Ideas anyone?

[inchhigh]

I like this Huffington Post piece. I come to DU every day but many times I just go away angry about all the crap going on right now. I need to see some positive ideas and I thinki the country needs to see them from us.

James Boyce

If I am by Myself in the Woods and Actually Have an Idea, Can I Still be a Democrat?
How often have we sat there as some conservative wag has shrugged their shoulders and said “Well, maybe the Democrats will come up with an idea of their own instead of just criticizing the President’s vision.”

I have recently discovered why they are able to do this so effectively.

The Democrats don’t have any ideas.

Not one.

Well, to be fair we might have some but we’re woefully short on ones that are simple enough for the average American to understand while reading the USA Today and slamming down a cup of coffee.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/james-boyce/if-i-am-by-myself-in-the-_1974.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Let's see

How about Health Care for all, I believe that was one of the Ideas that John Kerry was promoting
How about leaving Social Security alone and fixing the Deficit instead, that is the real crisis, but our attention has been effectively diverted AGAIN.

The Democrats don't have any ideas.
That to is some more of the propaganda you hear on the Right all the time and we are starting to believe them.
Bull S%!*, Democrats ideas don't get publicized 1. because the Republican controlled congress will not let them see the light of day, 2. the LIBERAL media will not wake up and report them.

[inchhigh]

10. Ideas

"Bull S%!*, Democrats ideas don't get publicized 1. because the Republican controlled congress will not let them see the light of day, 2. the LIBERAL media will not wake up and report them."

I certainly agree. I also understand how people come to look at Liberals as angry. I know that "Spreading Democracy across the globe" is just an insidious tag line for the Pukes (and probably the LAST thing they would really like to see). But it really does sound good.

I'm sure if you did one of those simple (and admittedly stupid) positive/negative tally sheets on the posts here the complaints would win hands down. I don't think that is what Liberals are really about and I think it is destructive for us to get caught in that cycle. I'm ready to just ignore the right and start preaching the good.

[paineinthearse]

2. inchhigh

First off, welcome to DU

:hi:

I believe you're referring to ms. rawraw's "rant" - see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3769861&mesg_id=3769861&page=

You'll probably get a better reply by posting as a response within that thread.

Posts with ambiguous subject lines have a tendency to sink.

[Grillydad]

3. Let's list some

whether they've been adopted by a political leader or not. How about raising the cap on social security taxes as a fix. How about insuring that women are not forced to have abortions by a failure of social services and insurance companies. How about recognizing diplomacy before war even in situations where we can kick the snot out of some underdeveloped country.

I'm sure we can come up with a lot more.

[paineinthearse]

4. Grillydad

Welcome to DU

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

5. As an independent, my somewhat detached observation of this ...

... is bemusement. I feel like I'm in Germany in the late 30's while the Nazi's attack the 'left' for not having any ideas about how to deal with the "Jewish Problem."

Why is it that Leftist Lemmings seem to think it's a question of "Which cliff?" (Sheesh!)

[socoljam]

6. Absolutely right!

I'm a liberal among Democrats and a politically active college student and even I don't know what the Dems stand for these days.

I've had some ideas, but of course, we all have had our own.

Healthcare! We should be pounding the idea of universal health care. And here's why:
The US spends more money per capita on health care than France, for much worse, and not universal health care.
If the trends continue, in 40 years, some 80% of our budget will be devoted to health care, all without universal coverage!

And finally...
Ontario now produces more cars than Michigan. Sad, when you realize that GM pays more in taxes to Canada than the US. But, and this is a very big but, the health care costs are so much lower that it actually saves them money.

How to pay for it? Rearrange the Medicaid tax structure so that it has a floor instead of a ceiling. Exempt the first 10 or 15k of income and make it go up forever instead of stopping at $80,000. Oh, and we can increase the rate a little, to maybe 7.5% for worker and employer, since neither will have to pay health care costs anymore.

The beauty is that a universal coverage system benefits when people are healthy. That is, it costs less to prevent serious illness than to wait for it, therefore, the system has the motivation to keep us healthy and provide quick and easy access to doctors. On the other hand, our current system benefits when we stay sick. The longer we're ill, or the sicker we are, the more money doctors, hospitals, and the rest of the establishment makes. Especially once you've used up your, usually limited, health benefits for the year.

And speaking of taxes on the first 80 or 90 thousand, what about the Work Tax, which is how I now refer to FICA.

By taxing the first 80 thousand, we discourage businesses from hiring new employees and entry level positions, because that money would be more heavily taxed than if they just gave it to some CEO who already makes 7 million. Given 35 million spare dollars. It costs an employer several hundred thousand more to hire several people at entry level wages than to just add it to the executives' salaries.

Anyway, those are my ideas.

[nevergiveup]

9. This is good stuff.......

stay activated and welcome to DU :hi:

[yashuryabetcha]

7. The only way

we're ever gonna win THIS war is with media/ Why are there so many 'mericans that follow bush? cause the tv preachers and the riech wing librul media tell them too. People are glued to their sets folks. Why cause there too damn down trodden, sick, uneducated and broke to do anything else. that and maybe an anuual daliance at a theme park once a year and you have it. WE NEED REAL NEWS AND REAL MEDIA that's willing to talk about what's really going on. Most Americans don't have the time or won' believe it if they don't see it on TV. The media is everything and until we git us som a dat Some one like Jon Stuart on 24 hours a day, on network, the people won't wake up. It's just so obvious, so simple and so very expensive. It makes me crazy. Especially since people here are unwilling to think that not everyone has the time and inclination to do their own investigations. The masses don't want to think for themselves Americans have been dumbed down to the point that they want to be spoon fed their opinions. Repugnicans know this and have taken control. Where is Archie Bunker when you need him?

[BeFree]

8. Simple ideas

1. Impeach the lying president

2. Get the hell out of the Iraquagmire

3. End deficit spending - Return to the past of balance in federal spending

4. Raise the minimum wage

5. Health care that's affordable and efficient

6. Quit using up limited oil supplies and begin using technology created new and more efficient uses of all energy sources

We have great ideas and if we instituted just a few of them the world would change for the better almost overnite!