The California cognitive scientist George Lakoff http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/08/25_lakoff.shtml has urged Democrats to resist Republican attempts to influence policy by “framing” it in language that obscures its true nature—death tax rather than inheritance tax, entitlement programs rather than veterans’ benefits and social security, and, of course, “pro-life” to cover a whole lot of issues that are less than life-enhancing to many sentient beings.

Democrats attempted this with some success, but most of the time, the Democratic problem has been a lack of imagination and courage. As Team Obama gears up for a new beginning, here are some of my ideas for them:

Follow up:

Make health care, not health insurance, the ultimate goal of any program to provide drugs and medical care for all Americans. The needs of large insurance and pharmaceutical companies have too long taken precedence over the needs of consumers. Sick people, like Obama’s dying mother, should be talking to their physicians and nurses rather than some disembodied teleworker attempting to cut costs and maximize profits.

Look for some way to fund public education that severs its link with property taxes. Since World War II, public policy has rewarded schools in affluent suburbs to the detriment of urban and rural schools. We need one standard for funding education for all American children that is not dependent on the income of their parents. The Republican notion that schools can compete against one another for scarce resources is a scam that we should not tolerate.

Take science seriously. Ever since Ben Franklin flew his kite, science and technology have served this nation well. A toxic mix of vested corporate interests and religious fundamentalists has permeated scientific inquiry from our finest laboratories to the elementary classroom. The knowledge that science can bring us about the world we live in must be uplifted. This means funding education that breeds new scientists and creates an informed citizenry, promoting basic research whose commercial application may not be obvious, and not ducking when research provides conclusions that have consequences we should address. Global warming is only one of several inconvenient truths that the Bush Administration has ignored. Yes, research needs monitoring for its possible negative impact and broader implications, but reasoned examination should take precedence over ideology.

Protect our media. Time was when networks sheltered their news operations from the commercial demands they put on their entertainment and sports operations. No more. The Federal Communications Commission used to remind us that the airwaves belonged to the public, and were merely licensed to broadcasters. Newspapers were sheltered by families with deep pockets committed to public service as much as high profits. We cannot restore the 20th century media, but we must find a way to protect media that will spread access to knowledge and differing opinion. The internet is perhaps the most democratic method of communication, and it must be protected from commercial interests that would inhibit content and access. The FCC could explore new ways of regulating the airwaves that better relate to the environment today. Print media might be organized outside the model that measures success by quarterly profits. We need diligent and probing reporting in a free and open forum for our nation’s survival.

Regulate market forces. Once Wall Street convinced corporate America that it was the best place to invest workers’ retirement funds, millions of people who had never invested in the stock market became hostage to it through stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Most Americans had little insight into just how risky that was or how fast and loose established firms were playing with our future. John McCain’s defeat, I hope, put an end to the notion that Social Security could be privatized, but if corporate employees are going to park their 401Ks in the market, they deserve more transparency about how those funds are invested. We must breath new life into government regulatory agencies from the Securities and Exchange Commission to the Food and Drug Administration to the Environmental Protection Agency to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If regulations are outdated or too difficult to enforce, fix them. Don’t abandon us!

Recreate a government that serves people. Recently, while I stood in a long line waiting to buy stamps, a worker carted away the stamp machine that could have collectively saved hours of line-standing. “Why are you doing that?” someone demanded, to which the worker replied, “It wasn’t carrying its weight.” Puzzling to say the least, since the machine didn’t collect a user fee. Most of the time, it wasn’t properly stocked, which I’m sure led to its demise. This demonstrates to me the toll that privatization has taken on services we once assumed government provided best: moving the mail, collecting parking and traffic fines, providing social services for people in need, managing public facilities like airports and national parks, running public schools…The list goes on, but in this time of economic crisis, I’m sure there area plenty of people who would provide these services on a government salary without the promise of a bonus for reducing service.

p.s. I’m still interested in environmental cleanup, in ending the Iraq war, and in fighting terrorism and staunching nuclear proliferation, not to mention restoring our Constitution, but I trust those things are on their list. And, by the way, I’m willing to pass on that mission to Mars.

Send me your thoughts, and I’ll publish them too.