Obama team's books: A policy preview?

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen

By Christina Bellantoni

For those wondering how an Obama administration will govern, the local bookstore may offer the best glimpse, as key members of President-elect Barack Obama's new team have penned books outlining their vision for government.

Some of the most specific ideas came from incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who co-authored "The Plan: Big Ideas for America," with Democratic Leadership Council President Bruce Reed.

The 2006 book reads like standard Democratic talking points, but also offers some provocative proposals, such as a middle-class flat tax of 10 percent, the creation of a new domestic counterterrorism force in the model of Great Britain's MI5 and universal civilian service for those 18 to 25 years of age.

"It is high time to say what we're for, what we stand for, and above all, what we plan to do," Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Reed wrote.

The book complains that under the Bush administration, the wealthy pay less taxes, and they suggest a "simple and fair" idea of a "Ten Percent Solution" to make sure "no middle-class family pays more than it should."

"No middle-class family with an income of under $100,000 should ever have to pay an effective income tax rate of more than 10 percent. If the amount they owe after calculating their taxes is more than 10 percent of their income, they won't have to pay a dime above 10 percent. If what they owe is less than 10 percent, they'll pay the lesser amount," they wrote.

On mandatory service, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Reed propose that all Americans between 18 and 25 be asked to serve with three months of basic training, civil defense preparation to learn how to respond to any form of attack or how to assist an evacuation or handle a natural disaster and community service.

"This is not a draft - nor is it military," they write. "We're not asking young people to be soldiers, but to be citizens - ready to respond to the nation's needs here at home."

Mr. Obama talked about service to the nation on the campaign trail, offering a detailed $3.5 billion plan to boost participation in the military, AmeriCorps, foreign service and community work over the summer.

His plan called for expanding the local, state and national service programs known as AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 slots and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 with the goal of strengthening diplomacy, along with an expansion of the armed forces.