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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (10908)	2/5/2000 11:14:00 PM
From: Dr. Peter E. Pflaum	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Second Thoughts: Do we really want him to be president : While I would like to support McCain in the primaries because of his reform program. I think he would return "power to the people" but.. what about the rest - he wants to be a financial conservative - again a major factor is our new found prosperity - but .. maybe if there is real structural reform then education, ( really a state and local issue ) health and other national issue could move forward ? Should I change ( if I can ) my registration from Democrat, a family and regional tradition, to Republican which whom I don?t agree with when they hang right - from Goldwater to the contract on America.. Otherwise they are the same middle of the road party as the other one . wiredbrain.com I guess I am a liberal libertarian - a prudent liberal - like Tony Blair - The issue was and maybe is a rational budget policy. The use of entitlements - services and benefits to buy votes and hold power will bankrupt any state over time. Balanced budgets are a key to economic health and growth. Since Alan Greenspan and almost everyone knows that reducing the debt is better than tax breaks - it will be impossible to sell tax cuts as a central theme of a party platform. wiredbrain.com McCain draws from a very wide spectrum -that is the road to victory ! The establishment hates McCain with a passion - reform would hurt the Republican Right which believes it needs it's money as the road to power - actually it will make very little difference - he also call them by name to account - Some of his behavior in the Senate is quite radical in going into who took what then did what for whom. Just as important, Mr. McCain will be able to draw independent voters towards the Republican Party. This was the key to much of his success in New Hampshire. Registered independents now account for 15% of America?s electorate. The Jesse Ventura phenomenon, ( As Ross Parot before him ) whereby another celebrated anti-politician was elected governor of Minnesota, shows that they have power. But they are not inevitably opposed to the two main parties: given a candidate who shows spirit and piques their interest, as Mr. McCain does, they will vote for him despite his Republican label. economist.com And win the election in a time when people want CHANGE - but not much - He is also a conservative Republican, lest that be forgotten, with a perfect voting record in the Senate on issues dear to conservatives? hearts. Although voters may not particularly care to notice, Mr. McCain is the antithesis of Mr. Clinton not just in terms of character, but on issues such as deregulation (fiercely for it) and abortion (guardedly against it). He differs markedly on foreign policy, too. Where Mr. Clinton, at least until the past year or so, had to be prodded to take a reluctant interest in what the outside world was doing, I enjoy seeing the Republican establishment come apart as the Bush people are trying to make McCain into a liberal ? Even Rush Limbaugh is coming to pieces as he tries to hold on the a party line that doesn't have one except an old mantra Less Government, More Freedom - lower taxes - social bla-bla doesn't work anymore and George W. is no Ronald Reagan that can turn almost nothing into something that sounds good. ! As we all know there is REAL power and money involved. There is a real threat to the real permeate establishment - well maybe ? Message from Bill Bradley-- On to the National Race As for the Democrats - does it matter ? After a remarkable turnaround in New Hampshire, where we overcame a 17-point deficit to finish in the closest Democratic primary in that state's history, my campaign is now preparing for the critical battle ahead. A staggering 29 states will hold primaries or caucuses during the week of March 7-14, including California, New York, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia and Michigan. billbradley.com Government should be limited to public goods - I favor educational vouchers ( because it is good for Public Schools to have competition ) - and private free markets and competition - free trade - capitalism when ever possible. But in public goods an active and clever state action on common interests that can not be left to private interests - parks, zoos, museums, and planning land use growth control, environmental regulation, national health plan using free market methods. Government is part of the solution not the enemy. The reform that is needed is making a firm connection between elections and policy. I like the British system - you elect a government and they do what they promised, if you don?t like it, elect the other side. In America we have a strange and screwy system - maybe because we are a strange and screwy country - or because we are stuck in a history trap. The American people aren't Stupid. They know that money matters. They feel that "special interests" and their paid lobbyist control what happens or doesn't. This was the core of the Parot reform party uprising. The first issue is REFORM - some change in the SYSTEM where the majority feel they have a fair chance to realistically participate in the collective decision that effect their lives. For 50 years there has been a clear desire for national health care - but the outcome was controlled by the AMA for decades, now the insurance industry. What McCain says is basic reform in Taxes, Education, Health can?t be done because of veto groups and their money. Open secrets .org center for responsible politics Center for Responsive Politics, The crp.org "The influence of money is corrupting our ability to address the problems that directly affect the lives of every American. Without reining in soft money and reducing the role of money in politics we will never have a government that works as hard for the average American as it does for the special interests." mccain2000.com itsyourcountry.com His speeches in the Senate have detailed contributions and the votes of his colleagues so they are more than unhappy with him. He has been very specific on the last tax bill and billion dollar favors grated as quid pro quo for money paid. ( The bill was designed to go no where but be a fund raiser ) He has done the same on the Communications bill, the Banking Bill, the Defense appropriations bill. billbradley.com "Nothing breaks down trust in our democracy as much as big money. Money is like a wall between elected leaders and the people, preventing leaders from hearing voters' hopes and concerns." The ideas on the table may help - may not - the history of reform has tended to make things worse. If there is money that wants to go into politics, and their are politicians that need money the two will get together - Independent Committees can not be banded under our First Amendment to the constitution. The Germany experience is a case in point. The only way to remove money from politics is party discipline - the individual members don?t have a lot of choices in following the party program - become back benchers rather than independent businessmen and women and the pie is removed - simple tax systems, fixed budgeted requirements - remove members pork and provide free TV with a short campaign season . washingtonpost.com washingtonpost.com search.washingtonpost.com The Iron Triangle is made up of committee chairmen in Congress, the real focus of political power in this country - what Wilson called "Congressional Government" at the end of the 19th Century. The other arms of the triangle is the interest groups - over 3000 organized constitutes and business groups that employ a large group of lobbyist and give money at the fund raising events. The third arm is the Agencies and Departments which make up Federal, State and Local governments. The military industrial complex is only one of these families of interests. A traditional model would be the road lobby - the transport committees and the appropriations subcommittees, the dept. of transportation, state road boards - concrete, construction equipment, auto and trucking interests, gas and oil companies and the unions in these industries. A one point in the last 50?s and 60?s a fifth of the GNP was involved with gas run road transportation. -- Dr. Peter E. Pflaum, GlobalVillages wiredbrain.com pflaump@wiredbrain.com P.O. Box 2176 New Smyrna Beach FL. 32170 wiredbrain@excite.com wiredbrain@netscape.net 1-888-Excite2, ext. 904-428-1355 ---------------------------------------------------------------- This mail is never sent unsolicited. This is a wiredbrain.com mailing! You have subscribed to receive this information at wiredbrains.com. To unsubscribe forward this message to pflaump@wiredbrain.com 904 428 9609 FAX 904 428 1355