Thank You America

[vikingviolinist]

Never again will I stand by and listen when I hear Americans tell me that their vote doesn't matter. That the government doesn't do anything. That the parties are the same anyway.

The Democratic 110th congress has had less than two weeks so far. What could they accomplish in two weeks?

H.R.1: Implements the remaining 9/11 Commission

Comments

[esan]

To align yourself with any political party, in my view, is short-sighted, and limiting. Such parties in power are not based on set principles or what is best for the constituents that vote for them, they are merely based off various key issues used to sway one side or another. It's no wonder that the radically conservative, lower-class consistently votes for the Republicans, when economically, the social services of the Democratic Party serve them the most in this nation. Similarly so, the Democrats attract a great many who care far more about social freedoms regardless of their stance of business legislation and taxes.

The closest thing I can describe myself as, is a left-leaning Libertarian, who is for various vital social services and pissed off at both parties. In the end, nobody really represents me, I deal with politics by issues and not on a party basis.

Nancy Pelosi is being damn smart about this, she's had this "100 hours" of legislation planned for months before the midterm election. It was these exact four pieces of legislation and two others that are being pushed on the floor now. Most of the major change in this Congress is going to happen now, an election year is coming up and the Democrats are pulling the big guns on the major issues that would have been silenced by the Republicans, they have to make themselves look favorable in such anticipation.

The embryonic stem cell bill is largely a political move by the Democrats to bring the issue back in the limelight, it can be considered a good thing because it's rallying on the only issue most Americans consistently agree upon that the Republican party is not acknowledging. Whether or not it passes, it can only be a good thing.

It's good that they are doing more to address the issue of lobbyist power over members of Congress. Despite what you imply though, this is a heavily bi-partisan measure. Back in 2003, the McCain-Feingold Bill was passed only after intense debate by both sides of the aisle, and was effectively neutered in the form it exists in today. Furthermore, the majority of the complaints filed under the law have been filed against the soft-money spending organizations that support the Democratic party as a whole (MoveOn.org & Media Fund). While the Republicans are largely funded by oil interests and general conglomerates, the Democrats are funded greatly by the entertainment industry. No party is without blood on their hands. Regardless, progress is always nice.

The only legislation I explicitly disagree with is the minimum wage bill. It does nothing but artificially make the ones who are affected feel like they are gaining so much more while the rest of the economy is forced to make up for it by forcing companies to cut jobs or increase prices.

In the end, regardless of legality, there is always somebody willing to work for less than you do. This is not a sad state of affairs, it is fulfilling a need in one's life. A perfect example is the demographic of illegal immigrants who work for far lower wages than others. To them, gaining such money is an opportunity, and they do well for themselves in any way they can, oftentimes in addition to sending money back home to their families abroad. They establish communities of cheaper markets and make due with what they have in a cooperative manner. They don't have the power to complain to their congressmen under the delusion that the government can hand out money without affecting anything else, they manage.

Raising minimum wage is an attempt to solve everyone's problems by forcing them to make more money, when in reality, the government would be far more effective in helping to lower the prices of the most vital services of its citizens that would otherwise be an excess of money out of their own pockets, i.e., the Medicare bill passed by the House. While those who are more conservative economically may even argue against that, funding such programs do far more to help workers, along with seniors who no longer work and require such assistance to live.

[vikingviolinist]

First off, thank you for your response. It is always nice to know that someone in my age group has a political pulse.

Aligning one’s self with a political party is limiting in no way whatsoever. I am a Democrat, but this is not to say that I intend to swallow the Democratic party platform whole, but rather that I recognize that the fundamental ideas of the Democratic Party are held by myself as well. That being said, I do not always fall in with the Democratic Party line, but that’s okay, because at that underlying level, we’re all coming from the same place.

Now you on the other hand do not subscribe to either political party’s ideas, and therefore consider yourself unaffiliated. That is perfectly valid as well. But to label as “short-sighted” the majority of Americans who do associate with one party or another is complete generalization, not to mention somewhat insulting to a rather large block of people.

I’m a Democrat because I believe that the most important role of government is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That is why I support these bills recently passed by congress.

The average American citizen cannot stay safe from terrorism by his or herself, so the government steps in with H.R.1.

Seniors living off social security, receiving their essential medications from Medicare, do not have the ability to negotiate with pharmaceuticals for affordable prices on their vital prescription drugs, so the government steps in with H.R.4.

Victims of physical injuries, genetic diseases, or degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease cannot alleviate their ailments by themselves, therefore the government steps in with H.R.3, to bring hope of a cure to the many who could be helped by stem cell research.

And of course the working poor cannot negotiate with their employers to receive a livable wage, so the government steps in with H.R.2 and declares that in our America we will ensure that no one works hard with three jobs and still finds themselves unable to feed their families.

Although experts generally agree that minimum wage laws do have some effect on the job market, there is no agreement regarding how big (or small) of an effect this is. Furthermore, other economists claim that minimum wage laws can provide a boast to the economy by putting more money in the pockets of those who actually do spend their entire paychecks.

On the whole, my point is that there is no consensus regarding the effects of minimum wage legislation. This is not a case of the big mean Democrats interfering with the private sector. This is a case of the government protecting working class Americans from worker exploitation. This is the government doing exactly what the government is intended to do, protect those who are unable to protect themselves.