How the Dems Would Govern

[Adam's Apple]

JUst the thought of this should make all those disgruntled conservatives who are thinking about sitting out the election DASH to the polls!

Back to the Congressional Future
Editorial, Opinion Journal
August 31, 2006

With a little more than two months to go before midterm elections, the polls show Democrats well positioned to win the House after 12 years out of power. So it's not too soon to consider who these Democrats are and how they would govern.

for full article:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008877

 

[Mr.Conley]

Sounds to me like someone has been cherry-picking their facts. He does raise a few interesting points, but I can't help but feel that someone is trying to mislead me.

 

[Hobbit]

Also check out Neal Boortz's page on the Democrats' (secret) Plan for America.

http://boortz.com/more/demsecrets.html

 

[Mr.Conley]

Well it certainly is a "secret" plan. So secret that not even the Democrats know it. Thank God we have Neal Bootz to search through the past decade of media to find one out-of-context quote from some unknown politician about subjects that haven't even been mentioned elsewhere and present this grand Democratic plan that the Democrats don't know of to the world.

 

[Annie]

Well it certainly is a "secret" plan. So secret that not even the Democrats know it. Thank God we have Neal Bootz to search through the past decade of media to find one out-of-context quote from some unknown politician about subjects that haven't even been mentioned elsewhere and present this grand Democratic plan that the Democrats don't know of to the world.

Mr. C., I won't say the GOP is above scare tactics, but their boogey man is alive and well. Check out the America convert or else I posted earlier.

All of the examples of Dem. scare tactics I've heard within the last month, haven't you?

 

[Mr.Conley]

Personally, Kathianne, these sound more like policy positions then anything else, and I'm not denying that the Democrats use scare tactics either, but I think both sides are equally low. The Democrats aren't as bad as some people on this board would have you believe though, and the Republicans aren't as good. Both are equal in their depravity. That's my opinion.

Shift Social Security and Medicare Taxes to the "Rich"

I've heard people on both sides suggest raising the cap on SS taxes, but not as he describes them. I'm also surprised that he's bashing Earned Income Tax Credits. They're part of the bipartisan plan signed into law by President Clinton in 96 that cut the welfare rolls in half. We just had the 10th aniversary. It's been a huge success at reducing welfare payments. If anything, it's saving us money.

End the home mortgage interest deduction

I remember a bipartisan tax commission bringing this up a few months ago, but they also mentioned how it was politically impossible. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Socialized Medicine

I've heard of it a lot, but not as part of a plan to destroy the American economy. The only place I've actually seen anything actually implemented was in Massachusetts by Republican Govenor Romney. The one example is a decade old and forgotten by both parties. Otherwise, no links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Tax your pension funds

Haven't heard anything on this subject. His example is over a decade old.

Tax your pension contributions also

Again, nothing. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

The Magic of Imputed Income

Nothing. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Economically Targeted Investments -- controlling your pension fund investments.

Nothing, though I think it's a great idea for Social Security. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Force employers to pay for "family leave."

I remember hearing about this one time. Not from either party though. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Government paid childcare for majority of voters

I had a friend write a paper for a government class on the benefits of daycare for pre-Kindergarden children, but I haven't seen any serious effort on the Federal or State level from the Democrats. However, I did see a Republican suggest it in Michigan. It was a few months ago, but I'll see if I can find a link. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Government imposed limits on executive income

Only on the fringe left. Not from any politicians. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Repealing the Second Amendmen

I've heard about plans for permits, and a license, but the assault weapons ban, but not a repeal of the second amendment. No links, no examples, nothing provided. Just talk.

Destroy talk radio

Nothing. No link provided major example is over a decade old, and the "recent" example provides no details.

 

[Annie]

Mr. C, where did the ideas come from? Not from GOP?

I agree, the points are idiotic, won't pass, are for political consumption only. Still, from your own post, it's obvious that the DNC is much more the party of scare the voters.

 

[Mr.Conley]

I don't know, I've seen some pretty depraved tactics from the GOP, and a lot of these "plans" aren't from either party as far as I can tell. It appears to me to consist of individual ideas, and not a party position.

I think both parties are awful. I don't know which is worse though, and I don't think that there is any real way to definitively find out.

 

[Annie]

I don't know, I've seen some pretty depraved tactics from the GOP, and a lot of these "plans" aren't from either party as far as I can tell. It appears to me to consist of individual ideas, and not a party position.

I think both parties are awful. I don't know which is worse though, and I don't think that there is any real way to definitively find out.

Then please illuminate...

 

[Adam's Apple]

Sounds to me like someone has been cherry-picking their facts. He does raise a few interesting points, but I can't help but feel that someone is trying to mislead me.

Would you be specific as to how you get the idea that this editorial writer(s) cherry picked his facts and is trying to mislead you? I thought the article was pretty much above board and clear cut. The writer gave his reasons why he thought people should give serious thought as to how they vote in this fall's election. Since this is a WSJ editorial, I'm assuming it's directed primarily to disgruntled Republicans and to real Democrats [the old fashioned kind] to think about what it would be like for this country to have that leftist crowd in charge of important Congressional posts.

 

[Hobbit]

The reason Boortz's info is over ten years old is because the Contract With America ended Democratic ambitions until they could get back in office, which they have failed to do. Nearly everything listed was either in committee or being written up right up until 1994, when they lost both houses of Congress. As always, one of the primary goals is to shift all income taxes onto less than 50% of the population (they're almost there). After that happens, they can raise taxes all they want. Oh, and as for socialized medicine, have you never heard of Hillary Care? It never got much steam because it would never get through a Republican Congress, but if she had her way, your tax dollars would be paying everyone's health care and hospitals would be run by the same government that runs the IRS, DMV, and government schools.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Well, let's see...The last ime the Democrats were in power, we had a budget surplus, poverty was declining, wages were rising for everyone, we weren't engaged in an illegal and unjustifiable war.

 

[Mr.Conley]

Then please illuminate...

Well, off the top of my mind, here are a few examples of impropriety from both parties.

Democrats:
1. The Landrieu's- if you want to find a stunning example of a corrupt political dynasty, then look no further. Sort of the successors to the Long's, the Landrieu's have held the positions in the Senate, House, state legislature, lieutenant governor, mayor of New Orleans, etc. Siblings Mary and Mitch, son of the former mayor of New Orleans currently hold positions in the Senate and as Lieutenant Govenor, respectively. Mary Landrieu's election was declared all but corrupt by the FEC, which however did not continue its investigation. Mitch holds his position through corrupt power politics. I hate the Landrieu's
2. The Kennedy's- something went down in Illinois in 1960. I'm not exactly sure what, but it was definitely corrupt.
3. LBJ- Lydon Johnson is a towering example of what it means to be corrupt. The man shouldn't have been a Senator, much less president.
4. William Jefferson (MY CONGRESSMEN!!!)- he had some 'cold' hard cash. Enough said.
5. Robert C. Byrd- Check out his first run for the Senate, you'd be surprised.
6. A few Abramoff people
Republicans
1. Watergate- enough said
2. McCain in South Carolina- what Bush and Co did here was pretty sick
3. Abramoff's numerous affiliates- Tom Delay, Conrad Burns, Ralph Reed are the first to come to mind
4. The Max Cleland Election- the Republicans called the Senator who lost three limbs in Vietnam and wrote the Homeland Security Bill a traitor. This is why I will never call myself a Republican.
5. Dick Cheney- 'anyone who votes for John Kerry wants the terrorists to win.'

 

[Hobbit]

Well, let's see...The last ime the Democrats were in power, we had a budget surplus, poverty was declining, wages were rising for everyone, we weren't engaged in an illegal and unjustifiable war.

I'm not even going to dignify that. If you don't already know that everything you just said is a bald-faced lie, then you'll never believe it, not even if God himself tells you to.

 

[Freedom Lover]

I did not need to read the article to know how dems would govern. I did read it however. I know how they would govern based upon their history since LBJ took office after the 1964 election.

The modern day Democrat Party has modeled its policies after the European Socialists who have driven their nations to mediocrity. The Dems would do the same here by ever expanding government programs designed to make as many people as possible dependent on government, thus all but guaranteeing their return to power and retaining it for decades like they did starting with the New Deal.

Those who think they need to teach the GOP a lesson are only throwing the baby out with the bath water. Is your memory so short that I need to remind you that these are the same democrats that we defeated in 2000, 2002 and 2004? They have not changed their ways or their policies. So, I add to the list found in the article:

Dems Want: Higher taxes, abortion on demand, same sex marriage, less military spending, more entitlement spending, judges who legislate from the bench, the UN to provide security for our nation, an ever more powerful federal government at the expense of state and local government. If these things concern you, and they should, unless you only cared about these issues as campaign slogans in 2004, then in spite of some shortcomings in the past two years we need to keep the Republicans in power or face the consequences by "teaching" a short tem lesson.