The real issues for 2008
Okay, show of hands. Who thinks stopping gay marriage and eliminating the "death" tax are the critical issues facing America in 2008?
Actually, most Republicans don't think they are, either. No surprise here that "illegal immigration," the issue ginned up two years ago when gay marriage was losing its punch among the Bush faithful, ranks number one. Republicans finally figured out that some of them are gay, too--what with Larry Craig and all, it's getting harder and harder to vote a straight Republican ticket--but damn it, they're citizens of the good old U.S. of A. and none of their relatives are illegal. As far as they know.
All kidding aside, here are my core issues for 2008. These are the things that need to be fixed in America by a good "big government" to help non-billionaires like me deal with the scary economic threats of the 21st century.
1. National health insurance. No surprise here. America needs a single-payer system like that of France, funded by general tax revenues. It will cover everyone, working or unemployed, and you can never lose it. Yes, taxes will have to rise, but since neither you nor your employer will be forking over suitcases of cash to private insurance companies, you may not even notice it. Private insurance companies must disappear. No, they aren't all bad. But if you allow any of them to remain, you'll always have obscenities like Health Net, Inc., in California, which gave executives bonuses for finding ways to drop coverage of people who got sick.
Think government will screw it up? Government is us, folks, not space aliens. Just as Social Security manages to get checks to tens of millions of elderly Americans every month, a national health care system will make sure you get the quality treatment you need. Americans can do it. Think of the weight off your mind.
2. Rising energy prices. Americans from the middle class on down are already struggling with paying their heating and gasoline bills. In a few years, it's going to get much, much worse. Billionaires will be able to afford all the heating and cooling and gasoline they want. You won't. Candidates for President need to assure Americans that they will appoint a competent energy czar, not a political hack. They need to commit to putting serious money behind energy research, whether it hurts the oil companies or not. And finally, they have to make sure energy companies don't gouge us.
3. Global warming. This is really a subset of No. 2. Like it or not, nuclear energy needs to be considered again. But only if the plants are run on a non-profit basis, preferably by government, so the incentive isn't there to cut corners to increase the bottom line. There are many reasons to be against nuclear power, but they are damned good at producing vast amounts of electricity without contributing to global warming. We have to--and can--find a way to do it safely. Solar power can play a much bigger role than it does now, even in cold states. Look at Germany's record in that regard, in a nation where a "shorts day" is rare enough to draw comment. Plug-in electric cars, which would cover 80 percent of the transportation needs of most Americans, need to be put on the fast track.
4. China. China is both an economic and military threat to the United States and its interests. Do we really want everything we use to be made there? Let's worry less about illegal immigration and more about U.S. corporations destroying American communities and workers in the name of higher profits. It's time to give U.S. corporations some serious carrot-and-stick treatment to get them to make things here again. Or the next poisonous toy may end up in your child's playroom. We have a right to do what is right for our own country and economy, even if it gives conservative economists fits.
5. Iraq. End George W. Bush's war now. Bring the troops home within six months of Inauguration Day. It can be done, and things won't turn out significantly different than they would if we stayed another 20 years. Let your slogan be, Not one more day!
On Tuesday and Wednesday I will offer some thoughts on which candidates might do the best--or worst--in addressing these issues.