Listing the Proposals

 

After 15 years of this blog, I feel that it would be useful to collate most of my proposals, however far they are from becoming reality. This clearly is a wish list, but one must hope, after all...

 

The Rule of Law

 

Close Guantanamo and its special court. Of the remaining 15 detainees, transfer those convicted to U.S. prisons, try those accused in ordinary criminal courts, and release the three now designated for release, and the three who have never been charged, to countries willing to accept them.

 

Prosecute those who ordered and carried out torture anywhere the U.S. held political prisoners.

 

Set up a commission to narrow the definition of “state secrets,” in part to exclude information which merely could embarrass the U.S.

 

Join the International Criminal Court, and accept their jurisdiction.

 

Foreign Policy

 

Eliminate the Security Council veto by the five permanent members in the U.N.

 

Revive U.N. peace-keeping efforts and troops around the world, rather than unilateral U.S. interventions.

 

Form an international coalition to defend Ukraine.

 

End the Cuban embargo.

 

Deny military and financial aid to Israel unless it supports the two-state proposal.

 

Domestic Policy

 

Education

 

Free college for all who maintain a minimum average grade.

 

Free medical and dental school for all who maintain a minimum average grade, plus the obligation to work in the public sector after graduation, one year for each year of school.

 

Health Care

 

Medicare for all, while allowing continuation of private health insurance.

 

Infrastructure

 

Establish a Rebuild America Corps, to rehabilitate, insulate, and update deteriorating housing; and build new affordable housing. Provide for road, bridge and school construction and maintenance.

 

Tax Policy

 

Tax investment income as ordinary income.

 

Raise the marginal income tax rate for income over $5 million to 45%.

 

Raise the Alternative Minimum Tax to 30% and maximum marginal income tax rate to 50% for large corporations.

 

Tax stock, bond and financial transactions, as proposed by a new commission

 

Tax wealth, as proposed by Elizabeth Warren: “Households would pay an annual 2% tax on every dollar of net worth above $50 million and a 6% tax on every dollar of net worth above $1 billion.”

 

Congressional Legislation

 

Either eliminate the filibuster or require it to be in-person, not to exceed three days, after which majority vote rules.

 

Protect the Civil Service from political influence.

 

Deny individual rights to corporations; corporations are not people.

 

Provide automatic permanent voter registration for every citizen 18 and over.

 

Ban gerrymandering, and set up non-partisan redistricting panels for federal and state elections.

 

Either eliminate or fix the Electoral College: require that voting be proportional to population in each state (allowing for fractional votes, especially small states); this would make one-person-one-vote a reality.

 

Remove the income cap on Social Security contributions.

 

Reduce defense spending by 25%.

 

Extend the minimum wage to farm workers, waiters, and others now excluded.

 

Eliminate subsidies and tax breaks for factory farms; increase subsidies and tax breaks for small farms.

 

Restore the separation between banks and investment firms.

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Saturday, 11 Jan 24