The Individualist: Deconstructing the Dems 8 Plans

Posted by Joe Rivett on 08.31.2006

Rahm Emanuel has 8 plans for you when the Dems take over, I'll tell ya if these are good ideas...

The leader of the National Democratic Campaign Committee Rahm Emanuel is writing a book about the plans for Democrats if they take the House. I will outline his plans and offer my thoughts.

1. Universal Civilian Service

This is probably the most controversial of Rahm's plans because it is definitely an authoritarian possibly even a fascist plan for government. All citizens between the ages of 18-25 would have to serve for three months. To say America is the freest nation in the world but it forces its citizens to universally serve is contradictory. Rahm believes this will inspire more people to serve in the military thus negating the possibility of a draft. He is probably right on that point. National service is an important element in festering patriotism and maturing young adults. I don't know if implemented this would be a good plan, but it deserves a debate. What this plan does do is that it refutes the idea that Democrats are not patriotic and don't care about defense.

2. Universal College Access

This would certainly be costly and it may lower the standards of bottom tier colleges, however, some countries such as Ireland have implemented this. Ireland is one of the more successful European economies and it is easy to see why; Ireland has an educated workforce. An educated workforce is essential for global competition. Some could argue that we need to fix k-12 education but I really don't believe that more government involvement in necessary. Colleges are very successful in America because there is school choice which creates competition and the federal government does not mandate colleges how to teach its students.

3. Universal Retirement Savings

Rahm's plan would automatically enroll workers in a 401k account which workers can opt out of if they wish. By doing this, the government may not have to worry about helping seniors that didn't save for retirement. In addition, this will allow more Americans to comfortably retire which will keep unemployment low. I'll simply explain later why I do not like this idea.

4. Universal Children's Healthcare

This is something I truly believe in. Children should not be punished because their parents do not provide them health insurance. By insuring all children, they will be more healthy and do better in schools. The main difference between my advanced students and regular students is attendance. Of course Rahm has no plan to pay for it but hell, Bush has no plan to pay for Iraq. To set this system up in a way that isn't Hillarycare, Rahm would have the government provide health vouchers. It would be interesting to see if Bush supports education vouchers for children but opposes health vouchers for children.

5. End gerrymandering

I can't think why anyone would oppose districts to be drawn by non-partisans. This would make districts more moderate and increase the likelihood of competitive campaigns, especially in the House. The problem is that legislatures would have to vote for something that would make their seats competitive, highly doubtful.

6. Tax Reform

Rahm wants to simplify the tax code. Bush wants to as well but after he established a commission, nothing came about. The problem with simplifying the tax code is that many American benefit from a complex code. Simplifying the code puts accountants out of a job. Simplifying the code may make writing things off nearly impossible. This would probably increase the taxes of the average American.

7. Fighting the War on Terror

Rahm proposes adding 100,000 troops to our armed forces. This has to be done because it isn't right that national guard troops are fighting in Iraq when they are supposed to deal with homeland emergencies. Again, Rahm is making it a point to prove that Democrats care about defense.

8. Energy Independence

Rahm wants the US to take energy independence as seriously as we did when we responded to the Soviet's space program. Clearly our use of foreign oil empowers our enemies and is increasingly destroying American purchasing power.

Out of Rahm's 8 ideas, I agree with 5 and a half. I give the half on civilian service. Maybe that could be a way for young adults to avoid jail; I don't like the idea of forcing all people to serve the country. I agree there needs to be universal college access. If someone is smart enough to go to school, funding should not be a problem. That doesn't mean everyone gets to go to college, it only means they should have access. At least lower the interest on loans and raise the eligibility requirements. I disagree with Universal Retirement Savings, it is called Social Security. I agree that all children (not adults) have the right to health insurance and anyone that disagrees is frankly cruel. Children should not be punished for their parent's ineptitude. As previously stated, the end of gerrymandering would make hundreds of congressional seats competitive but I doubt politicians would vote to make their seats competitive. I can't agree with the tax reform because I benefit from complications. We need to increase our troops; it isn't fair to constantly recall troops for extra duties, this has led to a high divorce rate (not exactly family values) among our servicemen. Finally, almost everyone should agree we need energy independence or at least an attempt to decrease our dependence.

While many of Rahm Emanuel's plans are authoritarian (with the exception on gerrymandering) and increase the role of the federal government, it is at least an attempt to bring forth new ideas. Gingrich was able to take back the Congress in 94 because he used new ideas to attempt to solve old problems. While most Americans did not agree with all of Gingrich's ideas, they respected his desire to end the status quo.

Currently, the status quo needs to change. While I don't like every one of Rahm's plans, they at least address common problems in America, whereas, Republicans want to debate flag burning, fetus killing and gay marriage all of the time. The reason I'll be voting for Democrat candidates for the first time (with the exception of Chuck Schumer who is the only Democrat I have voted for) in 06 is not because I think they are better, but I think they understand what is wrong with the country. In addition, while they may increase the government's role in the economy and in many functions, I have a feeling they will decrease the power of the government in our personal lives or in other words, treat us like the adults we are.

We also need to recognize that Rahm's plan is going to cost money to implement. Raising taxes on the wealthy and ending the Iraq War will not end the deficit. We are going to need to cut back on other government services and funding, especially in Medicaid and Medicare which eat up a huge chunk of the Federal Budget. Taxes may have to be raised across the board and people may have to accept less benefits.

In closing, I would like to mention that today Donnie Rumsfeld compared WWII to the Iraq War. Never mind the ignorance of his statement. There are many differences, one major difference was the fact that the American people sacrificed and paid high taxes to defeat the enemy. Will we do the same to not only fight terrorism, but to fight ignorance, the global economy, a declining supply of oil, etc? Something tells me no and if that is the case, Rahm may have a difficult time if the Democrats take the House passing any of his 8 ideas. And the status quo will probably continue to haunt us.