Two Weeks In

So two weeks after the election the euphoria starts to wear down and it's down to business. A very exciting day filled with bourbon, glee and excitement and a new day in America. There is so much possibility, so much hope that could come out of it and indeed I'm proud of a nation that can see past it's racism filled past and present, it's fear of immigrants and change to look at the face of a new America. Seeing President-Elect Obama on 60 Minutes was amazing, the sharp intellect, the youthful image of a wife and children, but now it's down to business. Whatever sea change you compare it to, perhaps not Reconstruction, or the Great Depression but certainly comparable. Two active hot wars going on simultaneously, a "cold war" against terror, an energy crisis, an environmental crisis, the growing pains of globalization and not to mention an incredible international financial and economic crisis. Yikes.

So, as proud as I am of you and I am, it's time to get down to work.

My Letter to President-Elect Obama,

Dear President Elect Obama,

It is with incredible pride and patriotism as an American that I welcome you as my President. It is amazing that 40 years after Dr. King was shot down in Memphis that a man of color has taken the reins of this great country. It sets an amazing example for every young American that truly someday they could be President. That hard work and intellect can take you to the greatest heights.

And that and a buck and a quarter will get you a small coffee. The previews are over and it's time for the main attraction. America is in a weird place right now. Americans have been intimidated over the past eight years with fear both real, perceived and intimated. A certain darkness has come over the nation in many elements, not crushing the American spirit but certainly making it less prevalent and sweeping. Our hopes that working and saving would bring us towards the American dream are much less encompassing, wiped out by fear of losing our retirement funds, our jobs, our homes and in fact our future.

And this is just one of our major issues, there is the general image of American greatness abroad, which has gone from the beacon of world freedom in many eyes to that of an uncaring bully unbridled by world opinion, a drunken cowboy trying to get our way. Simultaneously we have weakened the great fighting force of all history through a constant war with undetermined objectives, taking some our nation's best men and women, junior officers and NCO's leaving the service, leaving us less prepared for our next conflict(s).

And that doesn't even get us started on the issues we had before that, energy and environmental issues that have been ignored by a generation of oil soaked lobbyists and politicians. Mr. President Elect you've got yourself in a tough fix. But I think I have some solutions for some of our internal problems.

RAISE THE GAS TAX
Oh yeah, people are going to go fricking nuts, the right wing will scream about taxobamics, but hear me out. First, you're going to take abuse from the right anyway, regardless what you do, so you may as well do the right thing. Gas prices have dropped over the past few months due to the economic slowdown so it won't be the pain we felt over the past year or so but in fact, gas in this country is too cheap regardless. I'm not suggesting a European style gas tax that would stun and freeze our economy which is built around highways, long commutes and suburbia but a reasonable 50-60 cent increase per gallon. (about 180 billion gallons/year for all vehicles, 74 billion for autos in 2005) Now this money doesn't go overseas but instead to help rebuild America. Of these funds I would suggest that 50% of the funds go into an infrastructure bank, funding highway, bridge and transit projects that meet 21st century standards and are based on proper needy projects and not general pork, 25% would go into alternative energy production, based on an angel capital venture fund model from the federal government with the government have the capacity to retain some capital from successful projects, the remaining 25% would be divided among a new GI bill to fund the veterans of recent wars including COBRA type coverage of TRICARE for military families (perhaps 5%), and the remaining divided amongst deficit reduction and a large, competitive contract for American auto companies to build buses and other municipal vehicles based on plug in hybrids, fuel cells or other alternative energies for use in American cities.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN THE ECONOMY
70% of the economy is based on consumer spending. It why despite the 2001 attacks and the tech bubble that the economy sputtered but did not collapse. What wrong now is that we have this conflagration of the credit crunch, a lack of consumer confidence, a recession and a general lack of regulation from the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Here's where the issue lies, I do think that just the change of administration and a commander in chief that is engaged with the issues and doesn't talk like he's in the chorus of a spaghetti western will help build some confidence but it's a tight rope to walk. Particularly when it comes to regulation. You have to get people to wade back into the market, whether it be the supermarket or the stock market. Wall St. and their sycophants in and out of the administration and in media have been holding a gun to the head of the American economy in a manner that can only be compared to Somali pirates and sea traffic off Mombasa.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE MONEYCHANGERS: TREAT THE TAXPAYER'S NICKELS LIKE MANHOLE COVERS

Taxpayer money used to bailout companies must be accounted for, where's it going, what's it doing, is it going for Xmas parties and big bonuses? Or is it going to grease the skids for the American economy. Business has frequently said to get government off it's back but those days at least for now are over. The federal government is a partner and stockholder in what used to be some of America's greatest companies. My boy Clubba doesn't seem to understand what the hell is going on, why the hell would you give all this money to failing companies. My comparison would be giving your friend who just ran his car drunk into a tree, the keys to your car so he can drive that one into a telephone pole. Clubba would suggest, if you need to get the capital out in the economy why not give it to healthy, existing regional banks.

Now I don't think Timmy's going to be getting that call to Stockholm anytime soon but that just makes sense. You're going to have to hire the best and the brightest to oversee this lovely transfer of wealth from working and middle class Americans to the ruling Wall St. class regulating this use while at the same time making sure that you don't choke the capital that will assist regrowth of the economy.

ALTOGETHER NOW: FIXED RATE IS FIRST RATE

Second step are mortgages and housing. Damn, it pisses me off as the guy who got the standard fixed mortgage and keeps up his house, to see these foreclosures of sub prime mortgages, flippers and people that just got over their heads buying housing that cost way too much. Arggh.... Too much blame to go around, so how do you save the housing market and have people stay in their homes as well. So I guess it's fixed mortgages for 40 or 50 year periods. Now sure this is complicated and you'll have most people who are basically renting from their bank while building up a ton of equity but there has to be some modicum of control here to protect people from themselves.

I'm unsure whether it would be an FHA arrangement or through a GSE but for people who seem to have the potential to stay in their homes and pay a mortgage and have decent credit this could be an option and still maintain a free market image in the mortgage market.

These opportunities would also allow recent college graduates, working class as well as those transitioning from the military to get into decent housing and rebuild neighborhoods, these deeds would be protected from speculators by requiring that houses sold for more than a certain percentage higher than the initial cost of the home for a particular period of time have a very high capital gains tax.

PUBLIC WORKS ARE PUBLIC WORK

The third piece is to get the American people back to work. An economic stimulus bill, you know like the Bush checks isn't going to do much good. Some of us will pay off our debt, other squirrel it away for an even rainier day. The stimulus unfortunately (maybe) is going to have to go through states with it's inherent bureaucracy. With this being said, on top of the infrastructure building projects mentioned under the gas tax proposal, these funds can be "earmarked" for additional public works projects similar to New Deal projects targeted towards particular empowerment zones.

The strings need not be chains, but there must be some connections to particular needs of that community to help employ the unemployed but also serve a particular service to the community.

So there's my first few shots of advice, more to follow as we move into Jan 20th.

I'll Take Her

This morning, Elena, my wife and I got up earlier than usual to vote. We got there around 6:30 or so and a couple of people were waiting in line. Elena was a little fussy in her stroller so she got her way and I got out, I picked her up a muffin and coffee, Becky and I's little tradition is to get coffee afterwards and some breakfast but everything was kinda rushed, like everything is.

We couldn't get Elena to say vote or as Becky wanted "exercise your franchise". People started to line up behind us, a small wave of humanity waiting to exercise that franchise. I thought today of the billions around the world who can't vote, or vote in fixed elections and thought about our responsibility today as Americans. Casting a vote for the most powerful person in the world. Now that's really something, that power, that responsibility of putting so much power in the American people's hands, from the daughter of an ex-slave http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=6153625&page=1 to a soldier filling out an absentee ballot, an investment banker, an 18 year old kid in the 'bury getting his first shot at the process, whoever that American might be.

We shuffled up in line as the polls opened, Elena with her mama, me trying to maneuver a cup of coffee, a muffin and a stroller filled with everything my little girl could possibly stow away, a blizzard could come and we'd be prepared,even though it was a 5 minute walk away.

I have no idea who will be elected President tonite, and if that person is elected, what kind of President he will be. I know that there are a lot of men and women who got me up to this vestibule, these cube of democracy. Some of them wore a uniform, served in the sands, forests, jungles and mountains defending our country and making the world safe for democracy. Some of them weren't in uniform and fought the war at home for civil rights and for social justice, some of them fought to put food on our table, clothes on our backs and roofs over our heads, but alas I stand on the shoulders of these giants, casting my vote for the future of our own country and perhaps of mankind on earth.

Wow, so much responsibility. I was never one of those educators who told every kid they could be President. How trite it seemed to say that to a kid who struggled to get to school everyday for whatever reason, usually not a fault of their own. How trite is seemed to tell a kid growing up in OP, Jefferson Park, or Mattapan that one day they may walk those hallowed halls. All of a sudden, maybe I was wrong.

Obama was not my first choice for President, all those things, inexperience, naivete, etc. bothered me and the fact that the Democratic Party would nominate a Black man with a funny name for the post. Typical I thought of my party in it's usual suicidal manner, going with the liberal guy instead of the vital center. As I often say, I shed a tear when Obama gave his speech in 2004 at the Convention. An amazing rhetorician, in fact, that speech is printed out and hangs outside my daughter's door, along from some quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt who inspired Elena's first name. (her middle name is Nieves, my grandmother as I lay tribute to two of the most dominating women of the 20th century)

We made our way up to the polls, and got the ballot. I told my wife, "I'll take her." This was quite a life changing experience voting for Obama and I wanted my daughter to see that. She'll never remember unfortunately, it will be my own selfish pleasure. I voted for all ballot questions first, all the lower ticket items leaving the Presidential unchecked. Elena got to touch the pen before I filled in that final circle. And then the circle is complete.

My mother donated to the Obama campaign, the first time in her life that she donated to a campaign. There is something transformative going on. My hope is that it's good transformation. These are tough times and the next President is not going to cut taxes, is not going to make it easier on people and is going to have to make tough choices for a nation that has been living on fluff and credit for years. It's a scary choice, maybe people later today will avail themselves of the safe choice, McCain.

But I had an opportunity to vote for transformation, not because of the color of his skin but the content of his character. That a man that came from limited means with a dedication to education, intellect and hardwork could make himself at the pinnacle of the most difficult and greatest job in the world.

And you know what, I had a chance to take my little girl with me. While I'll never be President, I can honestly look at Elena Nieves Fuentes and tell her, "baby, you can be President."

And then she'll say "papi, kitty". OK, so it will take some time.