Platform for a New Political Party for the General Prosperity

Even liberal pundits now seem disappointed with President  Obama:

(Maureen Dowd -" Withholder- in chief"rhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/opinion/withholder-in-chief.html?_r=1&ref=opinion), Drew Westen - "What Happened to Obama?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html?scp=1&sq=what%20happened%20to%20Obama&st=Search

Given that the democratic party under the leadership has abandoned its New Deal legacy and collaborated with the republicans and conservatives, to continue the move toward rule by the wealthy, it is time for a third party effort.

Traditionally third parties do not win.  However, the lesson of the Ross Perot candidacy in 1992 can not be ignored. Perot ran on the issue of that era's deficit.  He changed the calculus of the election and shortly after Clinton's election the deficit was addressed, successfully.  It must be noted that as soon as the budget was passed the stock market took off and we headed into a recovery and expansion that resulted in budget surplus.

A platform for a third party.

1. Government on all levels must do all it can to stimulate economic growth.  This means stimulating consumer demand.  It is only demand that stimulates employment.  It does not matter how much cash companies have on hand.  They will not and should not hire workers to do nothing. No matter many service cuts are made and how much taxes might be raised, it is only economic growth that will achieve lowered deficits and national debt.  It is only economic growth that will create full employment. 

2. Stimulating consumer demand requires people have cash to spend.  Ways this can be achieved are:

• continuing unemployment compensation until unemployment falls back to normal levels.
• continuing the benefits of the social safety net
• After demand rises, targeted tax breaks for businesses that invest in expansion both by hiring and equipment and plant.
• completion of critical infrastructure projects
• continue to support education at the highest levels possible

3. Raise taxes back to the levels at the end of the Clinton administration.  This includes not only the wealthy, but the middle class as well.  We are going to need increased revenues to fund the growth initiatives.  It is of no use to isolate the wealthy.

4. End our involvement in wars of choice in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya as soon as possible without adding to chaos.  The era of American use of power continuously around the world must end.

5. Create a new foreign policy to deal with international terrorism without having to invade countries to insure our safety. (More detail on this to come)

6. Create a government mechanism to address the runaway cost of health care. In all the discussion of the last three years there has been little effort to deal with rising costs beyond the idea of cutting benefits.  Almost every attempt to add mechanisms to investigate ways to reduce costs was defeated. The present fee for service method cannot be the most efficient way to fund health care.  The present astronomical and still rising cost of drugs is not justified and unsustainable.

This effort is stimulated by two important issues The first is the terrible economic mess that is not addressed by our present government.  The second is that the entire congress and the president have colluded to defy the 14th amendment of the constitution.  In my opinion they have lost their legitimacy. In our system(since the civil war) we do not turn to violence to make change.  The only option is politics. 

Melvyn Polatchek