This has to be 'the talking point' for Democrats in 2010. The reduction of the nation's debt has to be a focus for the elections and it has to be a serious, factual and targeted approach.
The Democrats CANNOT talk about this enough.
Our federal budget should be a statement of our national values. (click title to entry - thank you) One of those values is responsibility. Working with President Barack Obama, Democrats in Congress are ending the Bush Administration's irresponsible budget policies that have produced historic deficits. Instead of piling trillions of dollars of debt onto our children and grandchildren, we have restored Pay-As-You-Go budget discipline, adopted fiscally responsible budgets, and worked to stop waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure that taxpayers' money is not wasted.
On March 25th, the House Budget Committee adopted a budget resolution that builds on the efforts of the Democratic-led Congress over the last two years to restore fiscal accountability....President Obama has developed a Task Force to focus on the National Debt and balancing the Federal Budget to effect tax relief. It is responsible, but, it isn't necessarily enough, the Democrats have to take control of the issue.
I would hope that would include a lot of education as to how the national debt is going to be reduced through measures that RIDS the current debt load of all and any frivolous spending ESPECIALLY easy to target are spending programs that have proved to have failed or are failing in their goals.
Included in that discussion is how 'the Nation's goals' have changed since much of the 'old deficit' spending was enacted. If the spending does not reflect current goals and needs of the country it gets trashed.
Reducing the sovereign authority of the USA military is not an option. It is my estimation the military, while indulged during the Bush/Cheney years, has a lot of ground to recover. The USA has used a lot of its 'stores' and it is time to rebuild our nation's military strength through warehousing. The military also has a role in these decisions. Old stores that are simply outdated, undesirable or simply stupid in its focus needs to be removed from the USA military budget and REALISTIC budgets of munitions should be introduced in aggressive campaigns throughout the legislative bodies. The military has to have an 'envoy corp' to advocate for effective focus of military spending that 'lobbies' all members of Congress to better serve their country and not cronies. Those priorities should be transparent WHERE and only where it is realistic to do so.
It is nice to have a President 'on the military's side' to improve all the mechanisms of procurement, but, it is an uphill battle for any Executive Branch to try to do this alone and it is best 'under this President' to start a vigorous campaign to educate members of Congress and the USA people to the stability of their military, its needs and how best to serve it through appropriations. The American public longs for this relationship with its military and would be happy to write to their Congress persons in advocacy of appropriate and necessary spending for that purpose. It is a way for the military to build a better relationship with the American public and act in unison to build a strong nation without gaps in authority and excess spending that serves NO ONE. The military will have to be an 'active listener' to the concerns of the public and their need to close the gap in spending vs a fast, efficient and effective military.
At the heart of this is a 'long desired peace initiative' that provides enforceable and realistic goals for the nation without derailing that initiative by wrongful wars. The American people need the military's 'long view' as well as their immediate needs to facilitate the military's directives.
Included in reduction of the National Debt is establishing a larger tax base, one with enough Middle Class 'disposable' income to continue to stimulate the economy without added unnecessary spending. That tax base will widen with every job that is created and every 'disposable' dollar that is liberated without destroying an effective health care system or education budget.
It's a tough job, but, I do believe it is this President and Congress that are best equipped to achieve it.
The reality of America today, is there is a huge gap between the 'banker bunch' and the Middle Class. It is up to the Middle Class to localize their economies and build strong local infrastructure that protects them from demise. Building strong local economies will not effect Wall Street, they are definately on a separate flight path. There are parallel societies in the USA. The 'connectedness' between 'the country's wealth' and the people disintegrated when companies turned to cheap labor and outsourcing decades ago. The Middle Class made the corporations wealthy and in turn they abandoned them.
It isn't sexy to have a prescribed method of success, but, the American educational system and work ethic has served this country well and we all need to return to it. Unions are not destructive entities for our society. Unions pulled the American worker out of poverty and made the Middle Class strong, they have a role in seeking a strong economy that is served well by the workers they represent.
In that reality, a return to 'international trade' as a method of good will and providing products to the people of a nation that doesn't already produce them is the only prudent trade practices that need to exist. Exploitive practices to dominate a 'goods market' is hostile and should be viewed as a diplomatic priority.
To focus, China. It has grown in dimension and now offers its people more services than it had for decades. The USA economy played a huge role in that relationship, but, it has become toxic to the people of both nations and it has to come to a reasonable and responsible end. China needs to focus on providing its goods to its populous and growing its domestic economy. That holds true for India. There is nothing wrong with providing a market to a country that does not have a strong economic base. That is the relationship the USA has enjoyed with China and India. It has been good for them, however, when it threatens the lives of people and sovereignty of the USA something has gone incredibly wrong.
A GOOD BALANCE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE is the method for institutions such as the WTO and it is there every country can bring its specialty, innovation and need for additional or less trade. Nations need to understand each other and seek to achieve goals for their people with mutual respect for their needs.
That is why our local governments and state governments need to develop strong local economies that supply services and goods to the regions they are a part. The only barrier to this accomplishment is lack of expertise, but, it cannot be that far away. Most of the Governors of the States of this nation are well versed in economic growth and what works for their people.
Where deficits of understanding show up it is the responsibility of the federal government to provide insight (And that was insight, not necessarily money - economic growth places a reasonable tax base to States as well.) to how economies that can best serve the people and the region they are a part, including effective labor and environmental laws that allow growth without demoralizing the people and/or the land.
I think it is very healthy for a President to extend outreach to troubled areas of the country as noted as a directive by President Obama in his recent trips to Texas, a state on the border of a country troubled by violence. The 'ideological' barriers that prohibit effective economic growth need to come down. If necessary, move past the political infrastructure and take it to the people.
There are states in the Southern USA where even a lawyer's authority has been demoralized and virtually does not serve as an opposition to 'the ESTABLISHMENT.' As a consequence the people are trapped in a culture that does not serve their needs and are consoled by religious fervor. It is one thing to worship god, it is another thing to expect to live lives of servitude to unknown economic strife for the entirety of one's life.
It is easy to be a 'redneck' when laughter fills in the gap to economic comfort.
In regions of the country where this is the case, it isn't enough to know the economic viability of the State, but more the of people, the demographics of that economy and how the result of the economy actually upholds the integrity of those people. The American Middle Class is suppose to grow its wealth and well being over a lifetime while passing on potential to its children.
In regions of the country that propagates sustained 'impoverishment' there is something grossly wrong with 'the establishment' and it is guaranteed citizens can't move past it. These regions also exhibit higher high school drop out rates and increased military recruitment. That is not a military representative of the country, that is a military that is served by poverty and a federal military budget that is like welfare to the people. A people will learn that a high school education will not serve them if they can't find gainful employment for their diplomas and or their college degrees. Basically, why waste time in education when it isn't going to improve the outcome.
And do the nation a favor, break up the North Carolina monopoly on military instillations that were cronied by Helms. It is a monopoly that demoralizes the people of the state.
Economic growth should be a directive of every State of the USA. Growth is actually reduced when states are mired in 'sameness' and sustained oppression of change.
Economic growth should not be thwarted by ideologies and fears as witnessed by exploitive lies that permeates our society today. This should be a resoundingly wonderful time for the Middle Class, but, instead it has been infiltrated with fear propagated by hostile media seeking control of its market place.
Ethics has to be placed high on the agenda of legislators and when hateful lies permeate a legislative body on the very floor of the House and Senate they need to be addressed in ways that matter and reveal the truth of those lies to the electorate that placed them in that capacity. I think FINES should be added to Ethics Committees decisions as well.
That probably is enough to speculate about for 2010. "Change" has to be delivered and the promise of it has to continue. Positive outlooks for economic stabilty while returning function to our society and reducing the nation's debt needs to be a 'mainstay' of dialogue between all Democrats and their electorate. Talk it up people, let's make it happen.
