A Progressive Agenda

Progressives are social liberals who want government to represent the interests of the people. The Democratic and Republican parties, to a large extent, are both populated with neoliberals, who in the interest of personal liberties, have allowed the billionaire class to control public policy for going on four decades. History shows that the current imbalance of power will correct itself, the only question is whether that correction will be peaceful.

This is a draft progressive agenda, covering broad areas of our society. It is an open list; I invite criticism and proposed changes. I will update it occasionally, noting the changes at the bottom. Each of these ideas would improve the lives of 99% of Americans. The billionaires have had their day. Its time for the ship to right itself.

Civil Rights

Economic freedom: a decent minimum income for all

End NSA 702 spying

Enforce the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), banning discrimination in lending

Enforce the Civil Rights Act ban on discrimination in employment

Create safe places where the homeless can sleep, bathe, and store their goods

Make lynching awareness part of Black History Month

Repeal the Patriot Act

Eliminate the Department of Homeland Security

Criminal Justice Reform

Ban private prisons

Elect district/state attorneys who value justice over convictions

Eliminate cash bail

Eliminate due process advantages in police union contracts for officers accused of crimes

Eliminate mandatory minimum sentences

Eliminate the death penalty

Empower the Justice Department to collect statistics on police activity

Legalize recreational marijuana and LSD, with sentence commutation

Possession of personal use amounts decriminalized, replace jail with treatment

Special prosecutors assigned to police-involved shootings

Pay prisoners at least minimum wage, allow them to organize unions.

Education

Free undergraduate education at state colleges and universities

Forgive existing federal student loans

Equal per-student spending for public schools

Stop channeling funds from public schools to charter schools

Ban segregation and racial discrimination in charter schools

Teachers get same base pay, per diem, and benefits as state legislators

Repeal No Child Left Behind and standards-based education

Election Reform

Federal law setting uniform voter registration and identification requirements, reversing Shelby County v. Holder, which invalidated the 1965 Voting Rights Act

Automatic voter registration

Non-partisan commissions to draw sensible voting districts

A constitutional amendment reversing Citizen’s United v. FEC

Eliminate foreign spending on political advertising, including social media

Change rules that allow corporations to make dark money contributions

Eliminate voting restrictions for former felons

Environmental

Ban fracking and offshore drilling

Transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources by 2030

Develop and build no-emission trash burning electric plants

Healthcare

Single payer, universal health insurance

Shorten patent rights on prescription drugs to ten years

Eliminate the automatic freeze on competing generics

Increase public funding for medical research, no patents on results

Immigration

Amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant permanent visas to all immigrants, revocable on conviction of a felony

Citizenship for DREAMers

Eliminate DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Military

Significant portions of the Pentagon budget re-allocated to transportation, domestic infrastructure, and education

Close empiric military bases

Strengthen the War Powers Resolution

Repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force

Lifetime pension for veterans to end homelessness

Halt arms sales to countries with records of human rights violations

Tax Reform

Significant tax hikes on corporations, high income, capital gains, and inherited wealth

Fossil fuel tax to subsidize alternative fuels

Close loopholes for repatriated profits

Tax bottled water to pay for water infrastructure maintenance and upgrades

Return-free tax filing

Trade Regulation

Free trade agreements re-negotiated to include environmental and worker protections

Legislation guaranteeing net neutrality

Reinstate and make permanent the Federal Assault Weapons Ban

Regulate gun sales; require training, license, and insurance

Reinstate Glass-Steagall

Enforce existing laws on insider trading and securities fraud

End fossil fuel subsidies

Re-evaluate agricultural subsidies

Prohibit payday lending, replace with post office banking

Require publicly traded companies to have employee and consumer representatives on the board of directors

Cap on executive compensation for publicly traded companies

Workers’ Rights

$15 minimum wage

Union friendly labor laws

Equal pay for women

5/7/2018 — added provisions for prisoner minimum wage, forgiving federal student loans, funding medical research, veterans’ pensions, arm sales, executive compensation, and return-free filing. The last item was a contribution from my friend, Rob Burleson.

6/18/2018 — added provisions to repeal the Patriot Act and eliminate DHS and ICE, in light of the abuses of children at the border.