What Is It Going To Take To Move This Country Into The 21st Century?

[Me.]

The stim bill made some inroads with provisions for computerizing med records (which by the way would create jobs), upgrade our rail system and electrical grid among other things. But we seem to keep bumping up against a 50's mindset. Do we have to wait for all the Dinos to die off before we can move forward?

[Maven]

1. We have to catch up to the rest of the world in the late 20th century first

Having a health care system where the needy aren't thrown from hospitals into the street would be a good start.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. What will it take? 60+ Sen. Democrats and a strong Sen. Maj. Leader. n/t

[Me.]

4. 60+ Dems That Include The Current Blue Dogs?

It was Nelson who 'trimmed the fat'.

[BlueCaliDem]

10. Unfortunately, yes, including Republicrat Nelson - that's why

I wrote 60 plus, to render him less important because it's clear he wants to make an important position unto himself. In 2003 he was for a stimulus bill before he was against President Obama's.

In 2003, he *{Sen. Ben Nelson} lobbied President Bush to include in his “Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act” (literally described at the time as an "economic stimulus package") $20 billion in federal aid for Medicaid and other essential state-level social services.

http://progressillinois.com/2009/2/6/nelson-state-aid *{} is mine

Nelson is grand-standing.

[Kdillard]

3. It would take us knocking out a few more Republicans and getting

rid of a couple of problem Dems.

[Jamastiene]

5. Somebody needs to give those who are trying to hold things back

a MAJOR attitude adjustment.

That is really all I can come up with for a solution. We've just had 8 years of our lives wasted. It is probably going to take a year or two to see any real progress, but remember...the progress we make now still won't take us very close to where we were headed in 2000. It is a case of one step forward, 6 steps back, and try to recover from being pummeled for 8 solid years by bandits with no shame.

[The River]

6. A Hundred Year War

against the same superstitions, fears and entrenched
special interests that progressives have been fighting
for since the 18th century.

I'm confident that by 2109 we'll be completely
21st century compliant.

[sandnsea]

7. Some of that was cut 50%, not completely

We need to decide what we want back in the House, and then start fighting for it.

http://www.obama-mamas.com/stimulus-senate.htm

On Edit: I should say, get it back in Conference.

[Honeycombe8]

8. The new electrical grid is still in the bill, per Susan Collins. nt

[Still Sensible]

9. The truth is there was hardly enough before the cut

to make even a small contribution toward light rail. The money for the electrical grid is barely a start toward what is needed.

The most political of the cuts IMO was taking out the medical records funds, because republicans know that was one of the key parts of the President's overall health care plan.

[Me.]

11. Exactly

Half measures cut in half. Now Obama is a smart guy and he knows no real change is no real change so it will be interesting to see how over the coming years he nudges them closer to the future. Of course the next elections will play a role in that effort

[anonymous171]

12. Destruction of the GOP. Seriously.

The blue dogs can take their place. Center and Center-right is better than Far Right.