CounterPunch - Mar 20, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/nader03202006.html
The DNC's "Grassroots Agenda"
Howard Dean's Plea for Advice
By RALPH NADER
I just received a letter from Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic
National Committee, describing me as a "Democratic Leader" and "an
active
and engaged member of our Party in your community." He asks for my
"opinions" which "will help shape the future direction of the Democratic
Party and make us more effective in building grassroots support for our
agenda."
Dr. Dean attaches a survey "registered in your name and intended
exclusively
for your use." How nice! He made me feel even more exclusive when he
called
me "the strength and soul of the Democratic Party," along with other
"local
leaders."
Well, with such encomiums, how could I not peruse the lengthy
questionnaire
so that I can meet Mr. Dean's expectations. Especially with his personal
instructions "Ralph, please turn the page to begin your survey."
The questions covered some important topics. They include one asking
whether
I support "new tax cuts targeted at working families." But no request
for my
opinion on removing the massive Bush tax reductions for the wealthy, for
their unearned income of capital gains and dividends, and for large
corporations now making rocket profits.
Another inquiry asked about raising the minimum wage of $5.15 per
hour, but
no higher figure was listed. Nor was there a question about labor law
reform
assisting workers in our concentrated industrial, commercial and retail
economy (eg. WalMart) to establish or expand trade unions. The present
system is rigged in favor of giant companies.
Down further in the survey, there is the question about allowing
Medicare to
bring in less expensive drugs from Canada, but nothing about controlling
sky-high drug prices, including drugs developed by your federal taxpayer
research dollars or drugs purchased without Uncle Sam having the
right to
bargain under the new notoriously nutty drug benefit concoction.
Question seven asks quite properly my opinion about "healthcare for all
Americans." Three choices: tax credits for employers, medical savings
accounts or "a government-run system where everyone is guaranteed health
coverage." Who gave them these last words-the HMO industry? Why
didn't the
Democratic National Committee simply say "full Medicare for everyone?"
Besides, the DNC should have said "a government-funded" system, which is
what I believe they and "single-payer" advocates understand those
words to
mean. Not a takeover of the entire medical and health industry by the
government.
One would have thought Dr. Dean would have caught this miswording.
Two questions relate to withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Various
time
frames are offered. But there is no question about whether a survey of
Democratic leaders want to impeach Bush and Cheney or in any way hold
these
documented, serial outlaws accountable.
No inquiries on the corporate crime epidemic, so well described in
the Wall
Street Journal, Fortune and Business Week magazines. No question
about the
massive corporate welfare payouts, directly and indirectly by the U.S.
Government, including the eminent domain controversy of seizing homes to
raze them and give away the land to corporations.
Mississippi, for instance, wants to allocate $240 million in
Hurricane-related federal tax escapes to a Korean auto company to
build an
assembly. The nearly $1 billion package of corporate welfare amounts to
giving Kia Company $500,000 per job created, declared Automotive News
in a
critical editorial recently.
The survey also ignored the bloated, wasteful, redundant military
budget,
denounced as such by many Congressional and Executive branch reports,
which
now absorbs over one half of your entire federal discretionary
budget. And
there is no Soviet Union to provoke any more continual building of
the Cold
War era of weapons systems ala Lockheed Martin's endless wish list.
Of course, no Democratic Party survey ever includes a question on the
need
for much more consumer protection to avert harms and fraud, eating
mightily
into the standards of living, health and safety.
Sure, you can't keep adding questions for a survey like this but
omitting
questions relating to corporate crime, fraud and abuse of power is a
telling
commentary on the heavily business-funded Democratic Party. Which may
explain why there is no question on getting dirty private money out
of our
public elections.
I was just getting going with my private critique of this survey when it
occurred to me that I could not, in good conscience, reply to it.
After all,
I am not "an active and engaged Democratic Party leader."
Oh how indiscriminate and indiscreet computers have become, Dr. Dean!
Dan Scanlan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.coolhanduke.com
"We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious
is the first duty of intelligent men." — George Orwell
