Peace On That

The mistake that many people make about Progressives is that they view us as the far-left wing of the Democrat Party and the opposite of social conservatism. This is not the case. Although Progressives do believe that as society changes, then the laws that govern what is morally acceptable to adjust. That does not mean that there are no standards, as some will suggest. It simply means that the world of 2005 is different from that 1776, 1864 and even 1964. Our laws and regulations should reflect prevailing attitudes without compromising basic moral principles.

The problem in politics is that people have very different basic moral principles. A basic moral principle for Progressives is: In a country as rich as America, poverty should not be an issue. Another basic moral principle is that: If we can find the resources to rebuild an entire country, then we should have no problem funding our schools. Another: With a flawed justice system, the government should not have the right to take a life. These are principles based in practicality and fairness.

With that, I continue my synopsis into the Progressive mindset on the issues.

Taxes: Trust, Uncle Sam gets too much money from me. And when I look at the waist and pork projects coming from the cesspool of Congressional spending bills, I often think of hosting another Boston Tea Party. The fact that I have to pay taxes when I earn my income then pay taxes when I spend what is left of my income after taxes, doesn’t sit right with me. Considering that most middle class families spend all of their money to survive, I believe the first $50,000 of an individual’s salary should be tax-free. For two income household making around $100,000 per year, the savings in taxes is the makes a difference between being able to afford a home and renting. How economy in better served with more home ownership.

Above $50,000, a progressive tax bracket should be in place with a minimum of 15% and a maximum of 30%. I’ll leave it to economist to work the details but it sounds like a fair system. If that means the government will receive less of our money – so be it.

As for corporate taxes, tax them at 15% across the board. No loopholes, no deduction – no tax on dividends and no taxes on money made from investments. Do away with the inheritance tax. Why should the government get half the estate simply because the person that made the money dies? The tax system should be something very simple.

The Drug War: A modern day form of genocide on the black community. Rather than kill the men, they perform a social, economic and political decapitation on them. I have never used drugs (if you don’t count Budweiser, Tanqueray and my most recent bout with Vodka). I have always been one that believed in the mantra of just saying no. However, the drug war has transformed the penal system into a economic base with black men acting as the natural resource. I am for legalizing marijuana use – or at least lowering the possession of recreational amounts of marijuana into a misdemeanor. Whereby those found with a certain amount and less will receive tickets rather than enter the penal system. I would still make it illegal to distribute the drug.

This change is part of the Progressive’s philosophy to adjust to the realities that drugs like meth and ecstasy are greater threats than smoking pot will ever become. Our policies should reflect these changes and the reality that marijuana use is no more dangerous than alcohol abuse and cigarettes.

Note: When the government figures out a way to tax marijuana, it will become legal.