My 2007 Wish List

Hi everyone, I thought I would start off 2007 by posting my wish list (politically) for the upcoming year:

1. Immediate disengagement from Iraq. $355 billion of OUR money spent (and who knows what percentage of that is lining the pockets of Blackwater, Bechtel, Halliburton, et al); hundreds of thousands (again, who knows the exact number) killed; loss of respect in the eyes of the vast majority of this planet’s other inhabitants. We have gained nothing here. And don’t get me started on Bush’s “surge” plan. Talk about ignoring the wishes of the clear majority of our country’s citizens.

2. Progress towards universal single-payer health coverage. My SO has a seasonal job, with no health care from January through April. I recently was looking up short-term catastrophic health insurance policies, and guess what? They don’t exist! The two reasonably priced ones I found were from really sketchy looking companies. At a respectable company, the cheapest monthly premium was around $150 but that had a $15,000 (!) deductible! A more reasonable deductible of $2,500 had $300+ monthly premiums. Again, this is just for catastrophic insurance in the event of a major health crisis, with no other benefits. And if we don’t purchase it, I shudder to think of the years and years of debt payments we would incur if he does have an accident or something. Here is one of the best articles I’ve read outlining the advantages of a single-payer health care system. Such a system could actually benefit the economy by taking a huge financial burden off employers, who might actually raise wages using the saved money and even expand their total hiring and capital expenditures. Plus, it would give people more of an ability to take other financial risks in their lives, increasing entrepreneurial endeavors and technological breakthroughs.

3. A sane and multi-pronged approach towards global warming and energy issues. Let’s stop the questionable efforts at “renewable” energy production that are really just a huge tax credit and public relations opportunity for corporations. A government-supported effort to make serious strides in this country’s overall energy efficiency (which has got to be one of the worst in the world) would be far more beneficial to the environment. For example: increasing auto fuel efficiency standards, increasing investment in public transportation, and tax credits for improvements in energy efficiency both at home and work instead of for increasing power generation capacity. How about a pre-tax flexible spending account similar to the medical ones, but instead for consumer purchases that improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel use (i.e. fluorescent bulbs, new windows, insulation, energy star appliances, bus passes, programmable thermostats, etc.). On a similar topic, I’d also like to see energy deregulation reversed, as they have proven to be a yet another way that money is being taken from the average person and used to line the pockets of the rich.

4. Since 2007 marks a Farm Bill year, let’s try to have the ridiculous amount of money being spent on corn subsidies are reduced. Corn subsidies are one of the root causes of our country’s problems with obesity and general poor health. If we’re going to support farmers, let’s at least make sure that government money is being directed towards the production of healthy foods such as fresh fruits and veggies. This would make healthful food more affordable to all and in the long run would hopefully help reduce our huge medical costs too (see wish #2)!

Anybody else got some 2007 wishes??