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In the 2004 election, should these issues be part of the debate?
1. Full public financing of public elections with the necessary, broad changes for a more fair and representative election process, replacing present charades; 2. A responsive political system to expand the civic energies of the American people by, among other ways, facilitating the banding together of workers, consumers, taxpayers, small investors, and communities. 3. A serious drive to abolish poverty using long-known policies; 4. Universal health insurance -- single payer embracing prevention, quality and cost controls; 5. A living wage for the tens of millions of workers making less than $10 an hour -- many full time workers at $5.15, $6, $7, $8, and long overdue labor rights reform; 6. An adequately funded crackdown on corporate crimes, fraud and abuse that have cheated trillions of dollars from taxpayers, investors, pension holders and consumers, plus specific corporate reforms; 7. A comprehensive and determined nurturing of the physical and educational needs of children; 8. Reform of the criminal injustice system and defense of the precious pillars of our democracy -- civil liberties, civil rights and civil remedies for wrongful injuries -- which are under relentless assault by corporate interests and the present government; 9. A multi-faceted foreign policy to wage multilateral peace and promote arms control, plus utilizing the many assets of our country's knowledge base to lift prospects for the impoverished people abroad; 10. A redirected federal budget for the crucial priorities of our country and away from the massive waste, fraud and redundancy of what President Eisenhower called the "military-industrial complex," as well as the massive costs of corporate welfare; 11. The crisis of commercial food, water, and diet policies, in addition to agribusiness domination over dwindling, rural, small farm economies; 12. The need for renewable energy and energy efficiency, instead of costly oil, gas and nuclear boondoggles; 13. The housing problem for the millions of households who can't afford the rents or can't escape gentrification and sprawl; 14. The relief of highway congestion and the promotion of modern public transit; 15. The pull-down effect of corporate globalization on labor, the environment, consumers and our democratic processes. 16. The consequences of media concentration over our public airwaves.
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