Suburban Democracy

I'd like to coin a phrase here: Suburban Democracy

A lot of focus in what I want to do is designed around public relations in local communities. The "suburban paradise system", as I used to call it, was effectively the American Dream, the post-war promise of the New Deal.

Eventually we were supposed to all have houses and jobs, just like in FDR's Second Bill of Rights. And yes, we were promised hover cars.

The civil rights movement was supported by suburban communities who believed in American democracy.  Progressives campaigned publicly, house to house, supporting candidates who supported civil rights, and even supported directly with time and money.

In the suburbia of the 70s, there were still ethnic gangs, but there was a general peace with little violence. We had county patrolmen that served more as ambassadors of government and were respected by the community.

You could pass literature door to door, easily move house to house to canvass for your organization or candidate. There was no fear of violence. If democracy means "votes, not bullets", that's how politics was in 70s suburbia.

Whatever I do in the future, I will rely on this model of democracy, this approach to political recruitment.

Reasonable, centralist policy of course. People don't want riots and revolution, they just want a better life. If anything is our "right" as citizens, it's the American dream.

Democracy and the Competitive Economy

Federal debt got you down?

Simply allow the USG to overdraft its account at the Fed, and stop selling securities on the open market.  No more federal "debt".

You're welcome

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Conservative leaders are more than willing to deficit spend "at the top". Reagan, Bush, they all incurred massive deficits in the name of war.. They just don't want the benefits to help you in any way whatsoever, because frankly they could care less about your problems.

It's the basis of Monetarism, a policy built on private debt and treasury bills. We've been working under that policy for 40 years. Think that might have something to do with all the economics graphs of that period?

Deficit spending at the bottom is high velocity money that filters upwards through a competitive economy. Yes, eventually to the "top", but at the same time providing upward mobility and the benefits of real competition.

The last thing these "job creators" want is competition. Stop paying interest on money that just sits there, stop taxing poor people, and guarantee pensions, medical insurance and education for every citizen.

That would be a competitive economy.

That's the promise of American democracy, the one we were promised in WW2. This sustained effort to privatize everything and end democracy has to stop. If we lose our democracy, we lose our liberty as well

Single Payer is Good for Business

The Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") attempts to provide universal health insurance through the private insurance industry, subsidizing premiums where necessary to cover as many people as possible with "affordable" private insurance. A much better plan called "single payer" wasn't even discussed when the health care debate began in 2009, the President himself declaring that single payer was "off the table".

Single payer simply means that the Federal government provides basic health insurance to all citizens. Another term for single payer is "medicare for all", easily enacted into law by changing the age of eligibility from 65 years of age to zero. Payroll taxes are completely unnecessary to fund it, just as health insurance premiums themselves would be unnecessary for most citizens under a single payer system.

The direct benefit of single payer is obvious, but the advantages to the private economy aren't as well understood. The fact is that single payer is good for business, good for everybody, and it's an easy solution to settle this health care issue once and for all.

Consider the advantages that a single payer system offers to the private, small- business environment:

First of all, health insurance would cease to be a factor in hiring and staffing decisions. You won't have to worry about what an employee's future health problems might cost the company, or what additional health insurance overhead might do to your labor costs when hiring new employees. They're already covered.

Second, other heavy insurance costs could be reduced or even eliminated. This includes the large portion of automotive insurance, general liability insurance in case somebody sues you for slipping on the sidewalk, workman's compensation insurance, and even product liability insurance, all of which would be greatly diminished or rendered unnecessary.

In effect, we can remove the burden of health care from business and workers alike under a single payer plan. America would go about its business without the fear of medical costs impacting their future. If you get hurt or contract an illness, you go to a doctor and you're covered. It's that simple.

And don't let people tell you that this is "socialized medicine". It's not. This plan relies completely on the private sector to provide medical services. Private insurance companies would remain to provide other types of insurance as well as vanity or supplemental health insurance to those who can afford it.

It's time to bring the single payer argument back into public debate. The idea has broad support from medical professionals, small businesses and the American public. Single payer is good for business and good for America. Let's get it done.