“There must be some kind of way out of here”
Said the joker to the thief
“There’s too much confusion,
I can’t get no relief”
This week on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher did an extended monologue in the “New Rules” segment on what a Liberal Tea Party might look like. Maher may be a terrible person, but as a political comedian he’s top notch. Regardless, it got me thinking: what might a real Liberal Tea Party look like?
Let’s break it down into two categories: Domestic and Foreign.
DOMESTIC
– Taxes: Go back to Carter-era tax rates on individuals. Here’s how that breaks down: Over $100k – 31%; $75k-$100k – 25%; $50k-$75k – 24%; $30k-$50k – 20%; $30k or less – 12%. Institute a new tax bracket: Over $5,000,000 annually – 50%. The IRS will be fully funded to pursue and prosecute high net-worth individuals and corporations hiding income offshore. An Emergency Tax provision will be created, providing for a high surtax on luxury items and on the income of the top 1% of earners in the event of future financial recession/depression-type events.
– Infrastructure: Put America back to work by establishing a $3 trillion Infrastructure Bank for states, cities, etc. to draw from to repair and rebuild aging infrastructure. Keep in mind this isn’t for new infrastructure; this is just to bring our current infrastructure up to First World standards. Spend $1 trillion to build a high speed rail network across the United States, and another $1 trillion to improve urban mass transit.
– Health Care: Beginning now, the United States will begin moving toward a single-payer system for healthcare, with full implementation by 2020. Preventative care will be free. Pharmaceutical manufacturers must equalize drug prices based on local economic conditions, and establish a program for providing individuals under financial hardship prescription drugs at free or reduced prices.
– Domestic Defense: The PATRIOT Act will be repealed and replaced with a sensible set of laws with appropriate safeguards that allows law enforcement and domestic security to maintain the safety and security of the citizens of the United States without compromising their rights.
– Finance: CEOs of publically-traded companies may not make more than 50 times the average wage of the average salary at their company. The SEC will have it’s annual budget increased by 500% to pursue and prosecute “white collar” criminals engaged in financial crimes, including individuals responsible for the housing bubble in 2008. Bonuses for corporate officers will be issued no less than 80% in corporate stock, held in escrow for a period of 5 years from the date of issue to encourage long term investment and performance.
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All new complex financial instruments will be reviewed by the SEC prior to being implemented. Elements of the Glass-Steagall Act will be reinstated, separating investment banks and commercial banks. The Estate Tax will be set at 100% of assets above $5 million per individual, and 50% of assets above $2.5 million per individual. The debt ceiling will be permanently abolished. Securities ratings agencies will be funded by a mandatory joint contribution from all investment banks, and required to accurately state the level of risk associated with presented securities.
– Justice: Marijuana will be decriminalized and legalized, and will be taxed and regulated the same way alcohol and tobacco are under the new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms, and Explosives. Low level drug offenders will be sentenced to rehabilitation at Federally funded treatment centers rather than sent to prison. Current low level offenders will be remanded to treatment centers then released. Individuals arrested for marijuana use or trafficking (only Marijuana) will be released immediately and compensated for time lost. Members of the Bush Administration will be investigated and prosecuted for high treason against the United States.
– Education: The Federal government will establish minimum education standards for all 50 states. The curriculum will be fact-based, as recognized by leading experts in the fields of Science, Social Studies, Math, and English. High school students will be required to complete courses on Government, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, Comparative Religion, and Personal Finance. For-profit educational institutions, both primary and secondary, will be outlawed; all educational institutions will be non-profit and required to invest all profits into improving teacher salaries, arts programs, school facilities, special needs programs, and any other area deemed critical to educating the next generation of Americans.
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A national tax base will be established, ensuring that the place of an individuals birth does not determine the quality of their education. The No Child Left Behind legislation will be repealed and replaced with sensible legislation that rewards the best teachers as determined by their peers. A mandatory retirement age of 65 will be established for all teachers, with full pensions for those with 20 years or more of service. Publically funded universities will reduce tuition rates to match the rate of inflation, and will issue partial to full rebates to former students dating back 30 years. Private student loans will be limited to an interest rate of LIBOR + 1%. Student loans will be able to be discharged in bankruptcy hearings under special hardship circumstances. A national system of post-primary non-collegiate trade schools will be established, providing individuals the opportunity to learn valuable skills and join the workforce in 2 years rather than the 4 required for a traditional college degree.
– Gun Control: The only legal firearms in the United States will be handguns, hunting shotguns, and hunting rifles. The serial number of every firearm must be registered with the ATMFE. Individuals found in possession of an unregistered firearm will face mandatory sentences of not less than 10 years in a Federal penitentiary. Ammunition will be stamped with a unique serial number, and the buyer will be registered with the Federal government. Firearms will only be available at special government-run stores, after completing a permit process that includes a 30-day waiting period and a mental health evaluation. Armor-piercing bullets will be banned. Extended ammunition clips will be banned. The government will issue a 90-day grace period for individuals to turn in firearms prior to the law going into effect, and individuals who choose to participate will be compensated with an amount not to exceed 50% of the retail price of the firearm.
– Abortion: The ban on federal funding for abortion will be eliminated. Planned Parenthood and associated organizations will be nationalized, reformed as the Women’s Health Services Division of the Health and Human Services Department. WHS Clinics will be opened in every major city across America, offering women’s health services for low or no cost. Waiting periods for abortions will be eliminated. All information presented will be factual in nature. Private clinics will be required to present information about abortion in a factual, non-biased manner, and will be required to state they do not provide abortions.
– Religion: Tax-exempt status for religious groups and organizations will be revoked. Religious organizations will have the opportunity to reform as non-profit corporations, and will be subject to the same oversight and standards as any other corporation.
– Labor: All full-time salaried employees will be guaranteed 6 full weeks of paid vacation every fiscal year. Employees will be guaranteed equal protection in resolving legal disputes with employers. Employees will be free to unionize, and any corporation found impeding unionization efforts will be heavily fined and required to suspend or remove the responsible corporate officers.
– Farming: All Biofuels must contain more potential energy than they take to create. Any biofuel that does not meet these standards cannot be produced in the United States. Farm subsidies for major agribusiness will be ended, and small commercial “family” farmers agreeing to farm organically and chemical-free will receive tax breaks. Animals will be required to be slaughtered as humanely as possible, and genetically engineered livestock will be banned.
– Environment: Corporate Average Fuel Economy for any manufacturer that wants to sell an automobile in the United States must be 50mpg or greater by 2025. All new vehicles must be offered in either a Hybrid or Electric option. The use of fossil fuels in transit and electricity generation will be phased out of the United States by 2040. A $1 trillion investment bank will be established to encourage investment in clean non-nuclear, renewable energy. Carbon emissions will be capped and taxed at current levels. The EPA will be fully funded and charged with pursuing corporations that improperly dispose of waste. Exporting domestic industrial waste to other countries will be banned.
– Immigration: The DREAM Act will be signed into law. The immigration and citizenship process will be improved and streamlined, allowing talented and valuable individuals to obtain citizenship sooner and easier. Greater prosecution of individuals outstaying their visas will be implemented. Individuals here illegally will be given a path to citizenship after 5 years. The H1B Visa program will be drastically overhauled, requiring employers to pay equivalent salaries to similarly skilled domestic and foreign workers.
– Science: NASA will be charged with delivering a man to Mars and returning him safely to Earth by 2025, establishing a permanent colony in Earth orbit by 2015, and a permanent lunar colony by 2020. The Federal government will establish a $1 trillion grant program, with $500 billion earmarked for research into fundamental science and $500 billion earmarked for research into applied science.
– Government: The procedural filibuster will be abolished, requiring any Senator that wishes to filibuster legislation to talk continuously. The start of debate may not be filibustered. Anonymous holds will be revoked. 51 votes will be require for cloture. Presidential appointments cannot be filibustered, and can be approved by simple majority. No member of Congress may lobby member of Congress with whom they served with following their departure from the House or Senate. Businesses of any type may not contribute to a political campaign. Candidates are required to disclose contributions of any group or individual greater than $50. A mandatory retirement age of 75 is established for the Supreme Court. House and Senate members are limited to 12 years (6 and 2 terms, respectively), either concurrently or non-concurrently.
– Technology: ICANN is established as an independent, non-governmental group. Internet Neutrality is enforced by any telecommunications provider in the United States. High-speed rural internet is Federally subsidized. A $100 billion internet infrastructure bank is implemented, allowing telecoms to borrow at low rates to institute nationwide high speed fiber internet. Cable and Satellite television providers are required to offer an “a la carte” programming option, where consumers can pay a fixed fee then select which channels they want to receive and which they don’t, and pay based on which channels they select.
– Media: The Fairness Doctrine is reinstituted. News channels and programs must clearly establish before every program whether the content is news or opinion; if the content is news, it must be presented in a factual, non-biased fashion. Media ownership rules are revised, preventing any one company from controlling more than 49% of a given industry or geographic area.
– Gay Rights: Gay marriage will be legalized in the United States, with the same benefits provided to both homo and heterosexual couples.
– Social Security: The Social Security payroll tax cap will be eliminated, funding Social Security at full benefits, in perpetuity, for everyone.
FOREIGN
– Current Conflicts: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be drawn down with all US military personnel to be removed from those theaters of operations by 2012.
– Peacekeeping: The United States will lead in establishing a multi-national peacekeeping force to intervene in instances of genocide or ethnic cleansing, as authorized by the United Nations.
– Defense Spending: The Department of Defense budget will be regularly audited to eliminate instances of fraud, waste, and abuse, with an ultimate goal of at least 30% reduction in defense spending by 2015. Military programs will be consolidated for maximum efficiency and cost savings purposes, i.e. a fighter jet will not be built in 48 states unless absolutely necessary. The number of Carrier Strike Groups will be reduced from 12 to 8.
– Nuclear Deterence: The United States will take the lead in drastically reducing the number of nuclear weapons, reducing the overall stockpile to no more than 100 weapons, as well as establishing a multi-national coalition with the goal to eventually reduce the world nuclear stockpile to zero.
– Foreign Aid: Fledgling democracies will be granted extensive foreign aid in the form of materials and expertise, rather than currency, to discourage fraud, abuse, and grift.
– Israel: The United States will press the Israeli and Palestinian governments to reach a lasting peace accord with the support of other Arab nations. Israel will halt settlement construction and abide by the 1967 borders, and Palestine will forgo the use of terrorism in achieving political ends, as well as advocating for the destruction of the state of Israel. In exchange, the United States will continue to guarantee its unwavering support for the safety and security of the state of Israel.
– Foreign Operations: The Department of Defense will conduct a thorough review of all overseas installations and deployments to determine whether they are still appropriate in a post-WWII/Cold War/9-11 Era. Emphasis will be placed on cost savings in removing or reducing current installations.
– Foreign Relations: The United States will normalize relations with Cuba, allowing free trade and passage.
– Congressional Approval: Congress will reaffirm the War Powers Act, stating that the President must seek Congressional authorization for continuing military action longer than 90 days.
– Guantanamo Bay: Individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay must be either tried in American courts to returned to their nation of origin.
– Extraordinary Renditions: The United States will cease its program of extraordinary renditions.
– Torture: The United States will renounce torture, in all its forms.
– “The Obama Doctrine”: The Obama Doctrine will state that all nations are to be offered all the help and support available from the United States and allied nations in establishing a representative democracy.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Progressive Contract for America.
