Some of the items on the list include:
Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Besides the discriminatory nature of this policy, can we really afford to kick qualified people out of our armed forces based solely on their sexual orientation? It seems that most military personnel are not opposed to the idea of gays serving openly in the military. Even if some are not accepting of this idea, we all have to work with people that we may not necessarily agree with. Diversity should be encouraged, not outlawed.
Extending voting rights to some ex-convicts. This is not an issue that I feel strongly about, but I'm not sure that we need to disqualify people from voting just because they have a felony conviction. I do feel that if convicted felons are allowed to serve in the U.S. Senate (this means you. Ted Stevens), that it is hypocritical not to allow them to vote. OK, I suppose that, in principle, we do not want murderers picking our next president, but people make mistakes. I'm not an expert on voting laws from state to state, but it seems that it varies. If ballots include elections for both federal and state positions, this needs to be standardized.
Offering paid sick days to more workers. This is not really something that applies to me. I have a job that offers personal days and vacation time, and I am generally satisfied with that. I wouldn't argue against more, but I don't really need it. However, if we want to get people off of welfare and keep them working, this is important. For example, you cannot receive most government-assistance, such as food stamps, if you make too much money, so the people that utilize these services do not usually have great jobs. They are often employed by places that do not offer benefits or paid days off. So, what happens to a single mother, working at a fast-food restaurant, when she has to take her sick child to the doctor? If she is able to keep her job, she loses a day's worth of pay. I don't think I even have to say that many people cannot afford to lose a day's pay. I couldn't, and I'm single with no kids. Offering sick days to more people can help them get back on their feet and stay there.
Closing the wage gap between men and women. Women still make less than men. Unless all women are doing a truly sub-par job at whatever they do, this is unacceptable. Pay should be based on performance, not gender.
Overruling state restrictions on abortion. Laws concerning abortion vary from state to state. Some consider state restrictions to be a way of chipping away at the validity of Roe v. Wade. Some states require parental consent or notification, others don't. Some states are trying to ban abortion in all cases except in "extreme cases" where the mother's life is at stake. My argument is that the government has no grounds to ban abortion until they stand up for sex education. Not the abstinence-only programs, but programs with an emphasis on birth control and prevention of STDs.
Extending a hate crimes bill to cover crimes against gays on the basis of sexual orientation. I've heard the argument that every crime is a hate crime, but a person should not fear for his or her life because they are a member of a certain demographic. People are murdered everyday, but most of the time it is random or because of a personal conflict. I am not minimizing the loss of any life, but a person should be able to walk down a street without fear of attack based on skin color, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. James Byrd was not killed at random, nor was Matthew Shepard. Those were hate crimes.
Expanding access to birth control and family planning. The best way to reduce the number of abortions performed is to offer more family planning services. Abstinence-only programs do not work. I hate to play the Bristol Palin card, but it applies. Furthermore, rich young women can afford to travel across state lines to bypass state abortions laws, the poor cannot. So, in states where birth control is downplayed and abortion is heavily restricted, we will continue the endless cycle of poverty.
Standardizing sentencing for crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine. The fact is, crack is a problem in inner cities. So, most users of crack cocaine are poor and black. The sentences for crack use are stiffer than those for powder cocaine, the drug of choice for rich cocaine users. So, poor, black drug users spend more time in jail than rich, white offenders. Plus, without being able to afford a decent lawyer, jail sentences can be even longer. I'm not condoning drug use, but we should make the consequences equal for all offenders.
Providing a path to citizenship for those living in America illegally. Scare tactics will never work to solve our immigration problem. If you threaten to deport a person, do you think they will cooperate? No matter how you feel about illegal immigration, it is impossible to scare them into leaving. We need to secure our border, work with immigrants, and develop a system to help them gain citizenship. Also, we need to address why illegal immigration is such a big problem. Building a big ass fence is not the answer, and it will not work. To quote Arizona governor, Janet Napolitano, "you show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder."
Advancing stem cell research. Bush has repeatedly shot down efforts to expand stem cell research in the U.S. Look, scientists are not playing Frankenstein here. They are trying to cure Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other devastating diseases. Instead of funding stem cell research, we are funding a war that has yielded resulted in real lives lost, men and women who had families and friends, not just embryos sitting on a shelf, unwanted, in a fertility clinic somewhere, waiting to be discarded.
Protecting the environment. Bush is widely considered to have been the worst president, environmentally, ever. He has basically treated the environment as a giant neverending landfill. We need to do better.
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