With the renewal and expansion of the coverage of the Violence Against Women Act, other important ideas are coming to the forefront of the progressive agenda:
Raising of the minimum wage, which 71 percent of the American people endorse, with a minimum of $9 an hour, although bills to raise it to $10 an hour have been introduced by some members of Congress. Realize that if one was to keep up with the cost of living since 1938, when the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed with a 25 cents an hour wage, the minimum wage would have to be at $13 an hour now to be the equivalent of 75 years ago.
Universal Background Checks for all gun purchases, which 88 percent of those polled want, including 85 percent of gun owning households.
More tax increases to reduce the deficit, a balanced approach with spending cuts that are fair and just, and do not hurt those on the bottom more than those on the top of the economic scale, with 76 percent agreeing with this.
Infrastructure Investments to repair and replace our deteriorating physical plant, and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. This is the best job creation policy, and is important for the nation’s economic growth and national security.
A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, particularly for children brought to America and knowing nowhere else, and 70 percent agreeing with this in polls, and 60 percent of Republicans. This is the right thing to do, and is a way for Republicans to improve their image electorally.
Expansion of the Medicaid program, so that all Americans will be able to have accessible health care, a basic goal of human decency and compassion for those less fortunate.
Marriage equality, so that gay Americans no longer face discrimination legally in any aspect of their lives, including the right to have their marriages seen as legitimate.
Providing of Early Childhood Education, including universal Pre Kindergarten coverage, as a way to assist in the goal of early educational intervention, which will reap benefits in the future.
If all eight of these goals can be achieved, we will have major progressive victories in 2013!
Minimum wage? Why not increase it to $30 per hour? I am still waiting for an answer on that one. Universal background check? Why not have one for politicians before they run for office? You know , I.Q.test , drug test and more! Tax increase? In you opinion how much out of every dollar one earned should a person be allowed to keep once you included local, state and federal taxes? Simple question and I am still waiting for a response on that one from any progressive liberal. And cut? Cut what, where? Real spending or the growth of spending? Do we continue with the Service Baseline Budgeting? Again simple question but still to hear a response. Infrastructure spending? In what have we spent the more that $6 trillion in new debt? Was not the stimulus , which has been incorporated in the baseline, for that? Oh I get it! The shovel ready jobs are really ready this time! Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens you mean. But why citizenship? Just give them a residency and work permit. Why reward them or their children with citizenship? Expansion of Medicare? Then what on earth was Obamacare for? So you want to raise taxes, cut I don’t know where, but then raise more spending? That’s irrational! Again do you think there should be a limit of what government spends? I would perfectly understand if you said no, but please be honest. Marriage equality?? You mean change the legal definition of marriage. OK, do that state per state, just don’t have a Judge do it. Early childhood education? Is that another function of the Federal government? We are going to have federal universal pre-kindergarten? Good grief! And the unwavering quest for utopia continues!
Juan, I knew you would be on the attack, but I am too worn out from your constant attacks to spend the time to answer a “million” questions in this response. You and I have different perspectives and always will, and that is what makes America so great.
I believe that these goals are reasonable and necessary over time, if we wish to promote equal opportunity and social justice, but I know you are turning red reading this. Do not raise your blood pressure, please, but the time of 40 percent of all assets being in the hands of one percent must end, or we will have a social revolution, and it is not just so called “minorities”, but the white working and middle class that demands accountability after conservatives and Republicans have stacked the system to take away hope for much of the middle class.
Things must change, and it should be by peaceful means, as the alternative is totally unacceptable! That is why we had progressive reform in the early 20th century, the 1930s and 1940s, the 1960s and early 1970s, and now we need it again, desperately, to give the average American hope in the future!
I am really sorry that you consider simple practical questions an attack. Contrary to what you might believe my blood pressure is quite normal and I am a very calm person. I know you have different perspective but I never seem to get a straight forward answer from any progressive liberal when I ask these simple questions. Maybe I should not be so demanding and such a pain in the ass. Oh well. In any event it was not my intention to worn you out.
Oh Juan Please, “Minimum wage? Why not increase it to $30 per hour?” This is a “Strawman Argument.”
In its simplest definition, it’s the name of a logical fallacy, which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement, it doesn’t make sense.
Once again, it plays well for Rush but not in any Freshman English. Have you ever had any advance education?
Hello Juan. My laptop battery is on its last leg so I have to type fast before it shuts down on me.
Of course slavery was not really legal in Mississippi but the mentally of not ratifying until Feb. of this year leaves a dubious distinction. Where I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the same area that Harriet Tubman was born and started the Underground Rail Road, there is the exact same attitude with many towards this topic as in Mississippi….maybe even worse.
I’ll be back tomorrow. Until then.
I appreciate, Juan, that you do not wish to wear me out! LOL I also appreciate that you realize that, at times, you are demanding and a “pain the ass”! LOL That caused me to laugh, and I think some others who write on here, including Engineer of Knowledge, Paul Doyle, D, Southern Liberal, and very definitely, Maggie LOL, find you to be precisely that! LOL hahaha. However, I would never have called you that, but if you wish to term yourself that, who I am to argue? hahahaha 🙂
I suggested once before that you and I meet if at all possible, as you are in South Florida, and I am sure you and I would have a very pleasant time, even though we disagree. So again, I invite you to take up my suggestion if you dare to do so! LOL 🙂
May I ask, was this part of progressive agenda? http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/03/11/obamacare-may-bite-you-at-the-vets-office/ Thank you Congressional Democrats and Mr. President.
This is news to me, but people often care more about their pets than they do fellow human beings who they do not know, so if it costs more, what doesn’t, Juan? Do oil companies worry about us paying higher prices? Do banks care about raising their fees? This is part of everyday life, and always has been, and that is precisely why we need a higher minimum wage, too, which might raise prices, but everyone is entitled to a living wage, not to be in dire poverty! We still are lower taxed than any democracy in the world!
LOL! Please , don’t you realize that medical cost for HUMAN BEINGS will rise also!! I thought Obamacare was suppose to lower cost! LOL! Regarding oil companies and gas prices I found this interesting table from none other than the idiot governing my home state, California. That would be Jerry Brown, who came after the idiot Arnold “The Jerkinator”. Of a retail price of $3.55 per gallon , $2.61 is the cost of crude oil, $0.11 in Refinery cost and Profits, $0.20 in Distribution cost, Marketing cost and Profits, $ 0.08 in Local & State Sales Tax, $0.36 State excise tax, $ 0.02 State underground and storage tank fee, and $0.18 Federal Excise Tax. So out of $3.55 of gas per gallon , the government at all levels takes from us $0.64.While the oil companies refinery COST AND PROFITS is $0.11 per gallon!! These are the costs associated with refining and terminal operations, crude oil processing, oxygenate additives, product shipment and storage, oil spill fees, depreciation, purchases of gasoline to cover refinery shortages, brand advertising, and profits. And the distribution COST AND PROFITS is $0.20 per gallon! This includes the costs associated with the distribution from terminals to stations and retailing of gasoline, including but not limited to: franchise fees, and/or rents, wages, utilities, supplies, equipment maintenance, environmental fees, licenses, permitting fees, credit card fees, insurance, depreciation, advertising, and profit. That’s $0.31 per gallon of COST AND PROFITS! In other words the PROFIT PER SE IS LESS THAN $0.31 per gallon while the government , STATE AND LOCAL TAKE $0.64 per gallon!!! And that is not even counting the taxes that oil companies and distributors pay and pass on in the cost!! So yes Ron, government does cost more and more everyday!As always my source: http://energyalmanac.ca.gov/gasoline/margins/index.php