the local Burger King. Offshore accounts need to be done away with. Ceos need to take a pay cut. These are just a few of my gripes.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. How do you do away with offshore accounts?

:shrug:

[welshTerrier2]

2. sorry, but this is pathetic

all the items listed are fine ... they're also tragically inadequate ...

does anyone disagree that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? this proposal just isn't going to make a dent in the problem ...

where is a discussion on the impact of lobbying on the middle class? where is a discussion about out of control defense spending?

oh, noooooo; we can't have any of that left-wing extremism ... hear this: our defense spending is EXTREME ... i'm for having all the defense we could possibly need ... i'm not for the military-industrial complexes' corporate welfare program ...

the DLC proposal, at least as listed here, doesn't even address making cuts in the defense budget ... the US defense budget is greater than all the other defense budgets of all the other countries in the whole world combined!!!

these proposals, while all fine, just don't get to the root of the problems we face ... it sounds like more politicking without real solutions to the problems we face ... instead of being insurance salesmen telling us how we can get cheaper policies, how about talking about getting health care costs under control? and where is the mention of the impact on jobs of NAFTA and CAFTA and the WTO? again, i support all the proposals but it feels more like pandering than reality ...

[KoKo]

5. I'm hoping someone who has seen John Edwards plan can post it so

we can compare the two.

The Bloomberg article says it took a year for them to come up with this plan. :eyes: Bloomberg might have shortened the list, too, so it may not be the whole plan. I didn't get over to the DLC site to see if there was a more detailed proposal. But, I can't believe that this small list is all they could come up with, either. It's a start but the article goes on to say how they are focusing on the Middle Class and those in the "ex-urbs" and suburbs. Those soccor moms and dads, I guess.

[welshTerrier2]

9. i cut them some slack because ...

maybe this isn't their entire plan??

and each item on the laundry list is fine but the whole list lacks context ... it's like people are starving, our food supply is contaminated, there's a lack of water to grow the crops, farmers are all going bankrupt and these kind souls at the DLC have decided to pass out cookies and other snacks ...

where's the vision?

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Where are some of the smaller, inconsequential things like ... oh ......

..... publically funded campaigns?

..... balanced budgets?

..... constraints on coporate personhood?

..... election refrom?

..... lobbying limits?

..... little, inconsequential shit like that ..... ?

[KoKo]

7. Your list Not "American Dreams" for the "ex-urbs" and "suburbs" folks....

I'm hoping someone who has access to the full copy will write some analysis of it. Like Paul Krugman and David Sirota.

[SaveElmer]

8. Why don't you post the PDA proposals...

I'm sure they is one out there somewhere....no? oh!

[hatrack]

6. Anything in there about verified paper-trail voting systems?

Until there is, it's pissing in the wind.

[KoKo]

10. It was about "American Dream" ...Silly...not anything else...

to be fair..maybe this is just a "First Report" and more will follow on Voting and Environment.

This first report is from Bloomberg who might be having a HISSY FIT over the Business Proposals.

But..yeah..I really agree with you....just trying to be fair in my post to struggle to make excuses for them...which might be valid..but probably..in our experience...NOT! So sad......:-(