The Wish List

I didn’t even know where to begin yesterday, so I’ll just post this finally, and try again today. Otherwise, so many items I have yet to cover, and so little time with an obstructionist Republican and his insane Cabinet holding the country hostage.

Baring an impeachment, or a sudden flash of cooperation, here’s a few items that I think Democrats can actually get done without great effort before the 2008 election season is upon us. You’ll notice some obvious items are missing (deficit reduction, balanced budgets, energy policy, global warming, and economic fairness). Baring an impeachment…

Four Critical Problems

Since Congress should be able to chew gum and walk at the same time, there’s no reason a handful of other items can’t be addressed within a year or two. Let’s get right down to it.

Election Law and Voter Access: The evidence couldn’t be any clearer – e-voting has got to go. HAVA and local-level bullshit (like Ohio House Bill 3) has got to go. Partisan control of elections at every level of government has got to go. Federal standards and independent oversight that guarantees access and the legitimacy of the vote needs to be put in place. Luckily it’s on the leadership agenda as well - how high remains to be seen. Gerrymandering is an item that requires a state-level solution, and maybe, we’ll get the chance to try that one again.

Media Ownership: I see some people have caught on, and that’s half the battle. The other half requires comprehensive ethics - and campaign finance - reform, otherwise it’s an uphill battle that very likely cannot be won, despite the fact it would be in the benefit of the Democratic majority. I believe some interesting information on the solutions (it's fine to bitch, but it's also fine to actually do something) is to be found here and here [PDF] once the special interests portion of the equation is removed. And if memory serves, there’s some potential in community media efforts and journalism.

Poverty and the Gulf Region: Taxation reform is a long shot. Poverty on the other hand is not. It just requires some creativity (some of which is already available) and some willpower on the part of Democrats and moderate Republicans. As Katrina peeled away the veneer on poverty, once again, it’s long past the time something of substance is begun. Speaking of Katrina, it’s now well past a year since the hurricane. I believe the people of the region have waited long enough for some serious assistance as well.

Primary and Secondary Education: There are so many items in this subject area I most likely should have written a singular post on this subject alone. I have no solutions, as I know I’m not aware of all the problems - although I can immediately think of one person who has a good grasp on many of those - but, I do have one suggestion to make.

Whatever steps are initially taken to discuss and address the myriad of problems that appear to exist, those efforts should include parents, educators (and by that I mean actual teachers and the like, not administrators), and… young people themselves. For who is the education system for if not them. Shouldn’t they have a say in making it better? I know one thing about education reform folks - they should.