1. continue to appoint sane judges (unlike the insane ones the dems appoint) - Thankfully Harriet Meyers wasn't in that grouping, but we have plenty of vacant federal benches, still no breakup of the insanely large 9th, still judges sitting around waiting for confirmations. Not sure how much I'd want to put this first on the list.
2. keep tax cuts in place - Most of the tax cuts are taxes that should never have been charged in the first place. Married couples having to pay higher taxes? What a moronic plan to begin with.
3. keep the US terror free - By leaving the borders effectively open for half a decade? By not doing anything to streamline the insanely burdensome immigration courts? By not targeting people already ordered out of the country who still refuse to leave?
4. eventually bring Iraq to a conclusion - The Iraq war ended the day there wasn't a member of the Iraqi government to sign a surrender agreement. Formalizing the end of that war should have been the top goal of the state department, yet to this moment, there is no official peace with Iraq. Semitics, I'm sure, but it needs to be done.
5. make a new effort at social security reform - What? By expanding it further? Walmart is doing more to cut the costs of prescription drugs than Congress has accomplished.
6. make a new effort at border control with a guest worker program - So, someone has finally started applying for the existing guest worker programs? Yeah, yeah, I know, they're recruiting in Asia and India right now - fine for tech programs, but why farm workers? One of the few areas of expansion I'd actually support would be multiplying by five the size of the embassy in Mexico and actually start processing the already authorized work permits, and increasing the size of ICE to enforce the visas issued.
7. continue to see the deficit decline - If you project an incredibly huge deficit and only deliver a deficit that is larger than the gross national product of half the nations on the planet, that is not deficit reduction, that's playing with numbers. Cutting pork projects, cutting the size of government and controlling future obligations would bring about real deficit control, but those aren't even up for discussion.
8. make a better effort at spending control - Has Bush vetoed a spending bill yet? Has the Republican congress not increased every segment of spending? Actually, the most disgusting thing is that over the past five years, Congress has succeeded in increasing the size of their own budget by more than double, almost triple, what it was when Bush took office.
9. continue education reform - The only real educational reform in action right now is in Washington DC with their limited voucher program. Of course, the rest of us don't qualify for such things. But I'll certainly give ya one here - standardized testing has clearly demonstrated even to the most liberal that their stupid ideas on teaching are harming our kids.
10. continue low unemployment rates and record stock market highs. - I'm seriously tempted to go through and count the number of new government employees (direct or indirect) created over the last five years. My guess is that it'll account for twenty to twenty-five percent of the job 'gains'. Add in the number of people who took themselves out of the workforce and are no longer seeking jobs, the percentage of youth not even seeking a job, plus the millions of jobs being squatted by illegals... I see numbers that could have been vastly different. The stock market might be at record highs - but what of it? How much of the stock market is compelled investment these days, money coming in from retirement funds that must purchase stock each quarter? If the overall economic health was so strong, the Fed would be reducing interest rates to combat inflationary pressures. Yet another hollow victory.
This is by far the most important thing the Republican party can do. Bush still has 2 years, so holding the Senate is paramount. If Stevens or Ginsburg goes, there'd be a chance of gettikng a Supreme Court that can undo some of the atrocious "jurisprudence" of the last 30 years.
2. keep tax cuts in place - Most of the tax cuts are taxes that should never have been charged in the first place. Married couples having to pay higher taxes? What a moronic plan to begin with
Correct, but many expire in the next 2 years. If the Dems take the House, they don't have to vote on raising taxes, they just let them expire (and you know they'll claim "I never voted to raise your taxes!"). Gotta keep the House if we can.
beyond that, I prefer the House and Senate accomplish very little, bi-partisan or not.
Actually the fed raises interest rates to combat inflationary pressures. I have never seen anyone find something bad about everything the way you have. You complain government is too big, then complain government hasn't done enough to lower the price of prescription drugs. You want the congress to break up the 9th circuit court... just how do you think they should do that?
Sounds like democrats whining that Bush didn't prevent Katrina.