Obama has said that he intends to create 2.5 million new jobs through investments in infrastructure and renewable energy. With the current economic situation we're facing, that many jobs could end up being lost over the next 6 months. Obama has said that the full 2.5 million jobs wouldn't be created until January of 2011. By January of 2011, we'll have lost far more than 2.5 million jobs. His jobs program isn't ambitious enough to tackle the economic challenges of our time. While the economy will recover, it could end up being another jobless recovery like 1993 and 2003. We need a serious and unquestioned national jobs program that's guaranteed to create millions of new jobs for working Americans. The time has come for an ambitious Economic Bill of Rights that guarantees every American the right to a full-time job.

Why are we squandering billions of dollars on unemployment benefits, tax cuts for the rich and maintaining thousands of nuclear weapons when we should be spending money on creating American jobs for American workers? Why are we wasting money on reconstructing Iraq and Afghanistan when we should be spending money on reconstructing our own economy? It's not like there isn't enough money to provide every unemployed American with a full-time job. There has always been enough money. However, Washington has always had misguided priorities. First it was the Cold War, now it's trickle down economics and the War on Terror. We know how successful the PW and WPA were at creating jobs during the Great Depression. We know how the interstate highway system created hundreds of thousands of construction jobs. We're a different nation now than we were then. We have more pressing priorities and needs. We're facing a serious catastrophe from global warming. We need a quick and efficient transition to renewable energy. We need to harness solar, wind, geothermal, oceanic and biomass energy. We're facing a serious long-term under funding in public infrastructure. We have water pipelines that are busting open underneath the streets. We have water shortages across America. We have raw sewage being discharged into our lakes, rivers and oceans. Our highways are clogged with gridlock. Rush hour is a nightmare across our urban landscape. Workers are getting to work late because of being tied up on the freeways. Goods aren't being transported as quickly as they should be. Our schools and rural hospitals are deteriorating. We have children going to class in trailers. More than just that, we have a huge long-term shortage of teachers and nurses. We should be providing Americans with a free college education to encourage more of them to pursue careers that are in demand. Instead, millions of young adults are avoiding a college education because they can't afford a college degree. We should be discouraging outsourcing of high-paying high tech jobs to India and Bangladesh, but we're not. Why would anyone want to get a degree in computer programming only to find out that they can work at a Café?

We need a serious and comprehensive jobs program that can create millions of new high paying jobs. We need a program that goes above and beyond the 2.5 million that Obama wants to create. We need to create at least 10 million jobs by 2011. We have millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans that deserve a fair paying full-time job. Free trade and deregulation haven't benefited them. Tax cuts for the rich haven't benefited them. Bloated defense contracts and rebuilding Iraq's economy haven't benefited them. Torturing suspects and water boarding haven't benefited them. Fighting gay marriage and abortion haven't benefited them. Fighting crime and three strikes sentencing haven't benefited them. Most of America is worse off today than in the 1960's. Middle class America has shrunk while the rich have grown insanely wealthy. We've lost many of our good paying jobs to foreigners. More of us have sacrificed a college degree because scholarships have become less generous and tuition has skyrocketed. More of us have sacrificed health insurance because premiums have far surpassed our paychecks. We need some serious change and Obama needs to get with the program and fulfill his promise of change. Just as Clinton said "it's the economy, stupid," Obama said "it's time for a change!" We need more than just meaningless slogans. Clinton's economy did benefit most Americans, but it benefited the rich more. We need an economic program that benefits the poor and middle class above the rich. The Clinton economic program wasn't sustainable and ended with the 2001 recession and stock market crash. We need a sustainable economic program that's favorable to working America. Obama was right; it's time for a change! However, his 2.5 million jobs goal will do next to nothing for working class America. We'll loose that many jobs over the coming months. We need a serious jobs program.

Trickle down economics hasn't worked for America. The Reagan years were a disaster for millions of Americans. The Bush years were even worse and the Clinton years were pretty bad for those working in manufacturing. The Bush II years were a disaster for everybody but the elite. While it was once the Cold War that supported the military industrial complex, it has since been Iraq, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The dissolution of the Soviet Union should have brought about the end of senseless and endless defense spending. However, Washington insiders and lobbyists found a way to justify their existence through two wars in Iraq, one against Yugoslavia and another against Afghanistan. At the same time, they continue to heighten fears of Iran and North Korea. The Axis of Evil is more than a justification for bloated Boeing and Lockheed Martin contracts that waste taxpayer dollars. We don't have the Soviet Union to blame for large defense spending, so we've invented the War on Terror and Axis of Evil. The 911 terrorists came from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, three nations we consider as friends and allies. North Korea doesn't have nuclear weapons anymore than Iraq had nuclear weapons. Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons, because if it did, Israel would have already bombed them.

The income tax rate for the rich was over 90% in the early 1960's. Now it's around 35%. There were rich Americans in 1960. However, there weren't multibillionaires in the 1960's. Maybe that's a good thing. Why should anyone be worth over $50 billion? How can one person "earn" over $50 billion? America was a capitalistic country during the 1960's. Indeed, our economy was stronger in the 60's than it is today. What would happen if we returned those income tax rates? We'd be able to provide everyone with a job. We wouldn't need unemployment benefits because everyone would be able to find a full-time job. Hell, combined with cutbacks in wasteful defense spending, we'd be able to provide every American with a free college education and free health insurance. That's a lot that we're sacrificing for the benefit of billionaires, financial speculators and companies that manufacture weapons of death.

A better America is possible and Obama needs to deliver on his promises. While I doubt he'll fulfill his campaign promises, I wish he'd fulfill even the basics. What America needs isn't vague change. America wants a return to a better time when a high school graduate could find a good paying job that offered generous benefits. Americans want a return to a time when the suburbs were clean, green and free of crime and drug abuse. Americans want a return to good schools, hospitals and a promising future. Americans want a return to a time when we accomplished everything by landing a man on the moon. And Americans want a return to a time when the next generation was wealthier and more prosperous than the preceding generation. Most Americans want to be represented by a labor union. Most Americans want a universal single-payer health care system. Most Americans want to abolish college tuitions. Most Americans want a better infrastructure. Most Americans do support higher taxes for billionaires and most Americans did oppose the $700 billion Wall St. Bailout that's benefiting the big banks and financial institutions. The change we want is a return to the fairer and more promising America of yesterday. We want a strong manufacturing sector that creates good union jobs. We want the automakers to become big and strong again so that they can create good jobs in the Midwest. We want the clothing and textile mills to reopen in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. We want the steel mill jobs to return to Pennsylvania. We want the coal mining jobs to return to West Virginia. We want the IT jobs to return to Silicon Valley. We want the financial, banking and accounting jobs to return to New York and New Jersey. We want the farming jobs to return to the Southeast and Midwest. We want a return to "Made in the USA." We're tired of "Made in China" and "Assembled in Mexico of foreign materials."

America was once a mighty powerhouse that delivered widespread prosperity and promise. We once could be proud of our socioeconomic mobility that allowed the poor to become middle class and the middle class to become rich. Our socioeconomic mobility has become the worst in the industrialized world. If you're born poor, chances are you'll stay poor your entire life. If you're born middle class, chances are you'll stay middle class your entire life. If you're born rich, you'll guaranteed to be rich the rest of your life. There's very little socioeconomic mobility left in America. If you're born poor, you can't even afford a decent college education with a scholarship. You might have been at the top of your class in high school, but that still doesn't guarantee an affordable college education. Even if you do graduate from college, you're still not guaranteed success. If your degree was in computer programming, chances are your job will end up in India and Bangladesh. Even if you're a radiologist, your job can be outsourced. Tax preparers and accountants found out the hard way that they're disposable and that Indians can do their job cheaper. There's no end to how many professional jobs can be outsourced. Engineering jobs can be outsourced. Financial jobs can be outsourced. Software jobs can be outsourced. Some jobs in journalism can be outsourced. Consulting jobs can be outsourced.

Americans are tired of what America has become. Americans are tired of making less than their parents. Americans are tired of paying more and more for their health insurance. Americans are tired of watching good jobs disappear to China, Mexico, Bangladesh, Vietnam and India. Americans are tired of witnessing trillions in additional tax relief for millionaires and billionaires. Americans are tired of watching prices increase while their paychecks remain the same. Americans are tired of seeing a depressing future for their children and grandchildren. The time for change is now. Obama promised change, it's time he readies himself for delivering change. In the end, he'll prove the Democrats are only a reform minded alternative to the Republicans. The Democrats offer simple and meaningless reforms that help a little bit. The Republicans are the worst of the two evils and the Democrats are the lesser of two evils. As long as America operates within the confines of the two evils, nothing meaningful will really take place. America needs to voice its true opinion. Americans want a fairer America. Americans liked Clinton, but they did want better. Americans overwhelmingly hated Bush. Americans are liberal. Either the Democrats become liberal once again, or they give way to another third party. The British gave way to a third party. Hell, most of Europe gave way to an unexpected third party. Is it America's turn? We've always been behind the times in some areas. Is it our turn to join the Europeans and Canadians? Or will the Democrats truly commit themselves to change? Will Obama become the next FDR? Will Obama offer a "New Deal" that benefits the working majority? Will Obama offer a new "Great Society" that eradicates poverty, unemployment, hunger and homelessness? Maybe I'm underestimating Obama. I hope I am.

I'm not patriotic and I condemn Washington's political elite for a history of oppression and warmongering. However, I'm still proud to be an American. In the worst of times, we seem to come together behind a progressive policy that strengthens the nation's majority. The depression ended up being good for America. The Cold War landed us on the moon. The Great Society brought cheaper health care for tens of millions of Americans and reduced homelessness for hundreds of thousands of working families. Defense research during the 1980's led to the World Wide Web in the 1990's. We have a lot to be proud of. When times get tough, we always come together to overcome our collective challenges. Our challenges have never been greater and I hope we can once again do the same. However, this time things must be different. The solutions of the 1980's and 1990's aren't going to benefit us. We have to return to a better day when the promises were greater. Obama's main challenge isn't as much change as it is a return to better times. While many of the challenges are different, the ultimate outcomes are much the same. Instead of landing a man on the moon, we need to convert to renewable energy. Instead of winning the Cold War, we need to provide a full-time job to every jobless American. Instead of rewarding the rich, we need to provide health care and a college education to all Americans. That's what change is all about.

Has being in Iraq made us safer? Osama Bin Laden, the one responsible for the World Trade Center attacks, is still running free. The United Arab Emirates, one of the Middle Eastern countries supporting terrorism, almost purchased a controlling stake in our ports under the Bush Administration. Many of the 9-11 terrorists originated from Saudi Arabia, a country that's considered a friend of America. Is our foreign policy truly prioritized? We gave chemical weapons to Saddam's Iraq during the 1980's to use against the Iranians during the Iraqi-Iranian War. We abandoned the Kurds during the first Gulf War. The whole Gulf War itself was a rip-off that was perpetuated by Kuwait's skimming of Iraq's oil. The economic sanctioning of Iraq during the 90's caused 500,000 Iraqis to stave to death. Our invasion of Iraq in 2003 has made us less secure because it has empowered religious fundamentalists and extremists operating there. We've witnessed more bombings and attacks since the invasion than ever before. Many young Americans have lost their lives fighting a useless battle in Iraq.

What's worse is that we've wasted $100's of billions on the war and Iraq's reconstruction. We haven't found Bin Laden, but we're spending enormous amounts of cash on a useless war in a country where Bin Laden doesn't even claim residence. Ah, but it's worth it because Bush said there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Saddam's Iraq. Where are those nuclear, biological and chemical weapons? Oh, we haven't found any of those weapons in Iraq. So much for the CIA's "intelligence." Now we're expected to believe Iran and North Korea have nuclear weapons. I don't think so!

Wait a minute. Osama Bin Laden was actually trained by the CIA to fight the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Yes, we financed a mass murderer to fight "Communism." As years went on and we abandoned the Afghani people, this CIA trained mass murderer turned against us. But have we arrested him? Hell, no. So apparently he's still serving our foreign policy in some way. We had a chance to capture him in Libya during the Clinton Administration and we did nothing. What does that tell you? We could have sent out more intelligence officers and increased our military presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but instead we launched a War against Iraq, where we knew Bin Laden didn't live. What does that tell you?

We've spent hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and sent over 3,000 young Americans to death for a war that hasn't made us anymore secure than we were before. That's sickening. How can we waste such vast financial resources and send so many young people to death for nothing? And now we have big financial and defense companies sending out free videos that supposedly prove Islam is an evil religion that wants to kill us. These companies that make loads of money off the U.S. taxpayer want the American people to believe Islam is the real evil. They want a worldwide War on Terror that'll increase defense spending and hence their corporate profits. Islam is no more an evil than Christianity. Saddam Hussein was an Atheist and Osama Bin Laden doesn't really care about religion. Osama is political, not religious. However, he'll use religion whenever it'll support his political purposes. With all that aside, since Clinton and Bush failed to round his ass up, he's still serving our foreign priorities in some small way, even though he killed thousands of Americans on September the 11th and the 90's embassy attacks in Africa.

Just as we once gave chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein's dictatorship to use against the Iranians, we haven't arrested Osama Bin Laden for a reason. Osama must still be supporting our interests in some way, even though he's responsible for mass murders. There are many things wrong with our foreign policies and priorities. We supported a military dictatorship in Chile. We annexed Hawaii because of the financial interests of the Dole Company. We replaced a democratically elected Shah in Iran and paved the way for Islamic dictatorships and tyrannies. We supported Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Our slavery in the 1800's was responsible for the current political crisis in Liberia. Our policies in Africa are responsible for Zimbabwe's situation and were responsible for South Africa's Apartheid. Our unrelenting support of Israel and the Jews is responsible for the mass oppression of the Palestinian people, and that's a major cause of terrorism and Islamic hatred against America. Why should U.S. taxpayers give billions of dollars to a rich and prosperous Israel? Why should we give them money to oppress the Palestinians and demolish Palestinian homes with bulldozers? Why shouldn't they hate us for that? You tell me.

Let us not forget that we're partially responsible for the rise of Nazi Germany and the mass execution of millions of Jews. If Woodrow Wilson hadn't allowed the Treaty of Versailles, Germany would have recovered from the war and Hitler's radicalism wouldn't have been tolerated. Instead, the Wilson Administration stood by while Europe's imperial powers raped and plundered Germany. The concentration camps and the second World War could have easily been prevented if the United States had opposed the Treaty and demanded Germany be given a fair chance to recover and prosper. There's one reason why the Germans don't like our foreign policies. Germany knows first hand that our foreign policies are misguided and often come back to bite us in the proverbial ass.

It should come as no surprise that many big American corporations supported Hitler and benefited from his political tyranny. International Business Machines was one of those corporations. Many American banks also benefited by financing Hitler's rule. America's imperial capitalists will position themselves to benefit from the worst atrocities and disasters.

Soviet Russia hated us because we joined Europe's imperial powers in sending huge armies to Russia to overthrow Bolshevism. We were responsible for a Civil War in Russia that ended with the death and starvation of millions of men, women and children. There's no telling how the Soviet Union would have been different if we hadn't sent soldiers to Russia. Without the human suffering caused by our instigated Civil War, Stalin might never have come to power and the Cold War might never have happened.

We hate Communism but we're supporting human rights atrocities in Communist China because Nike and Wal-Mart make billions in profits by exploiting Chinese workers. We hate terrorism, but most of the 9-11 terrorists were born and raised by our friend, Saudi Arabia. Hell, Osama was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. We're hated in Latin America because of the Washington Consensus. Our economic policies created a catastrophe for Latin Americans who are poor and middle class. We supported major cutbacks in social benefits for Latin Americans and we provided loans for privatizing basic services such as water and electric. Needless to say, many Latin Americans faced huge increases in water and electric bills. The Washington Consensus, the WTO, NAFTA and the IMF spelled ruin for Latin America's workers. That's why Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia hate us. The Kennedy Administration was responsible for the mess in Cuba and every administration since has empowered Castro's hatred of Western imperialism by maintaining economic sanctions that have deprived Cuba of food, resources, growth, jobs and tourism.

Why do Europeans hate us? They're giving billions of Euros in contributions to tackle worldwide poverty, while we're giving billions of dollars in tax incentives to big businesses. While the Europeans are working to create a unified Europe, we're working to separate Europe through NATO. While the Europeans want to fight the spread of preventable diseases, we're giving next to nothing to combat those diseases. While the Europeans are investing huge sums of money in renewable energy, we're investing hardly anything as our big oil companies continue to record huge profits. They've come against international imperialism, while we're invading foreign countries that undermine our economic and financial interests. They're for peace, while we're still for war. They're for gay rights while Matthew Shepard was murdered and not a single piece of hate crimes legislation has touched our Congressional floor. The European people aren't idiots like many Americans. I hate saying many Americans are idiots. However, when it comes to politics, Americans don't know their history and they don't remember more than a couple of months. The European electorate knows our policies better than we know our policies. That's why Europe doesn't like us. They know a lot about the Iran Contras and they know the S&L crisis was caused by financial deregulation. Europeans know about us supporting Saddam Hussein's Iraq, while most Americans don't have a clue.

We need an alternative foreign policy that restores worldwide faith in our leadership. For $25 billion a year, we could eliminate starvation in Africa and Asia. For less than what we spend on nuclear weapons, we could save millions of lives. Why aren't we? We could eliminate foreign aid to Israel and demand Palestinian independence, why aren't we? We could join hands with the European Union in combating global homelessness, joblessness, poverty and climate change, why aren't we? We could support political democracy movements and Iran and China, why aren't we? We could find and capture Osama Bin Laden, why don't we? We could stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and Russia, why aren't we? We could withdrawal hundreds of thousands of young Americans from Iraq, why don't we? We could advocate Taiwan's and Tibet's independence from Communist China, why don't we? We could support social-democracies in Venezuela, Bolivia and Argentina that empower working people, why don't we? We could eliminate economic sanctions on Cuba, leaving Castro without a reason to preach hatred against Western imperialism, why shouldn't we?

Let us not forget that Eisenhower warned us against the military industrial complex. As taxpayers, we're footing the bill for bloated contracts that enrich our defense companies. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are "earning" billions of dollars from federal contracts. The Project for a New American Century Organization, an organization that benefits from defense and aerospace companies, published a report during the late 90's that clearly stated a terrorist attack was the only way a majority of the population would support a War in Iraq. Given that there are massive energy resources in Iraq, it's no wonder that Washington would pursue a War with the Iraqis. Just as we blew up the USS Marine to provide a reason for the Spanish-American War, could have been planned and implemented by our governing officials and Bin Laden for the sole purpose of annexing Iraq as a major oil supplier that enriches our defense and energy companies. Indeed, we have a lot of speculators that believe the 9-11 Pentagon attack was directly caused by our own missiles. What's worse is that the FBI and CIA seized videos that implied the Pentagon attack was caused by self-launched defense missiles. Why did Washington seize the private video recordings of gas stations and so forth? If Eisenhower could foresee the future, we need to take note and change our militaristic foreign policies of imperialism. I think Eisenhower, a Republican, did pretty well in predicting the future of his own Party. While a Republican once supported pacifism and a 90% top income tax bracket on millionaires, billionaires and financial elites, today's Republicans and Democrats have become champions of free market capitalism and imperialism. We've learned from this financial mess that free market capitalism doesn't work. We've learned from decades of experience that imperialism only backfires in our face. What we're doing in Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan today is going to come back to haunt us tomorrow.

We need a new direction of compassion and liberation in our foreign policies. Instead of launching wars, we need to be negotiating peace. Instead of allowing millions in Africa and Asia to starve to death, we need to cough up the measly $25 billion to end world hunger. We can do so much good in the world. We could become loved by the world, instead of hated and disliked. However, as long as we continue to pursue imperialism abroad, we'll never be liked by the world. Who likes a big bully? Why do you think Vietnam should like us when we carpet bombed their rainforests and killed millions? Why do you think North Korea should like us when we bombed them to death and didn't provide a penny in reconstruction aid? Why should Iraq like us when we've invaded them to secure our big oil interests? Why should Cuba like us when we're levying burdensome economic sanctions that deprive Cubans of food and medicine? Why should Iran like us when we're responsible for their problems? After all, we're the one that replaced a democratically elected Iranian Shah. Maybe if we hadn't done that, Iran would still be a democracy instead of an Islamic tyranny. Why should Argentina like us when the Washington Consensus was responsible for an economic depression that bankrupted the country? Why should Palestine like us when we're giving billions of dollars in arms aid to a rich and prosperous Zionist Israel? Why should Liberia, Zimbabwe and South Africa like us when we're responsible for many of their problems and were responsible for Apartheid? No wonder America is so hated and disliked around the world.

Nationalizing the banking system



Private bankers ruled by greed and personal wealth accumulation can't manage banks with strong financial fundamentals. These millionaire financial elites have large incentives to cook the books by misusing corporate accounting to inflate profits. That's what we're seeing in this crisis. We had bankers covering up liabilities by moving those liabilities off the balance sheets. We had commercial banks bundling bad mortgages into securities that were sold to investment banks and investors. We had inappropriate lending practices that gave mortgages to every Joe, Dick and Harry. Now we're expected to hand over $700 billion to save them from financial collapse. What are we getting in return?



Our economy is confronting the worst financial crisis since 1929. Our stock market has lost over $8.33 trillion in wealth. Millions of Americans are witnessing their savings disappear into thin air. Between the stock market's losses and the continued slide in housing, consumer spending will fall by $500 billion in the coming months. When Americans are poorer on paper, they tend to spend less. If we use the standard 4.5 cents in reduced spending for each $1 in reduced wealth, the stock market's losses alone will translate into $375 billion less in consumer spending. That kind of reduction in consumer spending will damage retailers and manufacturers. We will have hundreds of thousands of Americans being laid off. More unemployed Americans will mean more foreclosures, delinquencies and repossessions. The solvency of even more banks will come into question, making the crisis even worse.



We need to nationalize the entire banking system to restore confidence in our financial system. A nationalized financial system could be decentralized into local co-operatives that serve their customers and communities. Local co-operative banks would actually work with their customers instead of working against their customers. Local co-operative banks would offer lower interest rates and more flexible terms and conditions on mortgages, charge cards and loans. If we're to save our economy from a Depression, the complete nationalization and common democratic ownership of the banks will be required.



Retooling our automakers



Ford, General Motors and Chrysler provide America with over 355,000 direct high-paying manufacturing jobs. When you factor in all the indirect jobs the auto industry supports, we're talking about over 4.5 million American jobs. Detroit's crisis is America's crisis. Our automakers are hemorrhaging money like it is 1929. Wall St. expects bankruptcies from Detroit's Big Three. With our economy in the teeters, auto sales have slumped, while costs have remained rigid. Detroit's Big Three are saddled with billions of dollars in benefit obligations to current and former employees. From health insurance to pensions, this burden is making American cars and trucks more expensive and less competitive. Without a corresponding increase in auto sales, this leaves our automakers with a financial shortfall.



We need an entirely new culture and way of thinking if we're going to restructure our automotive companies into productive and profitable enterprises. Toyota and Honda are weathering this economic crisis pretty well. That's because their vehicles are fuel-efficient hybrids that get good gas mileage at a time when gas is so expensive and unaffordable for many Americans. Detroit is still banking on oversized pick-up trucks, minivans and the traditional SUV. As gas prices started to zoom into the atmosphere, Americans started buying fewer and fewer oversized trucks. We need to provide billions of dollars in new capital investments for retooling Detroit to mass produce hybrids and snazzier designs. As Americans are spending less money, we need to design and manufacture cheaper cars. The American taxpayer should receive partial ownership in the Big Three in exchange for the financing and grants. This would allow us to monitor the progress of our automakers.



In an effort to stabilize sales and production, we should provide short-term personal income tax deductions for purchasing new fuel-efficient cars and trucks. This would reduce our long-term gasoline consumption as millions of Americans switch from gas guzzlers to more fuel-efficient transportation. Another option that could be considered is a tax holiday for new cars and trucks. If both of those policies were implemented, we could reverse the sales trend and return Detroit to profitability. With so many jobs on the line, we don't have another choice. If we allow the Big Three to fail, over a million well paid Americans could end up being unemployed. That's not considering that the U.S. taxpayer would be on the line for billions of dollars worth of pension obligations and unemployment benefits. In this case, the alternative is truly more costly than the solution.



Balancing the federal budget



Each man, woman and child in America owes over $37,000. Our nation's financial liabilities will soon exceed $11 trillion. This is not sustainable and shouldn't have been allowed to happen. Just as it doesn't make sense for you to go on a huge spending spree with borrowed money, it doesn't make sense for Washington to borrow trillions of dollars to finance wars and tax cuts for the rich. American taxpayers are paying $300 billion each and every year to cover interest payments on all those Treasury bonds that were sold to finance the budget deficit. That's $300 billion that could be used for tax cuts and investments in health care, education and infrastructure.



Bill Clinton and the Blue Dog Democrats were right in believing we should retire Treasury bonds and pay off our financial obligations while we have the chance. With our population aging and the baby boomers fixing to retire, we soon won't have the option of paying off our debts. Social Security and Medicare expenditures are projected to massively increase over the next two decades. With such an increased burden on our thin resources, uncontrollable budget deficits are expected in the near future. These large deficits will undermine foreign confidence in our economy, causing the dollar to weaken further.



Another issue I have with the budget deficit is that it damages our economy by distorting normal market functioning. The federal government's borrowing deprives the private sector of much needed savings. Each dollar that's used to purchase a Treasury bond is a dollar that's not used for mortgages, loans and stocks. Budget deficits drive up long-term interest rates, thus hurting homeowners and consumers with mortgages, charge cards and loans. Since 52% of those bonds are purchased by foreigners, that's hundreds of billions of dollars that aren't being invested in equities. If that money were invested in stocks, our Dow Jones would recover and most Americans with a 401K and IRA would be better off. Large deficits cause stocks to be undervalued.



We need to reverse Bush's tax cuts, scrap tax deductions and incentives for big oil, withdrawal our forces from Iraq, and restore pay-as-you go accounting that requires budget appropriations be offset by revenue adjustments. We need to do whatever it takes to balance the budget by 2010 and begin paying down our financial obligations. If we can pay down our national debt by the time baby boomers start retiring, we'll be able to afford them without having to make sacrifices elsewhere in the budget. If we don't balance the budget and retire our debt, we'll be facing massive and very serious cutbacks in education, health care, affordable housing, social benefits and infrastructure. We may even end up facing a very burdensome tax increase that would hurt millions of Americans and wreck the economy. Washington can not afford to continue with its free spending policies that have created this mess. Uncle Sam should be Debt Free. While fiscal sensibility isn't always the popular and expedient answer, it's the only answer that works. If we have to balance our budgets, so should Washington.



Implementing the fair tax to spur the economy



The Fair Tax would have numerous beneficial consequences for the economy. It has been projected that changing to a consumption tax system would add over a trillion $'s to the U.S. economy, thus creating millions of new high-paying jobs for America's working people. In addition, a consumption tax would discourage useless and frivolous consumption, hence encouraging personal savings. As earned income wouldn't be taxed, there'd be a stronger incentive to work. As earnings from personal savings and investments wouldn't be taxed, our nation's investments in building new factories, warehouses and stores would increase. Americans would be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor and their savings. While the progressive income tax system is to be cherished as a 20th century attempt to redistribute wealth, it has degenerated into a complex bureaucracy of contradictions that is actually hurting the less well-off by distorting the economy. A far better way to eradicate poverty is through economic growth, creating jobs and increasing overall tax collections. A national sales tax would unleash an unparalleled economic boom.



Another positive contribution that'd be made by switching to the Fair Tax is that it would balance our $800 billion trade deficit with Canada, Europe, Mexico, China and Japan. Our exports would become tax free, thus giving "Made in the USA" a powerful competitive advantage in foreign markets. While spurring exports, the Fair Tax would tax consumption and reduce our nation's imports from those countries. American businesses would benefit from increased profits, allowing them to bring home offshore profits. Our businesses have hundreds of billions of dollars in income that's sheltered overseas. The Fair Tax would bring that money home to work for America. Our businesses would have more money to buy up foreign companies, thus giving them better access to foreign markets and economies. Our investors would be able to accumulate more wealth and our ownership in foreign markets and economies would increase. That would allow us to reap the benefits of foreign returns on investments.



Implementing a National Energy Policy



Drill baby, drill. That's what the Republicans and most Americans are supporting. However, it's not going to solve our energy crisis because we simply don't have enough oil to meet our needs. We consume over 7.6 billion barrels per year, while producing only 3 billion barrels. Even if we started drilling in ANWR, the oil there would only supply our energy needs for two years. That's not even mentioning that it will take years and years before that oil will reach our gas stations. We just don't have enough oil. Our nation's proven oil reserves were 20.97 billion barrels. After a few short years, we'd have no oil left. If we're serious about energy independence, oil isn't a long-term answer. We should certainly open ANWR and our coastlines to oil exploration and drilling; however, we shouldn't have illusions that drilling is the answer.



We have to convert to renewable energy sources if we're to regain our energy independence from Middle Eastern dictatorships and tyrannies. We're supporting terrorism, human atrocities and rights violations every time we fill up our gas tank. What's worse, every dollar we send to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran is a dollar that's not being used to support an American job. The Obama campaign is correct in projecting 5 million good paying American jobs would be created by converting to renewable energy. From solar to geothermal, our country has a lot of promise and potential in mass producing clean energy. While it wasn't economically viable in the past, many renewable energy sources are cheaper than oil and natural gas. There are a lot of reasons why we should be investing in clean energy over dirty energy. We need to aim for a complete conversion to renewable energy by 2030. That means massive new investments in renewable energy. It means encouraging Americans to buy fuel-efficient cars and trucks. It means cutting back on our gasoline consumption. We landed a man on the moon; we can definitely achieve the goal.



I fully advocate nationalizing the energy sector and managing the industry as a co-operative. While it'd cost a lot of money in the short-term to nationalize the sector, the reward would exceed the expense. The energy sector is highly profitable and our taxpayers would recoup the full cost in a short period of time. After recouping the cost, all profits from energy could be invested in renewable energy. We probably could convert to renewable energy by 2020 if big energy's profits were invested in clean energy. We wouldn't need a Windfall Profits Tax on big oil if big oil were nationalized. The entire $100 billion in big oil profits could be invested in solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric and oceanic energy. That'd be over $1 trillion, over ten years, if oil remained sky-high.



Full-Employment and Living Wages



Consumers and businesses tend to continue spending when they're confident about the economy's fundamentals. If American consumers know for sure they're always going to have a full-time job, they won't reduce their spending when there's an economic downturn. If businesses know consumers will continue spending, they won't downsize. We need to resurrect the Public Works – Works Progress Administration and commission a Job Guarantee Corporation to guarantee every working American a full-time job. Our public infrastructure is deteriorating. Our roads need repair. Our railways need expanding. We need a national high-speed rail system like the Europeans and Japanese enjoy. We need more water treatment facilities and water pipelines. We need to enlarge our ports of trade. In addition to a full-time job that's guaranteed to every American, we need to institute a minimum living wage of $10 per hour. The purchasing power of the minimum wage in 1968 was over $9 per hour. Minimum wage increases were common during the Post-War period. Beginning in the early 1970's, the minimum wage has failed to keep in line with the increased cost of food, housing and energy. If our businesses could afford over $9 in purchasing power in 1968, they can afford $10 in purchasing power in 2008.



I believe these two policies would save us from future recessions. I believe we could throw the word recession into the garbage bin of history. If Americans knew they'd always have a good job with fair pay, they would never cut back on their purchases. Businesses would know that consumers will continue spending, so there'd be no need to downsize and restructure. These two policies would represent a tremendous economic stabilizer that would continue stimulating the economy for decades. We'd be wealthier and better-off. What's more, we'd have no unemployment and far less poverty. Washington would save billions of dollars in expenditures on food stamps, Medicaid and HUD, as far fewer working Americans would need those benefits and assistance programs. More Americans would be paying taxes, meaning that our Treasury would collect more tax revenue for varying priorities and projects.



Universal Healthcare and Education



Our health care system is in shambles. We spend over 16% of our economic wealth on health care. That's more money than any other country in the world. Most European countries spend 9% of their economic wealth in health care. Private health insurance is an administrative nightmare. While Americans should be able to pick their physicians, doctors and pharmacists, we should have a federalized health insurance system that provides every man, woman and child with coverage. By eliminating the profit motive and administrative redundancies, a universal insurance system would save Americans billions upon billions of dollars on health care and medicine. Our businesses would become more competitive through universal health insurance, as they wouldn't have to provide health insurance benefits to their employees. To many companies, such as Ford and General Motors, this could mean life and death. Our companies would be more profitable and the American people would be healthier. Over 45 million uninsured Americans would no longer have to choose between life's necessities and getting their regular life saving checkups.



Americans that go to college earn higher incomes and pay higher taxes. Uncle Sam should want the American people to better themselves. However, tuition costs have skyrocketed since the 90's, making a college education unaffordable and not an option for millions of Americans. Even community colleges are becoming disappointingly expensive and unaffordable for the poor. People that want to better themselves and find better jobs in the future shouldn't be burdened with Sallie Mae's student loans. At a time when many educated Americans are watching their jobs being outsourced to India, there are a lot of younger Americans that are afraid to go to college because they'll have student loans without the good paying job. For $60 billion a year, we could abolish tuitions and provide a free college education to everybody. We need to put $60 billion in perspective. A free college education for all Americans would cost less than the War in Iraq is costing the U.S. taxpayer. What's more, all that money would be recouped as those college graduates find higher paying jobs and pay more taxes. Our economy would be more productive and competitive, thus generating more jobs, income and financial wealth. Our businesses would be more competitive, giving us a strong economic advantage over foreign countries and economies. Our businesses would be able to find many qualified Americans, without having to search overseas. Free universal education is a win-win for everybody that's involved. It's a win for Washington because tax revenues would increase. It's a win for Americans because they'd be able to better themselves. It's a win for the economy because our businesses would be more prosperous. For as little as $60 billion per year, we could benefit the entire country by introducing the free college education.

With this year's financial crisis unfolding into the worst collapse since 1929, there's no doubt that a bailout is needed to avert a serious economic downturn. Housing foreclosures are on the rise and housing values are sliding into the black hole of oblivion. Without federal intervention, the downturn is housing could easily spread to other sectors of the economy, triggering a vicious cycle of lay-offs, more foreclosures, more financial failures and an even larger decline in consumer spending and confidence. However, any bailout package shouldn't exclude the complete nationalization of the banking system. Wall St's high-finance should become the property of the American people. The banking system should be nationalized and decentralized into local co-operatives that serve their customers and communities.

As for the $700 billion in taxpayer money, it should be used to prevent foreclosures by paying off sub-prime mortgages, allowing Americans to stay in their homes. Why should we bailout millionaires, billionaires and financial speculators when the money could be used to prevent foreclosures and homelessness? While some will think it unfair that some people get their mortgages paid-off, it's a better use of money to let people stay in their homes. In paying off the sub-prime mortgages, confidence would be restored and the financial system would be unfrozen, allowing for a return to lending and a recovery in real estate markets across the country.

Following the nationalization of the banking system and $100's of billions in financial relief for millions of American households and families, we need to institute a Speculation Tax on short-term speculation in stocks, bonds, real estate and commodities. During the bubble, we had people buying two and three homes as "investment properties." It's worth remembering that over the long-run, housing isn't an investment. Over the long-run, housing prices mirror the Consumer Price Index. Housing is no more a long-term investment than a loaf of bread. A Speculation Tax would raise billions of dollars in new tax revenue, while discouraging short-term speculation and fluctuations in value. As the financial system would be the "property of the people," there'd be no need for federal regulations. Our banking system would be returned to logical and sensible accounting.

The current bailout that didn't pass the House of Representatives is nothing more than corporate welfare that would save millionaires and billionaires from loosing their fortunes. The Bush Administration and the Republican and Democratic Parties are pursuing "socialism for the rich and free market capitalism for everybody else." If we're going to socialize the losses, why can't we socialize the profits? If we're going to save these big high-finance Wall St. banks from collapsing, why shouldn't we nationalize them? And why should the money go directly to the banks when it could be used to pay off sub-prime mortgages, thus saving the financial system AND letting families stay in their homes?

Wall St. is burning and Main Street is suffering a severe economic downturn. Over $700 billion in shareholder wealth vaporized Monday, on concerns of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and American International Group. Bank of America purchased a controlling stake in Merrill Lynch and the 158-year-old Lehman Brothers is being divided and sold-off at rock bottom prices. The Federal Reserve orchestrated an $85 billion assistance package to save AIG from collapsing. Once Titans of Wall St., these massive companies have imploded in the worst financial crisis since 1929.

The nationalization of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae nearly doubled our national debt. U.S. taxpayers and middle class America are footing the bill for the speculative excesses of high-finance and Wall St's millionaires and billionaires. At a time when the economy is faltering and people can't find jobs, Americans are being saddled with trillions of dollars in financial obligations. What's worse is that there's no clear end in the foreseeable future. Washington Mutual, the largest Savings & Loan in America, is teetering on the brink of collapse. Goldman Sachs has reported a massive deceleration in revenue and earnings.

You'd think these Corporate Executives and selfish finance managers would be fired without compensation. However, many of those Executives and Board Directors are receiving millions of dollars in "severance packages." America's financial CEOs and Board Members are being paid for bankrupting their own companies. Often dubbed "Golden Parachutes," Executives and high-paid personnel receive millions in compensation when they're canned.

What we're seeing in this country is a crisis of speculative excess. These banks and financiers had no problem issuing mortgages to every Joe, Dick and Harry during the boom. We had Mexican immigrants being approved for mega-mortgages in Southern California. We had people buying two and three homes as "investment properties." We had 20-somethings working at the local supermarket becoming certified real estate brokers. Real estate was the new gold and if you didn't get in, you didn't get rich.

Anyone with common sense can see a bubble in formation. Why did the banks give loans to just anybody off the street? Mortgages backed securities made it possible for banks to "bundle" mortgages and sell them off as securities to private investors. By bundling and selling a mass number of mortgages, these banks could move the liabilities off their balance sheets. With an unlimited supply of capital coming from investment banks, foreign investors and financiers, banks were flush with cash and could keep issuing more and more mortgages and personal loans. The mortgage backed security was King and it created a miracle for the commercial banking sector. However, the investment banks and insurance companies just assumed the mortgages were "sound." Thus, Bank of America, Wachovia and J.P. Morgan are prospering, while AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns suffered hundreds of billions in losses.

Now there's a real problem in America. Our politicians, businessmen and economists preach the wonders and promises of capitalism and free-markets. We're told businesses and financiers are innovative, productive and efficient. We're told free-markets and private businesses create wealth. We're told welfare is bad and tax cuts for the rich are good. We're told regulation is bad and big government needs to be slashed and burned. However, when the shit hits the fan, it's the U.S. taxpayer footing the bill. Food stamps for a single mother with three children are bad. An $85 billion corporate welfare package to save American International Group is good. Just like the Savings & Loan fiasco of the late 80's, we're footing the bill for corporate greed, gambling and corruption.

Wake up America, there's something wrong with that picture. John Maynard Keynes said "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the wickedest of men will do the wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." John Maynard Keynes was a world renowned economist that solved the Great Depression. His words are as meaningful today as they were in the 1920's and 30's.

If you want to save America from recessions, depressions and financial crisis, you need to nationalize the entire banking system. Banks should be nationalized and decentralized into local co-operatives that serve their customers and their communities. Banks should not be privately owned and operated. Banks should work with their customers to help their customers pay off their loans and mortgages. Banks should provide affordable and flexible loans to local small businesses and working class families. Banks should serve to improve their communities and strengthen local economies. And banks should only be allowed to make "solid" loans to debtors that are capable and willing to pay back the principal.

A national owned and operated non-profit co-operative banking system would serve the interests of the American people and would never have to receive corporate welfare and bailouts from taxpayers. A national owned and operated co-operative banking system would never make speculative loans and mortgages. The time has come to federalize the commercial banks, investment banks and big insurers.

Listening to the Republican Party's Convention about drove me insane. What kind of drugs are these right-wing nut jobs taking? It's like they're all whacked out on a synthetic combination of cocaine, acid, mushrooms and moonshine. They ramble on and on about "drill baby, drill," reducing welfare dependency and curbing federal spending and taxes. They pay lip-service to "defending life" and preserving marriage. Everyone attending the convention cheered and shouted, as if they gave their full support. Is there no sanity left in the Grand Old Party? The Republican Party once embraced genuine ideals and principals. Today's Republican Party represents pure opportunism, political expediency and neo-conservative extremism. The entire Party is a bunch of cronies that institute failed economic and foreign policies that enrich themselves and their corrupt supporters.

The Bush White House and the Republican Congressional majority had a chance to curtail federal spending and produce substantial tax reform. Instead of axing federal spending, Washington's spending growth has surpassed spending growth during every single administration since Lyndon Johnson. While they could have reformed the Alternative Minimum Tax to benefit middle class families, they opted to enact drastic reductions in dividend taxes and the top income tax rate. Millionaires and billionaires reaped $100's of billions in tax relief under the Bush White and the GOP Congress. Runaway spending combined with unprecedented tax relief for the super-rich has left our country with a total indebtedness of $9.5 trillion. Today's national debt is over $3.8 trillion higher than when Bush came to office. True conservatives like Ron Paul are opposed borrow-and-spend fiscal policies that burden future generations. Considering our budget deficit is approaching $410 billion this year alone, do we really want another 4 years of the GOP's failed fiscal policies that put us deeper in the red?

They had a chance to strengthen our economy and rebuild our manufacturing sector. Instead of reversing the failed trade and economic policies that got us in this mess, they worked to expand free trade and allowed millions of additional jobs to be outsourced and off shored to China. Our inner cities are becoming cesspools of ghettos, drug abuse, street gangs, urban warfare and physical deterioration. Detroit was once a symbol of a strong America. Today, the once booming Great Lakes Mecca has become a symbol of our downfall. Our automotive industry has given way to Japanese and Korean automobiles. Our steel industry has given way to Brazilian steel. Our strong clothing and textile industry throughout Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas has given way to imports from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Vietnam. The Republicans had a clear majority and a chance to restore our industrial might. Instead of pursuing economic strategies to rebuild U.S. manufacturing, they continued to support budget deficits, a strong dollar and free trade with Central America and Southeast Asia. Our trade deficit is unprecedented. We have to borrow over $2 billion per day just to finance the gap between what we sell to foreigners and what we buy from them. Foreigners own trillions of $'s in U.S. stocks, bonds and real estate. Foreigners even own our once powerful companies. Anheuser-Busch is owned by Belgium. Chrysler is owned by Germany. Amoco oil is owned by England.

While they had a chance at serious energy reform, they instead pursued a failed War in Iraq that has led to the death of over 3,000 young Americans. There was no evidence that Iraq ever had Weapons of Mass Destruction. As for September 11th, it was Osama Bin Laden and his minions that attacked us. While we nabbed Saddam, Osama is still enjoying life as a free man. The Republicans had a chance to implement a National Energy Policy for Energy Independence. Now that we're suffering from an energy crisis, they're trying to offer short-term solutions. Unfortunately, offshore and Alaskan oil drilling won't give us independence from Middle Eastern oil. We consumed over 7.6 billion barrels of oil last year. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska only contains 10.4 billion barrels of oil. Even if you factor in our offshore reserves, our country simply doesn't have enough oil left to secure our independence from Venezuelan and Middle Eastern oil. In addition, it takes years to drill the oil. Just because we have oil sitting under the ground doesn't mean we can drill it like magic. It takes years to build the oil rigs and pipelines. It takes years to conduct environmental and ecological studies to make sure groundwater isn't contaminated and that there won't be offshore oil spills. Even if we opened ANWR and the Gulf Coast to oil drilling tomorrow, it'd be years before that oil would show up at your local gas station. If the goal is truly Energy Independence, we have no choice but to pursue renewable alternatives and conservation. While the Republicans have supported billions of dollars in tax breaks and giveaways for Big Oil, they have voted time and time again against tax incentives for solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy.

They had a chance to tackle abortion and they did nothing. The Republican Party isn't seriously going to challenge Roe vs. Wade. The right-wing evangelicals and their moronic followers are placing their faith in a False Prophet that isn't going to deliver their nation from "Sin…." Bush and his GOP Congress could have reversed Roe vs. Wade years ago. Indeed, right after September 11th would have been a prime opportunity to ban abortion forever. The truth is that the Republican Party pays lip service to our country's Christian extremists. The national Republican Party is more concerned about warmongering and enriching themselves and their supporters. They will pay lip-service to anyone that'll vote for them.

What about freedom-fighting Republicans? What about the NRA and those gun carrying Americans that fight to defend our Constitutional rights? The Republican Party could give a flying God damn about the U.S. Constitution. The Patriot Act has been the most anti-Constitutional Act since the Sedition Act of 1918. What's Constitutional about tapping into a person's private conversation? If I tapped into your phone line, I'd serve time in federal prison. If a private business tapped into your phone line, it'd be closed. However, it's perfectly acceptable for Washington to tap into your phone line. The Patriot Act violates more than just privacy. The Act permits federal agents to search an American's home without a search warrant. There's so much room for abuse that it's not funny. Washington could monitor opposition political groups, organizations and individuals. Labor unionists, organizers, socialists and pacifists could all be monitored. The Patriot Act is undeniably fascist in nature and in design. However, if your Party is going to implement aggressive economic and foreign policies that will be opposed by millions of people, you need to make sure you can keep track of your opposition.

How can any serious Conservative be a Republican? There's nothing Conservative about the Republican Party. Conservatives are opposed to "Big Brother" and runaway federal spending. Conservatives are opposed to budget deficits and burdening future generations. Conservatives want lower taxes that benefit everybody, not just an elite few. Conservatives defend the Constitution and oppose everything that goes against that sacred piece of historical and national scripture. Conservatives support preserving American jobs and businesses, not outsourcing and off shoring our jobs to China and India. Conservatism and Republicanism is an oxymoron. Either you're a Conservative, or you're a Republican. You can't be both.

This is a repost from my OkCupid Journal that I posted in Jan. of 07'. There are three important considerations before reading this Blog: (1) Hillary Clinton is not her husband. If she were to win the Democratic nomination, I'd vote for her. (2) LBJ was a neo-con in foreign affairs. However, we owe him our thanks for the Great Society and the strongest economy in our country's entire history. (3) The Green Party is the only viable alternative to the Republicans and Democrats. However, the Green Party is simply a center-left party. It is far better than the Democratic Party and offers many important solutions to our economic, environmental and foreign challenges.

Political [DEMOCRACY] without economic democracy [IS A SCAM, SHAM, JOKE]. Most Americans aren't voting in our elections, not because they don't care, but because they don't feel their vote will make a difference. Unfortunately, their vote wouldn't make a difference under today's political regime. Instead of calling for withdrawing young American men and women from Iraq, John Kerry supported keeping our troops in Iraq! Kerry told us that we couldn't leave Iraq now! Kerry told us that while he'd leave our young men and women there to die, he'd offer us a better way of handling the war than the Bush Administration offered. While most Americans support free public health insurance for all, especially the over 40 million Americans that don't have health insurance because it's so expensive, Kerry publicly [OPPOSED] free public health insurance! On the issue of millions of high paying jobs leaving America for Mexico, China and India, Kerry's position was that we needed [MORE FREE TRADE], allowing for millions more of our high paying jobs to be shipped to Argentina, Brazil, Honduras and Guatemala! What about social issues, such as a woman's right to choice and gay marriage? Kerry [OPPOSED] gay marriage! Kerry talked about a woman's right to choice, but didn't commit himself to legislating federal laws preserving Roe vs. Wade for future generations. The only true difference between Bush and Kerry would be their IQ, with Kerry being able to score far higher on IQ exams than Bush would be able to ever dream.

Our political regime has always been a corrupted regime where corporate millionaires and billionaires controlled the two-party system. Kickbacks and bribes, there's your history of the Democrats and Republicans.

Why do you think the rest of the world hates us? Perhaps it's our extensive history of imperialism? Did you know that the CIA once [FUNDED AND SUPPORTED] Osama Bin Laden? Did you know we once [SUPPORTED] Saddam Hussein? Do you know we once [MURDERED] the democratically elected President of Guatemala? Did you know we [ANNEXED] Hawaii because the Dole (now known for its Pineapple) monopoly paid off Congressmen to support the annexation? Did you know the United States is historically responsible for what's going on in Liberia today? We're hated because of our [GOVERNMENT'S] imperialism. Our government's imperialism is caused by [CORPORATE GREED] wanting to take advantage of cheap foreign labor, foreign oil, foreign natural gas and foreign consumers for their surplus production! Don't take my word for it, Google it. It's time Americans become enlightened on this country's true history, not the history that GOVERNMENT RUN and CORPORATE FUNDED schools teach you….. The truth hurts, ignorance is bliss, but that doesn't make a lie right and bliss true!

…….. Here's one: If our military were strictly for [DEFENSE], why would we spend over $500 BILLION! a year on it ---- more than the (COMBINED) MILITARY SPENDING OF CHINA, RUSSIA, ISRAEL, GERMANY, FRANCE, NORTH KOREA, IRAN, PAKISTAN AND INDIA? Imagine it….. For less than $400 billion, we could provide ALL AMERICANS WITH FREE QUALITY HEALTH CARE, WITHOUT EVER RAISING TAXES……. And still have $100 billion left over for military ---- still close to what China and Russia combined spend on their militaries. FOR $60 BILLION, WE COULD ABOLISH ALL COLLEGE TUITION, PROVIDING FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION TO ALL AMERICANS!

OR, a fraction of what we're spending in the Iraqi-Afghanistan War, WE COULD BE LOVED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR ENDING WORLD HUNGER AND SAVING MILLIONS OF CHILDREN FROM STARVATION! Price tag? $25 billion…. That's it, for less than 5% of what we spend on weapons, defense research and military bases, we could end world hunger and save millions of lives!

Think about your life for a second. There are nearly 500 BILLIONAIRES IN AMERICA that "OWN" NEARLY ALL THIS COUNTRY'S WEALTH! Most millionaires and billionaires "EARN" their starting wealth through "INHERITANCE…." As the saying goes, it takes money to make money. Unfortunately, for you, me and everyone else, a multimillion dollar inheritance is a pipedream! Most of us will never earn enough in a lifetime, even if we saved and invested 80% of our paychecks ---- like we could survive on only the remaining 20% ---- to be a mega millionaire…….

These BILLIONAIRES AND MILLIONAIRES HAVE USED THEIR MONEY TO INFLUENCE YOUR SENATORS, REPRESENTATIVES, GOVERNORS AND MAYORS TO ENACT PRO-WEALTHY POLICIES ---- INCLUDING…. A TAX CODE THAT TAXES THE RICH @ A LOWER RATE THAN THE POOR! Don't believe me? Think John Kerry's wife, the GREAT Mrs. Heinz, heir to the Heinz Ketchup Fortune…. She's a BILLIONAIRE! WHAT WAS HER INCOME TAX RATE IN 2003? A WHOOPING 12%! So much for the Democrats being "for the working man?"

While CLINTON WAS THE BEST PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY [since the 1970's….], he's DEFINENTLY NOT the best "servant of the people in history." Clinton signed NAFTA ---- North American Free Trade Agreement ---- allowing big businesses to send 500,000 good high paying American jobs to Mexico…. He normalized trade relations with China, sending 3 MILLION high paying American jobs to China. Clinton raised the minimum wage, yes, to a mind blowing $5.15 an hour, WOW! While raising the minimum wage to $5.15, wow, he also signed welfare reform ---- hurting many single mothers by requiring them to get dead end cashier jobs and then cutting off ALL their benefits, leaving them to use their $5.15 an hour to cover housing, health care, food, childcare, etc. for both them and their children…… While doing all this, he was WALL STREET'S 1 HERO! DOW 36,000 HERE WE COME. In 1997, Clinton axed the capital gains tax --- A TAX ON INCOME EARNED BY MOSTLY MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES THAT SPECULATE IN THE STOCK MARKET……. Because of his "prudent economic policies" and "wise economic decision making" ---- America's WEALTHY HAD NEVER BEEN WEALTHIER….. NOT EVEN UNDER REAGAN AND THE "ME-ME 80'S."

While Clinton was right in 1993, "IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!", he left office leaving us with a recession that started in 2000, before Bush ever took office! He left America with eroded public infrastructure [roads, railways, water pipelines, etc.] that were in bad need of repair. He left America with millions of new jobs, CASHIER JOBS, FAST FOOD JOBS, WAITRESS JOBS! What few good jobs that were created in computer programming, database administration, software development, etc. were soon OUTSOURCED to CHINA & INDIA, thanks to Clinton's PRO-CORPORATE TRADE POLICIES!

Oh, but we had PEACE UNDER CLINTON! Yes, we did have relative peace, but what about the Iraqis? Clinton FULLY SUPPORTED ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON IRAQ…. Interesting enough, when you sanction a country that's a desert, you're kind of….. STARVING THEM!!!!! Nearly 500,000 INNOCENT CIVILIAN IRAQIS DIED DURING THE 1990'S, MANY OF THEM CHILDREN. And while we enjoyed so much peace, "BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE ADDED FOR PROCURING WEAPONS!" Politicians PROMISED US A "PEACE DIVIDEND" AFTER THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE END OF THE COLD WAR….. Instead, military spending continued going higher and higher and higher.

What about SOCIAL ISSUES? AMERICA INCARCARETES MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD…. What a wonderful pride statistic! We've got more people behind bars than ---- China ---- a Stalinist dictatorship Gulag regime that censors people and imprisons people for everything under the sun.

SEVEN MILLION AMERICANS ARE BEHIND BARS, ON PROBATION OR ON PAROLE! That's like…. Close to 2.5% of America's population …. Around 1 in 40 Americans…. Bout' 1 in 30 grownups………

Ask yourself, why does America imprison more people than any other country in the world? Why do we incarcerate more people than the DICTATORSHIP TYRANNY CESSPOOL HELL ---- China? Well, most PRISONERS AREN'T CRIMINALS AT ALL! Most of them are being imprisoned for "VICTIMLESS CRIMES" ---- such as "drug possession." Most of them never as much as touched a person… all they did was buy drugs, or use drugs. But there's another difference, most of those drug CRIMINALS ARE POOR, NOT WEALTHY. You don't have to know much about reality to know that MANY LAWYERS AND JUDGES USE COCAINE! It's ok for millionaires and billionaires to use drugs, but it's not ok for the poor sucker that works a dead end 9-5 job that, even in his best of times, could never afford a real attorney ---- not those "public attorneys" that are underpaid, overworked and don't have the time to properly defend their clients.

There's another incentive to throw more people behind bars. OUR CORPORATE OWNED GOVERNMENT is PRIVATIZING PRISONS!!! ---- selling prisons, jails and corrections to PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES! It's not hard to see a conflict of interest here. MORE PRISONERS = MORE MONEY FOR BIG BUSINESS! It's not just the Republicans selling our justice system to corporate money cows, so are the Democrats. In fact, the privatization wave started under….. You guessed it… the CLINTON WHITE HOUSE! This business isn't small…… IT'S A BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY. YOUR TAX DOLLARS are going to companies like "CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA" ---- otherwise known as [CCA]! Do private for-profit corporations care if prisoners are raped and get Hepatitis and AIDS? Of course not…. While many people, and this is really sick and depressing, think prison rape is a funny joke… perhaps it wouldn't be so funny if they got arrested for drug possession and got raped while in jail…. It's a human rights atrocity that makes American prisons among the worst in the industrialized world. It's estimated that 20-40% of prisoners have Hepatitis C ---- and when they're released back into the general public, they'll be spreading it ---- perhaps something to think about for those that think it's funny. These for-profit prison companies outsource many services to other for-profit companies, such as outsourcing prisoner health care to CORRECTIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES! These companies cut back on the number of nurses and doctors available to rape infected victims in the hellholes that have become for-profit prisons.

Now you know why the Democrats are just as happy to lock people up behind bars as the Republicans…… because they're getting "cash back" from rich investors and businessmen that buy our prisons and run them for personal profit and wealth.

These rich fat cats that are stealing your tax dollars even have a LOBBYING GROUP to BUY OFF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! It's called the "American Correctional Association," an organization that does nothing but give money to politicians to encourage them to pass legislation that's good for big business….

Quoted from Wikipedia: "The United States spends an estimated $60 billion each year on corrections. The population of inmates housed in prisons and jails in the United States exceeds 2 million, with the per capita incarceration population higher than that officially reported by any other country. Because of it's size and influence the U. S. Prison industry is often referred to as the Prison-industrial complex."

Remember, most peoples lifestyle could easily land them in jail. Do you smoke marijuana? Have you ever drove drunk? Have you ever used a substance containing cocaine? Have you ever popped a painkiller that wasn't prescribed? Have you ever banged a prostitute? Almost everyone has done at least one of these in their lives…. By law, that makes you a CRIMINAL! And if you do it again and get caught, you could end up a in the Corrections Corporation of America.

In states with "THREE STRIKES" sentencing, if you have 2 drug charges and get another, you're absolutely fucked….. Automatic 25 years+ behind bars…Think about that next time you fire up marijuana, pop an E, or use any other kind of non-prescribed drug!

No wonder Europeans frown on our justice system…. No wonder Amnesty International views our prison system as a crime against humanity. Our entire justice system is a rip-off set up to enrich millionaires and billionaires through transferring tax money to big businesses and sending more people to jail for such "evil" as smoking marijuana.

Which leads to "other social issues." While Clinton was in office, many states passed laws restricting a woman's right to choice…. Clinton said nothing. Many of those states had DEMOCRAT Governors & legislatures… "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" led to more discharging of gays and lesbians from the military than ever before ---- don't even refute it, because I'm friends with a Minister of a Metropolitan Community Church that told me all about how many military men and women stopped going after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Clinton did NOTHING about civil unions for loving and monogamous gay and lesbian partners! Barney Frank, a gay Democrat from Massachusetts, totally condemned gay activists for wanting marriage! A GAY MAN [OPPOSING] HIS OWN RIGHTS…..! It's amazing how Washington can change someone.

Did Clinton do anything about the death penalty? OJ Simpson gets off for obviously offing his wife, course a millionaire can always afford the "Dream Team," while multiple innocent poor people got slammed in the electric chair for crimes they were later proven innocent of…. A little to late to declare innocence when they're dead!

So there you have it in a nutshell: Clinton continued the same old policies that have been wrecking this country since the late 1970's. He did nothing that truly made a difference for anyone…. He simply carried on the same CORPORATE Republican-Democrat ---- there's no difference ---- Agenda.

I didn't cover every issue, I haven't even come close to touching the surface --- there's so very much more, but I have touched a little base…. I hope you take this as an opportunity to learn more about this country's history and I hope you wake up and stop having illusions and pipedreams about the Democrats…

For all you young people that think the Democrats will prevent a "draft" ---- making you go to war and die for oil, guess again….. The last time the draft was used was under LBJ during Vietnam, a Democratic White House!

To conclude: This country truly needs a viable alternative…. A Party that's of the people, for the people! America needs a mass working class party that demands guaranteed full time jobs for all Americans, not a petty unemployment check when your wealthy employer lays you off! We need a Worker's Party that represents the interests of America's working class, a Party that will actively struggle for a living wage that's no less than $10 an hour. We need a Party that will stand up to big insurance companies and big pharmaceutical companies to provide free public health insurance and free prescription medication to all Americans. We need a Party that'll pull us out of Iraq NOW! We need a Party that'll give gays, lesbians and bisexuals the same rights as everyone else and a Party that will protect a woman's right to choice over matters concerning her body.

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and finding your favorite gas station abandoned, or driving to a toll bridge to find it's been closed-off. Imagine taking your children to McDonalds to find it locked-up, or going to daycare to find there's no one working that can take care of your kids. What would you do if you received a telephone call and learned your grandmother was ill because the nursing home's staff went on strike and no one administered her Insulin shots? What if every single underpaid and overworked health care aide, waitress, waiter, janitor and cashier in America went on strike?

You're on vacation and there's no where to stay and no where to go. You're out of food and all the grocery stores are closed. You need to get to work, but there's no where to fill-up your gas tank. You planned a romantic evening with your wife, but the cooks, waiters and waitress didn't show up. America's underpaid servants are disrespected and disregarded. However, without those that wake up every morning to dead-end jobs, your life would be a total nightmare. Within a week of a national strike, the entire country would come to a complete stop.

However, for all their hard and dedication to the American consumer, there's no opportunity and little hope for a better life. The chance of being promoted in a dead-end job is nil. Even if you are awarded a promotion, Managers in retail and food service aren't paid much better than their cashiers and cooks. In becoming a Manager, you agree to a fixed salary. You could easily end up working a 70 hour workweek with no additional compensation.

What if you stay with the same company for many years and are an exceptional employee? In convenience stores, grocery stores and fast-food, it doesn't matter how hard you slave. Your maximum reward for hard work and dedication will remain a $.25 raise every once in a blue moon. Sure you're offered insurance benefits, but if you have children and bills, you can't afford those benefits.

Convenience stores, department stores, general merchandise stores, fast-food joints and nursing homes "earn" billions of $'s by underpaying and overworking their employees. It's not that these big and selfish businesses can't afford to pay their workers a fair wage, but why should they when they can find someone else to do the same job for a low wage? There will always be millions of unemployed Americans willing to take your job. That's the reason why employee dissatisfaction is sky-high in retail and food service. Why work hard and be dedicated when it doesn't matter?

Making matters worse, there are no guarantees when you work in a low-paying job. Turnarounds and doubles are a common occurrence in these positions. Overtime is heavily restricted and discouraged. Many people find themselves working off the clock to complete their tasks and shift duties. Cashiers have been known to pay their own money back to cover cash shortages that occurred during their shifts. While shoplifting is an everyday reality, these businesses blame their employees. It's nothing new to be wrote-up for something stupid. You can be "fired with or without reason, at anytime." If you sell tobacco or alcohol to a minor by mistake, you're fired and have to pay a hefty fine.

There's something obviously wrong with the picture I've just painted. These low-paid workers form the backbone of our nation's economy. Without our country's low-paid workers, we wouldn't be able to survive. However, despite their importance, hard work and dedication, they're disrespected, disregarded, underpaid, overworked and underappreciated. They are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends. They are human beings. Many of them have children to clothe, shelter and feed. Many of them are young people trying to pay their way through college. Many of them are elderly individuals that can't afford to retire. Many of them work 2 jobs in an attempt to make a living.

It's an injustice that millions of Americans can't liberate themselves from this vicious cycle of poverty, hopelessness and desperation. The lack of job security and the ease in which these workers can be replaced makes unionization next to impossible. A long and unstable workweek makes it very challenging to go to school. Those that have children find it impossible to continue an education.

America's cashiers, clerks, waitresses, waiters, cooks and health aides depend on our national minimum wage law for their survival and their economic future. For most of the Post-War period, our minimum wage offered Americans a livelihood. However, since the late 1970's, the minimum wage has failed to increase in proportion to the increase in the price of food, energy, housing and transportation. Prices have risen faster than wages for millions of American families.

Whereas $1.58 doesn't seem like much today, in 1968 it could buy over $7.71 worth of goods and services. The American dollar used to be stronger and prices used to be lower. A dollar could buy far more in the 1950's and 1960's than it can today. When adjusted to reflect higher prices, today's low-paid workers are poorer than their counterparts in 1950's and 60's. If American businesses could afford to pay a fair wage in late 50's and during the 1960's, why can't they afford to pay a fair wage today?

Western Europe has proven American businesses can afford to pay a fair wage and offer decent benefits without raising prices and slashing jobs. Millions of European families enjoy a prosperous standard of living that's supported by living wage laws that require businesses to compensate employees with an appropriate income that reflects their hard work and dedication. If European businesses can afford a minimum wage that can support an entire family, there's no reason our businesses can't afford to provide fair wages and benefits to their employees.

The following chart compares the U.S. minimum wage to European minimum wages:

Ireland: €8.65.
Britain: £5.52 (the pound sterling is twice the value of the U.S. dollar).
Netherlands: €1,317 per month.
Belgium: €1,360 per month.
France: €8.44.
America: $5.85.

In case you don't follow global financial and economic indicators, the Euro has been stronger than the American dollar for many years. If Irish, British, Dutch, Belgian and French businesses can afford to pay their workers a better wage than our businesses, what does that say about our businesses? It says that the difference between America and Europe is that European Parliaments mandate a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, while our Congress doesn't mandate a decent income.

American businesses can afford to pay more than their European counterparts. Unlike Western Europe, our nation mandates few land use restrictions, allowing ultra-efficient retailers like Costco, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart and Target to operate in urban and suburban communities and neighborhoods. In addition, our country levies a lower sales tax than most European countries. American retailers and convenience stores in the 50's and 60's consisted of mom & pop stores and gas, coffee and socialization shops, while today's retailers and convenience stores consist of warehouses and full-service outlets that offer gas, coffee, delis, fast-food and a wide selection of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and groceries. The outdated antique registers of the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's have been replaced with the touch screen and scanning devices of modern times. Inventory tracking has been made easier by GPS and on-site cameras. Computers, software and fax machines have replaced the burdensome headache of paper, pencils and the Post Office.

While it's true that our retailers and service sector businesses would be less profitable, it doesn't mean prices would rise and joblessness would increase. There's absolutely no correlation between a higher minimum wage and joblessness. Delaware requires a minimum hourly compensation of $7.15 an hour, while the state's jobless rate is 13th in the nation. Massachusetts mandates a minimum wage of $8 per hour, while the state's unemployment rate ranks 19th in the nation. South Carolina ranks 45th in the nation for an above average unemployment rate, while the state's minimum wage is tied to the federal standard of $5.85 an hour. From state to state, region to region, there's absolutely no correlation between the minimum wage and the statewide unemployment rate.

As if the argument that a higher minimum wage had a solid foundation, "over 650 economists, including five Nobel Prize winners and six past presidents of the American Economics Association, recently signed a statement stating that federal and state minimum wage increases "can significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed."

There's no surprise that macroeconomic studies have found a net positive effect from a higher minimum wage. Higher wages reduce turnover, increase labor productivity, reduce absenteeism and spur tax contributions. A person earning a decent living doesn't have to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. An individual that's being paid a fair wage works harder and isn't so easily ready to change jobs.

There's no reason why we don't have a $10 per hour living wage that's tied to yearly increases in the cost of living. Our businesses are more than capable of providing a decent income for a hard day's work. Worldwide, there's a negligible correlation between minimum wage increases and a corresponding increase in joblessness and inflation. Yes, less efficient and productive businesses will have a problem transitioning to a higher wage rate. However, a majority of our nation's businesses would have no problem accommodating a higher minimum wage, as the increased wage would translate into increased sales and revenue. Over a third of working Americans would realize an immediate benefit from a $10 an hour minimum wage. Tax collections would increase and social welfare expenditures would be curbed. More young and elderly Americans would enter the workforce. The national savings rate would rise, as lower-income households would have money to save. Low-income households would be able to afford a home, thus offsetting the downturn in housing and real estate markets. A good portion of increased labor expenses would be covered by reduced turnover, training costs and absenteeism. Poverty would be axed and outrageous inequality would be hammered. America would be a better nation for working families.

Iceland's economy is a glimpse of things to come for our own economy. The once booming and prosperous Icelandic economy that was bolstered by an international lending boom and real estate mania has given way to a financial and economic nightmare that threatens to undo years of prosperity and growth. The economic boom of the early and mid-2000's transformed the island nation into a beacon of wealth. The Goldilocks economy was made possible by a strong financial system that managed to maintain full-employment, price stability and sustained moderate growth.

How did this isolated island nation ascend to the world's sixth most prosperous country? The privatization of the financial system and the hefty reduction of business and corporate taxes made Iceland an attractive location for foreign investors and businesses. The top three financial institutions borrowed massive sums of money from foreigners and reinvested that money in the international real estate and lending bubble. The Icelandic economy continued to boom as international housing appreciated and surplus savings could easily and affordably be borrowed from emerging markets in Southeast Asia.

However, once the real estate and lending bubble peaked, markets soured and Iceland is now facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens to undermine the role model economy of the new millennium. The three leading financial firms are now facing an unbelievable run on cash. Foreign investors and hedge funds have bid the Icelandic Krona down 30% against the Euro since January of this year. Inflation is running at an 18-year high as the price of food, energy, transportation and medication is skyrocketing. Prices are rising way faster than wages and Icelanders are troubled by a declining lifestyle.

The current crisis didn't materialize from nowhere. There were signs of crisis during the boom years. Iceland had an unsustainable current account deficit of 16%. That means the Icelandic economy was borrowing an unprecedented sum of cash from foreigners and importing an unprecedented % of goods and services sold to consumers. Even with a balanced fiscal budget, such an enormous national trade and capital imbalance can spell a severe crisis. While the financial system surged, it was rooted in borrowed money. Borrowing money from foreigners and reinvesting that money can't last forever. Once the real estate bubble ended, there was no hope for sustaining that source of prosperity. The same reasons that drove their stock exchange from 1,000 to 9,000 in a few short years led to a 50% loss in a single year.

So how does Iceland's economy relate to America's economy?

Our economy is based on a financial boom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 are composed of financial firms, businesses, trusts and corporations. Without financial companies, our national market capitalization would dwindle to near nothing. Citigroup, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs create the New York Stock Exchange. Without financial companies, there's nothing. George Soros and Warren Buffet are among the wealthiest Americans. George Soros and Warren Buffet are both financiers and financial speculators.

Our economy is suffering from the triplet deficits of fiscal, trade and capital imbalances. Our government is borrowing money from foreigners. We're buying more from foreigners than we're selling to them. We're borrowing money from foreign investors and financial institutions. American companies are being purchased by foreigners with American dollars that were obtained from our trade deficits. Japan, China, Korea and Saudi Arabia own trillions of $'s in U.S. stocks, real estate and Treasury bonds.

Free market ideology has governed America since the early 1990's. Bill Clinton deregulated markets, negotiated Trade Agreements and slashed taxes on businesses and investors. George Bush has continued this ideology by reducing taxes on millionaires and billionaires. In addition, Bush has launched aggressive conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq to fatten the profits of defense, aerospace and energy companies. Free market ideology translates into boom and bust cycles. The late 90's boom resulted in the 2001 – 2003 recession. The 2005 – 2007 prosperity will translate into a horrible and deepened crisis.

Unlike Iceland's economy, America's is dealing with trillions of dollars. Fiscal deficits alone have calculated into the trillions of $'s since the turn of the millennium. While an economy like Iceland can weather small sums, America's economy is handling trillions of dollars. Our trade, capital and governmental imbalances are unbelievable, unprecedented and unsustainable. Even a historical global Empire couldn't survive our imbalances.

Our economy is just beginning to suffer the pitfalls of Iceland's economy. Inflation is rising to a Post-Gulf War high. Prices are just beginning to rise faster than wages. Our banking and financial system is just beginning to suffer losses. Our employment market is just beginning to loose jobs. Our trade deficit is just beginning to narrow. Americans are just beginning to save more of their money. Gas prices are just starting to approach the European average. Food is just starting to reach the unsubsidized average. Joblessness is just beginning to reach the European Union's average.

So what can we do? We're not an island economy. If we want to provide full-time jobs for everybody and low prices for everybody, we have to mass produce consumer goods. From automobiles to bread, we have to provide cheap and affordable goods to everyone. From rich to poor, we have to create an economy that benefits everybody. We need to nationalize the banks and financial firms to reduce interest rates on loans and mortgages. We need to nationalize the energy sector to curtail profits and provide the American people with affordable and renewable energy. We need to provide incentives to farmers to encourage them to grow and sell more produce. What we need is democratic socialism.