Who, as President, will make it better for Main Street?

[Ron Green]

Most people who think and write about these things agree that a resilient and healthy America must be based upon local economic activity that eschews extraction of value by big, distant companies and instead connects people where they live, work, and play.

Too many cities, towns and neighborhoods, though, are either overcrowded or sprawling (or both), with food deserts, crumbling or missing infrastructure, alienated people behind wrought-iron gates or under iron bridges, or just planted at the computer or TV while the "community" outside slips away.

Since 1950 the suburban development experiment has provided the framework for much of this, and since 1980 "trickle-down" capitalism has gutted the working class cash flow that both built Main Street prosperity and destroyed it with the Big Box plan. All the while various public programs at all levels of government have sought to ameliorate the ill effects of the decline, with mixed success but with an ever-increasing bureaucracy supported by an ever-more-fragile tax base.

So who, as President, is most likely to lead us to a place of solutions for this? (Perhaps I should say "more likely" since this is GD-P, but the case could be made that a Republican for the next four years could bring about the necessary cataclysm to start the overhaul.)

Bernie's trillion-dollar infrastructure plan: does that build connected communities, or is it just more short term make-work? What does Hillary have that's likely to set the tone, and the ball rolling, for building America from the blighted ground up?

First, do you agree that local solutions must come? And then, make the case for your candidate to do something to get the 21st Century started in America.

[Thinkingabout]

1. In 2016 the best qualified candidate is Hillary Clinton.

[Ron Green]

5. So how does that translate into actions and solutions

to address the OP?

[Thinkingabout]

12. On the current issues by Sanders are not issues which will get through congress on

medicare for all, he has already introduced a bill in Congress and it did not make it out of committee, as a congressional member part of his position is to get other congressional members to endorse a bill and the necessary support to get the bill passed. The committees are a part of the process before the vote. Placing issues which is proven failures on the candidates agenda will not change anything, no action, no solution.

[Fearless]

18. Republicans will work with Clinton??

Don't make me laugh.

[cali]

8. She has the best resume and the worst judgment.

[Metric System]

9. +100

[Armstead]

2. Thank You!

This is a major issue that is too much ignored. Everyone gripes about the impact, but it seldom enters the national political sphere.

IMO the culture and values that Bernie come out of is much more supportive of local solutions and community.

Clinton represents Wal Mart homogenous culture and the imposition of the corporate imperitive.

I'm on my cell phone (ahem) and can't type long but it is a subject that should be more discussed

[uponit7771]

3. Someone who understands how congress works or is willing to be straight up with the obstacles...

Last edited Tue Feb 2, 2016, 08:00 PM - Edit history (1)

... that the current historically gerrymandered GOP congress will present to any legislation left or right?

Someone who's not going to proffer marketed slogans meant to inspire the few but leave out "the fewer" ... in practice... and then deliver very little other than a "fight"?

Someone who can develop a relationship with people they need to work a vision vs telling these very people that they're their savior via proxies.

Someone who has an imperfect track record of LEADING little revolutions of all sizes vs sitting on the sidelines and throwing rocks and proffering adversity against those in charge?

Just to name a few

[cyberswede]

14. Like fighting for single payer

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-single-payer-health-care-will-never-ever-happen/

[uponit7771]

15. She never said single payer... the fact that this statement is being pulled out of context like "you

... didn't build that" is telling no?

tia

[Ron Green]

20. This is interesting - what are some examples of how Hillary

(I'm assuming that's your candidate) would bring about local and sustainable economic activities. Would it be about growth, or more about mutual connectedness and support?

[randome]

4. Since the Presidency is the weakest branch of government, the question is meaningless.

Congress wields the power. If the 'revolution' does not recognize that, nothing will change.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[Ron Green]

6. You're saying it doesn't matter who's elected President

when we regard the problems of community?

[uponit7771]

16. +1, one candidate is selling pixie dust politics and the other proffers a way around congress to get

... things done

[DanTex]

7. About the same. The big thing is avoiding a GOP president.

[TBF]

10. The big box plan is not going so great -

as evidenced by Walmart closing 100+ stores this month. As Bernie reminded us last night - we the people bailed out Wall Street and now it's time for payback. The form that takes in a civilized society is taxation. We tax trades, we tax on the income over 120K (or whatever the current cap is on social security - I can't recall the exact amount), we raise capital gains back to taxation at 100% like we did pre-Reagan, the list goes on and on. The very wealthy, especially with inherited wealth, have been getting a free ride. With that funding we can come up with all sorts of public infrastructure programs and it needs to come from the top down. Now, when those funds are distributed as grants and the like than localities will have some say in how they are spent, what is key to fix, etc. but yes I do believe this needs to be centralized with a much more generous federal minimum wage in place and civil rights and gender protections. Can a republican bring about the type of overhaul we need? Absolutely not. Privatizing everything ensures that profit is the only motive. That's what we've tried the past 35 years and frankly it has been a huge disaster for all but the very richest people. And it is even literally killing people - to wit most recently I give you Flint, MI. No, this truly does need to be an overhaul, or a revolution if you will, and we need Bernie Sanders to lead it.

[Ron Green]

11. The thing I keep thinking about is how, at the local level, to build

a sense of ownership into the regeneration of local economies. Is a higher minimum wage enough? Or is that more detachment from the reality of "place making?"

I don't know the answer to this; I just know what we've done so far hasn't worked.

[TBF]

13. Churches hold the locals together -

by and large. So how much do we involve them, connect with them, or do we completely keep a distance? As an agnostic person myself I appreciate separation of church and state, yet they really are not completely separate given that they are essentially non-profits for tax purposes. But for many people that is where connection is.

ETA - the higher minimum is non-negotiable in my view, but you make good points re connections

[Ron Green]

17. Bingo! (No joke intended)

Saul Alinsky and the Back of the Yards activities were closely connected with Catholic Bishops and Protestant ministers in Chicago, and of course the Black churches were central to the Civil Rights movement.

It's tricky on DU to talk about the Church; there's lots of antipathy around it. But as a community organizer it's powerful in that it moves more quickly than government and (ideally) without the profit motive of the market.

Pope Francis has brought a new awareness of the Church's role in community building, and I think that's why Bernie Sanders gives him props occasionally.

[TBF]

19. Hey I live in Texas

it would be pretty poor if I missed that one.

[Ron Green]

21. My county commissioners at this moment are suing the state

based on their argument that the state minimum wage initiative is unconstitutional (an unfunded mandate the county "can't afford.&quot They push the usual claim that $13.65, or thereabouts, will inflate everything and cause small businesses to lay off people or close up.

[TBF]

22. That's why it has to be a federal works program. nt