The First 100 Hours

Democratic leaders in the House have promised to pass several items on their legislative agenda in their first 100 hours in power. Potential items include: raising the minimum wage; halving the interest rate on college student loans; allowing stem cell research; authorizing the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare; implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 commission; rolling back subsidies to big oil companies; and, committing to no new deficit spending. What, if any, of these items will, or should, be pursued ?

KJW: It appears that soon to be Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, understands the opportunity that lies before her. The question that always seems to arise when it comes to the Democrats is: will they take advantage of the opportunity, or will they screw it up?

RAISING MINIMUM WAGE: This is a no brainer. It should be the first piece of legislation introduced by the new Congress. The legislation should not be a part of any other bill. It should simply be an up or down vote on raising the federal minimum wage. Such a bill will pass overwhelmingly.

REDUCING INTEREST RATE ON STUDENT LOANS: This is also a no brainer. What group will persuasively lobby against this bill? The only one I can think of are the banks who are the lenders for the student loans. Good luck. This bill will also pass overwhelmingly.

STEM CELL RESEARCH: This issue is emotional for those on both sides of the debate. However, the polls seem to indicate that the public is in favor of allowing further stem cell research. I would support pursuing this issue but not as the first item and not at all political capital costs.

ALLOWING NEGOTIATION OF LOWER DRUG PRICES FOR MEDICARE RECIPIENTS: I would save this issue for another 100 hours.

IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION: Another item I would save for the second or third 100 hours.

ROLLING BACK SUBSIDIES TO OIL COMPANIES: Certainly based upon recent profits the oil companies are hardly in need of subsidies. Nevertheless, I would not recommend making this item one of the first 100 hours issues.

COMMITMENT TO NO NEW DEFICIT SPENDING: If they want to totally drop the ball then go ahead and make such a commitment. I would put this idea up there with George H.W. Bush's famous: "read my lips, no new taxes".

In historical context the first 100 hours of this Democratic controlled Congress may not have significance when it comes to truly significant legislation. However, it can be very significant in setting the tone with the American public. If the perception of the new Congress is one of getting things done for the American people it not only may bode well for the public, but also for the Democrats chances in the 2008 election. Conversely, if the hand off of power to the Democrats is perceived as opening the floodgates of investigations, subpoenas, hearings, etc., then the public may quickly sour on the benefits of throwing out the party in power.

EJS:
Nancy Pelosi has a very ambitious agenda planned for the 110th Congress set to convene in just a few short weeks. The question is: How many of these items can actually make it through the legislative process and will be signed into law by President Bush?

Bush's eyes lit up during a post-mortem news conference the day after the election when a reporter asked him what he thought about possible bipartisan support of his "comprehensive" immigration reform bill. It is ironic that due to the Republican loss, McCain, Bush, and the other globalists are actually going to come up roses in their biggest piece of domestic legislation. Expect amnesty to be front and center and signed into law by our faithful leader within the first few months of the new Congress. Then we can all polish up our Spanish and prepare for the waves of humanity that are sure to follow shortly thereafter. Current estimates put the illegal immigrant population in this country anywhere from 10 to 20 million. Expect that number to double within five years, and triple within a decade.

I am fundamentally opposed to an increase in the minimum wage, which is proven to cost jobs and cost consumers more money. Instead, I would support further tax incentives for small businesses and low-income families. This will stimulate business and create more jobs, therefore increasing tax revenue. However, it appears the bill will have no trouble passing, and Bush will probably sign it and use that as leverage to get some of his items passed.

I have no issues with reducing the amount of interest on federal student loans. Education is always a good thing and is an investment in our nation's future.

Allowing federal funding of new stem-cell lines isn't going to happen. It may get through Congress, but Bush has made his position clear on this issue, and I believe he will not waver on this. That tends to be his approach to such moral issues; he has a set principle and does not waver from it.

The profits that oil companies are making these days is an outrage. I believe we need to rollback the subsidies that were put in place to help the floundering oil industry in the 1970's. Times have changed and obviously oil is a great business to be in. I am of the opinion that the government go one extra step, and this applies to media conglomerates as well. We need some old-fashioned Teddy Roosevelt trustbusting to break up the big oil and media companies. Business in the United States was never intended to be run in such a manner.

Democrats saying they won't spend any more money is like a Packers fan saying they're not going to eat anymore cheese. It is laughable. The only question is, how much are they going to raise our taxes to cover their socialistic plans?