The Van Os Wish List For 2010

The great Texas progressive David Van Os has put out his wish list for America in 2010. After reading the list, I don't see a thing on it that I don't agree with. So I thought I'd reprint it here for the benefit of my readers. What do you think? Is there anything you would add or remove from this wish list?

Dear Friends: To share some food for thought, here is my wish list for the new year and beginning new decade. Admittedly my list is idealistic. The only thing that makes us think there is a difference between idealism and realism is our unwillingness to dare. 1. Health Care The current health care bills are scrapped; President Obama asserts leadership and appoints a task force chaired by Dr. Howard Dean to write a new bill; the Dean task force writes a bill that provides universal access to health care, forces competition, regulates insurance premiums, profits, and coverage, allows imported drugs, repeals the health insurance industry's antitrust exemption, and does not trample on individual freedom by forcing people to purchase anything as a condition of life in America; Obama exercises his new-found leadership muscle and insists that Congress pass it; a newly energized public turns out in huge rallies to support the bill; Reid and Pelosi follow suit; the Senate Democratic Caucus warns Joe Lieberman he will be stripped of his committee and subcommittee chairmanships if he doesn't support the basics of the bill; the bill passes and America's health care delivery system joins the 21st century. 2. Economy/Labor Relations The Employee Free Choice Act is enacted into law; the Taft-Hartley Act prohibitions on secondary picketing and boycotting are repealed; Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act is repealed; federal labor law is amended to ban the permanent replacement of workers engaged in a legal strike; and a revitalized American labor movement grows rapidly to re-establish collective bargaining as the principal model for American labor relations, so as to eliminate the lowering of wages as an element of competition among businesses. 3. Constitution/Bill of Rights The Patriot Act expires without renewal. A presidential directive bans all electronic surveillance by employees, agents, or contractors of the U.S. government except by judicial search warrants obtained through legal processes. 4. The Rule of Law Because taking the United States of America to pre-emptive war on the basis of deliberate lies to Congress and the people and therefore killing thousands of innocent human beings without just cause is not an acceptable political judgment, George W. Bush is indicted and prosecuted for murder under the proposal by famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi in his book, The Prosecution of George Bush for Murder. 5. The Rule of Law Because torture is not a matter merely of bad judgment but is an intolerable violation of well-established law, in preservation of the rule of law Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, and all other persons in positions of authority who ordered or approved torture are brought to justice for their crimes. 6. Environment The human race collectively wakes up as a species and stops overheating its atmosphere and poisoning its own air, water, and food. 7. Good Government Paul Krugman replaces Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury; James K. Galbraith replaces Summers as presidential economic advisor; Bill Richardson replaces Gates as Secretary of Defense; Maxine Waters replaces Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff; and Lloyd Doggett is appointed to the next U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. 8. Democracy Non-paper trail voting machines are banned and hand-countable paper ballots become the method of voting in all elections. 9. Equality and Freedom To preserve and protect the equality of human freedom, Congress repeals the Defense of Marriage Act; and the legislature and voters of Texas repeal the "marriage" amendment of the Texas Constitution. 10. Constitution/Economy/Democracy Either the Supreme Court overrules its erroneous 19th century decision that declared corporations to have the same constitutional rights as human beings, or Congress and the people reverse the decision through a Constitutional amendment that inserts the word "natural" before the word "person" in the Due Process clause of the 5th Amendment and the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. 11. Economic/Jobs/Standard of Living NAFTA and other "free trade" agreements are repealed and tax penalties are enacted that make it financially prohibitive for American companies to relocate to or maintain production in other countries. 12. Economic/Usury Usury laws are restored, making it illegal to charge interest over 10% in any transaction. 13. Economic/Democracy Strong new anti-consolidation laws are enacted to break up all the great concentrations of economic power in every industry. The financial services industry is reined in under these new laws and the huge banking, investment banking, financial services, and insurance conglomerates are broken up. The practices of credit rating and scoring are banned. The new anti-consolidation laws are used to break up the corporate media empires. Strengthened antitrust laws revitalize fair competition for honest business entrepreneurs. With the breakup of the agribusiness conglomerates, fair competition and fair pricing are restored for the family farmer, resulting in more young people remaining in the essential business of farming. 14. The Rule of Law The Wall Street criminals whose runaway greed created the financial crisis are brought to justice for their crimes. 15. International Relations/Economy As a nation America finally realizes that World War II and the Cold War are both over, and resolves to dismantle its vast and unaffordable network of overseas military installations and adventures. For starters, all United States military personnel are withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. 16. Justice/Democracy/Checks and Balances Because restoring balance in the appellate courts is essential if the courts of Texas are ever to return to the people, all Democratic challengers for Republican-held seats win the 2010 elections for positions on the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and Texas Courts of Appeal. 17. Democracy/Transportation All parts of the Trans-Texas Corridor and all other plans for toll roads in Texas are rescinded permanently. 18. Democracy Public financing of election campaigns is instituted at all levels of government. 19. Checks and Balances The Democratic Party remembers its roots as the party of the people in the tradition of Jefferson, Jackson, Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson, and Rayburn. Thank you for your attention. What's on your list? Sincerely, David Van Os