A Newer Deal Part 10: Taxes, excellence & the Liberal agenda! Before solving your favorite problems, shall we repair our nation's ABILITY to solve problems?

My Newer Deal series, a ten-part – (“tl;dr”) -- array of thirty-five proposals for Democrats and their allies, is finally drawing to a close. 

All 35 concepts - some of them wholly unique and desperately needed, right now - are summarized in Part 3.

Parts 1 & 2 were introductory, showing how a 1990s Republican tactic -- both polemically brilliant and hypocritically evil -- offers important lessons for us, today. Or it would, if anyone gifted of curiosity might perk up and notice.

Parts 4-10 dived into the proposals, four at a time, with deeper explanations.

Alas, other than this person, who sagaciously understood and expanded on some proposals, I doubt anyone will pay heed. Democrats may be far less-corrupted and more focused on better things. But their political caste has the tactical skills of a tardigrade.

No matter, I've done my duty. And now I'll drift back into my lane, having at least offered some tools and pragmatic priorities. In case we ever get savvy 'generals' in this awful ninth phase of the recurring U.S. Civil War.

This time, part 10 offers some basic fixes... for taxes and such. Plus (and some of you will mutter "at last!")...  the Liberal Agenda!

                        == Tax Reform ==

THE TAX REFORM ACT will simplify the tax code, while ensuring that everyone pays their fair share.  Floors for the Inheritance Tax and Alternative Tax will be raised to ensure they only affect the truly wealthy, while loopholes used to evade those taxes will be closed. Modernization of the IRS and funding for auditors seeking very large caches illicitly hidden wealth shall be ensured by IRS draw upon major penalties that have been imposed by citizen juries. 

Tax reporting amnesties will be offered, contingent upon affirmations that no future surprise caches of hidden taxable wealth are found.

The simplification process shall be separate from all other tax issues, while guaranteeing that no large category of taxpayers will be net harmed by simplification itself.

 

All tax breaks for the wealthy will be suspended during time of war or foreign conflict, so that the burdens of any emergency are shared by all.

This one may need to be parsed-out. First, modernization of the IRS that began with the Pelosi-Schumer-Sanders miracle bills of 2021-22 ... and trashed by Trumpers to protect cheater-oligarchs... will be restored. 1970s computers and software will be modernized and auditors sufficient to the task will be sent to world tax evasion havens.

Tax simplification was offered by Donald Trump and Paul Ryan in 2017: "You'll do your taxes on a postcard!" In fact, many European nations have computerized records so that Tax Day takes less than an hour for most citizens. While it's unlikely that AI omniscience will be delayed in the USA for long, we can try a different, non-European approach. My own proposed method has been around a long time. The "No Losers" concept.  A neutral notion that will only be opposed by the vast and powerful tax-preparation cartel.

As for that final paragraph:  Elites who send our sons and daughters to war, but not their own, will have to choose whether to keep their overseas adventures or their tax cuts.   This will elucidate a poorly known fact. That all previous generations of the rich were at least willing to tax themselves during times of urgency, to help pay for wars they would not personally fight.  This provision is not so much an anti-war measure as one that is anti-hypocrisy… one of the most devastating traits to attack in your opposing political side.

   == The Excellence Act ==

THE AMERICAN EXCELLENCE ACT will provide incentives for American students to excel at a range of important fields. This nation must especially maintain its leadership, by training more experts and innovators in science and technology and resuming our immensely profitable method of attracting the world's brightest to come and study and work in the USA.  Education must be a tool to help millions of students and adults adapt, to achieve and keep high-paying 21st Century jobs.

Okay, that one is pretty much self explanatory.

And yes, it's been noticed and commented that a majority of my proposals are structural, or procedural, for example protecting the neutrality of our civil servants, law agencies and military officer corps... or else ensuring that calamitous failure modes exploited by the Trumpians get patched and sealed!

Fair enough. Structural repairs can and must be passed swiftly - with 60%+ public support. Because saving the Republic and its responsible institutions and democracy -- and preventing an authoritarian putsch -- are paramount! As is prepping the way for a return to the politics of negotiation.

Hence I diverged from varied 'platforms' pushed by liberal or leftist mavens like Robert Reich, whose own proposed "Democratic Pledges" coincidentally appeared a couple of weeks after I started posting this series. To be clear, I generally quite respect and admire Reich! But his 'pledges' amount to a fantasy - give everyone a pony! - wish list of spectacularly unrealistic idealism, learning nothing from the agenda failures of Clinton and Obama when they tried for Grand Vision, all-at-once legislation... 

...or from the hugely more-effective (incremental) successes of Biden/Pelosi/Schumer/Sanders in 2021-22.

Am I betraying the ambitious goals of liberalism? In a few cases - where I demur or disagree - perhaps so. 

But actually, I share most of the goals expressed by Reich! Indeed, I expect many of them to follow! After we have saved the nation and world. After we have restored honest American political process. After we have protected the professionals on whom we all depend. After we have revived a word "negotiation" - unheard in this century - back into the political lexicon.

Indeed, after keeping our 'contract promises' under the 60% rule, we'll be rewarded with a mandate to do more.

But sure. Let's list some of those priorities here, just to show you that I am an ally who is arguing with you about WHEN, not whether to do these things, too!

         == The Liberal Agenda ==

THE LIBERAL AGENDA: Okay. Your turn. Our turn. These are HIGH priorities, though beyond the 60% rule.

 

· Protect women’s autonomy, credibility and command over their own bodies,

·   Ease housing costs: stop private corporations from buying up large tracts of homes, colluding on prices. (See my proposal #19.)

· Help working families with child care and elder care. (See proposal #8.)

· Consumer protection, empower the Consumer Financial Protection Board.

· At least allow student debt refinancing, which the GOP dastardly disallowed. 

· Restore the postal savings bank for the un-banked.

· Basic, efficient, universal background checks for gun purchases, with possible exceptions.

· A national Election Day holiday, for those who actually vote in person. (See proposal #13.)

·  Carefully revive the special prosecutor law. 

·  Expand and re-emphasize protections under the Civil Service Act.

·  Anti-trust breakup of monopoly/duopolies to restore competition to American market economics.

And of course there are others... that will require that we get past the fanatcism and sloth exhibited by today's Congressional GOP... the laziest Congresses in the history of the Republic.

Once again, those Liberal Agenda items are not afterthoughts! Nor left to the end because they are low-priority! They are here at the end of my series because all but two of them will entail major fights! Battles we'll be better able to take on if we learn from the Clinton-Obama mistakes and start with those 60%+ reforms! 

This is called politics, folks. Don't waste your political capital right at the start. Be seen as heroes by a clear majority, and they will reward you. Try it!

And if you have some other fresh ideas of your own, come on by the Contrary Brin comments section below!  (And subscribe.) It's one of the best and most erudite comment communities online, with only a couple of occasional (polysyllabic ) trolls. Mostly folks talking in actual, complete sentences!  Your cogently clear insights will be welcome.

          == A final note about tactics ==

How shall we deal with a tense nine months ahead, while Donald Trump's health plummets and he ponders desperate spasm end-games? And the MAGA/Foxite/Putinist cult grows ever more frantic to avoid commuppance... either in November elections or much sooner?

Is it forlorn to hope that recent GOP defections are harbingers of a coming flood of escapees from a sinking ship? From an ever-stinkier undead, zombie were-elephant?

Now - right now - 200 residually sane/decent Republicans could step up with the courage of patriots and file for the GOP primaries next spring. Make that 5000, to include state legislators!  Running as decent non-Trumpian conservatives. As relative grownups, willing to negotiate with their blue neighbors and stand up to the monsters who have taken over their party and the nation. 

Judo-flipping the 'primary tactic' that terrorized decent people out of almost the entire Republican political caste. Turning that tactic on its head.

If they made their case well, and it looked like even just 1/3 of the district's Republican voters - sick of Trump - might vote for them... then WATCH as the GOP in that district will get floods of newly registered Republicans, joining the party in order to have a choice, for a change. In order to get someone decent representing everyone... yes, even liberals... in Congress and statehouses across the land.

YOU could get this rolling. If you live in a gerrymandered Republican district, REGISTER REPUBLICAN so you can vote in the only election that matters to you - the one where your vote would matter - the GOP primary. Make this a movement. A flood! 

Oh, and there's another reason! When (not if) many red states suddenly start purging the voter rolls, just before the next election, they won't purge you if you have registered Republican! Ponder that. And how it's just a word. You can live with it.

Sure, I'm daydreaming. Will that wish-scenario of sudden courage from the till-now craven Goldwater Right come to pass?

So far, with a few exceptions, the decent conservatives* have been utter cowards. But that could change, if YOU show them the way.

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* They exist! Some of them are your neighbors who would help you if you get in trouble. They have been fooled, sure. But welcome them back into the light. And re-demonstrate to them the arts of listening and negotiation.

And yes, in some states the Register Republican notion doesn't matter. Those like California that have made party labels moot in compined primaries, for example. Still, give it some thought. Hold your nose, if you must. But reclaim some value to your vote.

A Newer Deal Part 6: Four MORE proposals - this time to fix CONGRESS... and why they'll work better than the Reich 'pledges'

Continuing my series about a proposed Democratic Newer Deal. 

Here I'll dive deeply into four more of the 30+ suggested reforms that were briefly listed here... organized in a way that both learns-from and satirizes the hypocritical but politically effective 1994 Republican Contract With America. 

But first some pertinent news. A couple of weeks after I started posting this series -- offering voters a clear agenda of positive steps -- economist and columnist Robert Reich issued a shorter list of “What Democrats Must Pledge to America.” And no, I am not asserting that my series triggered him to hurry his. 

Well, probably not. Though Reich's list overlaps mine in overall intent! We both aim to make progress toward better health care, aid to parents and children, and sound economics while limiting the power of oligarchies and cheaters and monopolies. Alas, Reich's 'pledges' also make up a wish list that might as well be directed at Santa Claus, for all of its political impracticality.

What distinguishes even very smart/moderate leftists like Reich from their centrist allies (like me) is not the desired direction, or even our degree of passion (you all know that I have plenty!), but awareness of one pure fact, that most of our progress across the last 250 years – even under FDR – was incremental. Each plateau building from the previous ones, like upward stairs of progress. Not letting the perfect be the enemy of the possible.

Alas, not one of Reich’s proposals satisfies the “60%+ Rule” that was so politically-effective for Newt Gingrich in 1994, and that Pelosi-Schumer-Sanders applied with terrific effectiveness in 2021-22.  

Start with steps that can be steam-rollered quickly, with 60%+ strong public support, right away! Only after that do you try for the long pass.

Big Gulp endeavors, like those tried by Clinton and Obama, always get bogged down and savaged by "Who pays for it?" and "They want communism!" Then, the GOP wins the next Congress and that's that - opportunity window closed. What we discovered in the 2021-22 Pelosi miracle year was that you can make great strides in multiple directions, if you start from that 60% consensus in order to push solid increments. Steps that then create those new plateaus!

Contrasting with Reich's "pledges," my list emphasizes restoring a functioning republic - civil service, reliable institutions, elections and rule-of-law - in ways that can't be withdrawn by future demagogues... along with incremental steps toward our shared goals (e.g. get all CHILDREN coverable under Medicare, in a single stroke, easily afforded and canceling every objection to Medicare-for-all.)

Look, I like and respect Robert Reich. But here he should have added an equally realistic 11th wish to the other ten... that every American gets a unicorn or pegasus, or at least a pony

== Those "Newer Deal" proposals we appraised last time ==

Could the news this month have better supported my list? If we had the Inspectorate right now, under IGUS (a totally independent Inspector General of the United States), Trump could not have fired or transferred most of the IGs and JAGs in the federal government. Honest scrutiny would abound when we need it most! And officers would have somewhere to turn, when given illegal orders. (I have recommended IGUS for fifteen years.)

The Truth & Reconciliation Act - discussed last time - would have staunched Trump's tsunami of corrupt pardons and the Immunity Limitation Act would clarify that no President is above the law. And yes, there are ways to judo-bypass the Roberts Court in both of those realms.

Some other proposals from my last two postings may seem obscure, like the Cyber Hygiene Act that could eliminate 90%+ of the 'botnets' that now infest tens of millions of home and small business computers, empowering our enemies and criminals. Or one that I personally like most... a simple House-internal reform to give every member one subpoena per year, which would likely transform the entire mental ecology in Congress!

But onward to more proposals! Most of which (again) you'll see nowhere else.

== Appraising another four "Newer Deal" proposals ==

I've mentioned the 1994 Newt Gingrich Contract With America several times and in so doing I likely triggered visceral, gut wrenching loathing from many of you! 

Well tough. You must understand how the 'contract' seemingly offered voters clear and crisp reforms of a system that most citizens now distrust. 

Yes, Newt and especially his replacement - the deeply-evil Dennis Hastert - betrayed every promise when they took power. Still, some (a minority) of those promises merit another look. Moreover, Democrats can say "WATCH as we actually enact them, unlike our lying opponents!

Among the good ideas the GOP betrayed are these:

 

•   Require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply to Congress; 

•   Arrange regular audits of Congress for waste or abuse;

•   Limit the terms of all committee chairs and party leadership posts;

•   Ban the casting of proxy votes in committee and law-writing by lobbyists;

•   Require that committee meetings be open to the public;

•   Guarantee honest accounting of our Federal Budget.

 

…and in the same spirit…

Members of Congress shall report openly all stock and other trades by members or their families, especially those trades which might be affected by the member’s inside knowledge.

Some members may resist some of those measures. But those are the sorts of House internal reforms that could truly persuade voters. Especially with the contrast. "Republicans betrayed these promises. We are keeping them."

Here's another one that'd be simple to implement. Even entertaining! While somewhat favoring the Party that has more younger members. Fewer creaky near-zombies. And so, swinging from the House to the Senate:

While continuing ongoing public debate over the Senate’s practice of filibuster, we shall use our next majority in the Senate to restore the original practice: that senators invoking a filibuster must speak on the chamber floor the entire time.

No explanation is needed on that one! Bring back the spirit of Jimmy Stewart.

Only now, here's one that I very much care about. Do any of you remember when Gingrich and then Hastert fired all the staff in Congress that advised members about matters of actual fact, especially science and technology? Why on Earth would they do such a thing? 

Simple. The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) would often say to members: "I'm sorry (sir or madam), but that's not actually true."

Oh, no, we can't have that! Gingrich asserted that OTA said that dreaded phrase far more often to Republicans than to Democrats. And... well... yes, that is true enough. There's a reason for that. But true or not, it's time for this proposal to be enacted:

Independent congressional advisory offices for science, technology and other areas of skilled, fact-based analysis will be restored, in order to counsel Congress on matters of fact without bias or dogma-driven pressure. 

Rules shall ensure that technical reports may not be re-written by politicians, changing their meaning to bend to political desires. 

 

Every member of Congress shall be encouraged and funded to appoint from their home district a science-and-fact advisor who may interrogate the advisory panels and/or answer questions of fact on the member’s behalf.

Notice how this pre-empts all plausible objections in advance! By challenging (and funding) every representative to hire a science and fact adviser from their home district, you achieve several things:

1. Each member gets trusted factual guidance -- someone who can interrogate OTA and other experts, on the member's behalf. And this, in turn, addresses the earlier Gingrich calumny about "OTA bias."

2. Members would no longer get to wriggle and squirm out of answering fact or science questions -- e.g. re: Climate Change -- evading with the blithe shrug that's used by almost all current Republicans: "I'm not a scientist." 

So? Now you have someone you trust who can answer technical or factual or scientific questions for you. So step up to the microphone with your team.

3. Any member who refuses to name such an adviser risks ridicule; "What? Your home district hasn't got savvy experts you could pick from?" That potential blowback could ensure that every member participates.

4. Remember, this is about fact-determination and not policy! Policy and law remain the member's domain. Only now they will be less unconstrained in asserting false, counter-factual justifications for dumb policies.

And finally (for this time)... a problem that every Congress has promised to address, that of PORK spending. Look, you will never eliminate it! Members want to bring stuff home to their district. 

But by constraining pork to a very specific part of the budget, they'll have to wrangle with each other, divvying that single slice of pie among themselves. And it will lead to scrutiny of each other's picks, giving each pork belly a strong sniff for potential corruption.

New rules shall limit “pork” earmarking of tax dollars to benefit special interests or specific districts. Exceptions must come from a single pool, totaling no more than one half of a percent of the discretionary budget. These exceptions must be placed in clearly marked and severable portions of a bill, at least two weeks before the bill is voted upon. (More details here.)

Notice that all four of the proposals that we covered this time are internal procedure reforms for the houses of Congress! Which means they would not be subject to presidential veto. 

These... and several others... could be passed if Democrats take either house of Congress in January 2027, no matter who is still in the White House.

There are other procedural suggestions, some of them perhaps a bit crackpotty! Like occasional secret ballot polls to see if members are voting the way they do out of genuine conscience or else out of fear or coercion... but you can find those here.

Next time, we'll get back to vitally-needed laws.

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And this project continues... in Part 7.  Or refer to the overall summary again in Part three