Dear Democrats letter

You won the vote in 2004, but lost the election.  So, please do not beat up on yourself anymore for losing the election.  It wasn't your fault.   It was a done deal well before the election and any more unproductive self-flagellation is a waste of energy.  Here's what needs to be done:  [see below]

1.    Understand how votes get counted.   On network TV in 2003,  Bev Harris of Black Box Voting showed Howard Dean how easy it was to change votes in computers.  In 2004, that's what happened.  Here's how it happened:  Votes get tallied by a data base program that is present in most personal computers.  She was able to guess the password to the program easily.  The version in the vote counting computers lacks an audit trail, meaning anyone can access the computer, and its vote tallying program, without that access being recorded by the computer.  Votes are tallied at the county level.  County officials see a screen that shows totals as the votes are reported to a central tabulator, usually over modems from the many precincts.  The screen does not show the tally precinct by precinct.  It shows only the totals over a period of time.  The precinct by precinct totals are reflected on printouts that are kept separately--and compiled before each precinct total is transmitted to the central tabulator.  The numbers on the separate printouts are the "official numbers."  It turns out, however, that this "safeguard" is meaningless because the numbers that are reported to the Secretary of State are numbers from the central tabulator.  And, the central tabulator does not keep data precinct by precinct.  So, it is impossible to track vote switching.  This flaw has not been fixed.  And there was vote switching in the 2004 election.

2.    Understand election law.  Unless you are a candidate who lost an election, you don't have the right to see the paper ballots.  Those ballots remain in the boxes, tucked away in some storage unit.  Thus paper ballots in fact do not afford protection.

3.    Understand manual recounts.  In California, the law requires a certain number of manual recounts.  This is supposed to provide a check on the computer counting.  But, because absentee ballots are not included in the manual recount, it is almost useless.

4.     Demand an investigation of the election results in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico for starters.  This would require a special commission under a new federal law.  The election cannot be undone, but the crooks who were responsible can be prosecuted.

5.    Demand that your favorite news source, whatever it is, stop ignoring the fact that crooks stole the 2004 election from the voters.

6.    Demand reform of the income tax.  Rich people should pay a higher percentage of income to the Treasury.  Poor people should get rebates.

7.    Demand single payer health care.  The present system, with its emphasis on expensive drugs and treatments, provides only individual incentive to prevent disease.  Treating really sick people makes money for drug companies, hospitals and private doctors.  They don't maker any money from preventing disease.

8.    Demand living wages for everyone.  People should not have to work more than one job to feed themselves and their families.  A living wage makes life livable.

9.    Demand free higher education.  Families and students should not be forced to pay huge amounts for education.  It's not a luxury item.

10.     Demand pure food and water.  We should not have to drink contaminated water and make ourselves sick with pesticide-laden food that contains antibiotics.

11.     Demand energy efficiency.  Our foreign policy is based on cornering the oil and gas markets.  Only when we stop needing energy from foreign sources will our foreign policy be sane.

If Democrats put our energies into an agenda that resembles the one set out above Democrats can win elections, choose judges, and earn the respect of the rest of the world.  I am sure of it.