What America needs to rebound from it's current situation (or begin to rebound) is a third New Deal.
base89 said 02/27, 04:43 PM
We have poorly maintained highway systems, bridges that need to be repaired or rebuilt all together. We should be willing to build more environmentally friendly power plants (i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, etc.). Also, I think we need to create an extensive train system based on the bullet trains in Japan and the magnetic tracked trains in Germany providing cheap, safe mass transit and shipping that could be competitive with the fuel wasting use of commercial planes.
We should offer health care in this New Deal using a single payer system where the Department of Health and Human Services over sees the system that is funded by taxes. We should have pharmaceutical companies bid for government contracts by producing quality medications for less money thereby keeping the tax rates low. We should offer government grants and contracts to medical researchers that work to cure diseases, and not simply treat them through all possible methods.
We should nationalize the public school system with a set curriculum (evolution will be included) for all plus extras for different students and programs. By doing these ideas and more that I did not have room for, we can fix America
FLIPSIDE said 02/27, 05:02 PM
I object to the sheer Larouchianism of your proposal, which is clearly seen in your reference to magnetic levitation and mesmerism. Also, you might have just as easily appended "therefore canaries should be served at McDonalds" to your premises that we have potholes and collapsing bridges.
Isn't it oxymoronic to call for a Retro New Deal? How can it be New if it is based on the same old deal? It's not that new highways, new bridges, and fast trains are bad ideas. The bad idea is shooting off in a Larouchian vector from tangible true things into ideas from the Jetsons and based on sacred geometry. I know. I was told this yesterday.
Single Payer Health Care System? Howso? You said it would be funded by taxes. Last time I checked, there was more than a single person who filed his taxes with the IRS. Pharma bidding for government contracts is fine for creating flu vaccine stockpiles (actually it isn't), but it is useless for developing the more important things like Botox and Viagra.
And what is this "we" business about offering government grants? Are you a taxpayer, a member of government, or a pharmaceutical developer? Multiple Personality Legislation just doesn't work.
base89 said 02/27, 05:19 PM
The German rail system, uses opposing magnetic fields (one on the train the other on the track) to reduce the friction between the two, the magnetic doesn't help with the propulsion, that is done by more conventional electric propulsion methods (that are powered by solar energy).
The health care system is called single payer due to the fact that it refers to a single organization handling all medical costs. Making the pharmaceutical industry competing for government contracts will work in development of cheap and effective medications, it has worked for the military contracts, and it works in the private sector as companies compete for the consumer dollar. Botox and Viagra should not be mentioned together, one is merely a fix to a cosmetic problem, where as Viagra can be used to fix a genuine health problem.
As for the grants, I mean 'we' as in all of us taxpaying Americans, since this is our government and our tax dollars, so in essence we as a nation will be giving it, by way of the elected government.
This will be the third New Deal, so it will be the Newest of said 'Deals' so it is a New Deal (besides it is just the name of the type of program issued).
FLIPSIDE said 02/27, 05:31 PM
Your first paragraph is a total nonsequitor. Is this a debate about the New Deal or about German Innovations in Magnetic Levitation? I like trains, yes I do. I play with magnets too. But I don't go around trying to link this to The New Deal.
How does a single organization handle all medical costs it they are using my money? Am I this organization? No. Therefore it is not a single payer system. It is a socialist government running the hospital.
I accept your definition of "we," and I counter that WE already pay for our own health care, quite without the government's help. Then government is actually a hindrance as it helps to inflate pharmaceutical prices, HMO costs, and steals our money and gives it to Novartis. That's why WE don't want more socialism added to health care, and would prefer to self govern and buy our own health care plans.
Also, the New Deal wouldn't have been necessary if we didn't put the entire economy into a WII boom, and then allow the men who became the SEC interfere and collude against the free market. Why call for a New New Deal today, when what is in order is to call for an end to costly wars and the Federal Reserve?
base89 said 02/27, 05:58 PM
I want to call for an end to the war, that was one of my other proposals that I wanted to mention, but couldn't with the limited space. The trains issue is about both, if we develop the technology similar (or exact)to the German rail system, this mass transit revitalization could be part of this 'Newer' Deal.
Yes, we do pay for our own health care, but it is to expensive, and many people cannot afford it in America, so everyone who uses the health care system currently does pay for it, but that leaves out millions that don't get health care because they cannot afford it. Our system is broken and we need a new tax based system that allows everyone to get the care they may need. The government will not suddenly become a socialist state by having a type of universal (or social) medicine we will still have elections, and we can still vote and have all of our freedoms. If we end the war and cut the pentagon budget (it does not need 60% of our budget) and funnel that money into the health care, transit and the revamping of our education system, the there will be almost minimal taxation changes (there will be some)and we will have a new, better system for average Americans, a New Deal.
FLIPSIDE said 02/28, 09:31 PM
Since we are just calling for random things, I would like to call for free raspberry ice cream. Let's forget about the choo-choo trains and just deal with the health care issue:
Many people cannot afford cars, houses, or movie tickets for two. This does not mean that taxes should be raised and the (as yet unnamed) government agency should hand these things out like government cheese to all who are willing to stand in a long line. If you learn nothing else from Walmart, learn this: the cheaper something is, the lower in quality it is. This is true of furniture, tools, hookers, drugs, and -yes- health care. Not only does the quality diminish as the price approaches free, but people's appreciation of the service also diminishes. This idea of free health care will do naught but encourage people to take worse care of themselves, eat even more Burger King, and ride even wider electric wheelchairs through the grocery store to try pick up beer with a WIC check. Even the laziest of Americans are getting a pretty Good Deal already. Certainly a better deal than people who work and eat roots and leaves in other countries. What New Deal would you really offer them?
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We are not in a Great Depression. As bad as things are we are not even in that ball park. The New Deal was using Socialism to protect us from Communism. This is not necessary in the status quo.
twelve angry men | 02/27/08
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By the way, The New Deal did not end the Great Depression. World War II did.
twelve angry men | 02/27/08
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"The New Deal was using Socialism to protect us from Communism." -twelve angry men couldn't have said it bettter. The absolute worst thing possible for america would be a new 'new deal'. But, opinions aside, I still think flipside has a better argument
TheFusilliJerry | 02/27/08
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You're right, the New Deal did not get us out of the Great Depression, but we're not in a depression, but we are in a time of economic uncertainty, and our national infrastructure and educational system is in shambles, and there is no clear way to fix it, especially if we just leave the states up to it, they don't have the resources. Plus, with the new projects to rebuild our country, we could drive down unemployment while re-training our workforce for 21st century jobs.
base89 | 02/27/08
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Also, the Marhsall Plan didn't get us out of the depression, it was a post war measure that was to help Western Europe rebound from the war so they could be strong enough to fight communism. In fact, now that I think about it, the New Deal was not pure socialism, but borrowed the good ideas from it to protect us from fascism (which is an extreme form of Socialism).
base89 | 02/27/08
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companies bidding for government contracts = corruption.
Skipper04 | 02/29/08
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I like the part of training people for the future, but socialism is a slippery slope. Good job, flip!
Eaglevision | 02/29/08
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Please keep it clean. Bad words will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.
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I see no reference to mesmerism in base89's argument.
Junius Brutus | 02/27/08
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