Drink. Drive. Go To Jail.

Now that I’ve spent the better part of two days cartwheeling over the Democrats victory in the midterms, I figure I might as well present a list of what I hope the Dems achieve in the next couple of years.

• A reasonable, bipartisan (including shia/sunni, not just democrats/republicans) plan for the ordered transfer of power and eventual withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
• Donald Rumsfeld needs to be replaced.
• Guaranteed health coverage for anyone under the age of 18, as well as continuing coverage for those enrolled in an accredited 4-year college or university program.
• Raising the minimum wage to a reasonable level, allowing people who work a full-time job at minimum wage to live above the poverty line.
• A temporary repeal of the tax-breaks passed in the last six years, to be revisited once the budget is balanced.
• A committed plan to balance the budget within the next four years.
• Implementation of all of the 9/11 commission recommendations.
• Urge President Bush to open up direct talks with both Iran and North Korea, so that we can get nuclear proliferation back under control.
• A plan to curb the rising costs of health care and health insurance.
• A reinstatement of previous levels of Pell Grants for higher education.
• Vote down the warrantless surveillance program proposed by the Bush Administration.
• Replace John Bolton with someone who embraces the goals of diplomacy inherent in the concept of a United Nations

I’m sure there are more, but this should keep them busy for awhile. And yes, some might have to wait until after 2008.

I’ll post a more in-depth exploration into each one of these issues in the coming weeks.