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Hope and Change: The Mulligan

By: RightinSanFrancisco (Diary)  |  November 5th, 2010 at 01:49 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

    One can dream. President Obama has an opportunity to give the greatest speech of his career when he returns from his visit to the Ganges with his entourage of 2000.

    ”My fellow Americans, the strength of our democracy rests on the ability of the citizens to express their views as they select their leaders. As we turn from the recent campaign season to the task of governing, I would like to lay out my administration’s priorities for the next two years:

    1. Jobs. The painfully high level of unemployment is unacceptable and requires a set of policies which embrace the people and institutions which create jobs. I will ask the Congress to immediately pass legislation which extends the current income, capital gains, and dividend tax rates through 2012, and that inheritance tax rates be set at 2009 levels (45% for estates over $3.5 million). We will extend the Research and Development tax credit through 2015. Regulatory changes affecting energy will be deferred until 2012. We will urge Congress to approve the pending free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama, and South Korea. Measures to increase lending to small businesses will be a priority.

    2. Budgets. I will work with the Congress to develop a plan to get the budget deficit to international standards (no greater than 3% of Gross Domestic Product) by 2015.  This will begin with a return of any unspent TARP and stimulus funding. We will incorporate many of the ideas of my Deficit Reduction Commission, and may well include a return of departmental budgets to pre-2008 levels, adjustments to Social Security (particularly for younger workers), and reductions in military spending.

    3. Healthcare. While retaining the expansion of coverage contained in the landmark 2009 legislation, we will turn our focus to cost reduction. This will include provisions such as buying insurance across state lines, negotiation of prices with pharmaceutical companies, tort reform, reduced payments for doctors and hospitals, and insurance pools for small businesses. Regulatory requirements will be streamlined.

    4. The Washington Climate. I have asked the Senate and House leaders of both parties to participate in a bi-weekly meeting at the White House on shared priorities, including any significant regulatory changes. The new leader of my Council of Economic Advisers will be a prominent business leader. I will call for the elimination of all earmarks.

    The American people have spoken. I encourage the leaders of both parties to join me in seeking common sense solutions which address their priorities. God bless America. Our best days lie ahead.”  

    Why is it so easy?

See the complete blog at www.RightinSanFrancisco.com

COMMENTS

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  • reddog53

    No mention of repealing Health Care, even in light of the disastrous details that even the President seems close to admitting that the bill is not working out in meeting its stated goals.

    The budget deficit was roughly at 3% of GDP even during the worst of the Bush 43 years (pre TARP). We need to end deficits completely—sooner.

    Once again, the solution offered for employment is to distort behavior and selectively reward some industries over others. Instead, let’s cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% and let each company decide whether investing in R&D is best for them. R&D may be important to job creation in the long run, but other components of cost are holding back hiring now.

    The inheritance tax should disappear COMPLETELY, not be set back to 2009 levels. It destroys family farms and small businesses which are in private hands.

    The Deficit Reduction Commission is a standard Washington committee. I’ve got little faith in its ability to solve the issue using pretty much the same thinking that created the problem in the first place.

    The ‘bi weekly meetings at the White House to discuss priorities’ would be a waste of time, and would lead to the notion that the Legislative Branch is subservient to the Executive. Sorry–this is a bad idea. The Legislative Branch has the opportunity to discuss priorities every day they’re in session.

    All of this handwringing over the “Washington Climate” does not acknowledge that our ‘climate’ is a substitute for higher forms of conflict, like coups, revolutions and civil war. We argue and draw firm verbal positions because there truly are two diametrically opposed views of how the country should go: toward expanding government control of every aspect of life, or toward freedom. Given the opposing goals of each side, there is no mystery as to why they don’t get along, and why there is little common ground.

    The only thing that there should be bi-partisan agreement on has already been settled by the Constitution. Both parties should agree that it represents the foundation of their actions as Legislators. If they can do that, what results should be beneficial to the country.

    If the most recent election cycle has proven anything, it is that the Washington mindset is most dangerous when both sides decide they know better than the people or the Constitution. Whenever there has been a ‘bipartisan’ solution with this mindset, the people have been the recipient of additional taxes, law or regulation, and government has expanded beyond the bounds of the Constitution.