Real Progress: "Now let's work together to get things done" on a bipartisan basis

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Thursday, November 6. 2014

Real Progress: "Now let's work together to get things done" on a bipartisan basis

At Neoneo:

What Democrats said to Republicans when Democrats were in charge of Congress: We don’t have to listen to you any more.

What Democrats will say to Republicans now that Democrats are no longer in charge of Congress: Bipartisanship forever!

Bipartisanship to get what "jobs done"? Oh, it's about "progress." Althouse:

I'm uneasy at the word "progress." It assumes the existence of a road and knowledge of where it leads. I see no reason to believe in President Obama's idea of "progress." America rejected it yesterday.

When progress means more Federal money, power, control, and force, it's not progress: it's regression towards feudalism. I have some ideas about "jobs to be done" on the federal level which would mean progress to me:

Fix tort law, install a universal flat tax with no deductions and maybe a negative tax for the very poor and hopeless and helpless (or should that be left to the states?), secure the US border, deport illegals and be more welcoming of valuable legals, revise Obamacare to voluntary with a meaningful mix of options, eliminate the useless Federal Dept of Education, eliminate Death Taxes, make unionizing federal employees illegal, get rid of the failed war on drugs, eliminate the Dept of Homeland Security, shrink the EPA back to its original purpose, eliminate all farm subsidies including the ethanol scam and the sugar scam, eliminate all federal subsidies for flood insurance, eliminate the Dept of Commerce (except for NOAA), eliminate the ATF, tighten oversight for Disability, quit funding the UN, put a tight leash on the NSA, ban all government drones domestically along with banning the militarization of police, put NASA back in space - or privatize it, find a way to felonize crony capitalism, eliminate the Dept of HUD, restructure Social Security, get our military out of Europe and Japan and let them fend for themselves, get the federal government out of the mortgage market entirely, eliminate corporate taxes and make the US a corporate tax haven for the world (economic effects would be amazing), shut down the Fed and let markets work freely for better or worse without central efforts at control...and that's just for starters.

Let's get all those jobs done in a nice bipartisan way, ok? If there was ever a time to reach fearlessly, it's now. It might be a narrow window for real progress.

Scott Ott: No, Sen. Reid, Americans Don’t Want Washington to ‘Work Together’, ‘Get Things Done’?

What progress is on your wish list, my fellow Americans?

Posted by The News Junkie in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects, Our Essays at 11:26 | Comments (15) | Trackbacks (0)

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Love the to-do list. But alas, so many of these things are beyond reach of our current political class. This is because so many Republicans are but the same as many of their democrat colleagues: Kinder jailers, no doubt, but jailers nevertheless. They serve the state, not the citizen and not constitutional principles.

A local congress-critter Thomas Massey (a VERY good guy) was on the radio this morning talking about how a Republican from NW Arkansas was authoring a bill to force local internet taxation (NW Arkansas, the home the country's biggest employer).

So a Republican -a crony capitalist- wants to require everyone doing business over the internet to be the local collection agent for every taxing jurisdiction in the country.

Net, even the good guys aren't too good.

Net, unless and until we revoke the 16th amendment, socialism will continue its inexorable advance. Cut off income taxes and you strangle the baby. Long term, it's the only way.

#1 Nat Brooks (Link) on 2014-11-06 13:15 (Reply)

Nothing more immortal than a govt program.

I am generally ok with that list as a starting point, and I suspect many Americans are too.

#2 Bird Dog on 2014-11-06 13:22 (Reply)

If by "fix tort law" you mean limit contingent attorney fees for prevailing plaintiffs, then you'd be playing into the hands of institutional defendants, who can bury plaintiffs in litigation expenses.

#2.1 Howe on 2014-11-06 18:08 (Reply)

Yes. Eschew simplistic solutions.

#2.1.1 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2014-11-06 18:28 (Reply)

The democrats do not understand the American people sit in their comfort zone until they are pushed out of it. Then the reaction is massive and severe. But the American people are peaceful and want to live without it coming to arms. The democrats and the republicans need to take the results of this election as a warning as to how fed up the people are with the treatment given to them by our government.

#3 David169 on 2014-11-06 15:09 (Reply)

"Weepy" and Mitch will do everything they can to help pass everything Obama wants.

#4 Mark Matis on 2014-11-06 16:21 (Reply)

I love your to-do list and would about quadruple its length myself. Major things I would add: End all federal welfare programs, especially AFDC which subsidizes the creation of tens of millions of kids who have no hope; seize welfare moms' kids and put them in foster care for the same reason; end the war on drugs; extend the 21st amendment (state level control) to all substances; ban presidents from getting us into wars without a declaration of war by Congress; repeal the 17th amendment (so the Senate will once again represent state legislatures and protect them from federal encroachment); prohibit all borrowing, or issuing of dishonest money, by the government except in a war or emergency, and then require repayment; wind down the Ponzi scheme known as social security and outlaw any repetition of it; and repeal the 16th amendment without replacing it with anything (we don't need a bigger federal government than we had in 1911).

#5 jdgalt on 2014-11-06 16:36 (Reply)

"ban presidents from getting us into wars without a declaration of war by Congress;"

I served 27 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy in the surface line.

It is a major perversion of our system to permit the President to deliberately take the country to war for any reason without a vote of Congress - for ANY REASON. Yes, I'm shouting!

#5.1 The Old Salt on 2014-11-06 19:14 (Reply)

Since 1790 the US has committed forces abroad over 200 times without a declaration of war by congress, so all of what's currently happening is business as usual. the War Powers Resolution of 1973 was an attempt by congress to rein in the authority of the president as commander in chief to send US forces to war without congressional approval. it is of questionable constitutionality: presidents won't acknowledge it, the USSC hasn't ruled on it yet.

the issue of whether and how congress can limit the president's power as c-in-c is still up in the air.

#5.1.1 Anson on 2014-11-07 01:00 (Reply)

I vividly remember the calls in 2000 for Bush to honor a divided electorate. He did. He shouldn't have. If Democrats don't like having the hammer put down on them when they lose their majority, then they should have the discipline - or honor... or honesty - to refrain from it themselves when they have a majority.

#6 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2014-11-06 18:31 (Reply)

The calls for bipartisanship only come when the pubbies win. When the demoncrats win, it's 'elections have consequences'.

#7 mudbug on 2014-11-06 19:42 (Reply)

Two things from my list:

First, thank you "Old Salt". We appreciate your service.

Second, two admendments to the US and state's consitutions:

"All officers of government, whether elected or appointed, shall both enforce and obey the laws of their juridiction. Failure to do so shall make the offender liable for twice the penaties which the offense ignored would allow."

"Any citizen harmed by action of government who is subsequently found to be not liable for loss or penalty, whether in person or in property, shall be made whole, swiftly and without delay, in the amount of their losses and compensated twice more for loss of civil trust."

I doubt that either of these amendments would incovenience any of the good folks and would greatly annoy those who consider public service to be a career option and not a responsibility of service.

Of course, I also believe in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

#8 Michael Scott on 2014-11-06 19:54 (Reply)

your proposed laws are not in accord with the constitution for a variety of reasons, including separation of powers and sovereign immunity rules.

#8.1 Anson on 2014-11-07 01:10 (Reply)

"Amendments" !== "proposed laws" or are you trying to say something more subtle in too few words?

#8.1.1 John on 2014-11-07 13:30 (Reply)

George Will weighs in:

The first steps Republicans should take

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-the-first-steps-republicans-should-take/2014/11/05/8c0c0fde-6529-11e4-bb14-4cfea1e742d5_story.html

#9 feeblemind on 2014-11-07 10:11 (Reply)

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Thursday, November 6. 2014

Real Progress: "Now let's work together to get things done" on a bipartisan basis