2011 Progressive Wish List

A short list of issues I'd like to see movement on in the coming year.


1. Immigration Reform

Many Republicans want illegal immigrants to be treated as criminals who broke the law. Democratic leaders advocate a more lenient policy allowing some illegal residents to remain an active part of U.S. society.

The DREAM Act passed the House this month but couldn't get the 60 votes required to defeat a GOP filibuster in the Senate. Opponents argued that anyone living illegally in the country, even those brought involuntary as kids, should be treated as a criminal, not rewarded with amnesty and benefits.

The Obama administration has been deporting illegal residents at a record clip over the last two years, but conservatives say he hasn't gone far enough to stem the tide or control the borders.

It is simply unrealistic to round up and deport the millions of illegals already in the country. Immediate reforms should focus deportation efforts on those who pose a more direct threat, such as those who've committed other crimes, while allowing students and workers a path to gain a more permanent foothold in the U.S.

Enforcement policies disproportionately target illegal workers rather than the domestic businesses that hire them. There may be a violation of law by the immigrant who comes into the country, but that's preceded by the violation in the law that occurs by the U.S. employer who is willing to hire illegals.


2. End the War in Afghanistan

Nuff said!


3. Positive Action Dealing with Guantanamo Detainees

Can we get some movement on this issue? On January 22nd, 2009 President Obama signed an executive order calling for the closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo. There has been little progress.

The executive order was very direct in referencing compliance with Geneva Conventions and calling for a restoration, or application, of habeas corpus rights for detainees. As a country of laws we are obliged to offer justice to those imprisoned. They can and should be either prosecuted or released. If the imprisonment and interrogation of detainees is tied to illegal actions taken by members of our government or military, they should be prosecuted as well.

We need some sunlight disinfectant on this one, big time.


4. Repeal or Revision of Citizen’s United SCOTUS Ruling

Campaign finance reforms have, from the beginning, been designed to protect incumbents.

We need to bring about an end to corporate personhood.


5. Abolishment of the Death Penalty

Statistics are trending in the right direction. The number of death sentences in 2010 was over 50 percent lower than in the 1990s. 46 people were executed this year in the U.S., compared to 52 in 2009. Most of the executions were carried out in the South.

The cost of the death penalty has played a major role in changing public opinion. In a recent national poll conducted by Lake Research Partners, 61% of U.S. voters chose various alternative sentences over the death penalty as the proper punishment for murder. In the same poll 65% supported replacing the death penalty and using the money saved for crime prevention. Illinois hasn't executed anyone for 12 years, but continues death penalty prosecutions at the cost of $100 million over seven years. California reported their death penalty costs at $137 million each year. Permanent imprisonment for all those currently on death row would cost just $11 million.

Two other factors over the past year contributed to the decline in the popularity of the use of capital punishment. Problems with the lethal injection system and innocent people being sentences to death, or worse yet already executed.

In October, Anthony Graves was released from death row in Texas after being imprisoned for 16 years for a crime he didn't commit. Troy Davis, whose guilt is also in doubt, remains on Georgia's death row.

The death penalty system is broken. Privatized prisons are on the rise with profit motives taking priority over justice.


6. Legalization of Marijuana

The war on drugs has failed.

The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. One in every 31 adults is on probation, in jail or in prison. FBI figures show that over 800,000 people in the U.S. are arrested for marijuana offenses each year. The vast majority of these arrests are for low-level, nonviolent simple possession offenses.

Drug law enforcement in the United States is behind some of the worst aspects of our flawed criminal justice system, including significant racial disparities. People of color are arrested at far higher rates than whites for marijuana offenses, even though rates of drug use are equal across racial lines.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, we incarcerate black men in the United States today at rates more than five times higher than in South Africa during apartheid. Stats like this make it a bit challenging for our leaders to publicly decry human rights offenses in China, Iran or anywhere for that matter.


7. Judicial Appointments

The 111th confirmed 60 judges but there are currently 94 judicial vacancies in U.S. Federal Courts. 94! That leaves 11% of all federal judge seats vacant. The Court of Appeals has 16 vacancies and the U.S. District Courts have 78 vacancies.

Cases are backing up, and with a long-standing majority of Republican appointees the federal courts are being used more and more as a partisan conservative tool. Ironic, given the political Right’s frequent condemnation of so-called activist judges.

The 13 Circuit Courts are currently comprised of 90 Republican appointees, 73 Democratic and the 16 vacancies. By filling the 16 vacancies Obama could create a near equal split of progressive and conservative judges. The breakdown within each district is not so equal as the possible overall split. However, this is as important an issue as ANY pending legislation on the docket for 2011.


8. Marriage Equality

Some states have taken this on as a ballot initiative and have been pushed back and forth by appeals court rulings. This issue should be taken up by the Supreme Court who should rule that banning same sex marriage anywhere in the U.S. is unconstitutional.


9. Strengthening Social Security and Medicare

Conservatives continue to attack the safety nets, fighting for privatization. Some ground was lost in the compromise tax deal. Obama must make the case for preservation and provide a long-term funding plan.