Home » Groups » Hanover Township Democrats... » Blog » Policies From Our Leading...
Democracy for America group blog for Hanover Township Democrats & Independents (HanDI)
Policies From Our Leading Candidates...
Linked to groups: Florida DFA
Whether it is through off-line activism, candidate and issue support, or valuable on-line information and discussion, Florida DFA is always looking for ways to provide value to our members and the voters.
We have researched the 3 leading Democratic candidate plans for the future, and identified specific policies that they are promising to pursue. Whether you have already cast your vote early, have made your decision on whom to vote for, or are still undecided, we know you will find this information helpful and enlightening.
Here is the link to policy summaries.
(Click Read More for the rest of this post)
Between now and the Primaries next Tuesday, we will be posting and e-mailing you objective and accurate information about what plans the leading Democratic candidates have when elected, where their campaign dollars are coming from, and other important information that every American should evaluate about any candidate before voting.
We broke down the specifics of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards’ plans for 5 key issues:
1) The Economy and Taxes
2) The Environment
3) Health Care
4) Defense/Foreign Policy
5) Government/Corporate Accountability and Responsibility
Here is a link to the policy summaries.
In the next couple of days I will post and send you a brief summary of the specifics in a short format, and will include 1 issue breakdown in every relevant e-mail that I send you over the course of the coming week.
For the complete policy breakdown, click here.
To get an idea of what you will be linking to, I will start you off with the candidates’ plans on the economy and taxes:
Economy
-Tax credit (cut) of $500 on first $8,000 of income
-Elimination of taxes on seniors with income less than $50,000
-Eliminate capital gains taxes on start-up businesses
-Close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens and enforce tax penalties
-Increase federal investments into transitional jobs
-Raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit
-Provide specific tax assistance and loan guarantees to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient cars and trucks are build in the U.S. with American workers.
-Expand the Small Business Administration's loan and micro-loan programs which provide start-up and long-term financing that small firms cannot receive through normal channels.
-Supports a trade policy that ensures our goods and services are treated fairly in foreign
markets and promote improved labor and environmental practices
-Reach out to China, EU, and other nations to help rebalance the US trade deficit
-Extend the middle class tax cuts including child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, offering new tax cuts for healthcare, college and retirement, and expanding the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and the childcare tax credit.
-Support a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund and doubling investment in basic energy research to transform our economy from carbon-based to clean and energy efficient.
-Catalyze a thriving green building industry by investing in green collar jobs
-Pass the Employee Free Choice Act so that unions can organize for fair wages and safe working conditions.
-Double funding for (Trade Adjustment Assistance)TAA’s job training program to $440 million. (TAA provides job training, income support, and job placement assistance to those whose jobs have left the country)
-Develop a set of budget rules similar to those we had in the 90s which required us to fund new expenditures with new revenues or cuts in other areas.
-Double the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) in partnership with private sector to reward high-risk high reward R&D projects for small and medium size companies.
-Appoint a trade enforcement officer within the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and double the size of USTR’s enforcement unit.
-Cutting 500,000 government contractors and ending abuse of no-bid government contracts and posting all contracts online.
-Reform the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) –(no specific plan found)
-Raise the minimum wage to at least $9.50 an hour by 2012 and then indexing it.
-Triple the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for adults without children and cutting the EITC marriage penalty.
-Supports the Employee Free Choice Act to give workers a choice in whether to form a union without intimidation.
-Create a new Labor taskforce to target the industries with the worst abuses of minimum wage and overtime laws.
-Repeal the Bush tax cuts for the highest-income households and keep the tax on very large estates (above $4 million for couples).
-Close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens, hedge funds, and unlimited executive pensions.
-Raise the tax rate on capital gains from 15% to 28%
-Make sure any new trade agreements include strong labor and environmental standards and will vigorously enforce American workers' rights in existing agreements.
-Create Work Bonds, a new tax credit of up to $500, would help low and moderate-income, working Americans save for the future.
- On issues such as trade, climate change, and human rights, negotiate with China to commit to the rules that govern the conduct of nations.
Howard is first and his message is never off center nor skewed in any way!
Reed, thank you for sharing that story. Sorry for your dad's loss, but obviously a strong woman your mother was.
The story of my dads work was true, but what I didn't mention, when we moved down to Miami, he took up with a new love. He left my Mom, not working and 5 children to fend for themselves too. I guess that's where strong woman are born.
When he was still at home with us and not providing, spending money else where, my Uncles actually sent money down to my other Uncles to go buy food, for what they called "their little army". They were so much better to us than my own father. My father actually took us all for a milkshake to tell us he was leaving. We got home and ran in and told my Mom. She went out to his other car and found brand new cookware in boxes. She picked it up, slammed them down on the hump of the car in the back, placed them down and put the blanket back over them. Walked in the house and called a lawyer. But the house even stayed in my fathers name. My mother had nothing but a small amount of child support that went to paying for HIS house. Heven finally owed my mother so much money in back child support, after being thrown in jail twice for not paying, he finally signed the house over to my mother.
We knew my father would want us to be a part of his life again when he got older. He did. He showed up on my door step in Arizona for a surprise to mend fences. I thinks its more energy to hold a grudge, so I welcomed it.
Well, I see we're off to a photo thread. :-)
Thank you linda b, Reed and Linda SF for your stories.
According to CNN polls, the country is ready for both a black and a woman prez...and we all know how accurate polls are. LOL
I hope it's true and then let's start over with different blacks and different women. Or wrap it all up with Carol MB.
To quote Audrey about the possible line-up in Nov: "I want them all." LOL
linda....3
Thank you for the story.
Well, MSNBC is asking who will win...Bill or Barack?
Since it's now a 3 MAN race, I guess we've solved the "sexism' problem.
I haven't found this blog any more informative than the previous one:))
Linda SF... "I thinks its more energy to hold a grudge, so I welcomed it."
Great way to look at it. Grudge-holders end up becoming more and more toxic the longer they hold the grudge. It's also very punishing and they hurt themselves the most. I grew up in the *punishment* belt...the Midwest. Those Catholics and Lutherans were something else. I hope their churches' doctrines have softened considerably.
LOL...wake up Bill! Dreaming up more stuff to dis your wife's opponents with?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/21...
Actually, it's a 4-man race, if you include Hillary. Ouch. Naughty seashell. LOL
Seashell.....7
If we're making up a new list, please add Maxine Waters, a hero of mine for years, and she campaigned for Lamont as she always does the right thing. That's integrity.
In case anyone missed it, later this afternoon ET MSNBC's Nora O'Donnell has a telehone conversation with Howard Dean.
I missed the first part, but when asked Howard did say he had talked to the Obama and Clinton campaigns about their spats. He handled what he said here carefully and said that he thought the campaigns would be hurting the party if it kept up but that they had settled the problem by themselves.
I'm sure that Dean remembers when he asked for McAuliffe's help when the other Dems were smearing him with fake information. McAuliffe did nothing.
Bet Dean is keeping a close eye on things, though I don't know what sanctions he could actually take, if any, other than ask for their cooperation.
That's our Howard....
What a great President he will make.
BIOFUEL SCAM
http://www.feralscholar.org/blog/index.php/2008/01/19/biofuel-scam/
By promoting large-scale mechanized monocultures which require agrochemical inputs and machinery, and as carbon-capturing forests are felled to make way for biofuel crops, CO2 emissions will increase not decrease. The only way to stop global warming is to promote small-scale organic agriculture and decrease the use of all fuels, which requires major reductions in consumption patterns and development of massive public transportation systems, areas that the University of California should be actively researching and that BP and the other biofuel partners will never invest one penny towards.
Obama Smackdown Fest on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBBcHWw6y...
Pay close attention at the end - a much younger Bill Clinton on experience and "bringing the people together" and "change".
Thank you seashell and Audrey.
And yes, we are seeing sexism BIG TIME in this race.
14. Not true. Terry McAuliffe DID do something, he leaked out that Howard Dean asked them to temper their attacks. LOL And Paul Begala had a field day with that. No one questioned, "gee, how do we know Howard Dean called McAuliffe to call of the candidates attacks. :)
My dad was to put it bluntly, was the ultimate survivalist. He was born prior to WWI to a father well over 60 and a mother who worked herself to death on a hardscrabble farm in near Jacksonville, Illinois. His family came over soon after the Mayflower and became farmers from Massachusetts thru South Carolina. They were involved in every conflict that went on from the French-Indian War thru WWII. By dividing farms up between generations eventually, all was lost except 125 acres of clay and ditches. When the depression hit in 1929, my dad was kicked off the farm and told to fend for himself. There wasn’t enough to go around and he was the healthiest, so off he went. Let’s see..about 16 years old, no job, no one working, what do you do? He rode the rails to various WPA projects and made enough money to feed himself, complete high school and enroll in college as a Mechanical Engineering major and get a job in Chicago.. He was nearly 28 when WWII started and enlisted in the US. Army. He ended up slogging across the Pacific in dugout Doug MacArthur’s army. He ended up with a chestfull of medals, a husband to a women he married in 1943 while on leave and flashbacks that lasted until after my combat time ended. He was our Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Explorer leader for all of his 3 sons and a Brownie, Girl Scout counselor to his daughter. He coached all of our teams; made sure we had musical instruments for band, helped us with our homework and drilled into our heads that if you are going to do something, then do the best you can. If you are going to join a group such as a church then support it; don’t just go. But he had his demons. He had flashbacks from horrible combat experiences that we shared when I had mine. He was an alcoholic and a wife beater. Us kids used to overpower him to prevent him from doing damage. Putting your father in a headlock to prevent him from hurting your mother kind of puts a damper on the old father-son experience. My dad took a union factory job north of Madison, Wisconsin and I finished up high school there and enrolled at Northwestern as a finance major. He finished college but had trouble adjusting to silence. He was a foreman in the yard of a chemical company and worked for the same company for over 30 years. He hated my involvement in the civil rights program and hated that I hung out with black kids. He really was upset that I was interested in joining the ministry and was more curious about cooking then cars. If the ministry didn’t work out, I was going to enroll in a cooking school. I am sure he thought I was gay. Vietnam kept nagging at me. Protesting just wasn’t enough. I knew vets of previous wars and new VN vets who just came back. Enlisting was something I had to do. Our freedom isn’t free, even though that war and the current war are both wrong. My dad almost kidnapped me to stop me from going to the bus depot heading for Leavenworth. When I returned nearly 3 years later with body parts missing and too many memories, we both worked thru our issues together. He died in 1993. My mom who was a stay-at-home her entire life lives with all her kids. She stays with us in the spring and fall when Michigan is the most gorgeous. She is pushing 85 and is hearty and hale. She doesn’t want her own place so we all share in her life and she enriches us with hers.
I just saw a clip of BO's little girl singing the national anthem. Cute, but calculating. But then, all four cands all so underwhelming!
I agree with Howard, and it's good to see that Elizabeth Edwards and Michelle Obama aren't being called out for any negative comments they may be making about their spouses' opponents. At least I haven't heard of any large enough to make the national newscycle.
Class act ladies
Thanks for sharing that, dogsoldier.
dog soldier, that was poignant and riveting.
WI consumes more brandy than all other states combined.
I'm sure you all wanted to know that factoid.
That way, the corporations win for the next 16 years, assuming a ticket like that could win....
With all the emphasis on the infighting, JE doesn't get a lot of attention, altho maybe that's to his advantage.
JE doesn't get a lot of attention, altho maybe that's to his advantage.
He isn't getting as much attention because he's lost 3 contests and has gotten progressively less % in each.
28.
Sitka
Mon, 01/21/08
Ron Paul: A New Hope
Ron Paul: An Ancient Past
---------------
Suggestion...AGAIN..., lol: LISTEN and LEARN!
(The way to the "past" was the America's way for the last....mmm...about a century till today).
Oh my. I just heard my first BO ad here in OR. Next time I'll pay attention to it....LOL
Seashell.....
Infighting between black male and white female candidates wouldn't exclude a hc/bo ticket. They would just raise clasped hands on stage and proclaim the country unified.
Seashell.....
So, is it a show to hog the limelight? Must be all the mud that made me think of that.
Hi folks. Chiming in on Pres. Clinton's over-zealous campaigning for his wife, I believe it is inappropriate, unbecoming, not adhering to a certain decorum we'd expect from an ex-prez.
However, claiming that behavior to be putting on the path to worst ex-pres behind Bushie is absurd.
Suggestion...AGAIN..., lol: LISTEN and LEARN!
You'll never educate nor convince anyone with purloined and hackneyed slogans.
CALIFORNIA IS VOTING!!!
tomorrow [jan 22] is the last day to register. to check your voter registration, go to votepoke.com.
**************
HQ, how about taking another vote after feb 5, or even before that date if some candidates decide to drop out after the south carolina primary? rage against the [clinton] machine.
**************
bill's unbecoming and tiresome behavior for a former president makes me wonder whether hillary is her own woman. if she's elected, will it be the same clintonesque white house with bill a constant distraction from 'the people's business'? it's the 10th anniversary of monica-gate...........
bill's 'bridge to the 21st century' is hillary's U-turn to the 20th.
Earlier today had an email exchange with one of me reps. over our upcoming gubernatorial race and me attending the Progressive candidate's meeting. Phone rang after supper and had a long chat with the vice-chair of the state committee. I think they're wondering what I'm up to...just democracy, that's all...lol
But here's what brought me to the blog-from the SF Chron today:
Edwards hasn't won a primary yet. He admitted Sunday that "I got my butt kicked" in Saturday's Nevada caucus. And he is routinely overlooked by the national media at near-Kucinichian levels. In CNN's 10-minute recap of the Democratic White House battle Sunday morning, Edwards' name was mentioned once - to point out how far back he was in the national polls.
But Nevada's debacle aside, if the former North Carolina senator continues to draw at least 15 percent of the vote in forthcoming contests, analysts say he will be a player in the campaign. It is hard to write anyone off yet in this most unpredictable campaign season, especially with so few of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination having been decided.
According to a tally from the Associated Press, Edwards so far has collected 50 delegates, which means he's still within shouting distance of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (236) - the winner in Nevada - and Obama (136). Edwards reaffirmed Sunday that he's in the campaign for the long haul, but analysts say he needs a strong showing Saturday in South Carolina, the state where he was born, to remain relevant. He has spent $2 million in advertising there, more than his rivals.
"He could go to Denver (site of the Democratic National Convention) with 200 delegates, and that will give him some kind of power," said Bryan Blum, political director of the California Labor Federation, which represents 2.1 million workers in the state.
"But you gotta win something soon to show that you can win the nomination, or at least get your name into the conversation," Blum said. "He'll continue to get some support because he has a compelling message that resonates with a large part of the Democratic Party."
37.
SitkaMon, 01/21/08
Suggestion...AGAIN..., lol: LISTEN and LEARN!
You'll never educate nor convince anyone....
------------------
Of course, I won't....lol, Paul will.
He already did....to too many...., should rush a little, imo....or will be late..., lol.
Pay close attention at the end - a much younger Bill Clinton on experience and "bringing the people together" and "change".<<<<<<<<<
Denise, this is a problem that I have with Obama. His approach seems to me, very similar to Bill Clinton in 1992. There is no Kumbaya with the Republicans today. Bill Clinton tried it in 92 and for the rest of his two terms. Didn't work. mho.
Of course, I won't....lol, Paul will.
At least you can take comfort in the fact that you're not the only believer in total denial.
Just had this sent to me...lol
A NEW disorder...
Electile Dysfunction : The inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.
Phil eluded to this earlier today as did cC with questioning how an $800 shot in the arm would help the economy.
From 1Sky...
Dear friends,
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago in Memphis, he was calling for a campaign that would unite the poor and working classes of all races behind a shared economic future. Today, in the face of global warming, persistent poverty, widening income gaps, increasing outsourcing, and economic instability, it is time to unite around a vision of shared economic prosperity in a clean, green America. It's time for Dr. King's dream to be reborn, not only to meet the still-lingering challenges of his time but also the unique challenges of ours.
Today, as Congress prepares a giant Economic Stimulus Package, there is no better way to honor Dr. King's memory and continue his struggle than to demand that Congress go green and go equal in the stimulus. We have the unique opportunity to promote green-collar jobs and pathways out of poverty through targeted investments in energy efficiency, mass transit, and a Clean Energy Corps to provide Americans with jobs and service opportunities to reduce energy consumption, boost our economy, and tackle climate change. We have a unique window of opportunity -- please take action and honor Martin Luther King Jr. today!
Click here to sign a petition urging Congress to go Green for All in the Economic Stimulus Plan. (http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5075...)
We have an opportunity to act boldly to strengthen American energy independence, invest in clean and sustainable energy sources, and take aim at global warming -- all while putting hundreds of thousands of Americans to work.
First question...hc filibusters and doesn't answer..bashes putz. bo saying about the same, not specific either. neither mention NC. both offer rebates....je talking about the divide between rich and poor.
People are gonna like having a few hundred in their pockets...won't solve the problem but people wanna hear that. Blitzie favoring HC and BO. IMO
A short and appropriate shiva for the end of the Green Bay Packers '07-'08 season:
cry, cry, cry.
OK, done.
To next season!
SKOL! ;-) slurp. ;-)
Linda in NM
Mon, 01/21/08
Reply to this.
(From last Thread)
I just got home and saw your comment. 'Not building' nuclear plants is not a specific plan to stop their production. I found no specific plan from Edwards to outlaw nuclear plants from being built.
That is like a candidate saying I am for Single Payer or Universal Health Care plan...yet you look at each of their plans, and none of them come close.
I provided links to all of the candidate sites so people can read more if they wish, and they all have more plans than are listed here. We just took 10 key points on 5 key issues and highlighted specifics.
Reed, it needs some detail, but I like that plan. At least it includes a notion of fairness and long-term thinking.
Paine....ouchie:)
Dave, I think you did a great job of summarizing the plans. Thank you for taking the time.
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon endorses Barack Obama
BALTIMORE, MD
– Today, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon endorsed Barack Obama for President, citing his commitment to bringing people together to create change that matters for all of America's families.
Mayor Dixon said, "I am proud to support Barack Obama because he is the candidate in this race who has proven he can bring people together to create change that matters for working families. As a community organizer he made life better for the poorest people in Chicago by improving housing and fighting job loss. In the Illinois state senate, he brought people together to pass universal health care for children. And in the United States Senate, he has reached across the aisle to fight the power of special interests on our government. He has a plan to make sure every child has a world-class education and every family has affordable health care, and those are the things that truly matter in people's lives. I am proud to support his campaign
43.Reed in VT>Good one. Use it in conversation, tomorrow.
Gainesville Sun endorses Barack Obama
The Gainesville Sun endorses Barack Obama for President of the United States, the third Florida paper to do so today...
When he was still in the Illinois Legislature, Barack Obama once said that he was not opposed to war. "What I am opposed to is a dumb war."
Tuscaloosa News endorses Barack Obama
Today in the crucial February 5th voting state of Alabama, the Tuscaloosa News endorsed Barack Obama:
"We endorse McCain, Obama as party nominees"
"On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Alabama voters have an opportunity to help change the course of history by selecting a candidate for president who will redirect the nation to an era of progress, peace and prosperity."
We believe Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama offer the best hope among the candidates for effective, positive leadership
-
By former on Jan 21, 2008 5:39 PM ESTRon Paul: A New Hope
c="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>