Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind

Years of rubber stamping the Administration’s bad policies and worse execution are finally souring on the public and causing the Republicans on the Hill to freak out. The Party that says that government doesn’t work has proven that it doesn’t work when they run it. Polls are showing a potential Democratic tidal wave that threatens to sweep away their control of both houses of Congress and they are scared to death. The Dems poll better on almost every issue; the War, gas prices, healthcare, the budget – you name it. Even conservatives are beginning to jump ship. In an effort to shore up the Republican base, the GOP-led House yesterday passed a bill extending the capital gains and dividends tax cut to the tune of $70 billion. With the President’s approval in the low 30’s (31% according to the latest CNN poll), they had to do something to revive their supporters. So they go for another tax cut for the wealthy that we cannot afford. I cannot imagine a more fiscally irresponsible action. We are drowning in a sea of debt and these cowards decided to add to it. The Democrats need to grow a pair of balls and really go after the Republicans on this. The R’s love to portray the D’s as “tax and spend liberals”. It is high time we fire back; especially when the Republican Congress is behaving like reckless teenagers on a spending spree with Daddy’s credit card.

Democrats should call for that $70 billion to be invested on three issues that desperately need it; issues that highlight the gross failure of Republican governance. IMHO, these are the planks that the D’s should use to pound the shit out of the GOP in the run up to the November elections.

Veteran’s benefits - We are quickly closing in on 20,000 injured servicemen from our Iraqi adventure. These folks deserve a helluva lot better treatment than they are receiving. The GOP House voted to cut $25 billion in veteran’s healthcare and benefits programs in 2004. The Veterans Administration is so short of funds that it applies a surcharge to vets entering the system. That is not only perverse, it is dishonorable. The Dems can really support the troops by restoring that funding and provide tangible help to veterans. And we can force the Republicans to defend their record of spewing platitudes while cutting funding and undermining soldiers’ quality of life. Running your mouth and slapping a magnet on your car are not solutions.

Sustainable Clean Energy – If we put forth a program to make the United States energy self-sufficient by say 2030 (or whatever is realistic) and put the cash behind it, we can fundamentally alter the world order. No more being nice to dictatorships that have oil. We can do our part to slow global warming and maybe save Florida from rising ocean levels (BTW – Anyone that says humans are not adversely affecting global climate is either ignorant of the facts or a liar). We can have cleaner air and water. Just imagine the economic benefits of spending all of the money that we give to Saudi Arabia, et al. domestically. The elapsed time from the Wright brother’s first flight to Neil Armstrong standing on the Moon was less than 70 years. America can surely do this if we put our minds to it and give those minds the resources to make it happen.

Resurrect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast – Nothing exposes the R’s failure to lead than the ongoing disaster that is the Post-Katrina Gulf Coast. They failed to fund levee construction. They failed in the immediate aftermath of the storm. And they continue to fail those brave souls that decided to stay and help rebuild that unique American city. The GOP has decided, repeatedly, that war and tax cuts have a higher priority than reconstruction in the Gulf. We need to call them on that bit of callousness and respond with a Marshall Plan for the region. We helped rebuild a crippled Europe after WWII. We should do it again on our home turf. We must revive the notion of compassion in government (despite W.’s enormous bullshit lip service to same) and provide some real assistance. Rebuilding the levees around NOLA will cost about what we spend in Iraq in a month. Providing some help to those that lost everything when their city was destroyed should be our top priority. Not doing so, while overpaying for the reconstruction of Baghdad, is a betrayal of the Constitution’s edict to provide for the “general welfare” of our citizens.

Dems can talk gas prices, corruption, whatever; what we need is a concrete plan of action that will positively affect the lives of Americans. I am just a schmuck knocking out posts in my living room. Smarter people than me form our nation’s policy. But on these issues, all I hear is talk. Well, talk is cheap. Let’s spend the fucking money on something worthwhile. Paris Hilton’s Porsche dealer doesn’t need a commission more than a New Orleans teacher needs a home.

UPDATE: Holy shit! A new Harris poll shows W. at 29% approval. Congress stands at 18%.