America Back on Track
Edward M. Kennedy, Viking, 2006
For those yearning to know whether or not the Democratic Party has a coherent vision for our country’s future, the wait has ended. Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s (D-Mass) latest polemic, America Back on Track, (Viking, 2006) provides a seven-point platform—the Senator calls them “the seven challenges”—that cogently encapsulates an alternative agenda for the American nation.
Steeped in the red, white and blue tradition of oppositional loyalty, Kennedy first discusses “Reclaiming Our Democracy.” Here he describes how the role of congress has been undermined by Republican Party shenanigans, for instance, the manipulation of Texas congressional districts, in 2003, by disgraced former Speaker of the House Tom Delay (R-Tex), and executive branch usurpation of legislative power—exemplified here by the Bush administration’s “weakening of agencies that enforce congressional laws.” To illustrate this, Kennedy refers to the dozens of positions that have been cut – along with other budget reductions – at the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), making federal regulations meant to protect workers nearly meaningless.
Next, Kennedy writes about “Protecting Our National Security.” Here, the current U.S. policy of “preventive war” is addressed. Kennedy maintains that such a bellicose doctrine “defies our historical traditions”; the Senator also calls for a “new definition of national security,” embedded in the notion that “our national security also requires scrupulous protection of our democratic ideals so that our example can be a model for the world.” Further, quoting President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy writes “we must build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just.” JFK’s younger brother goes on to assert, “(s)uch a world is possible if we have the wisdom and courage to build it.”
“Participating in a Shrinking World” provides the word frame for Kennedy’s look at international economics, specifically globalization. Here the longtime legislator makes a plea for greater government investment in engineering, science and math. Kennedy warns that “our R(esearch) & D(evelopment) is not sufficient … when major breakthroughs in research are taking place in other lands.” Moreover, the author is concerned about “the current trajectory of energy consumption.” If it continues, it could “cripple the planet,” he writes. Yet, Kennedy assures us that globalization is nothing new. Quoting economic theorist John Maynard Keynes, describing the world prior to the First World War, we are given a preview of the future: “The inhabitant of London could order by telephone… the various products of the whole earth …and reasonably expect their early delivery upon his doorstep.” Kennedy contends that if this trend toward globalization was true a century ago, advanced technology has made for even greater economic interconnectivity in the world today. Again, however, the avuncular statesman attempts to ease our anxiety with this palliative: “Fear has always accompanied every new stage of globalization. But… if government has done its job properly, opportunity has increased, and so has our productivity and our standard of living.” In a quick shift of topic Kennedy next focuses on “The Vital Importance of Education.” Here we learn that of all the bachelor degrees awarded in the world in science, math, engineering and computer technology in 2000, only 15.4 percent were from the United States. Half of those degrees (49.9 percent) were granted in China – while 30.7 percent were earned in France. (China and France were number one and two internationally in baccalaureate confirmations in these disciplines. The U.S. came in ninth at place, behind the European Union and the United Kingdom.) At this rate of academic preparation the USA will have a difficult time remaining competitive in a global market of goods and services dependent on sophisticated technologies.
Also, two interrelated topics are expressly addressed: “Creating an Economy for All” and “Guaranteeing Healthcare for Every American.” In the former, Kennedy explores economic inequality in America. A couple of figures underscore this fiscal disequilibrium: First, corporate CEO’s make an average of 135 times what their average employ makes; second, a worker earning minimum wage, and working forty hours a week, every week of the year, will earn an annual salary of only $ 10,712.00. While Americans are able to point with pride to their nation’s political democracy, the socio-economic system of the country resembles a plutocracy.
At last, Kennedy arrives at what has become his signature issue over his long tenure in the upper chamber of congress: healthcare. Simply put, the Senator proposes as “the most effective option” an expansion of Medicare to ensure that all Americans have access to physicians and other health services. After all, “England, France and Canada (each with a national health care program) spend 10 ten percent of their Gross Domestic Product on medical care, but the United States spends more than 15 percent” of its GDP on the health industry. What’s more, 17 percent of our citizens have no health insurance; that’s over 46 million people. Further, the cost of healthcare is such a burden to business that General Motors estimates that fifteen hundred dollars on every new car sold goes toward employee health coverage. Clearly, the American system of healthcare must be reformed. The safety net has a gaping hole in it, and many of our citizens are falling through. Senator Kennedy’s idea to expand the Medicare program, until eventually all citizens are medically insured, is a plausible and pragmatic approach to this alarming social situation.
Two other platform points are also intertwined subjects. Point Six, “Continuing the March of Progress,” has to do with discrimination based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation – and, of course, that hot button topic known as immigration. Along with Senator John McCain (R-Ariz), Senator Kennedy has sponsored legislation that proposes the creation of “a new temporary visa” enabling workers from other countries to cross borders and “fill jobs that require their skills.” This is a sensible response to a persistent condition, especially when the Center for American progress estimates that deportation of the 12 million or so who are here illegally would cost over $200 billion in the next half decade.
Finally, the Senator makes recommendations as to how the nation can recover its experience as an indivisible sovereignty that pledges liberty and justice for all. He defines this ambitious task with two simple words: “Uniting America.” His formula boils down to a rediscovery of basic American values based on a government that “can work well.”
In two hundred pages the Senator’s seven points are lucidly outlined and, so far, are prevented implementation only due to a lack of legislative numbers. Perhaps the midterm victories handing congressional control to the Democratic Party is an opening to this new American agenda. Written with the collaboration of Jeff Madrick, editor of Challenge Magazine, Kennedy’s treatise is, if not an outline for a quick fix, at least a fast-read overview of the primary challenges facing America in the early 21st century. Thoroughly researched—the bibliography is an invitation to hone expertise in one or more of these challenges—and easy to read, Senator Edward M. Kennedy has made an important contribution to our ongoing national debate. (ISBN: 0-670-03764-8)
Ben Miles |
