5 Most Important Issue for the New Congress

With midterm elections upon us again, and the Democratic majority surely taking a substantial hit in the Senate as the polls close tonight, we find ourselves at a political crossroads yet again. I at this point call forth to our political leadership to stand for what’s right, and not for political gain (though I know that this will never happen). Things need to get done, this country needs legislation that will allow America to regain its footing and thrive once again. The question I pose, what is that legislation? What are the most important issues of these next two years? I present the five most important issues of the next two years and what it means for the country;

1) The Economy – Lets face it, the American economy is in the toilet and the world’s economy is circling the rim, it’s not a pretty picture no matter where you look. This economic down turn requires action, but what action can be done? To lower the deficit (which is the number one priority of all candidates running, yet no one will give firm answers on how) we need to make realistic cuts. The argument between sides is how the economy will best be improved; i. Some tax cuts versus massive tax cuts versus tax increases (though politicians stray far away from the idea of tax increases until the election is over). ii. Broad cuts to our budget. The problem with cuts to the budget is what to cut. You can’t expect to decrease the federal budget with, to take a phrase from the 2008 election, a scalpel. You need to serious consider cutting into the big 3, Social Security, Medicare and the Defense Budget. Without cuts into these big 3, you won’t decrease the budget in the way that many politicians claim they want. I will cut the arts, I will cut humanities, I will cut entitlements, I will cut BLAH BLAH BLAH…These things will not cut the deficit.

2) Jobs – Despite the claim by the Republicans that Obama is creating job loss, this simply isn’t true. When Obama entered office the rate of job loss was on the rise, now it is decreasing. It is clear that less people are losing their jobs but it does not mean that jobs are being created. The government needs to begin creating jobs. The stimulus package has been panned by Republicans, those same Republicans who are now asking for money from the stimulus to create jobs. The government needs to create jobs so that the American economy can get back on track which ties directly back into my first issue to address. Also, looking at tax cuts for companies who create jobs and keep jobs within the country is something that many politicians are running on for a platform.

3) Afghanistan – At a skyrocketing cost (see issue one) to maintain the war and Obama himself setting a timeline for withdrawal the War in Afghanistan will be a hot topic issue in this midterm cycle. However, with arguments on both sides of the table in regards of our success in the country compared to the fear of what would happen if we left, pose large arguments for politicians going forward.

4) Health Care – Health care will be a difficult obstacle to overcome for Republicans, even with a possible majority in both houses of congress. Obama’s veto pen will come into play in this next cycle for anything that appears on his desk undermining his Health Care Bill. No matter how hard the Republicans try and fight the Health Care bill they must recognize two things; First, they must recognize that the Congressional Budget Office, a bi-partisan office has shown that this bill will decrease the deficit (see issue one) and second, the longer the fight the harder it will get. If the Republicans continue to fight this, holding up other important issues to discuss the repeal of health care more of the staggered polices will become effective, thus given better health care coverage to American, thus making things more difficult for Republicans to rip away from the people. If you tell the people that these new polices that go into effect January 1^st will be gone the following year, there will be a large backlash.

5) Marijuana – With Prop 19 possibility passing in California look for fights not only locally in California but also with federal courts. The argument of marijuana being a gateway drug is the argument of many anti-marijuana proponents is backed by all the prominent California politicians however this argument faces tough opposition from the pro side in the form of taxation and profit for a struggling state/nation. If California is successful look for many other states to follow suit going forward.