Before I begin today’s post, I want to send my best wishes to Senator Ted Kennedy and his family. Kennedy suffered a seizure last week, and today it is being reported that the seizure was caused by a malignant brain tumor. If anyone out there has some medical knowledge, please post what you know about malignant gliomas in the comments section.
Even though Hillary Clinton continues to make her case that she has a claim to the nomination because of her popular vote lead (as I said she would last week), the presidential race has moved into general election mode. As I thought about the content of this post, today seemed like as good an opportunity as any to look back at some of the policies that emerged during the primary season. I then realized that law school has largely kept me from delving deeply into any of these policies. So, instead of discussing the intricacies of each proposal, I have compiled a short list of the policies I would like to know more about. Look for some more detailed posts about each proposal during the summer.
Fair Tax: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s proposal to get rid of the IRS is essentially a consumption, or sales, tax. Huckabee argues that this is a fairer tax in part because everyone gets taxed, from the police officer to the pimp (bling would be taxed under Huckabee’s plan). There are many concerns that consumption taxes are extremely regressive, and implementing such a plan would take a massive public relations campaign. However, a successful fair tax could potentially increase revenue and save the government billions in overhead costs. If my concerns about the regressive nature of the tax are assuaged, I may be amendable to Huckabee’s proposal.
Carbon Emissions: The fact that both McCain and Obama have plans to reduce carbon emissions is by itself very encouraging. Furthermore, McCain is advocating the European model of carbon credits, where businesses who do not pollute nearly as much can be rewarded with carbon credits that they can then sell to other companies that pollute more. However, there are several concerns about the effectiveness of this model. Another option is a pollution tax, punishing major polluters. Questions abound about the necessity of the tax, whether free market principles can be a major weapon in combating global warming, and whether low-polluting companies would produce much more than credits.
Health Care Mandates: The truest domestic policy difference between Clinton and Obama. Clinton believes that there have to be penalties for those who do not purchase health care, while Obama believes that people will naturally buy health insurance as long as they can afford it, and the government’s role is to make it as affordable as possible. Personally, I am a Kucinich Democrat when it comes to health care, and do not trust for-profit companies to prioritize an individual’s health over the bottom line. However, government-run health care is a fantasy at this point, and I am torn about whether Clinton or Obama has it right.
Talking to Our Enemies: By the end of the general election, this topic will most likely be beaten to death. President Bush has described it “appeasement,” which is funny because his own Secretaries of Defense and State have discussed the necessity of sitting down with Iran. The question is, what sort of preconditions, if any, should a President Obama set out before any meeting with the Iranians or other hostile regimes?
Reforming/Scrapping No Child Left Behind: Governor Bill Richardson said that we should just scrap No Child Left Behind, and virtually everyone agrees that the legislation as it is currently being implemented has been a disaster. However, the push for increased standards in our school has largely been a result of many schools failing to adequately teach basic subject matters to their students. Funding is another issue altogether. Education policy is my greatest public policy interest, and I always heed the advice of Senator Biden: don’t tell me what your priorities are, show me your budget.
If you know a fair amount about each of these, please post in the comments section why they are good/bad ideas.
