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Julia Gorin
The America Show
Episode 4
Jesus and Mordy
Watch Video Now
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Conservatives Are From Mars, Liberals Are From San Francisco
by Burt Prelutsky
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America Alone
by Mark Steyn
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The CRO Store
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Republican legislators essentially were fired by the voters for, among other things, lack of productivity. Fair enough. Now it’s the Democrats’ turn and I, for one, am rooting for their success. There is much at stake. Like our international challenges, our domestic problems are daunting and demand resolution. Addressing them with cosmetic, temporary fixes will no longer do if we are to avoid saddling the next generations with insoluble problems of our making.

New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced a 100-day legislative blitz to deal with key platform goals. Republicans have predictably complained about being left out of the process, but what did they expect? Democrats had the same complaint under Republican-dominated congresses and, in case they didn’t notice, the Republicans lost this election. Besides, the important thing in lawmaking is the result, not the process.

Of far more concern are Ms. Pelosi’s priorities which seem to me to be somewhat underwhelming in terms of urgency. Increasing the minimum wage and making it easier to buy prescription drugs are popular among the people but do they really qualify as top domestic priorities? Similarly, relaxing restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and reducing interest rates on student loans are admirable goals but hardly deserving to be among the very top priorities requiring urgent action.

My list of urgent legislative priorities would include controlling illegal immigration, fixing Social Security and Medicare, addressing the problem of millions of Americans without health insurance, encouraging people to save for retirement, reforming our convoluted tax system including the alternate minimum tax, measures to strengthen the family and reduce the number of single parent families raising children in poverty, ending earmarks and the tacking of pork projects onto unrelated legislation and reforming the advice and consent function to require prompt up or down votes on presidential nominations based on merit and qualifications.

The top domestic priority, of course, must remain the protection of Americans against terrorist attacks. Next to that, and not unrelated to it, is the need to end illegal immigration, a problem that continues to fester while we dawdle over solutions. The Republican controlled House had an enforcement-oriented plan that neither the Senate or the White House saw fit to embrace because they wanted a comprehensive immigration reform package with a guest worker program to appease their big business supporters and a path to citizenship for illegals already here to pander to the Hispanic vote. After talking the problem to death, little was actually done except to approve construction of a partial border wall that wasn’t funded and well-publicized, showy raids on a few of the thousands of businesses that employ and exploit illegal workers.

Social Security and Medicare are financially endangered and if nothing is done they will not be there for our children and perhaps for some of us. These programs must be reformed now. The Republicans had a plan for partially privatizing Social Security but the Democrats didn’t like it. It’s their move now. Even if it is the third rail of politics, we are out of time and it must be fixed. Democrats must come up with solutions like delaying the retirement age to reflect longer life spans and increasing the income levels subject to payroll taxes.

Likewise, Medicare is approaching the crisis stage and something must be done to ensure its financial viability. In addition, the number of Americans without healthcare insurance is alarmingly high and must be addressed. A nation of 300 million people probably cannot function like a European-style social welfare state with cradle-to-grave protection for everyone without severe consequences to economic growth but surely we can figure out a better way to distribute healthcare. Ability to pay should not determine who gets life prolonging medical care and who does not. The prime responsibility of government is, after all, the safety of its people.

copyright 2007 J. F. Kelly, Jr.

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