Onward, upward

Congressional Democrats have a positive agenda for the people, and it ought to be one to which Republicans can agree

Nancy Pelosi is a liberal Democrat from San Francisco, but she appears ready to compromise with President Bush and to move forward on some legislative goals with reason and consensus in mind. That's important, of course, because in addition to being a member of Congress, Pelosi is likely to be the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She and Harry Reid, who will be the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, will set the legislative agenda for the next two years.

Pelosi was smart to take impeachment "off the table." Attempts to deliver payback to the Republicans for their shenanigans of the last few years -- when they virtually ignored Democrats -- would be wasted. And the American people have waited a long time for legislation that addresses their real and understandable concerns in meaningful ways.

Toward that end, Pelosi says the Democrats want a summit to talk about the direction in Iraq. Goodness knows that's overdue. She wants direct talks with North Korea as well, and a focus on terrorists beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, into Southeast Asia and Africa. Democrats intend to pass into law recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission, which have to do with more detailed and demanding oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies and strengthened security.

For working people at the lower rungs of the economic ladder, the best news may be that Pelosi and Reid will push for a jump from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour in the minimum wage. This obviously is crucial if people in this wage range are to be adequately compensated for their hard work, and for attempting to avoid a need for public assistance.

The Bush domestic agenda, such as it is, has been about tax cuts for the wealthy and a No Child Left Behind education initiative which has demanded more of public schools without providing resources necessary to help those schools meet federal requirements. Pelosi says Democrats will push for more money. They also should end the president's tax cuts benefiting the richest Americans.

As far as ethics rules go, Pelosi and her fellow Democrats have much to do. It's true that congressional Republicans, several of them, were caught in ethics scandals, but the truth is that a culture of corruption has existed in Washington for a long time, and it's been bipartisan corruption.

A sense of entitlement seems to pollute the atmosphere on Capitol Hill, leading the elected representatives of the people to forget who sent them to Washington and for what purpose. Ethics rules should be tough, and come with penalties for violators.

Let us hope that President Bush responds positively to these initiatives. It's true the president holds a veto, and he can use it to filter out legislation he doesn't like. But if he insists on trying to stick with business as usual, that's not going to make this unpopular president any more popular.

Likewise, Democrats must attempt to forge support from Republicans in order to advance what are some excellent prospects for helping average Americans, the solid citizens who carry this country on their backs. The Democratic agenda now can make that burden a little lighter.