Forum Post: David Gilbert's Top 10 Ideas To Improve The Lives Of EVERY American

David Gilbert's Top 10 Ideas that together will improve the lives of EVERY American!

Our national politics have been corrupted by the top 1% and we need to return power to the people. We have a jobs crisis in this country that is hurting millions of our citizens and they need to go back to work. We have a foreclosure crisis in this country where 1 in 5 mortgages are under water and housing prices continue to decline. Until we take big money out of federal politics, put people back to work and turn around housing prices, consumer spending will remain flat, the economy will continue to stagnate and we're looking at a lost decade. Here are 10 Ideas that together will improve the lives of EVERY American!

1. Get Big Money Out Of Federal Politics By Electing A New Kind Of Politician - Pass the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 750 and H.R. 1404). A law where political candidates for federal office would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding. Contributions are limited to $100.00. Strictly voluntary by the candidate to avoid Supreme Court issues. Revise the Fair Elections Now Act to include a 100% (up from 25%) discount for TV air time for political advertising.

2. End Political Corruption - End the "revolving door" of politicians and their staffs from ever becoming becoming lobbyists and prohibit all federal public employees, officers, officials from ever being employed by any corporation, individual or business that they specifically regulated while in office.

3. Create Jobs Now! - A ten-year federal program that involves a New Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to create over 5 million jobs rebuilding America that includes infrastructure banks run by engineers, not politicians to extricate ourselves from the Great Recession now and increase national productivity later. To create long term quality jobs, the nation needs a massive Manhattan-style project involving government, business and unions with the goal of leading the world in alternative energy innovation and production. Pay for it all with tax increases and savings in other areas of the federal budget. A 3% annual surtax on incomes over $1 million would raise $200 billion a year. A tax on all Wall St. financial transactions at 1% would raise $400 billion a year. Ending the wars and reducing the military budget by half saves $400 billion a year. Eliminate corporate loopholes, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and deductions, subsidies and end offshore tax haven abuse saves another $100 billion a year.

4. End The Housing Crisis Now! - Congress can and should modify the bankruptcy laws to allow primary residence mortgages to be eligible for restructuring by making banks lower the principal balance on all underwater mortgages to current market value and refinancing these loans to current market interest rates.

5. Make Health Care Affordable And Accessible To All - Pass Medicare For All. Allow Medicare to purchase drugs directly. Give the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) more authority to drive down medical costs. Means testing. End fee-for-service in medical care.

6. Clean The Air - EPA to STRICTLY enforce the Clean Air Act.

7. Invest In Education - Begin with the federal government paying tuition and fees for all students, part and full time, who are enrolled in two-year public institutions (community colleges) in the United States. Pay for it with a gasoline tax.

8. Balance The Budget Over Time By Creating A Progressive Federal Tax Code - The marginal tax rate ought to be raised to 50 percent on income between $500,000 and $5 million, 60 percent on income between $5 million and $15 million, and 70 percent on income over $15 million. The estate tax should be 55 percent and kicks in after $5 million. Capital gains should be taxed at 35 percent. End the home mortgage deduction on first homes over $1 million. End the home mortgage deduction on all second homes. Corporations should be taxed by a variable amount based on the percentage of their payroll going to US workers. A small business employing 100% US workers should be taxed somewhere between 15-20% while a company that has completely shifted its production overseas should be in the 50% range. Expatriation of capital should be subject to a maximum tax-rate penalty with violation considered a felony act.

9. Clean Up Wall St. - Break up the biggest banks. Reenact Glass-Steagall. Abolish credit default swaps. Derivatives must be traded on transparent exchanges. Ban "flash" trading.

10. End The Police State - Repeal the Patriot Act